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Another Immense Bonsai

This photo of what can only be described as a massive Sabina juniper was taken at Bonsaisense in Mallorca Spain, after two days of skillful transformation by Bjorn Bjorholm (and algunos amigos). Flashback. When I first glimpsed the tree above, I thought we were back at the Artisans Cup. I think this connection has a lot to do with this tree’s size and spread and just how many impressively large trees there were at the Cup. In case you wondering, the size of a bonsai isn’t what makes it worthy or not worthy. Still, size does add dramatic effect. Especially … Continue reading Another Immense Bonsai

The Sargent

This dynamic tree with its unusual trunk shaped liked the number 3 (this effect is enhanced by the fluid, brush stroke like movement that runs up and down the length of the trunk) belongs to Marcelo Michelotti. He calls it Il Sergente (see below). Yesterday I stumbled upon the bonsai of Marcelo Michelotti, yet another of the talented bonsai artists that seem to be popping up everywhere lately. Marcelo lives and works in Alta Gracia, Argentina. All the photos shown here are from his facebook feed. A lovely confusion of names. Marcelo calls the tree above Il Sergente (the Sargent). … Continue reading The Sargent

Digging Deeper into Our Forest Bonsai Excavation

Does five trunks constitute a forest?  Maybe we should call it a glade. A mossy glade at the edge of meadow somewhere. Whatever we call it, it has to be one of the most impressive multiple trunk bonsai anywhere. It doesn’t hurt that the individual trees can stand on their own, especially the twin trunk tree on the right (the focal point). With or without the second trunk. The magnificent pot looks like an escarpment in the Rockies. Robert Steven took the photo at the 2012 BCI convention in Guangzhou, China. We’ve been digging into forest type bonsai lately, so … Continue reading Digging Deeper into Our Forest Bonsai Excavation

Staying on Message: A Few More Tips on Defoliation

Here’s Juan Adrade’s English caption for this photo. “Partial defolation on one of the grandfather trees. Close to 100 yrs old.” Here’s his Spanish caption: “Defoliación de las ramas exteriores en uno de los tridentes del abuelo de mi maestro. Este arbol posiblemente se acerca a los 100 años.” Here’s our translation of the Spanish: “Defoliation of the exterior branches of one of my teacher’s Trident maples. This tree is probably about 100 years old.” You might notice the part about exterior branches in the Spanish. This would indicate that Juan is trying to redirect energy away from the outer … Continue reading Staying on Message: A Few More Tips on Defoliation

Simple Changes with Profound Results

  One of Robert Steven’s two simulations of a tree in a rock-like container that was submitted by Kian (no second name given). In spite of the somewhat fuzzy images, the general ideas come through loud and clear. It’s Labor Day weekend here in the States, a good time to relax and enjoy family and friends, so we’ll take the easy way out (once again) and dig into our archives. This Robert Steven critique was originally posted back in December, 2010. It contains useful tips for planting on rocks and slabs and is well worth another look. Especially considering that … Continue reading Simple Changes with Profound Results

Bonsai in Hand (Worth Two on the Bench)

Perfectly small and just perfect. The artist (Haruyosi) doesn’t mention the variety, but the leaves look a bit like Nothofagus gunnii. This is our second Bonsai in Hand post this summer. Without belaboring the point, one of the bests ways to show size is to provide something for contrast. In the case of small trees, nothing works quite as well as the human hand. All the bonsai shown here belong to Haruyosi. We’ve featured his trees in the past and will no doubt feature them in the future. Japanese wax tree (Toxicodendron succedaneum). The red and green leaves contrast well … Continue reading Bonsai in Hand (Worth Two on the Bench)

Shed Some Light & Win a 25.00 Gift

Cropped photo of an amazing Sabina juniper (uncropped version below). It’s from KINGII blogspot. Here’s the Spanish caption Nombre de esta sabina rastrera de Luis, se le puso tras el primer modelado, ya que la primera rama era tan amplia que parecía una bandeja. Nunca había salido en ningún lado, asñiq ue se puede considerar una presentación en sociedad,  a pesar de que lleva unos 5 años en casa. Here’s how you can win a 25.00 Stone Lantern gift certificate Be the first person to send a sensible translation of the Spanish above (in perfect or near perfect English). Don’t … Continue reading Shed Some Light & Win a 25.00 Gift

Invisible (& Visible) Bonsai

Aside from the fact that this is a remarkable bonsai, there’s the play of light and shadow on the wall. Though I didn’t set out to chose photos with shadows, because there are so many great trees to chose from, it seems like a good way to narrow it down a bit. The photo is from Segundo Congreso y Concurso de Bonsai via Bonsai Fachforum. The remarkable bonsai you see here turned up on Bonsai Fachforum, a German language site that is overflowing with photos of great trees. The Spanish language poster (see below) says Segundo Congreso y Concurso de … Continue reading Invisible (& Visible) Bonsai

Finally… Winners!

Tree number one (Matthew Logan’s comments… Ferry’s is too long for this spot; you can find it at the bottom of the post): Eric Wigert- Buttonwood, housed at his nursery, used as the tree on his business cards. Tree was collected in 2002.  Carving work done by Lui Rayon.  48” tall 6” nebari. Tokoname Pot.  Displayed at Epcot in 2005.  Nice tree to look at in person. http://wigertsbonsai.com/. In the gallery 27th tree. Be careful what you promise I don’t always know how to handle apologies. It’s simple when ignorance or unkindness cause harm, but a little murkier when I … Continue reading Finally… Winners!