A Goldmine of Great Bonsai

Cascading Shimpaku juniper with copious deadwood and floating foliage clouds. This could only be described as an exceptionally powerful and distinctive bonsai, even if you take issue with such well-manicured foliage. The photo was taken by Enrique Castano. I cropped it a little to eliminate background noise There’s an online goldmine of great photos from the World Bonsai Convention, so we’ll just keep digging in that vein. The photos in this post are by Enrique Castano WATERING SALE ENDS TONIGHT 20% off Watering Cans, Nozzles & Wands sale ends tonight, Sunday at 11:59pm EDT This powerful tree must be a … Continue reading A Goldmine of Great Bonsai

Sweet Companions

This sweet little planting with its distinctive little pot belongs to Sigrid Brecht. No plant names were provided with any of the photos shown here, so your guess is at least as good as mine These enchanting little gems all belong to Sigrid Brecht. The Japanese name for these plantings is kusamono. However, if you feature them with bonsai, then the term is shitakusa. Or simply companion plant. We don’t usually feature whole posts on companions (or on suiseki for that matter). Based on clicks, most bonsai enthusiasts haven’t developed that much appreciation. But in this case, I couldn’t resist. … Continue reading Sweet Companions

Expertly Rendered & Beautiful

This drawing is by Michele Andolfo, as are the others in this post. We just gave you three straight brand new posts. Now I need to catch my breath and catch up with some new products (including several new Roshi bonsai tools) and as always, continue the heroic quest to subjugate the horrible email beast (100 plus emails a day can wear on you). Long story short, this post is from our archives. October, 2015. All the drawings shown here are from a program Michele Andolfo led in Quebec this year (last year). You can view more of these expertly … Continue reading Expertly Rendered & Beautiful

Boug Bonsai, That Gorgeously Gaudy Wonder Plant

Bougainvilleas can be a little ostentatious, even gaudy at times, and this one just might qualify. Still, ostentatious, gaudy, whatever, this lush combination of flowers, aged character and power is magnificent. The photo is from the Club de Bonsaistas (facebook). Bougs! That gorgeously gaudy semi-tropical wonder plant that seems to grace half the walls of the southern regions of our world. Turns out they make great bonsai too. The power of the trunk rivals the brilliance of the flowers on this one. And then there’s that pot (anybody know anything about it?). I found this on Salvatore Liporace’s facebook … Continue reading Boug Bonsai, That Gorgeously Gaudy Wonder Plant

The Art & Science of Watering – Especially in Summer

This drawing is from our Masters’ Series book; Junipers, Growing & Styling Juniper Bonsai (due back in print in November, 2015). This will be the fourth time we’ve featured this post, but it’s summer now so the time is right. The more you know about watering, the better. Without timely, intelligent watering, any plant in a container is at risk. The more you know about watering, the better. BTW: A perfect complement to this post is a post about summer misting (hamisu) by Michael Hagedorn. Photo from Shohin Bonsai by Morten Albek. A good watering wand is a must. … Continue reading The Art & Science of Watering – Especially in Summer

World’s Most Joyful Bonsai Artist

Too cute for a serious bonsai blog? Maybe, but I’m impressed that he appears to be picking off unhealthy needles. Then there’s his strikingly high forehead and overall large cranium. Maybe he knows exactly what he’s doing. The photos in this post are all is lifted from Sandy Fathurachman’s facebook page (link disabled). Thought I’d do a quick recycle for you. This post originally appeared exactly two years ago today. It was titled, World’s Youngest Bonsai Master. I must admit, even though it’s too cute by a factor of ten (see below), I still like it and figured some you … Continue reading World’s Most Joyful Bonsai Artist