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

Before & After Bonsai with at Least Five Names

Suthin’s before and after Japanese five needle pine, aka Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora aka Pinus parvifolia). This is the only variety tree that I know of that has two common names in English and two botanical names. To further confuse the issue, in bonsai circles it is sometimes referred to as Goyomatsu (Japanese – Goyo = five needle, Matsu = pine) We never go too long without visiting our friend Suthin Sukosolvisit. If you’d like more, here’s a link to dozens of other Suthin posts we’ve featured over the years. Before. A tree in need of styling and a new pot Wanna learn … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai with at Least Five Names

Majestic Bonsai Vista

You don’t see that many bonsai photos with such majestic vistas in the background. I don’t know where the shot was taken, nor do I know the variety of the tree but I do know that the photo and the tree are from Yoshio Nihei. Continuing from yesterday with bonsai we found on Magdalena Chiavazza’s timeline (we had trouble with the link yesterday, so I hope this one takes). Magdalena doesn’t offer the varieties (except for the Satsuki azalea below) but she is meticulous about the all-important attribution SITE WIDE SALE SEE BELOW Seduction. Again we don’t know the variety but we do know … Continue reading Majestic Bonsai Vista

A Bonsai in Hand…

No variety is given with any of the photos featured here and we won’t bother to guess. Another big snow storm is blowing in and there’s too much to do, so we’ll take a shortcut and resurrect a post from August 2016 while staying with our Javi Campos Juan theme (see yesterday). I’ve always liked photos of hand held bonsai. The hand immediately provides a way to determine the size of a tree and it adds a personal touch, without the more intrusive photos of the proud artist posing with the tree. All the photos shown here were posted on Facebook by Javi Campos Juan. … Continue reading A Bonsai in Hand…

What Was Missing?

Javi Campos Juan’s caption reads Tenía falta? The translation is “Was it missing?” That didn’t seem quite right so I checked with Free Translation, which came up with “What was missing?” Anyway, sweet tree (no variety given) and well chosen pot. I’ve been follow Javi Campos Juan for a long time, but have only featured his bonsai twice and the last time was over a year ago, so we’re overdue. The images and captions are from Javi’s facebook timeline. NEW SPECIAL Koyo Japanese Bonsai Tools 30% off list prices – Before. Time to rootprune and repot. BTW, those are exceptionally vigorous looking … Continue reading What Was Missing?

Mugo’s Magnificent Bonsai

This magnificent Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) was posted by Enzo ‘Mugo’ Ferrari. Though the trunk and nebari are about as good as it gets, the primary branching still needs some time to develop. Right now there are branches in the crown that are as strong as the first and second branches. Mugo’s skillful hand and eye and a few more years are all that’s needed for perfection Today’s photos are from Mugo (Enzo) Ferrari’s timeline. I think all but one were shot at the recent 2018 Miyabi Ten Bonsai Exhibition in Cison di Valmarino, Italy SPECIAL BONSAI AESTHETICS WIRE KILO ROLLS ONLY 15.95 500 GRAM ROLLS … Continue reading Mugo’s Magnificent Bonsai

Haruyosi’s Flowers

This little Japanese quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) looks old and yet is so small. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but there’s something about the brilliance and purity of quince flowers. Time to visit Haruyosi, one of our all time favorites, especially when it comes to very small bonsai. Some of these photos were just taken in the last few days and others are from years gone by NEW BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL 40% off list prices on all our Bonsai Aesthetics Tools see below – This photo was take two days ago (March 3rd). Here’s Haruyosi’s caption… “This cherry tree ‘Okame’ bloomed … Continue reading Haruyosi’s Flowers

Before & After Bonsai, Just for Fun of It

Shimpaku juniper by Suthin Sukosolvisit. Just for the fun of it is Suthin’s tag line with this striking transformation Today we have another extraordinary before and after transformation by our friend, Suthin Sukosolvisit. As always it helps to start with good stock. In fact, good stock is a ticket to great bonsai. Still, could you do what Suthin did? And just for the fun of it? SPECIAL BONSAI AESTHETICS WIRE KILO ROLLS ONLY 15.95 500 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 8.95 100 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 3.45 – Before. So much potential… Bonsai Soil Just Arrived! SPECIAL 20% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL SOIL Akadama, Kanuma, … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai, Just for Fun of It

Cold Weather Bonsai by a Consummate Bonsai Pro

This is the second time we’ve shown this photo. I can’t find where I first found it (and the one just below). It’s sad coming from someone who preaches attribution and identification. Yesterday’s snowy post prompted the following question from Henry L. Miller… “Given today’s post, please update us concerning leaving bonsai outside in 15-30 degree weather.” Seems like a simple enough question, but you’d be surprised how much is involved. So much in fact, that this is a good time to call in Michael Hagedorn, a consummate bonsai pro and heavy lifter. In Michael’s own words… Seasonal Care for Cold Weather… … Continue reading Cold Weather Bonsai by a Consummate Bonsai Pro