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

Too Big for Bonsai – Another Magnificent Monster

Boon Manakitivipart takes a good look at an impressive wild specimen just before he digs it up (just kidding). From Boon’s website Flying west to east today, so no time to put together a new post. This one, that originally appeared in October 2010 (with a little value added today), should do though. Not only does it tie in with yesterday by featuring another of nature’s magnificent trees, it also features one of our favorite bonsai people VISIT STONE LANTERN FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION AND BEST PRICES ON BONSAI WIRE – This shot gives you an idea of the scope and … Continue reading Too Big for Bonsai – Another Magnificent Monster

Nature’s Wild Bonsai

A Sierra juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) sculpted by wind and snow. It lives near Granite Lake at 8,500 feet in the Emmigrant Wilderness (near Yosemite in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains). This photo and the next two are borrowed from Bonsai Society San Francisco. Thanks to Terry Davis of Mullet Wrapper fame for the suggestion Tomorrow and Sunday are travel days, so today is our last full day of vacation. To save time I decided to resurrect this post from April of this year. It relates to what we’ve been up the last five days (Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce and environs), though we didn’t see any trees quite as dramatic as … Continue reading Nature’s Wild Bonsai

Nature’s Bonsai Growing Out of Rocks in Some of the Most Sensational Surroundings Anywhere

In this part of the world (Grand Canyon, Zion & Brice National Parks and surroundings) it’s not unusual to see trees like this growing out of rocks. Somewhere there has to be some soil or duff, but often you can’t see it. The magnificent old tree is a pine (see below) and the dramatic backdrop is the Grand Canyon. The photo was borrowed from Bonsai Mania The photos shown here are from a post we did back December 2010, a while after my last trip to the Grand Canyon. It was the South Rim then. Now it’s the North Rim as well as … Continue reading Nature’s Bonsai Growing Out of Rocks in Some of the Most Sensational Surroundings Anywhere

Brilliant Bonsai & Grand Canyon Fall Color

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.” Still on vacation so we’ll dig back into our archives again. This one originally appeared in November, 2016. It’s in keeping with our somewhat current fall color theme. As a bonus, we’ve got a photo of full fall color Aspen from near the rim of … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai & Grand Canyon Fall Color

Bonsai Flowers & a Touch of Fall Color

This photo was taken to emphasis the flowers, rather than the tree. If you were to take a photo of this tree when it’s not in flower, you’d take it a from a point a little lower to better show the powerful trunk and nebari. Sometimes photos just seem to appear on my desktop without any reference. This is the case here, so my apologies for failure to attribute this multi-hued Satsuki azalea to its rightful owner Entering the second week of a two week vacation. Today it’s the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We’re experiencing unusual wet, grey … Continue reading Bonsai Flowers & a Touch of Fall Color

Staying on Theme – Fall Bonsai Color

In addition to brilliant fall color, this Trident maple has almost everything you’d want in a bonsai; a massive trunk, fluid natural looking nebari, good lines, a well-matched pot and healthy green moss. The artist is German Gomez. Still on what I call a vacation. Family friends, hiking, eating, drinking (in moderation of course) and only four hours of work a day instead of eight. Close enough. The photos shown here first appeared on Bark way back in 2010. I’ve changed most of the text We knew our New Tie Pots would be well received but we had no idea … Continue reading Staying on Theme – Fall Bonsai Color

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

Bonsai Tie Pots Are Back!

Our last shipment of Tie Pots sold out in two or three days. Now we’ve got more and we’re running a special for those of you who missed out, or who would like to try more. They’re still 18.00 each for 1 or 2 pots, but now you can save and pay only 16.00 each for 3 or more Tie Pots have the potential to revolutionize bonsai growing NEW ROSHI TOOL SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL ROSHI BONSAI TOOLS INCLUDING TOOL KITS & SETS Roshi Bonsai Tools You’ll love the precision, durability, beauty & reasonable prices of our Roshi Tools … Continue reading Bonsai Tie Pots Are Back!

Two Exceptional Bonsai, Quick and Easy

The pot is cut off, but this lush Shimpaku juniper with its strong shari and those expressive little jin, is okay without it… for the moment at least. This tree and the other shown here belong to Mariusz Folda. Mariusz’ bonsai are becoming regulars on Bonsai Bark I’m getting ready for a two week vacation today (I’ll still post when I get a chance), so we’ll revisit a good one that we posted May of last year. Just two trees with a close up of each. Both full sized photos are from Mariusz Folda’s facebook timeline. The cropping for the closeups was done by … Continue reading Two Exceptional Bonsai, Quick and Easy