The Cutting Edge of Bonsai Innovation

The play of light and shadow… This photo is from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. Here’s part of the machine translation… “Japanese yew, Autumn Special Exhibition: Contemporary Bonsai Masters: Masahiko Kimura; Playing with Bonsai, the Origin of His Works” You can read more and see other masterpiece bonsai photos here Even though I think he’s fallen a little out of favor in some circles, I’m still a fan of Masahiko Kimura’s bonsai. For years his wildly innovative techniques and his visionary’s eye, combined with a healthy does of daring, produced results at the cutting edge (so to speak) of bonsai innovation. Now, forty some … Continue reading The Cutting Edge of Bonsai Innovation

Bonsai Adventures, Three Hornbeams

Oriental hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis) from Walter Pall’s Bonsai Adventures blog Staying on track with Walter Pall for at least another day. This time it’s three hefty Oriental hornbeams from Walter’s Bonsai Adventures blog. Time is of essences (leaving for a couple weeks in the sun later today) so we’ll provide the links and you do the research if you’re inclined in that direction NEW SITE WIDE SALE Everything Is At Least 20% off Including items already discounted discounts are computed at checkout – Another beefy Oriental hornbeam from Walter’s blog. No leaves this time so you can see the profusion of small … Continue reading Bonsai Adventures, Three Hornbeams

Colorado Blue Spruce, Before & After

Here’s what Todd Schlafer wrote about this transformation… “Before and after – Colorado Blue Spruce. This tree has a lot of sentimental value. This tree was given to me by Jerry Morris. We had dug several trees and after work I went to his greenhouse to build boxes and get them reestablished. At the end he said ‘Why don’t you just take this one home.” I was ecstatic! Structure was set in 2010 with @bonsaimirai and I wired it out on my own. It’s fun to see the progression of the tree and my eye.” From Todd’s fb timeline It’s … Continue reading Colorado Blue Spruce, Before & After

Ginkgo Bonsai – Spring, Summer & Fall

I’m not so sure about the apex or the way it’s so crowded in this photo, but I like the tree anyway. Especially that gnarly old trunk. It’s a Chi Chi, a small leaf Ginkgo cultivar. As you can see, it’s from Lakeshore Bonsai (Toronto area). Here’s Lakeshore’s caption: “Ginkgo biloba ‘chi-chi’, 7 years in development from imported raw material. Probably started as an air layer in Japan.” Finally home last night from vacation. Now to attack and vanquish two weeks worth of accumulated loose ends. Meanwhile, to save a little time, we’re resurrecting a post we did back in … Continue reading Ginkgo Bonsai – Spring, Summer & Fall

Jaw Dropping Fall Bonsai Brilliance

Trident maple from the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, North American Collection in Washington DC. Donated by Brussel Martin The early days of our blazing fall colors are here.* The full display is a couple weeks away, but there’s ample reds and yellows up the sides of our hills and mountains in Vermont. But even though our leaves are renowned, we’re not the only place with such good fortune. Pretty much everywhere there are distinct seasons have their own jaw dropping displays. All three photos in this post originally appeared here on Bark in October, 2010 OUR NEW TIE POTS ARE BACK 18.00 EACH … Continue reading Jaw Dropping Fall Bonsai Brilliance

Twisted – a Happy Accident

Here’s what Scott Lee wrote about this tree… “A sad day for me. I had my bonsai selected for the 1st Artisans Cup in Portland, Oregon. This year the weather has been unpredictable and challenging for my area. The tree’s health is not up to my standards nor Ryan’s…” Continued below the next photo… I just stumbled upon this unusual beauty in a post Scott Lee put up back in 2015. Purely a happy accident. The tree is a great example of an unconventional bonsai where little effort is made to make it naturalistic. Though there are plenty of twisted bonsai, especially yamadori from high elevations, I don’t … Continue reading Twisted – a Happy Accident

Breaking the Bonsai Mold – Japanese Red Pines

For every highly stylized Japanese bonsai, there’s one like this that breaks the mold. It’s a Japanese red pine from Japan’s 80th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition (2006). Sticking with bonsai from famous Japanese exhibitions, it’s back to Kokufu. Though this time it’s Japanese red pines (Pinus densiflora), instead of the more common Japanese black and white pines. And once again, we found the photos on Michael Bonsai. NEW BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL DEEPLY DISCOUNTED koyo JAPANESE TOOLS 25% TO 40% BELOW LIST PRICES CHOSE FROM OVER 50 DIFFERENT HIGH QUALITY KOYO TOOLS Closer up for a better look at the bark … Continue reading Breaking the Bonsai Mold – Japanese Red Pines

Botanical Misnomers & an Old Tree from Left Field

You like unconventional? Crazy? How about daring? Notice how the color and design of the pot plays with the wild deadwood and the small touch of moss on the left mirrors the foliage. Just another bonsai from left field by crafty old Nick Lenz, master left fielder, author and preeminent collector-from-the-wild of cedars, larches and other North American gems. This photo is from North American Bonsai (out of print). Still on vacation (we’ll be back and Stone Lantern will be open on the 14th). The photo above originally appeared on Bark in a post titled Eccentric Bonsai #8, Nick’s Crafty Cedar, from … Continue reading Botanical Misnomers & an Old Tree from Left Field

Florida Cracker – Before & After

This Buttonwood is just a tad more eccentric than your average bonsai. Juan Andrade posted this and some other photos of this tree a while back. Here’s his caption “Florida Cracker”, ain’t it? Sourced @ Olicata Bonsai Studio last year. Thank you Hiram!”* Today I set out to find a something that Juan Andrade wrote about four types of bonsai nurseries. Sadly, I failed in my quest (not defeated, just postponed), but I did find the photos shown here on Juan’s timeline and couldn’t resist. And if you’d like to get back to this tree’s source, you can visit Olicata … Continue reading Florida Cracker – Before & After

Soft & Squishy

Juan Andrade’s caption for this photo is… “Keto, mochi and wet cement. Soft and squishy was today’s theme.” We’ll skip the mochi and wet cement for now, and focus on the Keto. BTW: I don’t know if you noticed, but this is a very unusual tree (eccentric works)… one feature that stands out is the trunk’s horizontal thrust and then the sudden shift to vertical. This abrupt effect is softened by all the movement. In particular the way the live vein snakes along the deadwood and the curlicue vertical section. There are other striking peculiarities, but we’ll leave those to … Continue reading Soft & Squishy