The Whole Bonsai Setup – Trees, Tools & Wire

I like this photo. In addition to the rather spectacular tree, there’s the whole setup, with tools and wire that tells us something about the place where this tree was styled and the means by which it was styled. Here’s the caption with this tree… “What 6 years of work, a beautiful environment and a great photographer Jill Moors can do …” I always get a little jolt when I discover a new (for me) bonsai artist. In this case the artist is Yannick Kiggen. Yannick calls his bonsai endeavor YAMA Bonsai Studio. We’ll just scratch the surface here and encourage … Continue reading The Whole Bonsai Setup – Trees, Tools & Wire

An Outstanding Juniper Bonsai, Another Olive, Plus Two

I think this tree deserves some attention. Especially the massive shari (trunk deadwood) with its protruding handle and only a hint of a living vein (peeking out lower left and upper left). Then there’s the foliage which is somewhat groomed but still free-flowing; giving the tree an informal feel. It might also be worth mentioning that it’s slanting style. You don’t see nearly as many quality slant style bonsai as you do upright bonsai. Here’s the caption that accompanies this photo… “Juniperus (no species given) by Salvador De Los Reyes. Approximately 80 years of age. Added by Gustavo Celayes.” Found … Continue reading An Outstanding Juniper Bonsai, Another Olive, Plus Two

More North American Bonsai Excellence

Winner of the Creative Award at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. The tree is a Dwarf Japanese garden juniper (Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’) and the artist is Creighton Bostrom. The photo is by Joe Noga, as are all the photos in the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album To continue where we left off yesterday… we just got our new 2017 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album and it’s the best yet. We’ll show two more photos here and leave the rest up to you Time to Stock Up on Bonsai Wire 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) Bonsai Wire now … Continue reading More North American Bonsai Excellence

North American Bonsai Excellence – The 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album Is Here!

Winner of the Finest Bonsai Masterpiece at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga Mertensiana) that belongs to Eric Schikowski. The photo is by Joseph Noga as are all the photos in Exhibition Albums 2-5. Every two years we get a jolt of bonsai excitement when our copies of the latest U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album arrives. This time it’s the 5th Album, and it’s the best yet. This should come as no surprise, bonsai is still relatively new in North America (and much of the world) so steady improvement is to be expected. However, given … Continue reading North American Bonsai Excellence – The 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album Is Here!

Michelangelo, Picasso & Other Great Bonsai Artists

Even though we know this tree has been worked by human hands, the link to its natural state hasn’t been lost. If anything it has been enhanced. No variety is given, though it looks like a collected juniper. Back from vacation for well over a week and still locked in mortal combat with paperwork demons. Time for a short cut. This post originally appeared almost exactly one year ago. Nacho Marin is someone who was already an artist when he discovered bonsai and who brought his vision, talent and experience to the art. And though people often say that we … Continue reading Michelangelo, Picasso & Other Great Bonsai Artists

The Tallest Trees in the World?

This Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii* subsp. glauca) is one of numerous extraordinary bonsai at Ryan Neil’s Bonsai Mirai (near Portland, Oregon). It was originally collected in the Rocky mountains by Randy Knight. It’s age is given as 100-250 years. Height is 36″ (91cm), width 52″ (132cm). Yesterday’s post got me thinking about Firs and it wasn’t a long trip from firs (Abies varieties) to Douglas firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii). So even though Douglas firs are not true firs, still, these photo are just too good to pass up NEW Deeper Discount 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) Bonsai Wire now only 16.00 … Continue reading The Tallest Trees in the World?

Silver Fir Bonsai – A First (for us at least)

This European silver fir (Abies alba) belongs to Walter Pall. We borrowed this and the other photos shown here from Walter’s Bonsai Adventures Blog. It’s not that often we discover a suitable-for-bonsai plant species that we’ve yet to feature (300+ posts a year for 8 years covers a lot of ground). So, as you might imagine, our interest was peaked when we landed on this European silver fir while cruising Walter Pall’s famous bonsai blog. Continued below… Our Long Awaited Yoshiaki Bonsai Turntables just arrived this morning Including our popular all-weather turntables All at New Lower Prices – The same … Continue reading Silver Fir Bonsai – A First (for us at least)

A Well Fed Japanese Red Pine & a Reminder to Feed Your Bonsai Generously

This distinctive Japanese red pine with its strong shari and sudden change of direction, shows the radiant vibrancy of a well-fed bonsai. It belongs Ken Fujiwara Summer growing season is time to generously feed your bonsai… Without adequate fertilizing, you won’t see the development you want; vibrant rich foliage, fine branching, thickening trunks and primary branches, powerful nebari and most critical of all, strong root growth. And of course, well-fed strong bonsai can better resists pests and diseases and withstand the challenges of the coming winter FEED YOUR BONSAI & SAVE All Bonsai Fertilizers 25% to 40% off List Prices … Continue reading A Well Fed Japanese Red Pine & a Reminder to Feed Your Bonsai Generously

Nothing but Eat, Sleep and Bonsai

In Jeremiah Lee’s own words … “Here are a couple trees that Juan recently worked on. I got to see him clean up and style this bad ass twisty Shimpaku.” From Jeremiah’s two week apprenticeship at Aichi-En Bonsai Nursery. Juan is Juan Andrade, a now well-known international bonsai artist. This and the other photos in this post are by Jeremiah. Today is Honeydew day. Time is short and getting shorter, so it’s back to our archives. This one, from January 2015, features the bonsai of Juan Andrade (yesterday’s artist) I’ve been a fan of Jeremiah Lee’s Yenling Bonsai blog for … Continue reading Nothing but Eat, Sleep and Bonsai

Bonsai & Penjing – the next best thing to being there

John Naka’s famous Goshin, from the cover of Bonsai & Penjing, a book that tells the stories of the trees at the National Arboretum’s Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington D.C. A must for any red-blooded American bonsai lover and really, any bonsai lover anywhere. I just spent some time revisiting Bonsai and Penjing, Ambassadors of Peace and Beauty and my enthusiasm for this remarkable book was completely recharged. It is a rare gem that features dazzling photos of dozens of some of the best bonsai in the world. And without getting too wordy, I wish I could express just … Continue reading Bonsai & Penjing – the next best thing to being there