Garden of Tropical Bonsai Delights

Three major components come together in this colorful root-over-rock bonsai. A flowering tree (Malpighia pendiculata), a pot that some of us would die for (hand painted Chinese?) and an extraordinarily craggy rock. This bonsai and the others in this post are by Gede Merta. This isn’t the first time that we’ve featured Gede Merta’s bonsai. Nor will it be the last. If you don’t know Gede Merta, then welcome to his garden of tropical bonsai delights. If you already know Gede Merta, then welcome once again… Do you see it? The Valentine heart? Normally we wouldn’t point that out, … Continue reading Garden of Tropical Bonsai Delights

Bonsai from the Wild

This famous American larch by Nick Lenz gives you a pretty good idea of why larches are valued for their yellow-golden fall foliage. The photo is from Nick’s book, Bonsai from the Wild, as are all the photos in this post. One more day on the road and one more post lifted from our archives (2009 in this case), though with serious editing and the addition of one photo and more text. Here in northern Vermont the common name for the American larch is Tamarack, though it has several other names along its entire coast to coast North American range, … Continue reading Bonsai from the Wild

Weeping Bonsai & Wire Sale Ends Tonight

A little pressed for time today, so we’ll just show you this remarkable tree that we found here (plus remind you that our wire sale ends tonight). The tree is a Abeliophllum Distichum (White Forsythia or Korean Abelia). 25% off Kilo Wire Sale ends tonight at 11:59pm EST 25% off plus FREE Shipping (U.S. orders 49.00 or more) is a very good deal

Tropical Bonsai Monster & the Crespi Bonsai Museum

Tropical monster. From the Crespi Museum of Bonsai in Parabiago, Milan. The photo is from World Bonsai Friendship Federation delegation’s visit to Europe in April 2010. Before you ask if we’ve dug out yet, we haven’t. There’s not one flake to dig out from. The entire storm was way south of us. If anything, we’d like to see a little more snow. For me, it’s about a deep warm blanket for landscape plant protection. For our friends who make their living off winter sports, it’s about paying the bills. The more or less random selection of photos you see here … Continue reading Tropical Bonsai Monster & the Crespi Bonsai Museum

The King of Bonsai

Full cascade Japanese black pine (Pinus thumbergii). Japanese for Black pine is Kuromatsu (kuro is black and matsu is pine). Even though we posted this just four months ago, the title stuck me as appropriate for this national holiday (for some of us at least). 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 powerful bonsai in the … Continue reading The King of Bonsai

Bonsai Is Both the Tree & the Pot (and we know that)

It’s not often you see bark like this. Its uniquely patterned texture and color adds considerable character and age to this old live oak. And then there’s the pot; the way it complements the tree (an how small it is relative to the tree). No mention of who made it, but whoever did deserves some love. The photo is from the ‘My Trees’ section of Mauro Stemberger’s website. The following is in response to a comment on Facebook… We would never chop off part of the pot in a bonsai photo unless that’s the way we found it, or we’re … Continue reading Bonsai Is Both the Tree & the Pot (and we know that)

Living Landscapes in Miniature

This planting from Toshio Kawamoto’s Saikei classic is quite similar to the planting on the cover (below): same trees (cryptomeria), same (or nearly the same) pot and somewhat similar rocky ravine separating two tree and moss covered areas. The main difference is that this one shows a deep ravine. The rocks that define it represent tall vertical cliffs. It has been about a year since we feature Toshio Kawamoto’s plantings from his long out-of-print classic Saikei, Living Landscapes in Miniature. Given just how popular these posts have been, I think it’s time for another go. A long time ago (January, … Continue reading Living Landscapes in Miniature

Hedge Bonsai #2 and Some Loose Ends

The other day we featured a bonsai hedge by Joe Selworthy (Dan Barton’s talented twin) and now here’s another one with this caption: “Picture of my first Cotoneaster hedge with Deshojo maple which I sold several years ago.” Though you can’t tell from here, there’s some impressive detail on and around the little fence under the maple (see below). Recognize this tree? It’s a Cheng, Cheng-Kung Shimpaku juniper that we featured last week. Here’s part of our caption: …there’s something very unusual going on here. Not that I expect you to read my mind, but still, the first person … Continue reading Hedge Bonsai #2 and Some Loose Ends

2016 Bonsai & Japanese Garden Calendars Are Here

Our 2016 Calendars are here.* A little later than we hoped, but there’s still time to have yours before the new year. Because our 2016 Calendars are late, we are immediately discounting them (we usually wait until after the new year) so we can get them into your hands before the new year begins. This means the price is right for you to enjoy beautiful bonsai and Japanese gardens every time you check the date. *We don’t have good 2016 photos yet, so all the photos shown here are from last year. But don’t worry, our 2016 Calendars are equally … Continue reading 2016 Bonsai & Japanese Garden Calendars Are Here

Brad Pitt, Bonsai Artist?

Brad Bjorn posing with an impressive (Stewartia?) bonsai. From an article in Architectural Digest titled “Meet the Brad Pitt of Bonsai.” We don’t usually feature photos of people. I almost always find people in bonsai photos distracting. Rather than ‘look at me with my beautiful bonsai,’ I prefer ‘look at this beautiful bonsai.’ However, occasionally photos of people with trees work. In this case, because the article is about Bjorn Bjorholm, “the tall, blond, all-American,” a couple photos of Bjorn with bonsai are appropriate and necessary. Otherwise how would you know? The article in question, ‘Meet the Brad Pitt of … Continue reading Brad Pitt, Bonsai Artist?