Bonsai Book & Wire Sales End Monday Night

Cover tree from Fine Bonsai (see below) 25% off Bonsai Book Sale ends tomorrow night (Monday) at 11:59pm EDT Bonsai Wire Sales also end Monday night 30% off 500 gram rolls of Bonsai Wire 30% off 1 lb rolls of Copper Bonsai Wire 30% off Yoshiaki Japanese Bonsai Wire Plus an Extra 5% off orders 100.00+ FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 50.00 plus The cover The tree is a Sargent juniper (aka Shimpaku) The artist is Seiji Morimae The pot is by Adachi Choka list price for the book is 150.00 only 107.00 with current sales plus FREE Shipping in … Continue reading Bonsai Book & Wire Sales End Monday Night

Buttonwoods, Books & Bonsai Wire

This powerfully compact Buttonwood belongs to Nacho Marin, as do all four Buttonwood bonsai shown here. Continuing with yesterday’s Buttonwood theme, while we pack for our journey back to the real world… all four trees shown belong to Nacho Marin and were featured on Bark in February, 2015. With Buttonwoods it’s nature that does the real work. Humans find them, dig them, pot them and eliminate branches and other parts that distract from the natural beauty of the tree. But nature does the twisting, turning and scouring by sand and wind that results in such unusual shapes and magnificent deadwood. … Continue reading Buttonwoods, Books & Bonsai Wire

Mystical Dragon and other American Tropical Jewels

Rugged dynamic deadwood. It’s a Buttonwood by Robert Kempinski from his Mahogany Row Studio. Today is our last full day of an all too short Florida Keys’ vacation. Tomorrow it’s back to the freezing North. Before we pull on our long pants and head out, this seems like a good time to take a look at some Florida Buttonwoods, our American tropical jewel. The photos shown here and some of the text appeared almost exactly one year ago today. One of many Bark posts that feature Buttonwoods. This one belongs to Mary Madison. John Naka called her the Buttonwood Queen. … Continue reading Mystical Dragon and other American Tropical Jewels

Scary Bonsai

Halloween? At first glance you might just see the tree and the cobwebs and miss the hands. This photo and the one just below are from Robert Steven’s 2014 International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennale. This special Halloween post first appeared one year ago today. There’s something about those ‘severed’ arms that’s just a little ominous. Is this where the recent ‘Black Scissors’ rage started? NEW Bonsai Wire Sale 20% off 500 gram rolls of Bonsai Aesthetics Wire plus an extra 10% off orders 100.00+ and FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 50.00+ I think this contorted little gem makes for … Continue reading Scary Bonsai

Another Great Bonsai Winner

American Bonsai Society Award winner. Another Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea Pungens). This one belongs to Todd Schlafer. Though it has several noteworthy features, one that might catch your eye is the piece of ‘trunk’ lying across the surface of the soil. I wonder if it was the original trunk that fell over and rooted long ago and that what is now the trunk started its life as a branch. This is of course speculation. What isn’t speculation is the tree’s age, as expressed by the bark and it’s rugged natural beauty. Continuing our journey through the winners of the 5th … Continue reading Another Great Bonsai Winner

The Best Bonsai Tell Stories

The smaller trunk was blown over in storm and saved when it landed on a tiny rock island. Fortunately, just enough of the roots are intact and a surviving branch has grown up to become the new crown. One of several stories told by this remarkable planting. The artist is Nacho Marin, a frequent presence here on Bark. The best bonsai tell stories. Usually it’s about hostile environments and hardships, though you could have a robust and stately tree that speaks of a more gentle climate and easy living. In the case of the tree above, you can see tough … Continue reading The Best Bonsai Tell Stories

Freshly Trimmed Tiny Trees

At a glance, this is a sweet little freshly trimmed Shimpaku bonsai. But if you let your glance linger, you might see just how much age and character this tiny tree expresses. There’s that relatively massive little trunk and its rugged twists and scars. There’s also the impressive branch development for such a small tree. Altogether a masterful little bonsai. The photo and tree belong to Haruyosi, as do the other photos shown here. We’ve been featuring small bonsai lately and yesterday it was a few of Haruyosi’s particularly charming small bonsai. So, for the sake of continuity we’ll just … Continue reading Freshly Trimmed Tiny Trees

Hand Held Bonsai

No variety is given with any of the photos featured here and we won’t bother to guess. What we do know is that they all show bonsai held in one hand that were posted by Javi Campos Juan. I’ve always liked photos of hand held bonsai. Party because the hand immediately provides a way to determine the size of a tree. Or at least a very close approximation. And then there’s the personal touch. An introduction of the hand of the artist (presumably) into the picture, without the more intrusive photos of the artist posing with the bonsai. In addition … Continue reading Hand Held Bonsai

Masters Series Pine Bonsai Book Is Back

One of dozens of world class trees featured in our Bonsai Today Masters Series Pine book. It’s back! To reward those of you who have been waiting so patiently, we’re going to offer it at a discount…. only 26.95 (list is 34.95). Order yours while the price is right. If you need some encouragement take a look below… Candle pinching. An essential needle reduction and energy balancing technique for almost any type of pine. Elegance. Bunjin Japanese white pine. If you’d like to grow some black pines from seed, here’s a few steps from the only source you’ll ever need. … Continue reading Masters Series Pine Bonsai Book Is Back

Wiring Your Bonsai – Copper or Aluminum?

Like most bonsai, this one has been wired (if you take a close look you’ll see some wire). It’s a collected California juniper by Warren Hill, from the gallery section of our Masters Series Juniper Book (now 25% off our already discounted prices). It’s time to reach back into our archives once again (from May, 2013 with some changes). Most bonsai are wired. In fact, bonsai that have been around for a long time may have been wired repeatedly. There are reasons for this, not the least of which is, it is often difficult to get decent results without wire. … Continue reading Wiring Your Bonsai – Copper or Aluminum?