The Sun Still Shines on Our Bonsai

Japanese yew with one thin live vein and lots of great deadwood. From Mauro Stemberger's Italian Dream website. 

Still on vacation and trying to recover from a hangover and a bad dream. Rather than going to the time and trouble to compose a new post, we'll resurrect this one from December, 2013. It was titled, "Sun is shining on my bonsai, but I stay in bed a little longer..."

Mauro Stemberger is something of force in European and world bonsai. He usually starts with excellent stock and ends with even better bonsai. This is not not the first time we've featured Mauro's bonsai and it won't be the last.

For more, here’s Mauro’s website and here he is on facebook.

Continued below…

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In the artist's own words... "Sun is shining on my bonsai, but I stay in bad a little longer..."

The Snake. We've shown this famous Scot's pine before, but it's worth another look. Just in case you missed it, check out the notch in the pot that accommodates the base of the trunk.

Most of Mauro's trees are conifers, but not this one. It's a Kihohime Japanese maple that's showing off a powerful trunk and some great ramification.

Continued below…

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Local color.

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A Flowering Bonsai, a Pot that Some Would Die For & an Extraordinary Rock

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Three major components come together in this colorful root-over-rock bonsai. A flowering tree (Malpighia pendiculata), a pot that some would die for (hand painted Chinese?) and an extraordinarily craggy rock. This bonsai and the others in this post are by Gede Merta.

This isn’t the first time that we’ve featured Gede Merta’s bonsai. Nor will it be the last. If you don’t know Gede Merta, then welcome to his garden of tropical bonsai delights. If you already know Gede Merta, then welcome once again…

A quick vacation before the Holidays set in, so we’ll resort to some archival action (from February of this year). And as it turns out, we happen to be in the American tropics (a humble vacation in a humble Florida Key), so why not take a look at some tropical bonsai?

If there is a distinctive Gede Merta look, this Pemphis acidula has it.

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This one is listed as okiantea on Gede Merta's website. Could it be what we call Fukien tea? Based on the leaves, I'd say it is, but my guesses sometimes go astray. Anyway, you might notice the way the moss accentuates the nebari (and vice versa). There's more that could be said about this near perfect bonsai, but then, you can see for yourself.

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Another Pemphis acidula tropical yamadori. Most, if not all Pemphis bonsai are yamadori (bonsai collected from the wild). BTW: some Pemphis (like this one) look a lot like our Florida Buttonwoods (Conocarpus erectus).

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Meandering Lines

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This Myrtle (Myrtus communis) belongs to Andrea Albergo. The pot is by Greg Ceramics and the photo is by Harry Harrington. I chose it for the lead tree for several reasons; I'm not sure I've ever seen a Myrtle with such a massive trunk, deadwood on most non-conifers isn't all that common (though becoming more common) and I like the loose abstract meandering lines of the deadwood and living veins.

I can’t stop showing you Harry Harrington’s photos from the recent European Bonsai San Show in Saulieu, Burgundy, France. Short of Kokufu (and maybe one or two others) I can’t recall when I’ve been so impressed.

In addition to the quality of the trees, there’s also the quality of Harry’s photos. And his generosity for going to so much time and trouble for our enjoyment.

For more of Harry’s photos from the show and much more, you can visit his website.

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English or Common  yew (Taxus baccata). No owner listed. I like this one for some of the same reasons as the Myrtle above. And then there's the sudden changes of direction and way the color of the pot enhances the living wood.

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This Sabina juniper (Juniperus Sabina) belongs to Federico Springolo. The pot is by Tiberio Graco. The holes in the trunk and the shape of the tree remind me of something Kimura might do (here and here).

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Sabina with companion.

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One Bonsai, Four Shots

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This artfully swirling Itoigawa Shimpaku juniper (Juniperus chinensis Itoigawa) belongs to Fabio Mantovani. The photo was taken at the recent European Bonsai San Show by Harry Harrington (I cropped it to get a closer look, the original is below).

Last week we featured some of Harry Harrington’s photos from last month’s European Bonsai San Show. Because the tree’s are so spectacular and Harry’s photos are equally spectacular, there’s no good reason not keep going.

This time we’re focusing on four shots (plus one cropped) of a Itoigawa Shimpaku juniper (Juniperus chinensis Itoigawa) that belongs to Fabio Mantovani.

For more of Harry’s photos from the show, you can visit him on facebook or on his website.

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Fabio Mantovani's display. Photo by Harry Harrington.

