Bonsai Baby

baby

Couldn't resist this monster tree with its perfect baby accent. Based on the caption with the photo below and other compelling evidence, I think it's a safe guess that this photo was taken at Luis Vallejo’s Museo De Bonsais Alcobendas and the baby belongs to Mariusz Janusz Komsta (or perhaps more accurately, Mariusz belongs to the baby)

We’ve featured Luis Vallejo’s bonsai numerous times here on Bark (very recently too) and the same goes for Mariusz Komsta’s bonsai. But never quite like this.

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baby2

Baby bonsai master. Here's Mariusz' caption... "Pulling some leaves from Euonymus alatus, hopefully Luis Vallejo is not going to scold us  "

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You Can Look but You Better Not Touch & Other Scary Bonsai

Halloween? At first glance you might just see the tree and the cobwebs and miss the hands. This photo and the one just below are from Robert Steven’s 2014 International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennale.

We’ve added two photos (Nick’s Poison ivy & a strange looking Trident maple) to our Halloween posting from the last two years.

Continued below…

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There’s something about those ‘severed’ arms that’s just a little ominous.  Is this where the recent ‘Black Scissors’ rage started?

You can look, but you better not touch. Poison Ivy bonsai by Nick Lenz, who, in addition to be one of our most talented bonsai artists, is also a master of the unusual. This photo appears in Nick’s book, Bonsai from the Wild (out of print).

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I think this contorted little gem makes for a suitable Halloween bonsai. The photo (by Michael Hagedorn) was taken in Peter Wilson's backyard on Vancouver Island. Here's what Michael has to say about this gnarly little monster "Very nice bunjin shore pine, Pinus contorta contorta, in Peter’s yard… I thought this specimen was very successful in living up to its scientific name. Contorted to heck by something in the wilds of Canada."

Here's part of what Juan Andrade wrote about this highly unusual and perhaps even grotesque Trident maple... "4 generations in the making, 120+ years old... this tree was started by my Oyakata's great grandfather.... Nowadays its very hard to find 'Miyasama' Trident maple of this caliper in Japan.... This Miyasama encompasses a lot about Aichien deciduous style: power, ramification, age and uniqueness."

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Great Bonsai Photos Make a Real Difference

Close up of Chinese quince that belongs to Luis Vallejo. Here's the original caption... "Pseudocydonia sinensis (Thouin), Masahiko Kimura Nursery, Japan, in the Luis Vallejo bonsai collection since 2009" There's a photo of the whole magnificent tree at the bottom of this post

We featured a few Luis Vallejo bonsai yesterday and now it’s his bonsai again today. This time with some of the best quality bonsai photographs we’ve seen yet. A friend sent me a link to them last night from Pinterest (via Empire Bonsai).
Continued below…

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This little gem is an American persimmon ("Diospyros virginiana)

There’s lesson here about photographing bonsai and it’s not that you should rush out and hire the most expensive professional you can find (unless you have a large surpluses of money). But there are a few things that some people do that make a big difference.
Continued below…

Multitple trunk Japanese maple with a fused nebari. Here's the caption as it appears on Pinterest... "Acer palmatum (Tunb.), Hotsumi Terakawa, Japan, in the Luis Vallejo bonsai collection since 1989"

Continued from above…
To mention a few of the most obvious… clean and even polish the pots. Also clean up and improve the surface of the soil and do the same for the surface that the pot is sitting on. And provide a simple uncluttered background.

And by the way, it’s not my intention to lecture you about photographing your bonsai… it’s just that I see so many good bonsai that are diminished by poor quality photos.

A good shot of the fused nebari. Would you assume that this is a clump style tree (one root system) or that this started as individual little seedlings?

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Close up of the base of a Japanese quince... "Chaenomeles japónica (Sweet & Nak.) in the Luis Vallejo bonsai collection since 2009"

This one just says... "Crataegus, Luis Vallejo" Crataegus is the Hawthorn genus.

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"Zelkova serrata, Luis Vallejo" Zelkova serrata are sometimes called Japanese Grey bark elm, though they're not included in the elm genus (Ulmus). They do however belong to the elm family (Ulmaceae)

Remember the partial shot at the top of the post? Here's the whole glorious tree in all its splendor

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Art Shots from a Famous Bonsai Museum

The bark on this tree speaks of age and combined with the low somewhat twisted shape of the trunks, creates a story of harsh conditions (most varieties of deciduous trees that grow in open easy conditions, tend to grow more upright). The photo was posted by Luis Vallejo. Based on the leaves, I'm guessing it's a Chinese elm (but that's just a guess... see below).

All the photos shown here are from Luis Vallejo’s Museo De Bonsais Alcobendas. Some are what you might call art shots, with emphasis on features rather than the usual straight on full bodied front shots.

Luis doesn’t identify the trees, so I’m tempted to guess. Some are easy and some are not and my guessing record is spotty at best, so don’t take them to the bank. And feel free to correct me (in the comments on facebook*).

