Which Pot Again – Another Tree, More Choices

These four images were borrowed from Juraj Szabó. Juraj lives, works and plays in Slovakia. The tree is a Shimpaku juniper (Juniperus chinensis sargentii). Juraj doesn’t say where the pots came from, though a couple look like they might be either Tokoname or Yixing pots. Most of our previous Which Pot? posts have been lifted from Boon Manakitivipart (including yesterday’s), so it was nice to discover one from someone (and somewhere) else. Nothing against Boon’s offerings, he puts on a world class bonsai show. It’s just a nice change of pace. Some details: First, it’s best if you put your … Continue reading Which Pot Again – Another Tree, More Choices

Colin’s Moon Pot Bonsai

The first time we showed this splendid Shimpaku was back in 2010. Now time and Colin Lewis’ deft touch has wrought some positive changes. Here’s Colin’s caption for this latest iteration. His Majesty: Another last minute de-wiring before sleepy time…. I guess Majesty is Colin’s way of saying he likes this one. Or maybe there’s a fascinating story behind it… At least two things unite the three trees shown here; they all below to Colin Lewis and they are all in moon pots. All three are from Colin’s facebook photos. Colin also has a website with an extensive gallery. … Continue reading Colin’s Moon Pot Bonsai

Flowering Bonsai, Fleeting Bliss

Satsuki azalea displaying a perfect blend of white with a touch of pink and soft green. The flowers dominate right now, but it’s no accident that the color of the pot enhances the not-so-shabby, deeply grooved trunk and nebari. An earlier shot of the same tree appears below. Trying to buy a little time off (but still working), so rather than dream up a new post, we’ll dip back into our archives. This one originally appeared in May, 2011, with a little value added today. The first three photos in this post are part of a photo album by Andres … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai, Fleeting Bliss

Is This Pot Legal?

Would you plant a Crabapple in this pot? Or a Cherry tree? Winterberry? Persimmon? Pyracantha? Anything? Or maybe Horst was picturing Christmas tree ornaments. We’ve been going archival a lot lately. But then it’s that time of year. This one (from December 24th, 2013) was originally titled ‘Off the Deep End with Horst (Is This Pot Legal?).’ Horst is ceramic artist Horst Heinzlreiter. If you’ve been following Bark for a while you know that this is not the first time we’ve featured Horst Heinzlreiter‘s magical pots, and it won’t be the last. Roman ruins? This is the photo that inspired … Continue reading Is This Pot Legal?

Bonsai Pot Master & Fall Potting Season

I don’t know who styled this wonderfully crazy azalea (I don’t read Japanese) but I do know that Master Potter Gyozan Nakano made the pot. Still out of the office (working at my unpaid job) so we’ll continue borrowing from our illustrious past. And as long as we’re delving into the archives, why not go all the way back to our first pot post. It’s from July, 2007. A remarkable book about a remarkable potter Four years ago (twleve years ago now) I was given a most remarkable book by the World Bonsai Friendship Federation, who received it courtesy of … Continue reading Bonsai Pot Master & Fall Potting Season

The Dark Horse

What a great photo. It helps to have such an excellent subject for sure (Japanese black pine). It’s from post titled ‘The Dark Horse’ on the Bjorvala Bonsai Studio blog. The full tree and pot are shown below. Getting ready for a few days out of the office (my other job) so it’s a good time to dig back into our archives. This one originally appeared in 2013. It was titled ‘Drifting a Little Farther Afield.’ There’s really not much of theme going on with this post, other than a digital tour of some bonsai blogs/websites. So we’ll leave it … Continue reading The Dark Horse

Which Pot Do You Prefer?

These four images were borrowed from Juraj Szabó on facebook. Juraj lives, works and plays in Slovakia. The tree is a Shimpaku juniper (Juniperus chinensis sargentii). Juraj doesn’t say where the pots came from, though a couple look like they might be either Tokoname or Yixing pots. Most of our previous Which Pot? posts have been lifted from Boon Manakitivipart, so it was nice to discover one from someone (and somewhere) else. Nothing against Boon’s offerings, he puts on a world class facebook bonsai show, just a nice change of pace. A couple details: First, it’s best if you put your … Continue reading Which Pot Do You Prefer?

One Larch, Four Bonsai Pots (plus one)

One American larch, four pots (plus the original pot below). All this images in this post were borrowed from Boon Manakitivipart’s facebook feed (the image above is a composite that we put together). Boon is at it again. This time it’s our prized local larch (Larix laricina). Around here we call it Tamarack (the Algonquian name that means “wood used for snowshoes”). No matter what you call it, it is in my opinion, by far the best local wild species for bonsai. Bar none. Which pot do you prefer? If you are ambitious, you might tell us why. (NOTE: So … Continue reading One Larch, Four Bonsai Pots (plus one)

One Scots Pine, Four Bonsai Pots

One Scots pine, four pots. Do you have a favorite? We found these images on the National Bonsai Foundations facebook feed. They originated with Boon Manakitivipart (Bonsai Boon). Over the years Boon has put up several ‘which pot do you prefer’ posts, some of which have appeared here on Bark along with numerous other posts featuring Boon’s Bonsai. So, without further ado, which pot do you prefer? If you’re ambitious you might tell us why. Pot number 1 Pot number 2 Pot number 3 Pot number 4

When Was the Last Time You Saw a Pink Bonsai Pot?

The more I look, the more I love this powerful little bonsai with its proportionally massive trunk and mottled tropical ocean-blue pot that accentuates its bright green leaves (it’s the coffee). The photo is from a section on Takao Koyo in the Japanese Bonsai Pots Blog. The tree is a Trident maple. This all started with a couple pots (below) by Takao Koyo that were recently purchased by Morten Albek and put up on his Shohin Bonsai Blog. A quick search lead to a Takao Koyo jackpot at Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pots blog. Here’ a little piece on Takao Koyo … Continue reading When Was the Last Time You Saw a Pink Bonsai Pot?