No Interior Buds, Now What?

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One down, one to go. Decandling two Japanese black pines. Photo by Jonas Dupuich.

Akio Kondo discovers a problem and offers a solution
I lifted all the photos in this post from Bonsai Tonight. They present a small piece of a much larger post (actually two posts). I won’t attempt to flesh too out much (you can just go there and see the whole thing), except to say they are about solving a problem (lack of interior buds on black pines). Akio Kondo pointed out the problem to Jonas Dupuich and also offered a solution.

He’s a pro
Speaking of photos, I’m always impressed with the quality of Jonas Dupuich’s work. Not only are the photos technically very good, but the way he sets up the subject matter and uses it to illustrate what he’s doing is as good as I’ve seen (right up there with the Japanese articles in Bonsai Today and even better than some).

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Uh oh. No buds inside.

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A useful little tip. Approach where you are going to cut with your scissors closed. This helps prevent (see below)…

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… this.

Visit Bonsai Tonight for the whole article.

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Ornate Elegance: Bonsai Pots As Fine Art

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Hirato-Yaki peacock pot. This pot may be from as far back as 1598. 22 inches (59cm) across the top. That’s  a very large pot. From Bonsai Today issue 61.

Pot lovers?
We don’t get much response when we post pots. I guess powerful old bonsai or flashy flowering trees excite people more. Still, pots are the other half of bonsai, and the best pots rise to the level of fine art.

Where are the trees?
Maybe the reason people don’t show much interest in these fine art type pots is that they are almost always empty. Sometimes you see these kinds of pots with companion plants, but almost never with a bonsai tree gracing their beauty.

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Subtle beauty, fine art. This one is from our Japanese mystery book. The uneven top adds a touch of wabi sabi. It’s 13.5cm (5.3 inches) across the opening.

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Rebalancing & Restyling a Bunjin Pine

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After. The trunk is strong and fluid, the overall balance is good and the new pot is suited to bunjin style. By Furube Tetsuyi. From Bonsai Today issue 33. See below for the before photo.

Changing the potting angle and rotating the trunk
Though Mr. Tetsuyi did a few other things, the most obvious (aside from the new pot) is the fairly radical change in the planting angle. This along with rotating the trunk to soften the sharp almost 90 degree angles, are the first two major steps in restyling this old tree. The final steps involve pruning and wiring the branches back into shape, reducing the needle size (on ongoing project with black pines), and repotting into a suitable pot (see Bonsai Today issue 33 for all the steps).

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Before. Though the stock shows age and has lots of potential, there are so many things that need help. If we accept this view as the front, then it’s easy to see that the tree is quite unbalanced (as it’s planted now, I don’t think any other view would be much better). Also, the first curve in the trunk presents problems with its 90 degree change in direction (the Japanese call that soft 90 degree angle ‘pigeon’s breast’). Then there’s the issue of taper. Though taper isn’t as important in bunjin as in other styles, still, if you look at the after photo above, you’ll see how the trunk shows a subtle but pleasing taper, especially in the top two thirds (mostly hidden in the before photo). Finally, the canopy is overgrown, the needles are too long and the pot doesn’t suit the tree.

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NEW BOOK! Gnarly Branches Arriving Any Day!

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It’s somewhere in the northeast and getting closer by the minute. Any day now, any minute now, Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees will come rolling in.

I’ll stake my reputation
I’ve seen most of the photos and much of the text, and I will stake my reputation (whatever it is) on this being one of the most inspirational and exciting bonsai books ever published.

30% – 40% off Book Sale
It’s a good time to order. Books, tools, bonsai wire, turntables and more on sale now.

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Another Forest, But Mixed This Time

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This mixed forest is from Spain. The Museo del Bonsai Marbella, to be exact (from Bonsais del Sur). It’s too bad the pot is chopped off and the whole photo is cramped, but that’s the way we found it. Still, from what we can see, it looks pretty good.

Mixing it up
Forests with mixed species can be a little tricky; not only does the planting have to make sense aesthetically (particularly when it comes to questions of scale), but the various types of trees should make sense growing together (would you find them growing together in nature?) Not that you can’t experiment with trees that normally might not grow in the exact same locations, but the more different their natural habitats are, the more unnatural the planting might seem and the more difficult it is to keep all the trees healthy.

Have you visited Stone Lantern lately?

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Another Powerful Old Forest

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This Japanese white pine is from our 2010 bonsai calendar. It brings to mind the pines on Point Lobos (California central coast). Though it’s difficult to be certain, it has the feel of a sinuous root (netsuranari) style forest (it appears that perhaps the large trunk is separate and the rest is a netsuranari, but again, it’s difficult to be certain). Netsuranari or not, all the trees seem to be cast from the same genetic mold.

