More Brilliant Bonsai in Full Fall Colour

The leaves on the table provide a nice touch in this photo of Harry Harrington’s English elm (Ulmus minor) in full fall colour*. From Harry’s bonsai4me website Continuing with fall colour*… Yesterday was shades of red. Today’s pallet is a bit more varied. All the trees and the pot below belong to our friend Harry Harrington. NEW SPECIAL Only 5.00 each for bonsai Today back issues ENJOY DETAILED HOW-TO INSTRUCTIONS BY THE OLD MASTERS our selection of back issues getting low and we are no longer replacing them We’ve shown this Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) before, but anything this brilliant is always … Continue reading More Brilliant Bonsai in Full Fall Colour

Brilliant Japanese Maple Bonsai in Full Fall Color with Correction

Japanese maple in full fall color. You might notice the unusual mounded nebari as well as the outstanding movement in the trunks and branches. Our source doesn’t mention the variety or the owner of this brilliant tree THE CORRECTION IS IN A CAPTION BELOW IN RED TYPE apologies to Bill Valavanis It’s peak fall color here in Vermont, though where we live it doesn’t look like a banner year. Mostly it’s the Sugar maples that are a disappointment. I think our long hot and very dry September caused them to give up and drop their leaves early Continued below… KOYO BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL DEEPLY DISCOUNTED … Continue reading Brilliant Japanese Maple Bonsai in Full Fall Color with Correction

Bonsai of the Day

This dramatically undulating Japanese Maple in its spectacularly vivid full fall foliage splendor (blame it on too much coffee) resides at Showa Memorial Park in Japan. I stumbled upon it and some other mind popping photos on a recent post titled Bonsai of the Day by Oscar at Bonsai Empire. The only connection I can see that ties these photos together is none of them are shot with neutral backgrounds (my usual choice). This and the fact that I like the trees… but that applies to all the photos we post Kilo Bonsai Wire Special 14.95 FOR KILO ROLLS OF WIRE IS TOO GOOD TO … Continue reading Bonsai of the Day

CORRECTION – THIS TREE WAS NOT CARVED BY HUMAN HANDS

Another intricately carved yew. There’s something about yews that just beg to be carved, even though with such hard wood it’s labor intensive. Unless you have nothing but time, power tools are a must. The artist is Andres Alvarez Iglesias. CORRECTION – THIS TREE WAS NOT CARVED BY HUMAN HANDS see our post from October 6th for the full story Here’s Fred Chenal’s Caption that he posted with this tree… “SURPRISE GUEST….. Andres Alvarez Iglesias will be joining us for a special conference on Sunday, October 15th @11:00 am…. “EVOLUTION OF TAXUS BONSAI” …Hasta pronto, a trés bientôt and see you soon!!” As it turns out, October … Continue reading CORRECTION – THIS TREE WAS NOT CARVED BY HUMAN HANDS

Breaking the Bonsai Mold – Japanese Red Pines

For every highly stylized Japanese bonsai, there’s one like this that breaks the mold. It’s a Japanese red pine from Japan’s 80th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition (2006). Sticking with bonsai from famous Japanese exhibitions, it’s back to Kokufu. Though this time it’s Japanese red pines (Pinus densiflora), instead of the more common Japanese black and white pines. And once again, we found the photos on Michael Bonsai. NEW BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL DEEPLY DISCOUNTED koyo JAPANESE TOOLS 25% TO 40% BELOW LIST PRICES CHOSE FROM OVER 50 DIFFERENT HIGH QUALITY KOYO TOOLS Closer up for a better look at the bark … Continue reading Breaking the Bonsai Mold – Japanese Red Pines

Bonsai Impressions – Texture, Movement & Color

It’s hard not to notice what just how powerful this tree is. Even with the apex slightly nipped and most of the pot missing. It’s a Japanese white pine from the 34th Taikan-ten Bonsai Exhibition. Our last few posts have featured bonsai from Kokufu-ten. Today it’s photos from Taikan-ten via Michael Bonsai on facebook. Taikan-ten takes place once a year in Kyoto and is considered by most people to be the second most important bonsai exhibition in Japan if not in the world (Kokufu is the king of bonsai exhibitions). You might notice that none of the photos shown here are conventional front shots that simply show the … Continue reading Bonsai Impressions – Texture, Movement & Color

American Bonsai at Kokufu?

NOTE: I DON’T KNOW WHY THE TOP HALF OF THIS POST APPEARS IN THESE IRRITATING CAPS. IT DOESN’T SHOW THAT WAY ON MY ORIGINAL… This Japanese hemlock belongs to Doug Paul, an American who lives in Pennsylvania and who happens to be the owner of the famous Kennett Collection. The following is quoted from a post by Bill Valavanis… this “Japanese hemlock, Tsuga diversifolia, bonsai was recently accepted to display in this year’s Kokufu Bonsai ten Exhibition. The attached photo shows how it is displayed at Kokufu Bonsai Exhibiton in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno Park.” I found Bill’s quote … Continue reading American Bonsai at Kokufu?

Long Live the Bonsai King

Full cascade Japanese black pine (Pinus thumbergii). Japanese for Black pine is Kuromatsu (kuro is black and matsu is pine). Yesterday we resurrected trees from the famous Kokufu Exhibition and the response has been very positive, so why not keep digging in the same vein? Japanese black pines are sometimes referred to a the king of bonsai. This may be in part due to their natural strength; they tend to have powerful trunks and thick lush foliage. Rugged bark doesn’t hurt either. King or not, the best of the black pines are undeniably among the most impressive bonsai in the world. All the … Continue reading Long Live the Bonsai King

Bonsai Yesterday, BONSAI TODAY, Bonsai Tomorrow

Though any Kokufu bonsai might work to lead with, there’s something about Quince flowers… Here’s Bill Valavanis’ caption: A small size Toyo Nishiki Japanese flowering quince, Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Toyo Nishiki’ with multiple colored flowers. Although red, pink and white blossoms are common for this great cultivar, I’ve often seen red branches grafted onto specimens to improve color distribution. Getting a late start today, so I’ve decided to take the easy way out and show you some photos that we originally featured in February 2015. They are all from the 2015 Kokufu Bonsai Exhibiton and were lifted directly from Bill Valanis’ … Continue reading Bonsai Yesterday, BONSAI TODAY, Bonsai Tomorrow

Bonsai that Don’t Bust Your Bank Account & an Important Natural Phenomenon You Might Not Be Aware of

We’ve featured this tree before, but because I don’t think you’ll see many bonsai quite like it, it’s worth another look. Two photos just below show the natural phenomenon behind this type carving. The tree is a yew. The artist is Harry Harrington. All the photos in this post are courtesy of Harry Harrington, an artist who specializes in what you might call found bonsai (bonsai from the wild or from hedgerows and gardens or wherever else the original stock might come from that doesn’t bust your bank account). Harry is also the author of The Foundations of Bonsai, a book that explores the … Continue reading Bonsai that Don’t Bust Your Bank Account & an Important Natural Phenomenon You Might Not Be Aware of