Before & After Bonsai – From Sow’s Ear to Silk Purse, a Remarkable 7 Year Transformation

Before and after of one Harry Harrington’s famous privets. Here’s Harry’s caption… “For completion, the large Privet bonsai defoliated, wood-hardened and re-styled last month, now back in leaf and ready to live out its days with its new owner near Birmingham (U.K.). Seen here in 2010 after I was given the tree when it was just a big lump of wood collected from a hedge, and now, 7 years later. Ligustrum ovalifolium/Privet bonsai, Height 16″/39cm, Trunk diameter 7″/17cm, Pot by Victor Harris of Erin Pottery” It’s amazing what seven years and a whole lot of skill and imagination can do. … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai – From Sow’s Ear to Silk Purse, a Remarkable 7 Year Transformation

Mame Master Haruyosi’s Sturdy Little Black Pines

The fingers belong to Haruyosi. As does this sturdy little Kuromatsu (Japanese black pine). And though I don’t know this for a fact, my best guess is that Haruyosi made the pot. Here’s Mame Master Haruyosi’s caption that appears with the first three photos shown here (from July 4th)… “I worked on decandling of small Kuromatsu today. Now a typhoon is approaching here” (it hit Japan this week and caused severe flooding in the south) All four photos shown here are all from Haruyosi’s timeline. If you get a chance, it’s a click worth making. You might also want to … Continue reading Mame Master Haruyosi’s Sturdy Little Black Pines

Little Beans & Other Small Bonsai

I think this one qualifies as Mame (‘bean’ in Japanese), a common word for the smallest bonsai. Both the tree (Pyracatha) and pot are by Haruyosi. I’ve been thinking about starting another series of posts on Mame Master Haruyosi’s tiny bonsai. However, there are too many obligations today and no time today to put together a new post. The solution? Another journey back in time. This one was originally posted in November, 2013. Deeply Discounted Bonsai Wire 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) Bonsai Wire now only 16.00 per roll You can never have too much wire and just in case … Continue reading Little Beans & Other Small Bonsai

Photographing Bonsai – Change Your Viewing Angle

This shot looking up into the tree accentuates the dynamic flow of the trunk and allows for a clear look at all its texture and other details. The artist, Mauro Stemberger doesn’t identify any of the trees shown here, but it’s safe to say Juniper with this one, though we won’t guess the species. All the photos shown here were posted by Mauro Stemberger under the title Change your viewing angle… In this case, the change involves a lower camera placement than what we are accustomed to. A placement that allows you to lookup into the tree in much the … Continue reading Photographing Bonsai – Change Your Viewing Angle

A Lifetime of Bonsai Inspiration

This convoluted Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) belongs to Ed Trout of Pembroke Pines Florida. The container is by Sonny Boggs. The photo is from the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album. We always have an eye out for unique, high quality bonsai and this one certainly qualifies. A little over two weeks ago we received our copies of the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album. Since then, I’ve tried to spend a few minutes each day thumbing through and allowing myself to re-experience the initial jolt of excitement from that first day. Now it’s your turn. But we don’t want to spoil … Continue reading A Lifetime of Bonsai Inspiration

Wildly Unique Before & After Bonsai

Before and after by Alfredo Salaccione (Bonsailab.) The after version is so wildly unique that you’ll most likely recognize if you stumble upon it five years from now. And what a dramatic change. The way the branching and foliage has been moved and refined is dramatic enough, but then there’s the deadwood (upper left on the after shot) that has risen to new heights. I’m not sure how this was done. Alfredo Salaccione doesn’t say what the tree is, but based on some other trees on his timeline, and based on the way the foliage looks in the before shot, I’m … Continue reading Wildly Unique Before & After Bonsai

From Wild to Wild – Another Before & After Bonsai

After. This distinctive European spruce, aka Norway spruce (Picea abies) was collected in Switzerland in 1993. It’s now 25cm (10″) high and around 100 years old. The strikingly naturalistic pot (by Mateusz Grobeiny) and those little plants (succulents?) growing around the trunk and flowing down side of the pot add a strong natural touch. So natural that you might imagine stumbling upon the whole planting while hiking in the Alps. The artist and owner of the tree is Walter Pall. You can view the before and after together if you scroll down. Too much going on here today, so we’ll … Continue reading From Wild to Wild – Another Before & After Bonsai

Two More Brilliant Before & After Bonsai

We found these two photos at Bonsai Shikoku. All the text is Japanese and there are no intermediate photos, so what you see is what you get. At a glance you can see that there have been two major changes. First, the foliage has been thinned in order to expose most of the trunk and some of the branching. This allows for an unobstructed view of the deadwood and the lower sections of the living veins. The other obvious change is the result of meticulous cleaning and brightening of the deadwood and living veins. Here’s an excellent video if … Continue reading Two More Brilliant Before & After Bonsai

Still Crazy and an American Bonsai Classic

Michael Levin’s ‘Hatanaka’ Prostrata juniper, June 2015. Even though the foliage hasn’t filled out yet, this shot clearly shows the bones of the tree and seems like a good place to start. Still Crazy. Yesterday we put together a Before and After post that featured three trees by Bonsai Crazy (aka Uchida Yusuki). This jogged my memory and led me back to a November 2015 post about this great old Hatanaka/Levin Prostrata juniper that Bonsai Crazy wired while he was in the States visiting Michael and some other American bonsai growers. Here’s what Michael Levin, owner of Bonsai West and … Continue reading Still Crazy and an American Bonsai Classic

Bonsai Crazy – Before & After x 3

Of the three before and after photos shown here, this is my favorite. The transition from a clunky, overgrown and unbalanced semi cascading bonsai to an elegant fully cascading tree is radical and quite impressive. If you didn’t know, you might never guess it’s the same tree. All three before and after shots shown here are by Bonsai Crazy. If you’d like to see transition shots, you can visit Crazy on facebook. If you’re curious about just who this person is who calls himself Bonsai Crazy, here’s something from his website that will shed some light. NEW LOWEST WIRE PRICE … Continue reading Bonsai Crazy – Before & After x 3