Calendars: Avoid Confusion in 2010

CB10(360)

Here’s our 2010 bonsai calendar. Below is our Japanese garden calendar. You can find them at Stone Lantern.

Enjoy world class bonsai while you keep track of the date
Some of your have been getting your calendars from us for at least ten years, maybe longer. Might as well keep the tradition going; or start a new one. With our bonsai calendar, you’ll stay inspired and you won’t suffer the horrible confusion of not knowing what year it is, let alone what month and day.

Ditto world class Japanese gardens

CG10

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$100 Contest: Seven Down, Three to Go

NorburypunicaThe heavy trunk and flowers distinguish this pomegranate that was submitted by Jerry Norbury, though I think a shallower pot (preferably glazed) and a little thinning might improve it some.

Let’s get this over with
Three more entries and we can award one of you a $100 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. What are you waiting for? Details here.

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Kennst Du Bonsai Art?

bonsaiartThis 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.

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Eccentric Bonsai #5: Harry Hirao at the NB&PM

NBFHarry

This radically eccentric California juniper was donated to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum by Harry Hirao (Mr. California Juniper). It is only a small part of a wonderful collection of world class bonsai that you’ll find at the Museum. A visit every bonsai enthusiast (especially those of us in north America) would do well to consider.

Did Harry play a practical joke?
The taper is all wrong and the trunk forms a crazy upside down U shape. Did Harry play a practical joke on the National Museum?

Or, I am pulling your leg?

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Eccentric Bonsai #4: A Very Long Cascade

eccentric-bonsai-south

We found this exceptionally long cascading ficus (at least that’s what we think it is) on the Bonsai South website. Take a look if you get a chance. They have an excellent gallery with a range of powerful tropicals (see below) and a some other worthy trees.

It’s not that easy
It’s not easy to keep the lower lower reaches healthy on such a long cascading branch. Especially on a tree that basically wants to grow upward. You’ll notice the untrained small branches at the very bottom. Letting those small sacrifice branches grow unimpeded helps draw energy down to the tip. If this tree was just watered and otherwise left alone, the tip of the cascade might die for lack of energy.

Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai #4: A Very Long Cascade

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500,000 Cuts, All Beat Up & Still Cutting

tune

These well worn Okatsune bypass shears belong to Greg McNally and Tune Faulkner of Fall Brook Tree Farm in Wheelock Vermont. Tune uses hers all year, but most intensively before the holidays when she makes wreaths. She makes thousands of cuts a day when she’s going strong and has been using the same shears for years. We came up with 500,000 cuts, but suspect it could easily be twice that. This photo and the next one are by Amy Palmer.

Bonsai and other uses
I use my Okatsunes (the 8″ ones, some people prefer the 7″) in my garden and on my field grown bonsai, and sometimes for heavy top and rootpruning on potted trees. Though I’m not sure if I’ll ever approach five hundred thousand cuts, I have been getting good mileage for years and imagine that, as long as I don’t lose mine or give them away, I’ll never need another pair.

Continue reading 500,000 Cuts, All Beat Up & Still Cutting

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Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Pruning Deciduous Bonsai #2: Chinese Elm

elmpruning

This is the second in our series on pruning deciduous bonsai. Like the previous one (beech), these illustrations are simple and easy to follow, and could apply to most other deciduous trees with alternate leaves. The illustrations are from Bonsai Today issue 41.

A couple small points
The branch where it says strong branches that are too long, could also be faulted for being too straight. Where it says branches that curve unnaturally it could say any unsightly branch (eg branches that have reverse taper or the have abrupt jagged angles). Just bear in mind most conventions and rules are made to be broken.

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Eccentric Bonsai #3 & Contest #8

Wirral BS Gallery - Lee

I won’t say where juniper (looks like a shimpaku) bonsai came from, but will say why we choose it as an eccentric bonsai (see below) after an apology for it being slightly out of focus (it was enlarged a tad too much so it would fit our format).

The contest: win a $25 gift certificate to Stone Lantern
The first person to tell us whose tree this is and where we can verify that, will win a $25 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. Please put your answer in the comments below.

Eccentric?
I realize that eccentric is in the bleary eye of the beholder, and certainly mean no offense to the artist.

Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai #3 & Contest #8

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