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luis

Here's another one with aged bark. I don't know what it is, but the leaves look like they might belong to a Prunus of some sort and the barK looks like maybe Prunus mume (Flowering apricot).

sumac

Sumac! We've got em growing all over the place here in Vermont, including on our land.

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The leaves look a lot like they belong on a Taxus (yew). Might be a European yew (aka English yew), but please don't quote me

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trident

The distinctive leaves give this Trident maple away

luis2

Could this be an Acer campestre (Field maple)?

*we shut down comments on our blog, because of incomprehensible amounts of spam. Our facebook comments seem to be spam free

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Before & After White Pine at the Pacific Bonsai Museum

PINEB&A

Here's a before and after that involves bringing an overgrown tree back to it former splendor. The tree is a formal upright Japanese white pine that resides at the Pacific Bonsai Museum. The artist is Tyler Sherrod.

I’m a big fan of the Pacific Bonsai Museum and of course, a good before and after bonsai. Especially with such a noble looking tree. While we’re at the museum, did you know that you can have the honor of becoming a member, and in so doing, supporting one of our genuine North American bonsai treasures?

Here’s what Tyler Sherrod wrote about this tree and his experience at the Pacific Bonsai Museum (from facebook)…
“I had the opportunity to work at the Pacific Bonsai Museum earlier this week. Museum curator Aarin Packard invited me to work on this formal upright white pine. It was imported by the museum’s prior curator David De Groot from the garden of Mr. Mitsuya in Japan and had been displayed in the Kokufu-ten exhibition in the past…
Continued below…

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PINEBEFORE

Before... a closer look

Tyler Sherrod continued from above…
After arriving in Seattle, the tree was first styled by my senpai Michael Hagedorn. In the last few years, the tree lost some of its vigor so was allowed to grow free and long to regain its health. Now it was ready to be worked again. Aarin and I discussed a plan thinking about possibly changing fronts, but in the end decided only a slight change of the current front would be best. Members of the museum were invited to join me the second day where we chatted about the tree, a future pot and bonsai in general. Thank you to all who joined and to the staff at the museum! I had a wonderful time and can’t wait to get back! Please stop by next spring to see this tree in the museum’s 2018 exhibit.”

PINEAFTER

After... a job well done

PINETYLER

Tyler at work

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PINETYLER2

Pointing something out

PINEAFTER2

A little perspective...

PBM

Banner from the Pacific Bonsai Museum on facebook. While we’re at it, this is a good time to become a member. It’s a great place and they’d love your support

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Brilliant, Full Fall Color Pomegranate Bonsai

pom

You can find this brilliant, full fall color Pomegranate (Punica granatum)and a whole host of other powerful bonsai at Bonsai Mirai.

It has been a while since we featured Ryan Neil’s Bonsai Mirai. If you don’t know Bonsai Mirai, you’re in for a treat. And if you’re ever in the Portland Oregon area, you can enjoy a real time visit to what just might be the most impressive yamadori (bonsai collected from the wild) collection in North America.
Continued below…

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pomcu

Just three photos of this one magnificent Pomegranate today. It was originally collected in the California Central Valley by Troy Cardoza. Its age is listed as 100-250 years. Its dimensions are; height 30″, width 32″ The pot is by Sara Rayner. It’s listed on Bonsai Mirai as sold (sorry!)

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A Soft Spot for Unusual Bonsai

museo

I have a soft spot for unusual bonsai, and this one is no exception (nor is its bow-shaped pot). It's from Miguel Ros' Museo Tatsugoro. The trees are Cryptomeria Japonica (commonly called Japanese cedar, though they're not really cedars). Miguel's caption is... "Excellent Monday"

Last month we put together a post titled A Very Variegated Unusual Bonsai. Now we have another unusual bonsai (along with three others that may qualify) from the same source, Miguel Ros’ Museo Tatsugoro. Miguel and his museum are in Vera Cruz, Mexico, and speaking of soft spots, I’ve been to Mexico about a dozen times, but I’ve never been to Vera Cruz. Next time.
Continued below…

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Buttonwoods specialize in unusual and this one is no exception. Continuing on theme, Miguel's caption reads... "Excellent start to the week"

From a post we did on Buttonwood last year… “Much of the shaping and scouring happens during hurricanes and tropical storms. I’ve even heard that Buttonwoods are sometimes violently uprooted and blown to new locations. When the storm settles they begin the process of reestablishing themselves. This could only happen in the tropics where humidity is high enough to keep the exposed roots from dying out.”

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A smaller Buttonwood. This time its "Excellent Wednesday." In addition to the very sweet little tree, that's a lovely little stand

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museo4

Another "Excellent Wednesday" (no argument here). I'm not sure what the tree is, but the leaves look familiar.

