Two Potentilla Bonsai & Two Brand New Books

Would you ever guess that these two little gems are Potentilla? Both are sweet in their own way, and so’s the photo; the muted painterly background, the contrasting pot colors and contrasting dead and live wood on both trees. I don’t know what the little companion is, but I like it too. I found it on Roman Stresow’s timeline. His caption is Just two Potentilla When I saw the photo above and then read that the trees were Potentilla (aka Cinquefoil), I felt a little tug of excitement. Not only were both little trees unique, but they’re Potentilla, a type tree I have … Continue reading Two Potentilla Bonsai & Two Brand New Books

Tea Time – Best in Show

Here’s the caption that was posted with this photo… “Congratulations Peter Tea, professional bonsai artist and instructor, Auburn, California, for judged bonsai competition winning Best Conifer and Best in Show (California Juniper) at the Golden State Bonsai Federation (GSBF) Convention 41, October 24-28, 2018, Sacramento, California – “Creativity Taking Flight”. Photo by Peter Camarena.” I cropped the original photo (see below) to enjoy a closer look I was beginning to think Peter Tea had gone into hiding and then this popped up. Turns out he was hiding in plain sight. I just lost track for a while and that’s too bad, … Continue reading Tea Time – Best in Show

Before & After by Bonsai Boon with a Guest Appearance by Michael Hagedorn

Here’s Boon’s caption for this before and after… “Itoigawa shimpaku removed old needles, downward growth, rewired and reposition” No bonsai is ever finished (unless it’s dead and then it’s no longer a bonsai anyway). I don’t know how many trees Boon Manakitivipart (aka Bonsai Boon) has, but I know it’s a whole lot more than most of us So what do you do when you have so many trees? Beyond basic care, like watering, feeding, treating for disease, insects etc? Well, one thing you do is spend some time bringing established bonsai back into shape, and if you have the talent, improving them in the process. … Continue reading Before & After by Bonsai Boon with a Guest Appearance by Michael Hagedorn

Beauty Doesn’t Always Conform to Our Expectations

Before and after European olive by Javi Campos Juan. Though it looks as though Javi has somehow managed to bend the trunk, perhaps all he has done is changed the planting and viewing angles. In any case, the improvement is striking Continuing with our Before & After theme from the last few days… You don’t often see Olives styled like this one; more like a conifer than an Olive. Regarding this, there is a good argument for styling in the way the type tree naturally grows. Trees that don’t conform to this standard often look unnatural Still, I like this tree. True, … Continue reading Beauty Doesn’t Always Conform to Our Expectations

Before & After Bonsai – the Desire to Improve What Most of Us Might Settle For

Before and after Shohin pine by Koji Hiramatsu. No size or species is mentioned, but you can tell it is quite small and you might guess it’s a Japanese black pine simply because it’s a favorite in Japan and the after shot looks like it might be one Continuing with another before and after, though moving way down in scale from yesterday’s monster. The photos are from Koji Hiramatsu’s fb timeline TWO NEW TOOL SPECIALS 40% off list prices on all Bonsai Aesthetics Tools & Tool Kits 40% off list prices on all Stainless Steel Tools Includes Roshi, Koyo & Other Tool Brands … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai – the Desire to Improve What Most of Us Might Settle For

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

Twisted – a Happy Accident

Here’s what Scott Lee wrote about this tree… “A sad day for me. I had my bonsai selected for the 1st Artisans Cup in Portland, Oregon. This year the weather has been unpredictable and challenging for my area. The tree’s health is not up to my standards nor Ryan’s…” Continued below the next photo… I just stumbled upon this unusual beauty in a post Scott Lee put up back in 2015. Purely a happy accident. The tree is a great example of an unconventional bonsai where little effort is made to make it naturalistic. Though there are plenty of twisted bonsai, especially yamadori from high elevations, I don’t … Continue reading Twisted – a Happy Accident

Winning Shohin & Mame Bonsai

The winner of the Finest Mame Bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Willow leaf ficus (Ficus neriifolia) that belongs to Johnson Teh. No dimensions are given, but some sources list mame as up to 4″ (10cm) tall. Others go a little taller. Oscar Jonker took the photo. I cropped it for a closer look. Oscar’s original is below Continuing with the prize winning bonsai from the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, today we’ve got Oscar Jonker’s photos of the winning Mame bonsai and the winning Shohin display NEW KOYO JAPANESE TOOL SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL KOYO TOOLS – The winner … Continue reading Winning Shohin & Mame Bonsai

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