Search Results for: ken to

More Broken Chains & Blending Tradition Chinese Penjing with Something Much Newer & More Radical

Yesterday the chains were broken. Today it’s the chains and the arm. It’s a good thing the tree and pot survived. The photo is cropped so the nitty-gritty at the bottom will show when it’s magically transported to social media (the original is below). Yesterday, we featured some photos and text (courtesy of our friend Robert Steven) from the recent 3rd National Xiaopin Penjing & Wild Grass Exhibition. Today we’ve got some more for you (and even more tomorrow). The more I look at the photos the more fascinated I become. The scope and variety and especially the concepts behind … Continue reading More Broken Chains & Blending Tradition Chinese Penjing with Something Much Newer & More Radical

Saving a Broken Bonsai Tool & a Proper Understanding of Overlapping Blades

The header from Adam Lavigne’s Adam’s Art and Bonsai Blog. We almost always lean towards the art part of bonsai, but this time we’re breaking with tradition and going with a practical post on repairing a broken bonsai tool. The four photos shown here are lifted from Adam’s Art and Bonsai Blog. They exist to encourage you to visit Adam’s blog. Even if you never repair your own tools, if you take a moment to see the whole process, chances are you’ll know more about tools and tool repair than you did when you woke up this morning. And if … Continue reading Saving a Broken Bonsai Tool & a Proper Understanding of Overlapping Blades

It’s Still Labor Day Weekend & the Sun Is Still Shining

A wonderfully convoluted Sabina juniper after a little taming by Gabriel Romero Aguadé. If you look at the before photo below, you can see that Gabriel did quite a bit to tame what started out as tree with a world of potential but also with a crazily unruly crown and a trunk with poor taper. It’s not too hard to see how the crown was brought under control (some very detailed labor and some time for new growth to fill in). But the taper is a bit more mystifying; not much has changed, but somehow it looks much better. BTW, … Continue reading It’s Still Labor Day Weekend & the Sun Is Still Shining

Taiken-ten – Some Pines First, More Later

  The top photo, with its rich deep colors, appears just the way we found it. I lightened up the bottom photo a bit to better show the details, especially the bark. All the photos in this post are from the 34th Taikan-ten Bonsai Exhibition. Taikan-ten takes place once a year in Kyoto and is considered by most people to be the second most important bonsai exhibition in Japan if not in the world (Kokufu is the king of bonsai exhibitions). I found them on Michael Bonsai’s facebook feed. There are more, but I decided to feature some of the … Continue reading Taiken-ten – Some Pines First, More Later

Deadwood, More Deadwood & A Beautiful Weekend

Deadwood! Two weeks ago we featured a couple of Serge Clemence’ bonsai in a post on deadwood. I guess the reason I  didn’t include this Mugo pine in that post is because Serge has so many trees with powerful deadwood. Still….   More deadwood! I found this powerful tree on Bonsai Tonight. It’s from the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society‘s 29th annual show that took place in Santa Rosa CA recently. When you see a tree like this and others in the show, it’s hard not to be struck by just how far north American bonsai has come in few short … Continue reading Deadwood, More Deadwood & A Beautiful Weekend

New Leaves & Broken Conventions

Spring! Japanese maple by Morten Albek, author of Majesty in Miniature: Shohin Bonsai. Could it really be? Today we are experiencing our first real taste of spring here in northern Vermont, though we’re still a ways from leaves and flowers (unlike in Denmark, where this little maple lives, and where it never gets real cold). A sweet little tree I don’t know what the variety is, but it’s obvious that this very sweet little bonsai is a Japanese maple. Even though the tree is very small, the nebari is quite strong and lends a feeling of both age and stability. … Continue reading New Leaves & Broken Conventions

Sales: Books, Netsuke, Kenzans

Don’t wait! Our book sale ends on Monday the 29th. 30% off Netsuke end tomorrow (Thursday the 25th). 30% off Kenzan sale has no ending date yet, but don’t wait too long. What’s with netsukes and kenzans on a bonsai blog and website? Good question (if I say so myself). Though bonsai is our primary passion and business, we’ve long had an interest in Japanese horticultural arts (thus Ikebana books, kenzans and tools and Japanese gardening books and tools). And to some extent, Japanese arts in general (thus the netsukes). So now that I’ve answered my own question, anything else … Continue reading Sales: Books, Netsuke, Kenzans

Sale: Books, Bonsai Wire & Flower Pins (Kenzans)

Only three days left! Sale ends Feb 24th, 2010. Visit Stone Lantern and enjoy large discounts on books, bonsai wire and kenzans (aka flower pins or frogs). Enjoy a large selection of books on bonsai & suiseki, Japanese gardening, general gardening, Ikebana, and Japanese arts and culture. You can also enjoy a very large selection of high quality, affordable kenzans that are made in the USA. Copper colored aluminum bonsai wire for shaping beautiful bonsai. This sale ends Febuary 24th 2010.

Kennst Du Bonsai Art?

This Korean mountain cherry (Prunus jamasakura) is from Bonsai Art’s website. The delicacy and beauty of the flowers contrasted with the power of the gnarly old trunk are typical of what you find on Bonsai Art’s website and especially in their magazine (I’ve long thought that it’s the benchmark bonsai magazine when it comes to expressing the pure beauty of bonsai). Too bad it’s only in German Still, well thought out design, high quality production and great bonsai work in any language.