Before, During & After – Seven Years & Some Serious Wiring

Here’s Mariusz Komsta’s captiion for this tree… “Momiji Polmans & Bonsaimotorworld bonsai school is finally paying off, great job by Jean-Pierre Reitz , Pinus nigra” (Austrian black pine). I found these photos of Jean-Pierre Reitz’ superb before and after bonsai on Mariusz Komsta’s timeline. If you’ve been following Bonsai Bark for a while, you’ll know that Mariusz is one of our favorites. Jean-Pierre however, is new to us. Looks like a good discovery SITE WIDE SPECIAL Up TO 60% OFF Some items 20% TO 60% OFF LIST PRICes* *there are 4 individual items we cannot discount – see below This and other … Continue reading Before, During & After – Seven Years & Some Serious Wiring

Black Scissors Bonsai

This powerful full-bloom Bougainville with its lovely pot looks like it’s from China. We borrowed it from our friend Robert Steven (see below) Just grabbed a few photos this morning from Robert Steven’s Black Scissors Community. If you’d like explore Robert’s views on these trees and their relationship to full sized trees in nature, here’s your link to his commentary NEW SITE WIDE SPECIAL 20% to 60% off list prices on EverythinG* *there are 4 individual items we cannot discount – see below 20% to 60% off list prices bonsai tools, wire, calendars, books, bonsai magazines, soil, fertilizer, embroidered clothing, bonsai … Continue reading Black Scissors Bonsai

Bonsai Tools 30% to 50% off Ends Tuesday

30% to 50% off list prices BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL ends tomorrow Tuesday, November 28th at 11:59pm EDT – A great opportunity to upgrade you tool selection and enhance your bonsai experience 200 Different Tools, Tools Sets & Kits Roshi Bonsai Tools Koyo Bonsai Tools Bonsai Aesthetics Tools Yoshiaki Bonsai Tools Okatsune Bonsai Tools Others too BONSAI WIRE SPECIAL All Wire Deeply Discounted WIRE SPECIAL INCLUDES BONSAI AESTHETICS 100 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 2.95 500 GRAM (1.1 LB) ROLLS ONLY 8.95 1 KILO (2.2 LB) ROLLS ONLY 15.95 – – Our Amazing Green T Turntables also Discounted Bonsai Today back issue now … Continue reading Bonsai Tools 30% to 50% off Ends Tuesday

Black Bonsai Friday, Small Bonsai Business Saturday & Cyber Monday Too

30% to 50% off BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL 30% to 50% OFF LIST PRICES ALL BONSAI TOOLS & TOOL KITS plus an extra 5% off all orders 150.00 or more Roshi, Koyo, Bonsai Aesthetics, Yoshiaki, Okatsune & more 5 Days Only – Specials End Tuesday, Nov 28th at 11:59pm EST SPECIAL INCLUDES OUR LARGE SELECTION OF QUALITY BONSAI TOOL KITS 5 Days Only – Specials End Tuesday, Nov 28th at 11:59pm EST BONSAI WIRE SPECIAL All Wire Deeply Discounted Wire Special Includes Bonsai Aesthetics 100 gram rolls Only 2.95 500 gram (1.1 lb) rolls Only 8.95 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) … Continue reading Black Bonsai Friday, Small Bonsai Business Saturday & Cyber Monday Too

A Bonsai Life

This prize winning Ficus neriifolia belongs to Ed Trout. I like its relaxed, almost sensuous look. Or if you’re not into anthropomorphizing bonsai, you might just notice its wide stable nebari and its stout well tapered trunk and leave it at that. All the photos in this post are from Bonsai Mary. In keeping with our tropical theme from yesterday and our mention of Mary Miller (Bonsai Mary) from the day before, I dug up this up from our archives (April, 2010, with some editing today) Mary Miller’s years of experience as a bonsai teacher, author and grower come together very nicely in her Bonsai … Continue reading A Bonsai Life

More Magnificent Mugo Pines

This superb Mugo pine has a distinctly natural feel. Almost as if someone found it just as is, growing somewhere high in the European Alps. Still, whenever you see a bonsai, a human hand is intimately involved. Even when the tree appears perfectly natural (in some cases, especially when the tree appears perfectly natural). In the case of both trees shown here, the human hand belongs to Georg Reinhard. We borrowed the photos from a post we did in November, 2010. It was titled Mugos by Mother Nature & Georg Reinhard Continuing with our Mugo pine theme from yesterday… I … Continue reading More Magnificent Mugo Pines

A Rugged Old Mugo Pine and a Lovely Japanese Garden

Close up of an old yamadori Mugo pine’s trunk. It belongs to Mariusz Folda. Here’s his caption… “Pinus mugo in training at IBUKI for 16 years.” IBUKI is Mariusz’s Bonsai and Ceramics studio in Bielsko-Biala, Poland There’s a lot to like about this old Mugo pine. Aged bark is always a plus as is deeply fissured, naturally colored deadwood. Perhaps most striking is the way the foliage clings to the trunk and primary branches, creating a low dense canopy that enhances the story of a rugged life at the tree line in a high mountain range (three in a row… don’t tell my high school English teacher). Maybe somewhere in the Alps in this case, … Continue reading A Rugged Old Mugo Pine and a Lovely Japanese Garden

Bonsai Wizardry – Before & After

Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) before and after. The artist is Suthin Sukosolvisit, who wrote that it took only one year from before to after, which might lead you to believe that the before tree is bigger than it looks. Here’s your link to the original Suthin, day three… Part of this post is from one we did back in December 2013. It was titled Flying High with Suthin (don’t even think it… I was on a plane). Coincidentally, in that original post I happened to mention a bit about flying by the comedian Louie C.K., who unfortunately is in the news this week . NEW Bonsai Aesthetics … Continue reading Bonsai Wizardry – Before & After

A Masterful Example of how Energy Can Be Redirected

This powerful old cascading Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii) is a masterful example of how energy can be directed downward in a tree that naturally wants to grow upward. The photo is from Bonsai Today Master Series; Pines. A late start today, so it’s time for a journey into our past. This post was one of our very firsts (Feb 2009 with an added azalea photo from a later post), but like so much with bonsai, is still 100% pertinent today… and tomorrow, and so forth. Whenever you prune, trim or pinch, you are redirecting energy. If you remove a … Continue reading A Masterful Example of how Energy Can Be Redirected

Bonsai – Small – Medium – Large

Based on the brilliant little apples and what look like apple leaves, you might conclude that this is a crab apple. The whole tree is shown below All the photos shown here are from a post titled Small – Medium – Large on Morten Albek’s Shohin-Europe blog, though medium and especially large bonsai are pretty scarce. Here what Morten wrote about them… “The Danish Bonsai Society – and the local group mainly – did an exhibition over the past weekend. I visited and found some very nice displays. Autumn is a great time to display, especially Shohin that express the seasons … Continue reading Bonsai – Small – Medium – Large