Nipping Around & Snapping at Noelanders Trophy

Though every one of Graham Potter’s snaps of trees he liked, also struck my fancy, this one really got me. The gnarly ancient looking little tree with its smattering of red flowers and buds (I’ll take it to be a quince), all the action on the surface of the soil which reinforces the feeling of age (and naturalness) and of course, the pot (all those words and it’s not even a proper sentence). Here’s part of what Graham Potter of Kaizen Bonsai had to say about last weekends Noelanders Trophy: “We were so busy over the weekend I barely got … Continue reading Nipping Around & Snapping at Noelanders Trophy

The King of Bonsai

Full cascade Japanese black pine (Pinus thumbergii). Japanese for Black pine is Kuromatsu (kuro is black and matsu is pine). Even though we posted this just four months ago, the title stuck me as appropriate for this national holiday (for some of us at least). Japanese black pines are sometimes referred to a the king of bonsai. This may be in part due to their natural strength; they tend to have powerful trunks and thick lush foliage. Rugged bark doesn’t hurt either. King or not, the best of the black pines are undeniably among the most powerful bonsai in the … Continue reading The King of Bonsai

Robert’s Bonsai & Our Disclaimer

Premna is all Robert Steven says about this remarkable tree, but maybe that’s enough; it can tell its own story of a wild life with more than its fair share of abuse (like some people we might know). As you may have noticed, we feature Robert Steven’s bonsai more than any other artist, so maybe it’s time to issue a disclaimer. But before we do that, we’ll note that Robert is one of the most prolific and talented bonsai artists we know. Beyond that, he teaches bonsai to a depth seldom seen and he expresses boundless energy and enthusiasm in … Continue reading Robert’s Bonsai & Our Disclaimer

Careful!

This sweet to look at, but otherwise nasty little bonsai is from Yorozu Shohin Bonsai Nursery in Japan. It caught my wary eye recently on a post by John Romano on Bonsai Study Group Forum. I’m going to assume that it’s an Asian Poison ivy (see text below). We’re busy with the Holiday rush amping up, so we’ll take the easy way out. This one originally appeared almost four years ago. It was titled “You Can Look but You Better Not Touch.” One genus, several species What follows is for those of us who get excited when we see Latin … Continue reading Careful!

Stepping Out of Character for Just a Moment

The first thing that caught my eye in this photo is the tree’s overall graceful fluid movement. Next is the swirling gnarl that, for lack of a better word, we’ll call the trunk (see below). This photo and the others shown here are from a recent facebook post by Robert Steven. Robert Steven is, without a doubt, the artist most featured here on Bonsai Bark. You can chalk that up to him being one of the most accomplished and innovative bonsai artists in the world. Prolific too. But there’s more. We don’t usually do lists here nor do we usually … Continue reading Stepping Out of Character for Just a Moment

Bonsai Tool Sale – Up to 37% Off

A small sampling of our large selection of Koyo Japanese Bonsai Tools. Now 10% off for 1-2 and 20% off for 3 or more. Plus you get an extra 10% off for any orders of 100.00 or more (all products count towards this discount) A small sampling of our large selection of Bonsai Aesthetics Tools. Now 20% off for 1-4 tools and 30% off for 5 or more. Plus you get an extra 10% off for any orders of 100.00 or more (all products count towards this discount) 20% off 1-4 30% off 5 or more Bonsai Aesthetics Tools 10% … Continue reading Bonsai Tool Sale – Up to 37% Off

Tool Sale 20% to 25% off All Tools

20% off for 1-4 tools – 25% off for 5 or more SALE INCLUDES Bonsai Tools, Gardening Tools, Ikebana Tools Plus Turntables, Soil Scoops, Sheaths, Sharpening Stones & Tool Rolls BRANDS INCLUDE Roshi, Koyo, Yoshi, Bonsai Aesthetics, Okatsune, Flexcut & others Sets count as one tool This sale won’t last long, so don’t wait