Two Maple Bonsai Looking “Kind of Good Today”

There are numerous plants in this world with red or reddish leaves, but very few can rival the sheer brilliance of this Deshojo Japanese maple. And just in case your eyes are completely drawn in by the intensity of the leaves, it might be worth pointing out the brilliance of the pot as well. Both of these rather impressive Japanese maples were posted on facebook today by Bill Valavanis. Here’s what Bill wrote about them… “Two of my maple bonsai looked kind of good today so I thought I’d share their beauty with friends. Deshojo Japanese maple and Shishigashira Japanese … Continue reading Two Maple Bonsai Looking “Kind of Good Today”

Working Tirelessly to Promote Bonsai in North America & Beyond

A piece of a sinuous root Larch the belongs to Bill Valavanis. A photo of the whole tree is below. The other day Bill Valavanis generously sent us some photos for a project we’re working on for Stone Lantern. If you know Bill, you know this generosity is not out of character. Bill has been working tirelessly to promote bonsai in North America (and beyond) for a long time, all the while generously giving his energy, knowledge and encouragement to our community of bonsai artists and enthusiasts. Because of Bill’s generosity and dedication, we periodically encourage our readers (that’s you) … Continue reading Working Tirelessly to Promote Bonsai in North America & Beyond

Shohin Bonsai Exhibition – Roshi Special Ends Tonight

Shohin Shimpaku juniper. It looks like it could belong to Suthin, but there’s no identification or attribution, so that’s just a guess. If you know who it belongs to and you let me know, I’ll make the correction if I’m wrong. Thought you might like to know about the upcoming U.S. National Shohin Bonsai Exhibition. Bill Valavanis just posted this today, so it’s hot off the press. Continued below… Roshi Bonsai Tool Sale ends tonight at 11:59pm EDT roshi sets the standard for affordable high quality bonsai tools 30% off 2 or more roshi tools plus another 10% off orders … Continue reading Shohin Bonsai Exhibition – Roshi Special Ends Tonight

Powerful Shari, Brilliant Pot & Upside Down Maple

This old Taxus Baccata (English yew) is dominated by its powerful shari (trunk deadwood) The artist is Stefano Frisoni of Italy. On the road again today, so we’ll take the easy way out. The photos shown here are from a post we did in December, 2015. Continued below… NEW SALE 25% off our large selection of Bonsai Fertilizer well fed bonsai are healthy bonsai plus 10% off orders 100.00 or more and FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 50.00 or more Nice tree. Brilliant pot! Eleven years from stump by Mario Komsta (a regular here on Bark). It’s a Silverberry … Continue reading Powerful Shari, Brilliant Pot & Upside Down Maple

Radiant Red Leaves, Luminous Yellow Pot

Without going into the stunning red-yellow contrast or why we are showing fall foliage when spring is looming… This sweet little Japanese maple belongs to Mark Arpag. Here are his comments, “Joe Noga Photography and color separation is exquisite !!! The sweet display table (below) is my friend Bill Valavanis’ and really compliments my tree. Thanks to my great friends for capturing this beauty!” Got a very late start this morning but still wanted to squeeze a post in (to make sure you know that today is the last day of our Roshi Bonsai Tool Sale). Coffee and then straight … Continue reading Radiant Red Leaves, Luminous Yellow Pot

Shohin Bonsai – An Art Unto Itself

This muscular little pine is a great example of well done Shohin bonsai. You might notice the lack of secondary and tertiary branching and thus the limited foliage. There is only so much you can do on such a small canvass. This results in an overall look and feel that is quite different than larger trees. Almost like an art unto itself. It’s Shohin day today. Little bonsai with big advantages. A few of these advantages are: shohin tend to be less expensive than larger trees, they take up a lot less space, they are easy to lift and move, … Continue reading Shohin Bonsai – An Art Unto Itself

Giving Thanks for Great Bonsai & Much More

This tree won First prize for the Finest Bonsai at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Mountain Hemlock,(Tsuga mertensiana) that belongs to Eric Schikowski. Photo courtesy of Bill Valavanis. It’s Thanksgiving today (U.S. American Thanksgiving that is, our friends just north of here celebrated theirs last month). I should be getting dressed and out the door, but before I go we’ll take a quick dip back into our archives. This one is from September. It was the first of many posts that were inspired by our 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. Seems appropriate to the occasion. Just home … Continue reading Giving Thanks for Great Bonsai & Much More

The 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition – Great Trees, Good People & the Real Winner Behind It All

First prize, the Finest Bonsai at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Mountain Hemlock,(Tsuga mertensiana) that belongs to Eric Schikowski. Photo courtesy of Bill Valavanis. Before we present the rest of the prize winning bonsai, I’d like to say something about first impressions and most importantly, the real winner of the Show, Bill Valavanis. Just home from the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition and sorting through memories and notes while flashing mental images of great trees, good people and a still palpable sense of excitement. It will take a while to sort things out, so more to come… … Continue reading The 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition – Great Trees, Good People & the Real Winner Behind It All

The Delights of the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition – Any short term inconvenience will be forgotten when you walk through the door and are swept away by the brilliance & power of the event

I borrowed this brilliant tricolor Toyo nishiki flowering quince from Bill Valavanis, the driving force behind the success of the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibitions. You have three days to change your plans and throw your life into momentary chaos so you can enjoy the delights of the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. The disruption to you routine may cause a little short term inconvenience (and perhaps the disapproval and even derision of your significant other) but all that will be forgotten when you walk through the door and are swept away by the brilliance and power of the event. Really! … Continue reading The Delights of the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition – Any short term inconvenience will be forgotten when you walk through the door and are swept away by the brilliance & power of the event

An Independence Day History of Bonsai in the U.S.

This wildly expressive Wisteria reminds me of exploding 4th of July fireworks. The photo is from Bill Valavanis‘ Classical Bonsai Art (out of print). The tree belongs to Robert Blankfield, who originally styled it at a workshop with Bill. This post is resurrected from Independence Day, 2013, with a few additions and subtractions. Tomorrow is Independence Day here in the USA. To help you celebrate, why not enjoy a sampling of home grown bonsai? But first, because many of our readers are not U.S. citizens and because some U.S. folks don’t know much about history anyway, a quick American history … Continue reading An Independence Day History of Bonsai in the U.S.