Juniper in Progress by François Jeker

We just received this from François Jeker. François is the author Bonsai Aesthetics and is an accomplished bonsai artist and teacher. He is particularly known for his skills in creating, carving and aging of deadwood. Bonsai Today featured a series of his articles on the topic (issues 103, 104 and 105). The bad news is that two of these issue are out of print. The good news is that we have been posting excerpts here on Bonsai Bark and plan on posting more in the future. I particularly like his article on aging deadwood which was featured in July of … Continue reading Juniper in Progress by François Jeker

Wire Sale: Someone, Somewhere, is Wiring

A close up of wired branches on a Japanese black pine. From Bonsai Today magazine (I don’t remember which issue). Time to Wire? Not all types of trees are typically wired at the same time of year. And all climates aren’t the same anyway; spring in San Diego comes at least three months before spring here in Vermont (not to mention the bottom half of the planet where everything is backwards) and so forth. It probably goes without saying that all people aren’t the same either. Some ignore the advice of others and just wire when they want. Others strictly … Continue reading Wire Sale: Someone, Somewhere, is Wiring

Roy Nagatoshi Grafts Shimpaku Branches and Foliage onto a California Juniper

Shimpaku foliage grafted onto a California juniper by Roy Nagatoshi. All of the photos in this post are by Dale Berman. They originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 108 in an article by Marcus Juniel. Shimpaku foliage on California junipers California juniper foliage is heavy and somewhat coarse (I think it looks fine on native stock, but Shimpaku foliage is beautiful and looks even better) and many bonsai artist opt to graft on Shimpaku foliage. Approach graft. The Shimpaku (scion) still has it roots in soil when it is joined with the stock. Once the graft has taken, it is … Continue reading Roy Nagatoshi Grafts Shimpaku Branches and Foliage onto a California Juniper

A Moveable Feast European Style

Old Rosemary plants abound in Europe, so you’d expect to see some pretty good old Rosemary bonsai, and this semi-cacade certainly qualifies. It doesn’t hurt that it’s in a very cool pot. This photo is from Bonsai Today issue 85. Unfortunately, I don’t have the artist’s name with me (I’m traveling) so I can’t attribute. Anyone out there know? Still on the road (thus the movable part of the title) I’m still traveling so thought I’d just pluck this European gallery out of one of the folders I have on my desktop for just such occasions. Unfortunately, I can’t attribute … Continue reading A Moveable Feast European Style

Snow!

Look familiar? The photo is from the editorial page, Bonsai Today issue 56. The snow is courtesy of Mother Nature. When the whole world (well, almost) turned white Someone told me that 49 of the 50 US states had snow this winter. In northern Vermont, we don’t think much of it. But we don’t leave our bonsai out in the snow like in this photo. At least not in the dead of winter when it’s way too cold for that. The photo above is from Japan. In much of Japan you can leave your hardy trees out most, or all, … Continue reading Snow!

Bonsai Today 35: Going, Going, Almost Gone…

We are down to our last handful of Bonsai Today issue 35. Don’t wait if you want one. A little taste… … of what’s inside: Pine doctor, Pinching pines, Balancing vigor, Correcting root rot, Step by step end of summer care, Suiseki, Super restyling: Kimura styles a classic old Shimpaku, Bonsai gallery, Tokonoma: New Year display …and some other issues while we’re at it Bonsai Today issues 40 and 46 will soon be gone too. Several others in the 50s, 60s and even 70s are disappearing as well. Don’t wait if you want to fill our your collection. Now is … Continue reading Bonsai Today 35: Going, Going, Almost Gone…

Eccentric Bonsai: Shinji Suzuki’s Cascade Juniper

The styling progression on this cascade Shimpaku juniper by Shinji Suzuki is remarkable (you can see the whole step by step progression in our Juniper book). So is the end result. Remarkable and very unusual. Shinji Suzuki styled it when he was 24 years old. I wonder if he would do it differently now. It’s not just the wild mixed interlocking swirls of live and dead wood… … nor is it just the very long piece of deadwood that runs through the center like a dagger, all the way from near the top to the very bottom… nor the delicate … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: Shinji Suzuki’s Cascade Juniper

Masters’ Bonsai Gallery: Let’s Rock!

This group of Needle junipers on a large rock by Norboru Kaneko won first prize at Sakufu-ten #12. It originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 24 (long out of print). It also appears in our Bonsai Today Masters’ Series Juniper book (still in print). Root-on-rock vs root-over-rock The bonsai shown in this post are all root-on-rock, which means that the roots are growing in soil that is in pockets in the rock. Root-over-rock is where the rock sits in soil in a pot and the roots are trained to grow down over the rock and into the soil. We’ll do … Continue reading Masters’ Bonsai Gallery: Let’s Rock!

Eccentric Bonsai: Fearless Master Kimura Again

Though it’s not as powerful as many other Kimura trees (see below), nor is it considered one of his classics, still, I can’t say enough about this tree, so I won’t say much except I apologize that it is a little cramped on the left side and that it’s a Yew and it’s from The Bonsai Art of Kimura (out of print though occasionally the ‘let’s reprint’ thought flits around). There are eccentric bonsai and then… … there are eccentric bonsai. That is, some trees we feature are just eccentric. Others are masterpieces that are also eccentric (unusual in some … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: Fearless Master Kimura Again

Azalea Tips #2: The Language of Ramification

This old Satsuki azalea, with its massive trunk and wild display of mixed up flowers, is from our Satuski Azalea book by Robert Z. Callaham (Stone Lantern Publishing). Ramification Ramification just means branching. More specifically in bonsai (and other places) it is sometimes used to mean branch development or branch refining. The language of ramification Pruning Pruning is a commonly used word that is loosely applied to mean any removal of all or parts of branches. More specifically it means removing branches rather than shortening branches, but this distinction is lost on many people. Thinning Thinning means removing unwanted branches … Continue reading Azalea Tips #2: The Language of Ramification