Bonsai Forest, Bonsai Books, Bonsai Tools, Green T

luismain

This striking Sakhalin spruce (Picea Glehnii) forest belongs to Luis Vallejo.

Seems like every forth post these days features Luis Vallejo’s trees. This is no accident; Luis consistently puts up great trees that are beautifully photographed. This makes my job easy. As is usually the case, the original photo (just below) came from Luis’ timeline.

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luis

Here's the original photo, exactly the way we found it on Luis' timeline. He doesn't say what the companion is.

luiscu

Closeup of the forest floor with trunks

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luiscom

The companion. A little fuzzy after cropping, but still a pretty good look

 

luisleft

Left trunk with deadwood

luiscener

Center with main trunk

IT’S GREEN T TIME

GREEN T HYDRAULIC LIFT BONSAI TURNTABLES
Now on special

TTGREEN-500x592

A Green T Bonsai Turntable

will help you work on your bonsai more efficiently and comfortably.
In Japan hydraulic lift turntables have been the standard for years
and now thanks to professional researchers
and the collaboration of well-known bonsai professionals,
we are able to offer you a tool inspired by the Japanese turntable
and improved in several details (including price)

Plus your FREE 2018 Bonsai Calendar
if you order a Green T by Thanksgiving (November 23rd)

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Bonsai Beasts of the Southern Wild

monster

Beast of the Southern Wild. We don't know the dimensions of this monster, but we know its name. It's a Pithecellobium  unguis (Catclaw black bead), a genus and species completely new to us (and probably new to you too). As you can see, this particular bonsai is about as unique as they get with nature doing most of the work and Nacho Marin providing the finishing touches.

Getting ready to  head out of town for a little mixed R&R and work (there’s always some work), so we’ll take a shortcut today. This post originally appeared in February, 2015, though from where we sit now, it was entirely too wordy. A condition we’ve attempted to remedy with some serious surgery

Today, it’s the bonsai of Nacho Marin, an artist who has burst into bonsai consciousness with intensity, daring and large doses of creativity. At the risk of overstatement, Nacho is an artist who stands out in a world where new and exciting bonsai appear daily.

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bougA fascinating somewhat grotesque looking trunk. And then there's the profusion of brilliant flowers (actually bracts, a strange thing about Bougainvillea).

 

button

One of the best Buttonwoods we've seen in a while. We did a post on Nacho's Buttonwoods a while back but missed this one.

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boug2

Though comparisons are often odious, I like this Bougainvillea more than the one above. I'll leave the rest to you.

 

fic

This massive columnar tree is a Nea buxifoli.

All the tree shown here belong to Nacho Marin. You can see more on facebook and on his website.

IT’S GREEN T TIME
GREEN T TURNTABLES ON SPECIAL

GREEN T HYDRAULIC LIFT BONSAI TURNTABLES

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A Green T Bonsai Turntable

will help you work on your bonsai more efficiently and comfortably.
In Japan hydraulic lift turntables have been the standard for years
and now thanks to professional researchers
and the collaboration of well-known bonsai professionals,
we are able to offer you a tool inspired by the Japanese turntable
and improved in several details (including price)

GREEN T BASIC YOU PAY ONLY 347.00

list price 385.00 – Special 365.00
Only 347.00 with your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.
–

GREEN T PLUS YOU PAY ONLY 447.00

list price 495.00 – Special Only 470.00
Only 447.00 with  your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.

Plus your FREE 2018 Bonsai Calendar
if you order a Green T by Thanksgiving (November 23rd)

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

The World’s Largest Bonsai?

enri3

That's a human arm resting on the side of the pot. I don't know what kind of tree it is, but based on the trunk and nebari, I might guess it's a Ficus of some sort. I also don't know where this monster tree resides. However, I do know who the hand and arm belong to. His name is Enrique Castaño, the author of Botany for Bonsai, The Science Behind the Art (Stone Lantern & Haskill Creek). The photo is from Enrique's timeline. No information about the tree is provided.

Is there a size limit on bonsai? According to Wikipedia, the largest size bonsai are called Imperial Bonsai (also Eight-handed bonsai), which are up to 80″ tall (almost seven feet, or about two meters). I have no idea why someone decided the cutoff is at that height. Or at any height for that matter. The Japanese word bonsai simply means planting in a pot, so who’s to say when a planting is too big?
Continued below…

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enri

Now you know what Enrique looks like. What you don't know is how big Enrique is.

enri4

Close up. Look at those exposed roots. It's gotta be a ficus.

