$25 Critique Contest

kiki bonsaiThis photo is from Kiki Bonsai.

Win a $25.00 gift certificate to Stone Lantern
Send me (wayne@stonelantern.com) your written critique of the planting in this photo. Try to keep it to 100 words or less. I will pick the winning critique based upon two criteria:

1. Content. How insightful your observations are.

2. Clarity. How clearly and simply you express your observations.

DO NOT PUT YOUR CRITIQUE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. Email it to me at wayne@stonelantern.com. Put ‘Critique’ in the subject line.

You will become famous
I will post the winning critique and perhaps one or two others that I like. I may also offer my own critique.

Penjing: Worlds of Wonderment

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That Nasty Summer Heat Wave

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Both photos in this post are courtesy of Randy Clark of the Bonsai Learning Center.

More to come?
We just received the article below from Randy Clark of the Bonsai Learning Center in North Carolina on how to deal with the extreme heat that much of the country has been experiencing this summer. I may be a little late for those of us in the Northeast (at least here in northern Vermont), but for those of you further south, there may be more to come.

Summer in the Carolinas by Randy Clark
The Southeastern US is suffering from the heat wave this summer, although not as severely as is the rest of the nation. Nevertheless, temperature which are consistently in the plus 90 degree range present dangers to our bonsai which should not be ignored. Our trees do not enjoy these extended periods of sizzling temperatures any more than we do, but simply pouring buckets of water on them may not be the answer to the problem.
Most of our “temperate” bonsai grow most happily in a range that runs from about the mid to low 70’s through the mid to high 80’s. When temperatures exceed this range on either side, the tree begins to make biological changes in its systems designed to deal with these extremes. Winter dormancy is the reaction as temperatures fall toward the freezing range. Most of us are familiar with this seasonal change in our plants.

BUT… plants can also experience a period of “summer dormancy “when temperatures begin to climb into the 90’s. As the mercury begin to rise, the plants reacts by temporarily shutting down most of the growth systems and trying to conserve moisture. New growth comes to a halt and the stoma holes in the leaves close up so as to minimize the amount of moisture the plant is “exhaling” into the air.

Continue reading That Nasty Summer Heat Wave

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Laying An Old Misconception To Rest

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Flowering cherry (Prunus apetala) by Kyuzo Murata. From his book Four Seasons of Bonsai (sadly, long out of print).

Misconception
“in Japan, flowering bonsai, need to be displayed with only few flowers. It is considered bad taste to present a bonsai in full flowering.” (from a comment on facebook).

Rules vs guidelines
There are a host of misconceptions about bonsai. They often arise when we think there are fixed rules (there aren’t any in bonsai, except maybe in judged contests, and these are often fluid). There are however, plenty of useful guidelines.

Pinching flowers
One guideline that can be helpful, is to pinch off some flowers. Sometimes too many flowers can be distracting, even tacky (at least in the eyes of some). Another reason for pinching off some flowers is to protect the health of the tree. It takes a lot of energy to produce flowers and too many can weaken a tree (especially if it’s health is already compromised, which is sometimes the case with bonsai). However, sometimes growers choose to leave an abundance of flowers on a tree; often with excellent results.

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Satsuki azalea (var Monochidori) by Taiyu Ezaka. From Bonsai Today issue 41.

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Bonsai Events Calendar

crespiPhoto from Crespi Bonsai (see September 10)

Just the beginning
This is it. Our first calendar. If you have a bonsai event you’d like to see in our next calendar, send it to wayne@stonelantern.com, or put it in the comments below (don’t forget the links). We can’t guarantee we’ll publish them all, but we might.