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Great Boxwood Bonsai

box

Aside from being a phenomenal tree and a great pot, there's a relaxed in-synch feeling, like the pot and tree are old friends. This might have something to do with the color, texture, soft lines and aged look of each. The color and texture of the stand fits right in too, while contrast is provided by its sharp rectangular lines. All together a masterpiece. The artist is François Gau (pot by Greg Ceramics). All three photos in this post are from Parlons Bonsai (I took the liberty to crop all three to bring the trees closer).

These late starts are getting to be habit. Anyway, to catch up we’re resurrecting this post from one we did on the 2013 European Bonsai San show. It was titled ‘Have There Ever Been So Many Great Boxwood Bonsai in One Place?’ We’ve done some editing and have added a paragraph about wintering boxwoods.
Continued below…

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This wild old tree is little more rugged and rough than the one above. That ruggedness and the long stretch of trunk without foliage, leans a little toward literati, though the lush foliage and deep pot betray that definition. If this were your tree, would you remove the strange branch on the left? Or maybe eliminate the inward growing foliage and create a jin? The artist is Raymond Claerr (pot by Isabelia).

The three trees shown here all have at least three things in common: They are all Boxwood bonsai (Buxus sempervirens). They all appeared in a 2013 bonsai show in Saulieu France (European Bonsai San Show). And, they all have powerful trunks.
Continued below…

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When I first saw this tree, my eye went straight to the large hole at the base of the trunk and the jagged wood that frames it. It took a few moments and a more relaxed gaze to take in and appreciate the power of the whole tree. The pot is great though I wonder if it's a little too strong. The artist is once again François Gau (the pot is Chinese and looks like it might be Yixing).

I’ve had luck wintering boxwood indoors. I think it works best if you leave them out on a covered porch in the fall until night temperatures are well below freezing so they can experience at least a short period of dormancy (how cold depends on which type boxwood), and then bring them into a coolish place with plenty of light for the winter (old farmhouses often have rooms that aren’t heated and with adequate light… modern houses that are heated to 75F aren’t so good). If you live in a climate that has real winters but doesn’t get too cold, you can leave most boxwoods on a covered porch or in an out building all winter. If you live in a place with very mild winters, you can leave them out in the open

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Literati Bonsai from the Zhongguo Feng Penjing Exhibition

litmain

To my eyes, this literati style pine one of the most distinctive trees that Bill Valavanis posted from the recent 4th Zhongguo Feng Penjing Exhibition.

We’ve got more photos by Bill Valavanis today. This time we’ve selected Literati style bonsai (Bunjin in Japanese) from the recent 4th Zhongguo Feng Penjing Exhibition. You can see some more bonsai from this exhibition in a post we did last week. Or better still, you can visit Bill’s Welcome to My Bonsai World blog .

By the way, Bill has made no claim that any of the trees I chose to show here are or aren’t literati style. That’s completely on me
Continued below…

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litshim

Even though this is one of my favorites, I might be reluctant to call it literati. It has the tall thin trunk with most of the branching toward the top that we associate with literati, but the abundance of rich foliage speaks of a life that's may be just a little to soft for literati.

Here’s a discussion on Literati (Bunjin) that you might find useful. Be sure to check the comments

litslantpine

Slanting pine

lit2

Not sure what this is

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litpine

A long, lean pine

litcascade

Hard to tell what this cascading literati is

billfav

Bill wrote that this was his personal favorite bonsai in the exhibition. I take it to be a dwarf Pomegranate Princess Persimmon.

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Shimpaku Bonsai Before & After

b&a

This Shimpaku juniper before and after with it's striking deadwood, single living vein and masterfully redesigned crown (not to mention the perfectly chosen pot), stands out as an impressive work of bonsai art. The artist is Naoki Maeoka.

At first glance you might call this a ‘maintenance’ before & after, where an already established bonsai is simply brought back to it’s original beauty with some trimming, wiring and cleaning up. But as soon as you take a closer look, it’s obvious that there’s more going on than just that.
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before

Before...

Continued from above…
Perhaps the most significant change is the planting angle and what that change does to the tree’s balance and movement, as well as to the base of the trunk. And of course, there’s the well chosen new pot that works to a tee.

Not to dismiss the trimming and wiring either, the redone crown and the way it flows and plays with the deadwood, add up to a masterful job.

after

After...

aftercu

After. Close up of the deadwood and base of the trunk

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10% discount while it lasts

plus a FREE 50.00 Stone Lantern Coupon this coupon applies only to the Basic model see below for more reason to enjoy your own Green T…

Four Good Reasons to Order Your Green T Basic Model Now FREE 50.00 Coupon good for any future Stone Lantern purchase COUPON APPLIES ONLY TO THE BASIC MODEL Your 10% discount on purchases over 300.00 ends in 2 days Free Shipping in the Continental U.S.

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3. Free Shipping in the Continental U.S.

4. and ownership of your own Green T Basic
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THIS SPECIAL ENDS NOV 1st at 11:59pm EST

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