A Scent of Spring

I like it when azaleas show some leaves when they bloom. Sometimes you see them completely covered with flowers, which can seem a little unnatural. This magnificent Nyohozan Satsuki Azalea belongs to Melvyn Goldstein. Its height is only 10 inches (25cm). It, along with nearly two hundred of North America’s other greatest bonsai, can be found in the 2nd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album (out of print – Albums 3 & 4 are still available). We’re not out of the winter woods yet here in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, but there is a slight scent of spring in the breeze. Still, … Continue reading A Scent of Spring

Bonsai Wire Sale Ends Tomorrow Night

Don’t let yourself run out of Bonsai Wire It’s a great feeling to have exactly the right wire at hand when you need it 25% off Bonsai Wire Our Bonsai Wire is now 25% off of our already low prices Sale ends tomorrow (Monday, March 7th) at 11:59pm EST Plus FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 49.00 or more you must select FREE Shipping when you check out Chose from a whole range of roll sizes, diameters and types of Bonsai Wire – All now 25% off 25% off Okatsune Garden & Bonsai Tools Meanwhile, our Okatsune Bonsai & Garden Tool … Continue reading Bonsai Wire Sale Ends Tomorrow Night

Freedom, Artistry & Boundless Enthusiasm

Sometimes the toughest choice I make all day is deciding which tree to show first. All seven bonsai shown here exhibit the sense of freedom and artistry that caught my attention and helped make that other tough decision; what or who to blog about. Finally, this wildly uninhibited juniper (the one I saw first) won out. It and the rest of the trees shown here belong to Isao Omachi. Whether you like Isao Omachi’s bonsai or not (though it’s hard for me to understand why anyone wouldn’t), you have to admire his boundless enthusiasm and playfulness, which even if you … Continue reading Freedom, Artistry & Boundless Enthusiasm

Old Bonsai & Ancient Trees

This magnificent Juniper bonsai is said to be 800 years old, which makes it a very old bonsai. But not the oldest bonsai we know of and nowhere near the oldest living tree in the world. It resides at Kunio Kobayashi’s Shunka-en Bonsai Museum in Tokyo. I borrowed the photo from Bonsai Empire. Old Tjikko. This lonely Norway spruce (Picea abies) is said to be 9,500 years old. But the trunk you see in this photo is only a few hundred years old. The tree above is called Old Tjikko. It originally gained fame as the world’s oldest tree, but … Continue reading Old Bonsai & Ancient Trees

Types & Uses of Bonsai Wire & Why Blogging About Bonsai Is a Total Disaster

Like most bonsai, this one has been wired. In fact, there’s visible wire on it right now. It’s a Shimpaku that’s from a chapter in our Masters’ Series Juniper book, titled Keiko Tamaki’s Deft Touch. Because this post is an attempt to dig into a bonsai topic in some depth (and because it might be viewed as an extended advertisement for our bonsai wire), I’d like borrow a disclaimer (slightly paraphrased) from our friend Michael Hagedorn: “There are plenty of exceptions to everything I’m about to say, which naturally makes blogging about bonsai a total disaster.” Most bonsai are wired … Continue reading Types & Uses of Bonsai Wire & Why Blogging About Bonsai Is a Total Disaster

No Hidden Flaws or Ugly Spots

Cheng, Cheng Kung starts with this view, so we’ll call it the front (south). It has been a while since we featured a 360 degree Bonsai. The Juniper bonsai shown here is from Cheng, Cheng Kung’s Si-Daio website . If you visit Cheng’s Si-Daio you can watch the tree spin a full 360° circle. This 360° bonsai brings to mind an old discussion whether a quality bonsai should be attractive when viewed from any angle. No hidden flaws or ugly spots, no matter where you stand in relation to the tree. I’ve taken screen shots from 8 different points of … Continue reading No Hidden Flaws or Ugly Spots

Just for Fun

This Shimpaku juniper with its host of other plants (on an almost completely covered rock) is by Suthin. As are the other two Shimpaku shown here (as well as dozens of other brilliant bonsai by Suthin that we’ve featured here on Bark over the last seven years). If you follow Suthin Sukosolvisit, there are three things it would be hard not to notice. He is remarkably talented. He is also remarkably prolific. And best of all, he likes to have fun. For now, we’ll focus on the fun. In particular, Suthin’s occasional Just for fun posts on facebook. All three … Continue reading Just for Fun

Natural Transformation: A Tree’s Life Story

After. Robert Steven’s simulation of an Olive that was submitted by Gary Howes. There’s a lot to like about this simulation, including just how natural and untamed it looks (even the pot has an untamed quality). This wild, untamed quality tells a story of a something that has managed to stay alive and even thrive under some of the harshest conditions that Nature can dish out. This is our third consecutive post featuring Robert Steven. If you haven’t seen his bonsai or his critiques of other people’s bonsai, take a look. His critiques are full of useful insights and his … Continue reading Natural Transformation: A Tree’s Life Story

Smaller Pot, Stronger Tree

Robert Steven’s digitally enhanced version of a Trident maple by Carl Morrow (the photo Carl submitted is below). This is one of our earlier (September, 2010) Robert Steven critiques. And one of my favorites. The tree is great and Robert’s lesson is simple. Reign in the spread of the crown and the pot, and suddenly the already powerful trunk and nebari jump out. Not that they didn’t already claim some demand on your attention, but with the distracting horizon horizontal energy reduced, that demand is more clearly focused and exactly where it should be. There’s more, but we’ll let Robert … Continue reading Smaller Pot, Stronger Tree

Towering Tamarack Bonsai

This towering Tamarack is too tall for the photo, so the top and a tiny piece of the bottom of the pot are missing (you can see almost all of it below). It belongs to Suthin Sukosolvisit. Tamarack is a local name for the American larch (Larix laricina). Suthin identifies it only as ‘larch,’ a genus of trees that numbers about twelve species; so Tamarack is a guess based on geography. Suthin Sukosolvisit is selling part of his personal bonsai collection (see the Tsukomo cypress below). This is a great opportunity to own a masterpiece bonsai by one of our … Continue reading Towering Tamarack Bonsai