Straight Up & Tightly Bunched

Is this one of the best Ginkgo bonsai photos you’ve ever seen? A couple things that stand out for me (in addition to the overall quality of the tree and the photo) are the brilliance of the new leaves and how that brilliance is reinforced by the green moss, the green pot and even the little green buds all over the trunk. I borrowed the photo from Bill Valavanis’ blog, Welcome to My Bonsai World. You don’t see that many Ginkgo bonsai. My guess is that this is because they are limited in terms of what you can do with them. … Continue reading Straight Up & Tightly Bunched

Great Close Ups, the Tallest Tree in the World, the Artisans Cup and other Bonsai Wonders

It’s not that often that you’ll find a tall tree like this with great lower branching. When you do, and in the right hands, the result can be striking and quite unique. It’s a Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa) that belongs to Ryan Neil (Bonsai Mirai). All the photos in this post are from Ryan’s facebook photos. One of the things I like about Ryan Neil’s photos are his close-ups. It doesn’t hurt that his trees are phenomenal and so well photographed in the first place. But then to show such vivid close-ups invites you in closer. Like you are there … Continue reading Great Close Ups, the Tallest Tree in the World, the Artisans Cup and other Bonsai Wonders

A Good Start…

Horst Heinzlreiter’s caption for this seductively shot photo says ‘Acer buergerianum sitting in a pot from my studio.’ I took the liberty to crop a bit to emphasize the tree and pot (the original is at the bottom of this post). All the photos in this post are from Horst’s facebook photos. If you’re one of our ten million Bark followers, you know by now that I’m a fan of Horst Heinzlreiter’s pots. The evidence is overwhelming (here, here, here and so forth…). But most of this evidence is just about his pots. Even though Horst’s pots do stand by … Continue reading A Good Start…

Bonsai Flowers & A Certain Kind of Provincialism

Wisteria bonsai doing its profuse thing. It belongs to Gerard Schoofs of the Bonsai Society of Victoria. Being a North American I just figured Victoria BC, Canada without a second thought, until I read this caption: “I managed to get this photo about Oct 2011…” Turns out, there are several Victorias in this wide world and this one is a state somewhere in that over-sized island south of Indonesia (just kidding sort of, with only a hint of irritation about a certain kind of provincialism that assumes*…. or maybe I’m just cranky). I think it’s a good time to start … Continue reading Bonsai Flowers & A Certain Kind of Provincialism

Ceramic Art Disguised as Bonsai Pots

Deciding which one of Horst Heinzlreiter’s pots to show as the lead photo seems almost random, considering Horst is so prolific and all of his pots are worthy. The same goes for the six pots below. Numerous others as just as good, but you have to stop somewhere (for a whole slew of Horst’s pots, check out this facebook post). Sometimes it seems my function here is art curator (and sometimes art critic). I show you pictures of beautiful or unusual things (usually bonsai), make a few questionable comments and leave the rest to you. So here we go again, … Continue reading Ceramic Art Disguised as Bonsai Pots

A Simple & Elegant Solution

Museum worthy. A bevy of sweet succulents has found the perfect nest in this colorful ceramic art by Horst Heinzlreiter. It’s Horst (of course) Choosing the right pot for the right tree (or non-tree plantings in this case) is critical if you want first-rate art, bonsai or otherwise. All the pots and plantings in this post are by Horst Heinzlreiter. We’ve featured Horst’s pots before and, will no doubt feature them again. They are simply too unique and too beautiful to pass up. The simple solution If you own a striking bonsai pot and your bonsai talent or enthusiasm is … Continue reading A Simple & Elegant Solution

Elevating the Art of Bonsai Ceramics

Horst Heinzlreiter, ceramic artist All the pots shown here are by Horst Heinzlreiter. They are lifted from his facebook photos. There are nine shown here in no particular order and with no reference to size or anything else, other than my taste and a little certain degree of randomness. You can find most (maybe all) of these pots along with more information (including size and price on some) on Horst’s website. I need another adjective I won’t bother you with any more comments this time; the pots speak for themselves and my adjective supply is a little over-used anyway. Same … Continue reading Elevating the Art of Bonsai Ceramics