Just One Today, but It’s a Good One

Bonsai perfection. Luis Vallejo provides the following information with this tree… “Fortunella hindsii Kumquat, By Nobuichi Urushibata, Taishoen. Luis Vallejo Bonsai Garden, Photo Miguel Krause.” Taishoen is Nobuichi’s bonsai nursery in Japan. Luis Vallejo is an accomplished bonsai artist and the owner of Museo de Bonsai Acalanes in Spain. Fortunella hindsii Kumquat, is of course the type tree, with the Fortunalla hindsii being the smallest of the Kumquats. Just one tree today, but it’s a good one. I found it on Luis Vallejo’s timeline. If you’ve been following Bark for a while, or if you’re someone who appreciates European (particularly Spanish) bonsai, you’re no … Continue reading Just One Today, but It’s a Good One

Got Pieces of Broken Bonsai Pots Laying Around?

Got pieces of broken pots laying around? No problem. Robert Steven’s caption for this photo… “Dedication of the broken pots” Time to visit our old friend Robert Steven again. Robert has been on the cutting edge of Indonesian and world bonsai for a long time and judging by his recent endeavors, you might conclude that he intends to stay there. All the text in italics are direct quotes from Robert SPECIAL BONSAI AESTHETICS WIRE KILO ROLLS ONLY 15.95 500 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 8.95 100 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 3.45 – Roberts writes… “Front’ is simply a viewing angle where we want … Continue reading Got Pieces of Broken Bonsai Pots Laying Around?

Don’t Pinch You Juniper Bonsai!

Was this foliage pinched in order to achieve that dense, perfectly refined shape and texture? The answer, according to Michael Hagedorn is an emphatic NO! Except when it isn’t. The image is borrowed from our Masters’ Series Juniper Bonsai book. Thought you might enjoy another round of Micheal Hagedorn‘s bonsai wisdom. Most of this post was borrowed and updated from a 2012 Bark Bark Post titled, Pinch! Don’t Pinch!. We added some content and posted it again in 2015. Because it offers an important lesson for anyone who grows junipers, especially those of us who are in the habit in pinching to control growth, it’s worth another look. Continued … Continue reading Don’t Pinch You Juniper Bonsai!

Feed Your Bonsai for Health & Beauty

Lush summer foliage and impressive deadwood on an old Shimpaku juniper.The lush foliage is the result of timely feeding.* The photo is from our Masters Series Juniper book. I know the tree is from Japan, but don’t know who the artist or owner is. For some of you lucky ones, it’s already spring. For most of the rest of us, it’s time* to start enriching the soil with slow release fertilizers. This post is one of our archival favorites (July, 2015). Nothing has changed since then, except our lower fertilizer prices. Many, if not most people underfeed their bonsai. There are … Continue reading Feed Your Bonsai for Health & Beauty

Walter’s Big, Brilliant Japanese Maple Bonsai

This brilliant Japanese maple belongs to Walter Pall. Walter lists its height as 75cm (30″) and its age as around thirty years. It was imported from a Korean nursery in 2016. The pot is a Tokoname from Japan. Just a quick one tree study today. But what a tree it is! It belongs to Walter Pall, a frequent headliner here on Bark and a widely recognized bonsai artist, entrepreneur and entertainer. NEW WIRE SPECIAL Kilo Rolls Only 15.95 Roshi Bonsai Tools 30% off Our List Prices see below – The ramification (fine branching) could use some more time and work, but … Continue reading Walter’s Big, Brilliant Japanese Maple Bonsai

Sumo Olive – Which Bonsai Pot Would You Choose?

Boon’s caption for this reads… “Selecting pot for sumo Olive — with Adair Martin” I like the tree and the pots, though there’s one pot that jumps out at me. But I’m not saying, at least until we hear from you. Boon Manakitivipart (Bonsai Boon) is at it again. This time you have a choice of six pots for a tree that he call a Sumo Olive (I don’t think Sumo is an official varietal name, more like a well chosen description that some bonsai enthusiasts like). If you’d like to play, please put your choice (or choices), along with your thoughts if you’d like, in the … Continue reading Sumo Olive – Which Bonsai Pot Would You Choose?

The Right Place at the Right Time

That’s a lot of deadwood, but you can see the living vein just peeking out on the far left. Here’s what Bill Valavanis wrote about this remarkable tree… “Sargent Juniper created by Minoru Akiyama who received the coveted Prime Minister Award a few years ago at the Sakufu Bonsai Exhibitions for professional bonsai artists. Here it is displayed under the owner’s name.” This is our third straight Kokufu post. As with the previous two, all the photos were taken by Bill Valavanis. I feel a bit lazy sometimes, borrowing so liberally from Bill. It’s just that he and his camera seem land in the … Continue reading The Right Place at the Right Time

More Kokufu Bonsai!

I borrowed this bonsai that belongs to American Doug Paul and rest of the bonsai shown here from Bill Valavanis. They represent a very small sampling of the photos Bill has taken so far at the ongoing 92nd Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition. Today is my first day back from vacation and as you know, no vacation goes unpunished, so we’ll make this short and sweet. Five more Kokufu photos borrowed from Bill Valavanis. Stay posted, we’ll show you some more, including some prize winners. Meanwhile a visit to Bill’s blog might be a good idea. Two excellent bonsai tool sales end tomorrow night and another … Continue reading More Kokufu Bonsai!

Old Bonsai Bones

We Borrowed this Hackberry from a 2017 Kokufu post on Bill Valavanis Bonsai blog. As soon as I return from vacation later this week, we’ll show you some photos from this year’s Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition, which just begun yesterday. Meanwhile, we’ll stimulate your interest with a few photos from last year’s exhibition (borrowed from Bill Valavanis’ excellent bonsai blog) Continued below… Bill offer the varieties on some of the trees, but not this one. I could guess Japanese maple, but my track record isn’t that great. Meanwhile you might appreciate the powerful nebari and the exquisite fine branching. One advantage of winter … Continue reading Old Bonsai Bones

Bonsai Elegance from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum

I’ve never been to the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, but if the elegance of the display shown in this photo is any indication, maybe I should start saving my yen. Continuing our Omiya Bonsai Art Museum theme and still on vacation so we’ll also continue borrowing from our archives (with a little value added today). The three photos shown here were part of a post that appeared in May, 2012. Japanese five needle pine (Goyomatsu) from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum’s gallery. Japanese five needle pines are also called Japanese white pine. The Latin is Pinus parviflora, or sometimes Pinus … Continue reading Bonsai Elegance from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum