Que Hermoso Bonsai!

I believe this pine (variety unidentified) belongs to Pavel Slovák (see below for links). I assume it’s yamadori (bonsai collected from the wild) and the lower trunk’s curve is the result of countless years of snow load. Monday morning, so we’ll make it quick with a one tree post. I found it on Magdalena Chiavazza’ timeline. The caption reads Que hermoso ejemplar! (What a beautiful specimen!*) – Pavel Slovák, so my assumption is that it belongs to Pavel. SPECIAL BONSAI TODAY BACK ISSUES Only 5.00 each while they last the next best thing to studying with the old masters Trunk and guy wire A closer … Continue reading Que Hermoso Bonsai!

A Bonsai Artist on a Mission

This rugged beauty with its luminous fall foliage is a Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). Like most of the photos shown here, it’s from Harry Harrington’s bonsai4me website It has been a while since we visited our friend Harry Harrington, a bonsai artist on a mission to style ten thousand bonsai in one lifetime (or so it seems). In addition to being one of the most prolific and visible bonsai artists we know (Harry’s timeline and his website provide ample evidence on both counts), Harry often specializes in bonsai that come from humble origins… Continued below… SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT HIGH IMPACT PLASTIC BONSAI POTS 25% OFF LIST PRICES ENDS … Continue reading A Bonsai Artist on a Mission

Three Magnificent Trees & the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

Bill Valavanis air layered these three Koto Hima Japanese maples from the same tree back in 1986. A couple things happened when I discovered the photos above on Bill Valavanis’ timeline. First, I was impressed with the trees and their history and thought you might enjoy them, and second… I realized that it’s time to remind you about the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s the premier North American celebration of bonsai. The one event you don’t want to miss and it’s only five months away. I look forward to seeing you there! – SPECIAL ENDS TOMORROW NIGHT HIGH IMPACT PLASTIC BONSAI POTS 25% OFF LIST PRICES ENDS SUNDAY AT 11:59PM EDT … Continue reading Three Magnificent Trees & the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

A Brilliant Before & After Bonsai from Humble Beginnings…

Before and after Japanese maple. Another magical transformation by Suthin. We’ve been enjoying some excellent before and after transformations lately. Particularly ones by our friend Suthin Sukosolvisit, one of our most prolific and brilliant North American bonsai artists (Suthin is originally from Thailand, but he has been here long enough to to have American children and grandchildren, so I think he qualifies as North American). This time it’s an almost obscenely lush Japanese maple from humble beginnings. SPECIAL ROSHI BONSAI TOOLS 30% TO 40% OFF LIST PRICES – Humble beginnings. Not a very good photo and not a terribly promising tree. At least to an untrained eye. After! Suthin doesn’t … Continue reading A Brilliant Before & After Bonsai from Humble Beginnings…

More Bonsai Beans

The sweet little Japanese maple belongs to Hiroshi Kunii. Hiroshi calls the pot Maru (circle in Japanese). Continuing with tiny bonsai theme from yesterday…. I borrowed this post from June of last year. It’s definitely worth another look. The tiniest bonsai are called Mame in Japanese (bean in English) and the little trees shown here certainly qualify. They (including the pots) are by Hiroshi Kunii. 30% off Watering Can & Watering Wand Special Ends Tonight, Sunday, at 11:59pm EDT – Here’s part of Hiroshi’s caption (computer translated from Japanese)… Lesser Spindle (Euonymus Alatus), Shooting date: May 18, 2017, Height: 9.5 cm, … Continue reading More Bonsai Beans

A World of Bonsai Creativity

Hand held bonsai come in handy (so to speak). Without the hand, it would be difficult to say just how small this tree is. This little gem and the others shown here, look like Shimpaku junipers (Juniperus sargentii Shimpaku) I just stumbled upon a new one for me. It’s called DANY Bonsai. The translation is… “Danny small works. A world of creativity. Free and carefree.” Not a bad way to view the art of bonsai. Continued below… Deeply Discounted Bonsai Wire KILO ROLLS 17.95 ONLY 15.95 EACH FOR 3 OR MORE 500 GRAM ROLLS 9.95 ONLY 8.95 EACH FOR 3 OR MORE … Continue reading A World of Bonsai Creativity

Deciduous Bonsai & Fine Ramification

Please excuse the fuzz. I lifted this image from youtube and the fuzz came along on its own (there are some still shots below without much fuzz). It’s a Field Elm (Ulmus minor) that belongs to Davide Cardin. The youtube video was shot at the 2016 Bonsai San Show in France. You can learn a lot about deciduous bonsai in the winter. Particularly ramification (see below). Deeply Discounted Bonsai Wire KILO ROLLS 17.95 ONLY 15.95 EACH FOR 3 OR MORE 500 GRAM ROLLS 9.95 ONLY 8.95 EACH FOR 3 OR MORE 100 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 3.95 – Same tree, different pot in this shot from Bonsai … Continue reading Deciduous Bonsai & Fine Ramification

Site Wide Sale Ends Sunday Night – Deep Discounts on All Your Bonsai Essentials

This Sierra juniper by Boon Manakitivipart has the distinction of being on the cover of our final issue of Bonsai Today (issue 108). Bonsai Today magazine back issues are included in our Site Wide Sale which ends Sunday night (March 25th) at 11:59pm EDT – 20% to 70% off Site Wide Sale* ends Sunday Night – INCLUDES OUR SUPERB ROSHI TOOLS quality materials & craftsmanship make for precision, durability and beauty and at much more reasonable prices than you might expect BONSAI AESTHETICS WIRE also deeply discounted KILO ROLLS ONLY 15.95 500 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 8.95 100 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 3.45 Site Wide Sale also … Continue reading Site Wide Sale Ends Sunday Night – Deep Discounts on All Your Bonsai Essentials

Before & After Bonsai – a ‘Grandiose’ Transformation

Before and after. The tree is a Lawson’s cypress (Chaemacyparis Louïsiana ‘Elwoodii’). Here’s the caption copied directly from Michel Delen, our source for these photos… “Chaemacyparis Louïsiana ‘Elwoodii’ AFTER Grandioos Noelanders Marc.” I’m impressed. The date on the before is Feb 8th of this year and the date on the after is March 22nd (two days ago). Given just how little time elapsed, it’s an remarkable transformation. All the photos in this post are from Michel Delen’s timeline. – You might assume from the caption and the photo below that the artist is Marc Noelanders. It’s unclear who the tree belongs … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai – a ‘Grandiose’ Transformation

One Bonsai, Three Seasons, Four Photos

Fall. Luis Vallejo calls this tree a Spanish oak (Quercus faginea) though Wikipedia and some others refer to it as Portuguese oak (other names that popped up are Valencian oak and Lusitanian oak). It belongs to Luis and resides at the the Municipal Bonsai Museum of Alcobendas in Spain. Welcome to Luis Vallejo’s Bonsai Bark (just kidding). This post features four photos of a single tree over three seasons (winter twice; not sure what happened to spring). There’s a lot more we could say, especially about the Museo de Bonsai Alcobendas and Luis Vallejo’s (and others) involvement, but it’s a whole lot easier to simply invite you to … Continue reading One Bonsai, Three Seasons, Four Photos