Sep 4-7: Bay Island Bonsai Workshop

Sep 9-12: Bonsai and Suiseki Prague 2010, 13th National Exhibition

Sep 10-12: International Bonsai’s North American Bonsai Symposium

Sep 10-19:  Crespi Bonsai 9th International Bonsai & Suiseki Meeting

Sep 13: Ryan Neil Demonstration, The Bonsai Society of Upstate New York

Sep 17-19 Pacific Northwest Bonsai Clubs Convention with Dan Robinson, Kathy Shaner, Michael Hagedorn, David DeGroot and other notables

Sep 18-26: Potomac Bonsai Association Exhibit at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum

Sep 29 – Oct 12: BCI Fall China Tour

01Sep 30 – Oct 3: International Stone Appreciation Symposium

Continue reading Bonsai Events Calendar

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Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

More Cedars: From Our Friends Up North

PCcedar09.02

Northern white cedar (Thuja Occidentalis) by Paul Chong of the Toronto Bonsai Society.

Friend out west?
Two of the three cedars in this post are by Paul Chong. Though there are several other notable cedars on the Toronto Bonsai Society’s website, Paul’s jumped out at me. And, incidentally, Toronto is actually west of Vermont, not north.

cedarchong2

Another of Paul’s powerful collected cedars. Only Mother Nature (with a little help from a deft hand here and there) could accomplish something this spectacular.

Continue reading More Cedars: From Our Friends Up North

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Coming Soon! Calendar of Bonsai Events

Promoting the art of bonsai
Bonsai Bark exists for at least two purposes. 1. To promote the art of bonsai, and 2. to bring people to Stone Lantern. In keeping with number 1, we are going start offering a regular calendar of bonsai events. At this point, I am not sure how often (maybe bi-weekly or even weekly), or exactly what will be included (we may treat non-profit organization differently than for profit businesses). In any case, if you want to promote your event, email me (put bonsai calendar in the subject line) or include it in the comments below, and, chances are, we will publicize it for you. FYI: Bonsai Bark averages about 16,000 visits per month (about 5,000 unique).

cal

A piece of an 1871 Hindu calendar. Borrowed from Wikipedia.

Help us find your event(s)
We will actively seek out events by scouring the web. However, this does not assure that we will find your event(s). So help us out. Send us links. Again, you can email me (put bonsai calendar in the subject line) or you can include your link (with comments if you’d like) in the comments section of any Bonsai Bark posting.

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Maximizing Flowers, Miniminzing Distractions

boug

This cheerfully bright bougainvillea (borrowed from Bonsaimania; Bonsái del álbum de Virgie Bambilla) illustrates the principle that: when it comes to flowering bonsai, the tree should be designed and displayed in a way that, first and foremost, shows off the flowers. Success!

Is there a problem?
This post is in no way conceived to criticize anyone. I understand that most people who post on facebook (or wherever) aren’t necessarily interested presenting highly finished professional type photos. No problem. However, in bonsai display, there are times when the quality of the photo is critical. And for good reason; a well thought out display with professional type touches, including minimizing background distraction, can greatly enhance our appreciation of a bonsai. Held to this standard, most photos on facebook and elsewhere, leave something to be desired.

boug2

Cropped. I took the liberty to crop the photo to try to minimize background clutter (noise). It’s impossible to get rid of all the distractions and a small part of the tree and much of the stand has been sacrificed, but you work with what you got.

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Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Perfection? Or Just the Eye of the Beholder?

yellowflowerMy Japanese is a little rusty (actually more like non-existent), so I have no idea what this little gem is. However, thanks to Willi Benz, I know that if it is displayed alone, you might call it a kusamono (or kusamono bonsai). If it is displayed as an accent or companion plant, then you could call it a shitakusa. This photo, just like the second photo in Friday’s post, is from one of our Japanese mystery books.

Is this perfection?
When I look at the two photos in this post, I can find absolutely no faults anywhere. Often with bonsai, something might be improved: the size of the pot, its color, the placement of the plant, its angle, the ratio of whatever to whatever, something. Am I missing something? Or maybe what I call perfection is just what suits my taste?

kusaHere’s another one. Same book. Same problem (ie, no problem).

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