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Monster Trident Maple Bonsai in Full Fall Color

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In addition to brilliant fall color, this monster Trident maple has almost everything you'd want in a bonsai, including a massive trunk, fluid natural looking nebari, good lines, a well-matched pot and healthy green moss. The artist is German Gomez.

Leaving for quick vacation in three days and still have a million things to do, including putting up some new tools and voting. To save some time we’re going back in time. The photos shown here first appeared on Bark way back in 2010. I’ve changed most of the text.

Though fall color is rapidly fading here in Vermont, I imagine many of you are still in the thick of it. Yesterday’s post featured a couple deciduous trees in full color, so we’ll just stay in that vein.

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I think this photo was shot in the spring. The traces of color are  leaves that are slow to turn from their fresh spring red to summer green.

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Brilliant Fall Bonsai Color

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Brilliant fall color. Sweet tree too. It belongs to Harry Harrington. Here's his caption: "A quick shot of my English or Field Elm bonsai today (Ulmus minor), showing autumn colour. Height 17"/42cm. Developed from an airlayered branch 12 years ago, some of you may recognise from my book Bonsai Inspirations 1. Pot by Victor Harris of Erin Bonsai."

Got a couple Harry Harrington beauties in fall color for you today. I lifted them from Harry’s facebook feed. Harry also has an excellent website, bonsai4me.com and three books in print in England. You can look for the U.S. edition of Foundations of Bonsai soon (Stone Lantern publishing).

Here's another deciduous tree that was originally Harry Harrington's. It's not as brilliant as his elm (above), but I like it anyway. Especially the nebari (exposed roots). Here's Harry's caption: "Lovely image I've just received of my Small-Leaved Lime/Tilia cordata bonsai, that now lives in Northamptonshire. Height 22"/56cm, I started it as a pencil-thick sapling in 2001 and its progression series can be seen in the book "Bonsai Inspirations 2." Bonsai pot by Victor Harris of Erin Pottery."

BTW: we call Tilia cordata 'Little leaf linden' on this side of the pond.

Speaking of Stone Lantern Publishing
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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.

This special Halloween post first appeared one year ago today.

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

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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."

I often find the monster nebari that appear on some bonsai (especially Japanese bonsai) to be quite strange, even a little grotesque. This photo of a Stewartia nebari was taken by Jonas Dupuich (Bonsai Tonight) during his 2011 trip to Japan. The tree belongs to a Mr. Ishii.

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Four Sturdy Bonsai & One Very Sturdy Turntable

Old European olives are often full of character as well as muscle, and this one is no exception. I believe the tree belongs to Luis Vallejo, though I couldn't find evidence on his website.

Taking some time off today, so we’ll resurrect an old favorite from our archives. While we’re at, we’ll give a nod to our powerful Green T Turntable.

There’s something compelling about bonsai with powerful trunks. Assuming that I’m not the only one so compelled, below are three more very sturdy bonsai and one very sturdy turntable for your enjoyment.

Myrtus communis by Rui Ferrreira. I’ve never seen a Common myrtle with a heavy trunk, let alone one as massive as this one. The photo is from the EXPOS PORTUGAL – 3º Congresso Federação Portuguesa de Bonsai – Ericeira 2011. You can find it on Kintall’s home page.

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Muscle with nine(?) trunks. This Trident, by Jose Machado, shows a nebari kind of muscle, but muscle it is. Also from EXPOS PORTUGAL – 3º Congresso Federação Portuguesa de Bonsai – Ericeira 2011, on Kintall’s home page).

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Green T Turntable in action
This massive Mugo pine makes the Green T seem much smaller than it is. The tree belongs to Paolo Riboli and the turntable could belong to you.

and just in case you missed it…

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An Eight Year Bonsai Journey

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Boon Manakitivipart's transformed Sierra juniper. If you go to Styling on Bonsai Boon you can see how Boon took this tree through an eight year bonsai journey.

Yesterday’s post was about a magnificent old California juniper, so we’ll just stay right there in the Golden State and take a look at another native, a Sierra juniper, a very close cousin to the California juniper. I borrowed the photos and some of the text from way back in the first year of Bonsai Bark.

We’ve featured Boon Manakitivipart on this blog before, and for good reason. He’s a highly accomplished bonsai artist and teacher whose enthusiasm and skill has influenced a generation of Western bonsai artists. If you are serious about improving your skills, you might want to check out Boon’s intensives.

Before. June 2001. Sierra juniper (no doubt originally collected somewhere in California's Sierra Nevada range). For a range of useful information on Juniper bonsai, see our Masters' Series Juniper book.

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