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

“One Quick Glance at this Tree Brought Me to a State of Nirvana”

A close up of a rather spectacular root-over-rock bonsai (the entire planting is just below). Here’s our original caption (from May, 2016) with some changes made today… Robert Steven (my mistake, see below) has done it again. This time it’s a perfect root-over-rock bonsai. Here’s what Charles Bevan has to say about it: “This is unbelievably perfect. One quick glance at this tree brought me to a state of nirvana.” I was looking to continue our forest theme when I ran across this post from last year (and the year before). There is a forest (below), but it’s the feature tree and … Continue reading “One Quick Glance at this Tree Brought Me to a State of Nirvana”

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

Clump Style Bonsai – Multiple Trunks with a Single Root Stystem

We found this extraordinary clump style Japanese maple on Bonsai Nakayoshi (sorry the link is no longer active). You can imagine that all the smaller trunks started as suckers on the roots of the main tree (you could also imagine that they started from seeds dropped by the main tree; in which case each seed would have its own roots, so that wouldn’t qualify as a clump style bonsai). Staying on our clump style theme from yesterday, I borrowed this one from our archives. It was titled Multiple Trunks Sharing a Single Root System – Clump Style Bonsai Forests (technically, I don’t … Continue reading Clump Style Bonsai – Multiple Trunks with a Single Root Stystem

Extreme Bonsai

Perfect! The tree is a Savin juniper (Juniperus sabina) and you already know the painting. Before I realized that Gaicomo Pappalardo’s bonsai nursery is called Extreme Bonsai, I was taken with how unusual many of his trees are. Now it all make sense. Today we’ve got three of Gaicomo’s Junipers that caught my eye. If you’d like to see more, you might want to visit Extreme Bonsai’s website or facebook timeline. Or in person if you’re ever in A Coruña, Spain. 30% OFF BONSAI FERTILIZER SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT Tuesday, May 15th at 11:59pm EDT – Another wild and wonderful full cascade Juniperus sabina … Continue reading Extreme Bonsai

Before & After Bonsai – Rediscovering a Juniper’s Natural Beauty

Here’s Tyler Sherrod’s caption for a job well done…. “Just wired up this juniper for Joe Noga. He has owned this tree for about 30 years. It was grafted with kishu foilage by Mr. Mas Ishii of California. Another cool piece of history of bonsai in America.” Monday morning and we’re already behind, so we’ll let the photos do the talking…. except to say that Tyler Sherrod is one of several Americans (and other Westerners) who has gone through the rigors of a Bonsai apprenticeship in Japan and has brought back his impressive knowledge and skills. Here’s you link to Tyler on fb. 30% off Bonsai … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai – Rediscovering a Juniper’s Natural Beauty

When to Let a Tree Run Off Leash by Michael Hagedorn

This luminous Japanese maple in full fall color is from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai Portfolio. I don’t know for sure when, or for how long Michael lets this one off the leash, but after reading the article below, I have some idea. Here’s an important topic that we seldom hear about. So even though we just ran this post back in September, I think it’s worth another go. Once again we’re paying homage to the wisdom of Michael Hagedorn, our favorite source for the nitty-gritty of growing bonsai. This time it’s about managing, and especially not managing, the growth of our trees. Our … Continue reading When to Let a Tree Run Off Leash by Michael Hagedorn

Floating Mountains with Trees

Floating mountains with trees. I originally thought the trees with their tiny leaves might be boxwoods, but upon closer inspection, I think they are probably Serissas. This photo is a closeup from the photo just below. This unusual and creative arrangement was posted by Aus Bonsai on facebook. It would be nice to know who the artist is, but Aus makes no mention of the artist or even provide a link to their source. If this were the first time, we wouldn’t mention it, but Aus Bonsai often fails in this regard (it’s one thing to not be able to hunt down the artist, but a whole other thing … Continue reading Floating Mountains with Trees

Sweet Trees, but They Grow Microscopically…

You can tell this is a genuine Dwarf Kingsville boxwood by the tight tiny leaves. This planting by Boon Manakitivipart was the winner of the Certre Award at the 2010 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. Continuing with Kingsville boxwoods and with Boon (see above), we’ve got three more Dwarf Kingsvilles today. Sweet trees, but they grow microscopically, so don’t expect fat trunks any time soon. NEW Bonsai Book Special 50% off list on Stone Lantern & Haskill Creek Publishing Books 30% off list on All Other Books This has to one of the most perfectly conceived and executed Kingsville boxwoods you’ll see … Continue reading Sweet Trees, but They Grow Microscopically…

Que Hermoso Bonsai!

I believe this pine (variety unidentified) belongs to Pavel Slovák (see below for links). I assume it’s yamadori (bonsai collected from the wild) and the lower trunk’s curve is the result of countless years of snow load. Monday morning, so we’ll make it quick with a one tree post. I found it on Magdalena Chiavazza’ timeline. The caption reads Que hermoso ejemplar! (What a beautiful specimen!*) – Pavel Slovák, so my assumption is that it belongs to Pavel. SPECIAL BONSAI TODAY BACK ISSUES Only 5.00 each while they last the next best thing to studying with the old masters Trunk and guy wire A closer … Continue reading Que Hermoso Bonsai!