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and enrich you skills and understanding

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A Bonsai Life

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This prize winning Ficus neriifolia belongs to Ed Trout. I like its relaxed, almost sensuous look. Or if you're not into anthropomorphizing bonsai, you might just notice its wide stable nebari and its stout well tapered trunk and leave it at that. All the photos in this post are from Bonsai Mary.

In keeping with our tropical theme from yesterday and our mention of Mary Miller (Bonsai Mary) from the day before, I dug up this up from our archives (April, 2010, with some editing today)

Mary Miller’s years of experience as a bonsai teacher, author and grower come together very nicely in her Bonsai Mary website and blog. One of the things that sets Mary’s writing apart is the personal touch that she lends to her discussions of bonsai and life, and even to challenges putting together her own website (that was written in 2010, so I’m not sure if these challenges are still in play).
Continued below…

New Bonsai Book Special

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includes Japanese Garden Books

new books jan 2011Choose from over 50 Bonsai & Japanese Garden Books
and enrich you skills and understanding

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Maryboug

Mary's Pixie bougainvillea.

maryzhao

You can find this beautiful Serissa penjing by Qingquan Zhao at the the Montreal Botanical Garden (and on Mary Miller's website). You can also find out how Zhao made it and much more in his excellent book: Penjing: Worlds of Wonderment.

Bonsai Aesthetics Wire SPECIAL
a good time to stock up
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100 gram rolls Only 2.95
500 gram (1.1 lb) rolls Only 8.95
1 Kilo (2.2 lb) rolls Only 15.95

–

NeeaBonsaiWeb

An award winning Neea buxifolia by Christian Casellas.

IT’S GREEN T TIME
GREEN T TURNTABLES ON SPECIAL

GREEN T HYDRAULIC LIFT BONSAI TURNTABLES

TTGREEN-500x592

A Green T Bonsai Turntable

will help you work on your bonsai more efficiently and comfortably.
In Japan hydraulic lift turntables have been the standard for years
and now thanks to professional researchers
and the collaboration of well-known bonsai professionals,
we are able to offer you a tool inspired by the Japanese turntable
and improved in several details (including price)

GREEN T BASIC YOU PAY ONLY 347.00

list price 385.00 – Special 365.00
Only 347.00 with your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.
–

GREEN T PLUS YOU PAY ONLY 447.00

list price 495.00 – Special Only 470.00
Only 447.00 with  your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.

Plus your FREE 2018 Bonsai Calendar
if you order a Grenn T by Thanksgiving (November 23rd)

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Tropical Bonsai Before & After by Robert Steven

ROBETBA

Before and after by Robert Steven. The before is a photo that was submitted to Robert by David Royinsyah. The after is a digital simulation by Robert. The tree is a Tamarindus indica, a type of tropical legume. The photos are from the Black Scissors Community.

It has been a while since we posted one of Robert Steven’s simulated before and after photos. In addition to being one of the foremost bonsai artists in the world, Robert is a bonsai teacher, so his before and afters are always information rich, with comments about style, technique, horticultural considerations and even bonsai history.
Continued below…

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–

RBEFORE

Before. The after simulation is below

Continued from above…
However, in this case, I went ahead and did my own commentary before I noticed that Robert had a separate page with his commentary (on Black Scissors Community). So having gone to all the trouble, I’ve decided to keep mine (below). Meanwhile, here’s your link to the real story by the artist himself.
Continued below…

RAFTER

After. Robert's simulation

Continued from above…
Note: these are my comments, not Robert’s (here’s a link to Robert’s comments). With the exception of the pot – what an improvement!- the changes are fairly subtle. What I see is a tree with a gentle prevailing breeze from left to right. With this gentle breeze you get shorter branches on the left and more extended branches on the right, with the foliage on the right extending even further. You might also notice some inner branches curving to the right.

Another change is the apex, with its nod to the right which further emphasizes the prevailing breeze. Beyond that, I’m sure there are other subtle changes, but you’ll have to check with Robert about those.

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Buy a Level for Your Bonsai Bench – Even Better, Use It!

redmaple

This Red maple (Acer rubrum) is from Michael Hagedorn's Crataegus Bonsai Portfolio. To my mind it represents something basic about the best bonsai. The ones you might pass by while searching for something showy. I was lucky when I was there, Michael pointed this one out and told me a story about it. Now you can read that same story. Micheal, ever the poet philosopher, titled it The Blaze of Autumn Sweetly Burns.

This post is a twofer. First there’s the tree above and an invitation to learn more about it and other trees that belong to Micheal Hagedorn. And second a little piece of Michael’s bonsai wisdom about level benches (thanks to Bonsai Mary for the heads up).
Continued below…

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–

Level That Bench!