The appearance of age
It is somewhat unusual to see forests here in West that use old trees. Most older stock, when you can find it, is used for single trees. It’s a little different in Japan where older stock is more common and where there is so much field grown stock that develops relatively quickly and has the appearance of age.

Genetic integrity
When trees grow from the one root system, they maintain genetic integrity. The advantage is that all the parts tend to look like they belong together; just like an isolated stand on a mountain or by the sea, which is precisely the feeling this planting conveys.

Most netsuranari (sinuous root style) are Japanese white pines
Though not definitive, the fact that it’s a Japanese white pine is a another argument for it being a netsuranari.

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Make Your Own Scroll

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New book. How to Make Handmade Wall Scrolls by Jonathan Maples.

A good scroll can go a long way…
… in enhancing any bonsai display. Though most of us have developed some bonsai appreciation and some skills (rudimentary, at least), few of us have bothered to learn much about bonsai display; both the various pieces (mostly stands, scrolls, companion plants & suiseki) and the overall aesthetics of a display.

Your chance
How to Make Handmade Wall Scrolls will afford you the opportunity to learn about an important display feature, and beyond that, how-to instructions for making your own.

From the publisher
This book shows the entire process from start to finish how to make your very own custom kakejiku, or Japanese scroll. With pictures, graphs and simple to read instructions… using techniques learned in Japan (you can make) these Japanese scrolls that can be used to frame art prints, photographs, Japanese calligraphy, or Sumi… Perfect for any home or office.

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Morten Albek relaxing at home with a simple bonsai display that includes a wall scroll. This photo is one that didn’t make it into Morten’s Shohin book (on special at Stone Lantern and full of useful information about bonsai display). It’s somewhat unique as it shows a scroll in an informal setting. Most appear in more formal tokonamas (especially in Japan).

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Contest Winner (Better Late Than Never)

kiki-bonsai1This planting (River in India by Lew Buller) was the subject of a critique contest that we posted back on September 2nd.

Note from the present (March 19, 2014): This planting is NOT by Lew Buller. It is from his book Saikei and Art, but isn’t his. My apologies to Lew.

Plenty to choose from
Thanks to all of you that bothered to send a critique. We got plenty of good ones and just as I expected, they ranged all the way from very positive to critical. We even got one from Robert Steven (see below), author of Vision of My Soul and Mission of Transformation, who has since contributed several high quality critiques of our reader’s trees.

The winner is… but first a comment from our sponsor
The winner turns out to have a critical eye, and, as you might expect, more or less reflects my view. Not that I don’t appreciate what Lew was trying to do with this planting or the charm that he did manage to convey. It’s just that overall, I think he defeated his purpose, primarily by using too many elements, not all of which go well together. I do however, like the trees (though I could take issue with how the one on the left is planted).

My apologies for picking on Lew Buller. Mostly I like what he does, so much in fact that I used to publish articles by Lew in Bonsai Today and have promoted (and currently sell) his unique and noteworthy book, Saikei and Art.

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Achieving that Natural Look

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We found this forest and plenty of other excellent trees (and stones) here. The photo is by Nicola Crivelli. I don’t know who the artist is. Anyone?

There’s a lot to like
There’s a lot to like about this forest. It has a natural feel that looks easy to achieve, but isn’t. The trees are planted in a way that might looks random, but is actually well thought out. The dead trees add to the natural feel and convey a sense of age, as does the other deadwood. Older larger trees contrast well with the small ones and add to the feeling of age. The more or less triangular canopy silhouette has a harmonious natural feel and the outward movement of the outer trees and the upward movement of the inner trees is exactly what you would expect in a natural forest. Another excellent feature (easier to see in the bottom photo) are the perfectly scaled little plants that create a bit of an understory. And then there’s that luscious moss…

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Close up.

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Closer still. This shot provides a pretty good look at most of the deadwood. You might also notice the perfectly scaled understory. Is it thyme?

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A Brilliant New Book!

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Houses and Gardens of Kyoto. In this case, you can tell a book by its cover. This is one of the two or three most beautiful Japanese gardens we’ve ever seen. And it’s not just about Japanese gardens. The houses (actually houses and other types of buildings) present some of the most perfect artistry and craftsmanship anywhere and the gardens are every bit as good.

Best of all, the photos are original (well, almost all of them)
If you’ve spent much time with garden books from Japan, you may have noticed that most of them feature many of the same photos. What’s worse, many of the photos aren’t that good. Thankfully, this sumptuous new book doesn’t do that. The photos (500 of them) are as original as they are beautiful.

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You could build a walk like this. Or something inspired by this, or by some other photo in the book.

Continue reading A Brilliant New Book!

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