Sweet Little Trees & a Bonsai No No

This little gem looks like it might be a mini Mandarin orange tree. Or maybe a Kumquat. No name or attribution is provided I like small bonsai. Especially when they are photographed handheld to provide some scale. Unfortunately, the business fb site where I got these photos didn’t provide any information on varieties or artists/owners. Perhaps to impart the impression that the trees belong to them. One  photo of a Haruyosi tree even had their name on it. A definite no no (see below). Two Great Specials End Tonight! Roshi Bonsai Tool Special Ends Tonight Bonsai Soil Special Ends Tonight both specials end Sunday, … Continue reading Sweet Little Trees & a Bonsai No No

The Original Backyard Bonsai – Tool & Soil Specials End Tomorrow

Trident maple root-over-rock by Wolfgang Putz. Staying in the backyard one more day.  This one is our first backyard bonsai post from 2009 (over 3,000 posts ago), with a few changes today Today it’s Wolfgang Putz’ backyard. It turns out Wolfgang is a bonsai professional, so his backyard is really a bonsai nursery. Since this original backyard post, our focus has been mostly non-professional backyards SOIL SPECIAL ENDS TOMORROW 30% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL BONSAI SOIL special ends Sunday, July 1st at 11:59pm EDT – This ariel shot shows part of Wolfgang Putz’s back yard bonsai display. Clearly this is a labor of … Continue reading The Original Backyard Bonsai – Tool & Soil Specials End Tomorrow

Brilliant Bavarian Back Yard Bonsai Garden

Harmut Muenchebach’s brilliant Bavarian backyard bonsai garden. It wouldn’t be hard to indulge in a little envy here, but better to just enjoy. Let’s keep going with perhaps the most enchantng Backyard Bonsai Gardens we’ve seen yet. It belongs to Hartmut Muenchenbach of Bavaria. I found the photos on  Walter Pall’s timeline titled Jennifer Price at Hartmut Muenchenbach’s. We originally featured it just over a year ago. BONSAI SOIL SPECIAL ENDS SUNDAY 30% off list prices on all Bonsai Soil special ends Sunday, July 1st at 11:59pm EDT – Impressive tree in an impressive garden   A closer look at the tree’s details … Continue reading Brilliant Bavarian Back Yard Bonsai Garden

Backyard Bonsai #17

I like it when people offer a peek into their inner worlds. It’s a generous act. This one belongs to Zdenek Svoboda. Zdenek lives in  Skalica Slovakia, a place that’s a mystery to me Picking up our Backyard Bonsai series with a visit to Zdenek Svoboda in Slovakia (via his timeline on fb). There are plenty more great photos where these came from. If my count is correct, this is our 17th backyard display. Our first was Wolfgang Putz’ yard, in May, 2009 By the way, if you have a bonsai display in your backyard, we’d love to see it KILO BONSAI WIRE SPECIAL 16.95 PER ROLL ONLY … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai #17

The Beginning of Bonsai Time

A study in simple beauty. The tree is a European beech (Fagus sylvatica) that belongs to Harry Harrington, and the well chosen pot is by Erin pottery. The title of this post might be a little misleading, so we’ll call it poetic license (or maybe a metaphor?). Anyway, continuing our Harry Harrington theme, we’ll take a journey back to our first two Harry posts. The first is from March, 2009, Bark’s second month in existence, and the second is from August, 2011. NEW SOIL SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL BONSAI SOIL – This Goldflame Japanese Spirea (Spiraea japonica ‘Goldflame’) was originally dug from a  … Continue reading The Beginning of Bonsai Time

Stupendous Bonsai – a Good Place to Start

Stupendous is a good start in the search for words to describe this old full cascade Pemphis acidula by Budi Sulistyo. Ahh, to live in the tropics where stuff like this grows everywhere (well, not exactly like this, but still…). I first saw it in facebook in an album entitled My bonsai by Budi. By the way, Budi lives in Indonesia I’d venture that we’ve seen as many astounding Pemphis acidula as almost any other bonsai variety. Especially if we’re talking tropicals. Yesterday we featured three (along with some other tropical wonders), which got me thinking. Why not take a … Continue reading Stupendous Bonsai – a Good Place to Start

Bonsai Waterfalls & Strange Beasts

Not technically a cascading bonsai, but the foliage does cascade down along the trunk. Almost like a waterfall. Speaking of the trunk, not only does it express more than enough power and grace, but the way the grooved deadwood at the base of the trunk twists around behind and pops out again toward the top adds a nice touch. The tree is listed as Pemphis which is a genus of tropical plants. The species isn’t given but when it comes to bonsai Pemphis usually (always?) mean Pemphis acidula Today’s featured artist, Trang Jira lives in Bangkok, Thailand. His trees are unique and unlike most of the trees we show, they don’t owe that much to … Continue reading Bonsai Waterfalls & Strange Beasts

Elevating a Root-on-Rock Bonsai

With bonsai, it’s almost always the tree that dominates, even though the pot, (stone, slab or whatever) is considered a critical part of the whole. In this case however, it’s the rock that elevates the planting to extraordinary. Or, you might say it’s the rock and the way it’s adorned by the old tree along with the moss and ferns, that makes this planting extraordinary. The tree is a Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica). The tree, rock and moss belong to David Benavente. Staying close to theme, we’ll move from root-over-rock bonsai to root-on-rock bonsai. This post is from July, 2015, … Continue reading Elevating a Root-on-Rock Bonsai

More Impressive Works of Imagination & Skill

  This Penjing landscape features exceptionally rugged terrain and no immediately visible sign of humans. Or are there one or two tiny almost indistinguishable specks of something that could be man made? Continuing where we left off yesterday. For some reason I got a little fascinated with the man made elements; mostly small boats and buildings. I think maybe it’s the perspective they provide. Tiny beings in a vast wild world. Anyway, with or without signs of human activity, these rugged and realistic Penjing landscapes are impressive works of imagination and skill All the photos are borrowed from Hong Kong Bonsai Pots. No … Continue reading More Impressive Works of Imagination & Skill

Attention to Detail, Skill and Precision

Part of large Penjing scene. The full construction is just below. The photo is from Hong Kong Bonsai Pots I’ve long been fascinated by Penjing tray plantings  The best exhibit remarkable attention to detail, skill and precision, resulting in dramatic scenes that can transport the viewer to places beyond their ordinary experience. Or if we’ve become jaded, then maybe just a yawn while we scroll to the next photo… All the photos in this post are borrowed from Hong Kong Bonsai Pots BONSAI AESTHETICS TOOL SPECIAL all Aesthetics Tools, Tool Set & Kits and Tool Rolls 30% off our list prices – The whole magnificent scene. The … Continue reading Attention to Detail, Skill and Precision