Boreal Bonsai King

One of Nick Lenz’ famous larches. The larches we’ll be offering this fall (see below) aren’t this old or nearly this refined (Nick is in a league of his own), but they are off to a good start. Monday morning, the sun is shinning and buds are just starting to swell. Spring digging season won’t last, so it’s time to get outside. Continuing our Larch theme, yesterday I dug, trimmed and potted (nursery pots) a few of the larches I’ve been growing on my land for the last dozen or so years. Most are around 20 to 25 years old (they started on a friend’s land … Continue reading Boreal Bonsai King

Boon’s Tamarack and 4 Pots – Which Do You Prefer?

One American larch (Larix laricina) and four pots (plus the original). Which do you prefer? All this images in this post were borrowed from Boon Manakitivipart (the image above is a composite that we put together). Yesterday, April 21st was our first day of spring here in northern Vermont (not technically, but really), so I started digging up some Larches I’ve been growing in the ground for the last 10 to 15 years and putting them into nursery pots. My plan is to take some of them to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition in September. Anyway, my mind is … Continue reading Boon’s Tamarack and 4 Pots – Which Do You Prefer?

Arts of the Earth & The Principles of Bonsai Design

Beech with vase. The tree is a Japanese beech ‘Fuji’ by Kazuhiro Ohashi. The photo is from Weyerhaeuser’s Pacific Rim Arts of the Earth Exhibit. This exhibit took place in 2006. In 2013 the Weyerhaeuser corporation gifted its entire bonsai collection to what is now know as the Pacific Bonsai Museum. You can read the whole story here. Continuing with our Japanese beech theme (see the tree above), we’re going to journey back to the early days of this century and revisit a unique bonsai and ceramic art exhibition from 2006. I think you’ll like the photos and the commentary by David DeGroot, who was the curator at the WeyerhaeuserPacific Rim Bonsai Collection (now … Continue reading Arts of the Earth & The Principles of Bonsai Design

You Can Look but You Better Not Touch & Other Scary Bonsai

Halloween? At first glance you might just see the tree and the cobwebs and miss the hands. This photo and the one just below are from Robert Steven’s 2014 International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennale. We’ve added two photos (Nick’s Poison ivy & a strange looking Trident maple) to our Halloween posting from the last two years. Continued below… LOWEST WIRE PRICE YET 500 gram (1.1 lb) BONSAI WIRE ONLY 7.95 PER ROLL this special will end November 8th at noon EST – There’s something about those ‘severed’ arms that’s just a little ominous. Is this where the recent ‘Black Scissors’ rage started? … Continue reading You Can Look but You Better Not Touch & Other Scary Bonsai

Botanical Misnomers & an Old Tree from Left Field

You like unconventional? Crazy? How about daring? Notice how the color and design of the pot plays with the wild deadwood and the small touch of moss on the left mirrors the foliage. Just another bonsai from left field by crafty old Nick Lenz, master left fielder, author and preeminent collector-from-the-wild of cedars, larches and other North American gems. This photo is from North American Bonsai (out of print). Still on vacation (we’ll be back and Stone Lantern will be open on the 14th). The photo above originally appeared on Bark in a post titled Eccentric Bonsai #8, Nick’s Crafty Cedar, from … Continue reading Botanical Misnomers & an Old Tree from Left Field

Honeysuckle Bonsai – Before & After (& One Small Bonus)

This massive old Honeysuckle belongs to our friend Andy Rutledge. Here’s what Andy has to say about it, “The photo is not particularly well done, but I tried to make a decent backdrop. It’s just after a bit of new-growth pinching this afternoon. It’s a Lonicera (don’t know the species). It was collected by my teacher Nick Lenz a while back. Been in my care since 2010. It’s coming along.” Continued below… Two Brand New Bonsai Wire Sales 25% off 2+ rolls of 500 gram Bonsai Aesthetics Wire 25% off 2+ rolls of U.S. manufactured Copper Wire* plus an extra … Continue reading Honeysuckle Bonsai – Before & After (& One Small Bonus)

Wild Apples & Other North American Natives

This humped back Wild apple appears on the back cover of Nick Lenz’ Bonsai from the Wild (long out of print). In fact all of the photos shown here are from Nick’s book. I’m a little pressed for time, so we’ll use our old archives trick. The photos are from a June, 2011 post. The text is heavily edited. It’s no secret that Nick Lenz is a brilliant, innovative and daring bonsai artist. It’s also not much of a secret that Nick is a genuine holder of extensive bonsai (and horticultural) knowledge and wisdom, with perhaps more expertise when it … Continue reading Wild Apples & Other North American Natives

A Natural Feel for Bonsai

I really like the natural untouched feel of this old Spruce. It brings to mind the rugged conifers of the high Sierras and Rockies. It’s a Norway spruce (Picea abies) by Walter Pall (from Bonsai Today issue 106). Yesterday’s post featured Walter Pall’s Bonsai, so let’s just keep going. This one is from the dawn of Bonsai Bark, July 2009. It was titled The Great Debate part 3: More from Walter. Now in 2017, the bonsai community has mostly moved on from the great debate (I don’t think it ever was a big deal anyway, but it does provide some insight … Continue reading A Natural Feel for Bonsai

Dazzling Deadwood

Dazzling deadwood. I think I see a live vein on the left edge of the trunk. Otherwise, this spectacular old specimen is a study in deadwood (with a little rebar thrown into the mix). It’s a Rocky Mountain juniper. The artist and owner is Ryan Neil, Bonsai Mirai. The tree was originally collected by Andy Smith of Golden Arrow Bonsai (Stone Lantern offers Andy’s excellent DVD on collecting bonsai). Intenational Bonsai Mirai has a great little back story on this intriguing old tree. This post originally appeared here in January, 2012. A lot has changed and a lot remains more … Continue reading Dazzling Deadwood

Laid-Back Scot’s Pine

This comfortably laid back bonsai is a Scot’s pine. Its feeling of relaxed informality is accentuated by the somewhat shaggy foliage and overall barely-touched-by-human-hands look. We always have an eye out for trees that are both compelling and unusual and I think this one fits the bill. It belongs to Pierre Robbach (Tenkei Bonsai Club, Mulhouse, France). I found the photo on Jean-Paul Polmans’ facebook feed. Jean-Paul is also associated with Tenkei. This is what sprung to mind when I saw the tree at the top of the post. It’s Nick Lenz’ famous Penelope. The tree is an American … Continue reading Laid-Back Scot’s Pine