Posted by Michael Hagedorn in Crataegus Bonsai on October 20, 2017
–

“Bonsai is about details. From creation to showing, every act in bonsai is about applying technique carefully and deliberately.

And we can get rather distracted by the end zone details, focusing on the local show, getting the right pot, the best stand. Just the right accent. And you could not be faulted, those are essential points in the details of bonsai.

I’ve walked into bonsai yards where someone is so focused on those final touches as to miss one of the main horticultural ones. Being sure the bonsai bench is level is a critical one. This is not about aesthetics. It’s about water penetration.

“If a bench is just a few degrees off from level, you can see it pretty easily. What happens then, when a bonsai is watered on that bench, is that the water quickly levels to one side of the pot, and there it soaks in. The other side gets a veneer of water that quickly dries. Over time, guess what happens? We have root death on the side where no water is penetrating. Then a week of rain happens, and that root death turns into root rot. Then you have the situation where you’re prepping your trees for the big show of the year and two of your main branches die, and you’re wondering what insect is eating your bonsai. Well, the unleveled bench did the ‘eating’.

“This is just a Halloweeny example of what can happen when so simple a detail as leveling the bench is missed.

“Buy a level. Even better, use it.”

 

B1BENCH-2

Not exactly a bench... more like a bunch of little benches. From the cover of George Buehler's  Bonsai, Your Guide to Creating Stands and Benches, a clear, easy to follow, highly practical book for anyone ambitious enough to build their own backyard bonsai display.

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Tiger Bark Bonsai

tiger6

We've shown this magnificent Tiger bark ficus (Ficus retusa) before, but not this cropped front shot. The photo of the entire tree is below along with several other shots that focus on sections. The photos and the tree belong to Nacho Marin.

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tiger

I know we've shown this front view of the entire tree before, but it's worth another look

 

tiger5

The base of the trunk

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tiger3b

Would you call this the first branch or a second trunk?

 

Tiger2

First branch left side

 

tiger4

Apex

NEW GREEN T SPECIALS

GREEN T HYDRAULIC LIFT BONSAI TURNTABLES

TTGREEN-500x592

A Green T Bonsai Turntable

will help you work on your bonsai more efficiently and comfortably.
In Japan hydraulic lift turntables have been the standard for years
and now thanks to professional researchers
and the collaboration of well-known bonsai professionals,
we are able to offer you a tool inspired by the Japanese turntable
and improved in several details (including price)

GREEN T BASIC YOU PAY ONLY 347.00

list price 385.00 – Special 365.00
Only 347.00 with your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.
–

GREEN T PLUS YOU PAY ONLY 447.00

list price 495.00 – Special Only 470.00
Only 447.00 with  your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.

Plus your FREE 2018 Bonsai Calendar
if you order by Thanksgiving (November 23rd)

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More Magnificent Mugo Pines

mugo770

This superb Mugo pine has a distinctly natural feel. Almost as if someone found it just as is, growing somewhere high in the European Alps. Still, whenever you see a bonsai, a human hand is intimately involved. Even when the tree appears perfectly natural (in some cases, especially when the tree appears perfectly natural). In the case of both trees shown here, the human hand belongs to Georg Reinhard. We borrowed the photos from a post we did in November, 2010. It was titled Mugos by Mother Nature & Georg Reinhard   

Continuing with our Mugo pine theme from yesterday… I don’t think you’ll often see Mugo pines quite like these here in the States. Mugo pines are native to the mountains of Southern Europe and it’s obvious that both are yamadori (collected from the wild). But to my eye at least, one has maintained the natural feel more than the other. Still, natural looking or not, there was a skilled bonsai artist involved with both trees. In this case, the skilled  artist is Georg Reinhard. If you’d like, you can visit bonsai-kunst for more bonsai by Georg.

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mugo2770

The sculpted look. This Mugo pine by Georg Reinhard combines wildness and elegance with its flowing lines and almost perfectly shaped robust live growth. I particularly like the way the deadwood twists and turns all the way back down to soil and the jagged lightening bolt on the left. Though I know that some people take issue with highly sculpted deadwood, this is so well done that I can't imagine not appreciating the skill and artistry involved

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100 gram rolls Only 2.95
500 gram (1.1 lb) rolls Only 8.95
1 Kilo (2.2 lb) rolls Only 15.95

 

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A Rugged Old Mugo Pine and a Lovely Japanese Garden

mugocu

Close up of an old yamadori Mugo pine's trunk. It belongs to Mariusz Folda. Here's his caption... "Pinus mugo in training at IBUKI for 16 years." IBUKI is Mariusz's Bonsai and Ceramics studio in Bielsko-Biala, Poland

