Beech Forests: in a Pot or on a Slab

4beech

This somewhat faded image of a somewhat amazing Japanese beech forest is from Bonsai Today issue number 4 (long out of print).

The popularity of beech forests
In Japan, Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) have long been a favorite for forest plantings. Their smooth almost white bark, fairly small leaves, fine branching and easy-to-work-with toughness, makes them a natural for bonsai. Here in the you not be able to find any Japanese beech, but don’t despair, most of the principles can be applied to other deciduous trees.

99breech

This not-so-faded slab planting is from Bonsai Today issue 99 (still available). See below for instructions on preparing a slab for planting.

Continue reading Beech Forests: in a Pot or on a Slab

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Backyard Bonsai #7: Vaughn Banting’s Passion

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The entrance gate to one of Vaughn Banting’s bonsai courtyards. Come on in…

Vaughn Banting
Vaughn Banting was an artist, an adventurer and a friend to many people around the world. He was famous in Louisiana bonsai circles (and circles well beyond) for his passion for bonsai. He was both a professional and an avid enthusiasts that devoted much of his life to bonsai, from his teenage years to his untimely passing in 2008.

Comprising a life
You can visit Vaughn’s website for a journey through his life and work. In addition to photos of Vaughn’s bonsai (his nursery and his private collection, parts of which appear here), and his friends and travels, there are some very telling before and after photos of Vaughn’s nursery that depict the ravages of Katrina.

Azaleas-on-bench

Spring. You can tell by the azalea blossoms.

vbcascade Still spring…

Continue reading Backyard Bonsai #7: Vaughn Banting’s Passion

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Web Pirating vs Attribution

It’s happening to us
Someone has been pirating all our posts without attribution to bonsaibark or Stone Lantern. I won’t mention their name (yet) because I don’t want to alert them and am hoping that they post this.

And it could happen to you
We are noticing more and more material posted without attribution. Especially, but not exclusively, on facebook. This is corruption, whether it’s innocent (come on!) or intentional. If you see someone doing it, please remind them to attribute. It’s easy and it’s the honorable thing to do.

A simple difference
It is a widely accepted practice to borrow material from other websites and blogs as long as you attribute the source and link to them. We do it all the time and other people use our material in the same way. No problem.

Please let us know
Please let us know if you see posts of our material without attribution. Thank you.

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Eccentric Bonsai: A Very Wild Mugo Pine

Mugo Bonsai Creativo School

Almost like magic. This wild and wonderful mugo pine showed up on facebook a few weeks ago. It was posted by Bonsai Creativo School and Academy.

Wild, wonderful and no so traditional
There are at least two things that come to mind when I look at this wild mugo pine. First, that it represents a break with traditional bonsai styles, particularly traditional Japanese bonsai. It just doesn’t look like what bonsai used to look like not too long ago.

The second thing about it is that it’s a mugo pine. It wasn’t too long ago that the only pines you’d see as bonsai were Japanese whites and blacks. Especially in Japan. Gradually, as bonsai spread to the west, other varieties started showing up. Now, mugos are becoming quite common, and for good reason; their needles are small, they are tough, and, over time they can show a lot of character (as you can readily see when you look at this magically unique and dynamic tree).

Pirates
At least one blog has been pirating our posts, lock stock and barrel; but without our links and without any attribution to bonsai bark, or Stone Lantern. If you are reading this on any website or blog that is not ours, and is not attributed to us, then it has been pirated. Please visit us at bonsaibark.com. Thank you.

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Relaxing at the Bonsai Cafe

peter landerloos

This colorful succulent growing in a rock is by Peter Landerloos. It’s from Bonsai Cafe.

Bonsai Cafe
I lifted the photos in this post from Bonsai Cafe. It features some pretty good bonsai from Western bonsai artists. Definitely worth a visit if you get a chance.

Colin Lewis

It’s not very often you see a bonsai this size with such a massive trunk. It’s by Colin Lewis. Colin lives and runs his bonsai business (Colin Lewis Bonsai Art and Ho Yoku School of Bonsai) right here in New England.

JosVandeborne

I think this sweet little Shohin might be a Needle juniper. It’s by Jos Vandeborne.

Roman Martyka

This snakey cascade by Roman Martyka could easily qualify for one of our Eccentric bonsai posts.

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Eccentric Bonsai: Isao Omachi’s Radical Tree

Isao Omachi

Check out the meandering living vein on this wonderful crazy work in progress by Isao Omachi. It showed up on facebook the other day and instantly grabbed my imagination and got me thinking about how he could have done it (the living vein part, that is). Perhaps there’s a clue in something that Masahiko Kimura (The Magician) did years ago in a chapter entitled ‘Kimura Flips (a Tree Upside Down)’ in our Masters’ Series Juniper book (below).

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Here’s the Kimura tree that he flipped upside down. It originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 21 (out of print).

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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.

kenzans

You can also enjoy a very large selection of high quality, affordable kenzans that are made in the USA.

wire

Copper colored aluminum bonsai wire for shaping beautiful bonsai.

This sale ends Febuary 24th 2010.

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Eccentric Bonsai: Two Trees by Budi

TROPtree_corrected

This tree isn’t exactly eccentric. Just powerful, handsome and unique. It’s by Budi Sulistyo and graces the cover of his excellent tropical bonsai gallery book (you can see the whole cover below).

Such a contrast
I think this next tree (below), also by Budi, falls into the eccentric category.

budi s

This ficus microcarpa by Budi Sulisyo from an album entitled ‘Stone Pot’.

Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: Two Trees by Budi

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Suzuki, Santini & One Big Sabamiki

hollow

I pulled this distinctive bonsai off of a gallery on facebook that was posted by Francesco Santini. There isn’t much information provided and I don’t read Italian anyway (Free Translation nonwithstanding), so I can’t say much about this tree except that the hollowed out trunk caught my eye.

An unusual tree
I have seen very few trunks that have been so completely hollowed (from side to side anyway, if not in depth). It looks like it might be a Ezo spruce though I could be mistaken. If it is an Ezo, it must be quite old to attain such size as Ezos are very slow growing. I like the first branch, it almost serves as a second trunk and is not a bad little bonsai in itself. Overall, I think that this is a excellent tree with great balance, and would be noteworthy even without the distinctive hollow trunk.

cascade

Here’s another tree from the same gallery that caught my eye. Though it’s a juniper, the reddish bark and the deadwood remind me of the Manzanitas in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.

show

The Suzuki piece of this puzzle. This poster is also on Santini’s facebook galley. Shinji Suzuki is Michael Hagedorn‘s teacher. Suzuki and Michael have both been featured in Bonsai Bark.

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2010 California Shohin Society Seminar

shohinconvention

This little gem was lifted from BUNJINJOURNAL.COM. It’s from the 2010 California Shohin Society Seminar in Santa Nella. They one every other year and the quality of trees just keeps getting better. I’m alreay thinking about arranging my schedule so I can go next time.

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For more superb shohin bonsai visit BUNJINJOURNAL.COM.

calshoh

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