The Other Black Pine

An old European black pine after the first styling by Walter Pall and friend. Though we don’t often lead with unrefined trees, it’s hard not to give Walter Pall first billing when it comes to European natives. Here’s what Walter has to say about this tree: “the foliage of black pines is quite coarse and it is perfectly normal for them to look kind of raw after first styling… After a few years it will get much better.” He also says “The tree will take ten to fifteen years to be ready for exhibit. Such is bonsai life.” Walter has … Continue reading The Other Black Pine

Restyling a Mugo, Offing a Shari, Bonsai Tourists, More Bonsai Rafting & Some Excellent Events

This old beauty is one of hundreds of quality bonsai that was featured at the 2nd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Nikko Satsuki Azalea that belongs to The Kennett Collection. It originally belonged to Kunio Kobayashi who started it by planting smaller trees next to each other. The 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition takes place June 9th and 10th in Rochester NY. It’s not too late to sign up. Now half price. Order this collector’s set from the first two U.S. National Bonsai Exhibitions and save 50% It’s not a bonsai, but it is a sweet photo. … Continue reading Restyling a Mugo, Offing a Shari, Bonsai Tourists, More Bonsai Rafting & Some Excellent Events

Backyard Bonsai #11

A slice of John Pitt’s backyard. Nice fence and simple plank on concrete block benches. Continuing a Bark tradition This our 11th Backyard Bonsai post. The first was Wolfgang Putz’ way back in May 2009. Aside from their voyeuristic value, I think these posts might serve as useful examples, or even inspiration for the rest of us. If you’ve been inspired to put together your own backyard display, we’d like to see photos if you get a chance. Mr. Pitt John Pitt is an award winning bonsai potter and bonsai artist who lives in Derbyshire, England. In addition to his … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai #11

Mugo Pines: A Well Kept Secret

This powerful, well groomed yet craggy Mugo pine jumps off the page. It would be exceptional even if it didn’t have that wild and strange piece of deadwood that doubles back on the trunk; a feature that makes this tree uniquely distinctive and even more wonderful than it would be anyway (though I might remove the straight stick at the end that goes behind the trunk). I might also take issue with the crown; it’s a touch too perfectly groomed and symmetrical for my taste, but still, this is an exceptional bonsai. Worthy of the finest collections anywhere. I found … Continue reading Mugo Pines: A Well Kept Secret

Backyard Bonsai Displays #2: Reiner Goebel

A while back we featured Reiner Goebel’s bonsai in one of our Bonsai from Nursery Stock posts. Now he’s made the cut for our Backyard Bonsai Displays. Though no one’s backyard (so far at least) is as impressive as Wolfgang Putz‘, still, for those of us with more modest aspirations, Reiner deserve a look.

Bonsai & You (tube): Mixed Gallery

This is a collection of images that someone put together. I recognized several trees, including at least one Kimura (The Magician), one Morten Albek (author of Shohin Bonsai), and one Wolfgang Putz. Overall the quality is very good, though a few fairly ordinary trees found their way in.

Backyard Bonsai #9

A piece of Christian Przybylsk’s garden (I took the liberty of cropping his photo a little). If you visit his site you can see the uncropped original, as well as over a dozen backyard photos that are not included in this post. Like this one, they are more about the garden than the bonsai, but still, there are enough bonsai sprinkled around for you to get the idea. Picking up an old thread Way back in May 2009 we started a series called Backyard Bonsai. Most of the eight previous posts are from 2009 and early 2010, though the last … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai #9

Back Yard Bonsai Displays #4: A Japanese Touch

This shot doesn’t exactly show off François Jeker’s bonsai (if you squint you can see them way in the back), but it does give you a pretty good idea of his artistry when it comes to building and maintaining a Japanese garden. Speaking of François Jeker Though François Jeker is well known for his masterful work with deadwood (see previous and future posts), his interest and skills stretch far beyond. The gardens and bonsai displays featured here attest to his sensibilities and deft touch, as does his benchmark book, Bonsai Aesthetics.

Backyard Bonsai Displays #3: A Fresh Start

Starting from scratch Morten Albek (author of Shohin Bonsai) recently moved himself and his bonsai. This photo shows an early stage in the process of building his new backyard display. Not a bad start. Morten will be posting photos on his website as the project progresses.