There’s a lot to like about this old Mugo pine. Aged bark is always a plus as is deeply fissured, naturally colored deadwood. Perhaps most striking is the way the foliage clings to the trunk and primary branches, creating a low dense canopy that enhances the story of a rugged life at the tree line in a high mountain range (three in a row… don’t tell my high school English teacher).  Maybe somewhere in the Alps in this case, where many of the best Mugo pines are collected. All the photos in this post are from Mariusz Folda’s timeline. IBUKI Bonsai and Ceramics Studio also has a facebook page.
Continued below…

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TBK01105-6803Masters Sword Shears
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mugo

A good look at how the foliage clings to the bones of the tree

 

mugocu3

A close look at the base of the trunk and the surface of the soil

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mugocu2

Here's a good shot of the low, dense canopy

 

garden

A piece of the garden at IBUKI. Even without the brilliant Japanese maple leaves in all their fall splendor, this garden would be lovely. With them... well, you can see for yourself

NEW SPECIALS

GREEN T HYDRAULIC LIFT BONSAI TURNTABLES 

TTGREEN-500x592

GREEN T BASIC YOU PAY ONLY 347.00

list price 385.00 – Special 365.00
Only 347.00 with your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.
–

GREEN T PLUS YOU PAY ONLY 447.00

list price 495.00 – Special Only 470.00
Only 447.00 with  your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.

Plus your FREE 2018 Bonsai Calendar
if you order by Thanksgiving (November 23rd)

 an additional 5% off orders 150.00 or more
Specials apply only to orders placed on our website
FREE Shipping on Continental U.S. orders 75.00+
(only if you chose free shipping when you check out)

 

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

It’s Easy to Enjoy Bonsai when You Work on Your Green T

GTTRIDENTcropped

A brilliant Trident maple bonsai
 resting regally on its Green T Hydraulic Lift Turntable
this photo is cropped to fit on social media
the original showing the full Green T is just below

Order your Green T by Thanksgiving
and receive a
FREE 2018 Bonsai Calendar

and by the way, we’ve got two models now
the Green T Basic model and the New Green T Plus
both are now discounted

see below

GTTRIDENT

The original photo
 Perfection. A brilliant Trident maple bonsai
 on a brilliant Green T Plus Hydraulic Lift Turntable
 for more information on this tree 
and others shown here see* below

GREEN T BASIC YOU PAY ONLY 347.00

list price 385.00 – Special 365.00
Only 347.00 with your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
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GREEN T PLUS YOU PAY ONLY 447.00

list price 495.00 – Special Only 470.00
Only 447.00 with  your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.

Plus your FREE 2018 Bonsai Calendar
if you order by Thanksgiving (November 23rd)

GreenTmugoMassive Mugo pine*
 on a Green T Basic

GTBJORN

Bjorn Bjorholm contemplates his next move
 while his pine* rests on a Green T Basic

A Green T Bonsai Turntable will help you work on your bonsai more efficiently and comfortably. In Japan hydraulic lift turntables have been the standard for years and now thanks to professional researchers and the collaboration of well-known bonsai professionals, we are able to offer you a tool inspired by the Japanese turntable and improved in several details (including price).

 

WBC - Green T Official sponsor

Green T was the official sponsor of the World Bonsai Congress
 in Saitama Japan this year
 Every demonstration took place on a Green T table

GRJMAPLE

Another brilliant bonsai. This time it's on a Green T Plus. The tree is a Japanese maple.*

Here’s a resounding Green T endorsement
by four Kimura apprentices

GTapprentices

Four Kimura apprentices with bonsai and Green Ts.

 

GTTEDESCHI

Micro Tedeschi with his majestic wild olive* on its Green T Basic

 

 

15380417_665690283611732_7233796095451517101_n

Green T Basic works for most people, especially with larger trees. But if you work on smaller trees, or like to work standing up, then there's the New Green T Plus.

*For more information on the artists and trees shown here
visit Green T on facebook

A Green T Turntable will change the way you work on you bonsai and enhance the results… And you’ll enjoy the journey

 

GREEN T BASIC YOU PAY ONLY 347.00

list price 385.00 – Special 365.00
Only 347.00 with your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.
–

GREEN T PLUS YOU PAY ONLY 447.00

list price 495.00 – Special Only 470.00
Only 447.00 with  your extra 5% over 150.00 discount
FREE Shipping in the Continental U.S.

Plus your FREE 2018 Bonsai Calendar
if you order by Thanksgiving (November 23rd)

 an additional 5% off orders 150.00 or more
Specials apply only to orders placed on our website
FREE Shipping on Continental U.S. orders 75.00+
(only if you chose free shipping when you check out)

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern