Bonsai Stempede & You Don’t Need to Remove ALL the Wire

Stampede. This photo is from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai blog. It was taken just after restyling by Micheal and friends. The tree is a Ponderosa pine. The story of its name ‘Stampede’ is in a caption below (second photo down) Two for one. I wanted to show you a post about removing wire that Michael Hagedorn put up on his Crataegus Bonsai blog recently. Problem is, we need a good lead photo of a bonsai for all our posts (don’t ask, it’s just the way we’ve always done it) and Michael doesn’t provide one in his removing wire post. So I picked some photos and text from a … Continue reading Bonsai Stempede & You Don’t Need to Remove ALL the Wire

Ginkgo Bonsai – Spring, Summer & Fall

I’m not so sure about the apex or the way it’s so crowded in this photo, but I like the tree anyway. Especially that gnarly old trunk. It’s a Chi Chi, a small leaf Ginkgo cultivar. As you can see, it’s from Lakeshore Bonsai (Toronto area). Here’s Lakeshore’s caption: “Ginkgo biloba ‘chi-chi’, 7 years in development from imported raw material. Probably started as an air layer in Japan.” Finally home last night from vacation. Now to attack and vanquish two weeks worth of accumulated loose ends. Meanwhile, to save a little time, we’re resurrecting a post we did back in … Continue reading Ginkgo Bonsai – Spring, Summer & Fall

One Trunk Dead, the Other Alive & the Importance of Identification

Pine with parallel slanting trunks that start as a single tree and split at the base. One trunk dead, the other alive. It caught my attention because it’s a somewhat unusual slanting tree with the pot and the visual weight of the foliage balancing each other perfectly. This and the other photos shown here were posted by Scott Lee. The caption reads Back in the studio with Peter Tea and Bonsai Kazem #japaneseart Sticking with Scott Lee (see yesterday’s post) we’ve got three photos that he posted on facebook recently. Unfortunately, none are identified. I’m not sure why so many people put … Continue reading One Trunk Dead, the Other Alive & the Importance of Identification

NEW Bonsai T-Shirts & the 6th U.S. National

Our neighbor Sophie modeling our Brand NEW all cotton Stone Lantern T-shirt. And no, Sophie is not a professional model. Just a friend (and local police officer). You can order your T-shirt online for 20.00 plus a very modest shipping charge or save the shipping charge and pick one up at the upcoming 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Continuing with our lead up to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (Rochester, NY, September 8th & 9th – it’s not too late to make your plans)… This time it’s our new T-Shirt that will accompany us to the show along with a wide range of bonsai … Continue reading NEW Bonsai T-Shirts & the 6th U.S. National

Suthin’s Beautiful Beasts & the 6th U.S. National Exhibition

This beautiful beast with it rugged trunk and luminous foliage belongs to Suthin. Here’s his caption… “#04 Shimpaku ‘Itoigawa’ Tree’s height: 39 inches. Interesting PM. me. Pick up at US. National show in Rochester, NY. suthinbonsaistudio.com” Continuing with American bonsai leading up to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (Rochester, NY, September 8th & 9th – it’s not too late to make your plans)… today it’s everybody’s friend Suthin (officially Suthin Sukosolvisit), another long time favorite here on Bark STONE LANTERN’S NEW BONSAI FERTILIZER SPECIAL 25% off list prices for Fertilizers & other care products – Here’s another one you can arrange to pick up at the Exhibition. It’s a … Continue reading Suthin’s Beautiful Beasts & the 6th U.S. National Exhibition

Not All Bonsai Need Deadwood

It takes a strong tree to handle a pot like this. This Pistacio (Pistacia chinensis Bunge) has at least two features that qualify: its muscular trunk which works well with the depth of the pot (deep pots with thin trunks just don’t work) and its lushly hued full crown which contrasts with the pot’s brilliance. Today is the first day of a short summer vacation. We’ll try to keep Bark going by employing some favorites from our archives. This one is from January, 2016 (with a couple revisions today) The trees shown here are all Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s creations. Cheng is famous for his Sidiao method (a … Continue reading Not All Bonsai Need Deadwood

A Most Unusual & Provocative Bonsai Extravaganza

I don’t know how big this planting is, though I’m leaning toward pretty big. Impressive too with its sophisticated sense of depth (larger trees in front and smaller toward the back). Not to overlook the very large pot with its flowing lines and no doubt hefty price tag. This photo and the next three below are from Bill Valavanis’ blog Continuing with yesterday’s mixed media bonsai theme, this one is from Robert Steven’s 2014 1st International Bonsai Biennale. At the time we referred to it as the most unusual and provocative bonsai extravaganza ever TWO NEW TOOL SPECIALS Famous Roshi BONSAI Tools 30% … Continue reading A Most Unusual & Provocative Bonsai Extravaganza

Bonsai Art & Ink Painting – A Perfect Intersection

Something new under the sun! Sumi artist Sonia Stella’s caption reads… “Bonsai by Sandro Segneri and modern ink by me” I’m always a little stoked when we discover a new bonsai artist (quoted from our July 14th post). Now we can double down on that with today’s discovery of Sonia Stella’s Bonsai Art & Ink Painting – Sakura Studio. Or maybe triple down, with the added excitement of discovering a perfect intersection of two arts performed at such a high level. MID SUMMER SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT 25% TO 75% OFF LIST PRICE ON HUNDREDS OF BONSAI ITEMS SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT, MONDAY AT 11:59PM EDT – … Continue reading Bonsai Art & Ink Painting – A Perfect Intersection

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

A Different Kind of Root-over-Rock

A strange sort of root-over-rock. You might imagine that it started more or less like other root overs, but because the rock is so small, the roots grew under it and pushed it up, while also growing around one side and creating a firm grip on the rock. Though I originally thought the result might simply be an happy accident, upon reflection I think it was the intention of the original artist 40 to 50 years ago.* It’s just too perfect the way most of the rock, particularly the bowl is left uncovered and even emphasized. Like so many root-over-rock bonsai, the tree … Continue reading A Different Kind of Root-over-Rock