One Trunk Dead, the Other Alive & the Importance of Identification

Pine with parallel slanting trunks that start as a single tree and split at the base. One trunk dead, the other alive. It caught my attention because it’s a somewhat unusual slanting tree with the pot and the visual weight of the foliage balancing each other perfectly. This and the other photos shown here were posted by Scott Lee. The caption reads Back in the studio with Peter Tea and Bonsai Kazem #japaneseart Sticking with Scott Lee (see yesterday’s post) we’ve got three photos that he posted on facebook recently. Unfortunately, none are identified. I’m not sure why so many people put … Continue reading One Trunk Dead, the Other Alive & the Importance of Identification

Natural Bonsai Winner

Mark Arpag’s American larch won the All American Bonsai award at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. The rough hewn pot and stand (looks like a piece of wood), along with the wild ground cover, provide the perfect complement to the natural feel of the tree. I cropped Oscar Jonker’s photo for closer look at the tree. The original photo is below Just one tree today in our series on the prize winning bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a American larch (Larix laricina) and its natural untamed look strikes me as the right choice for this species. This might be because … Continue reading Natural Bonsai Winner

Two More Award Winning Bonsai Favorites

I like the undulating parallel living veins on Jeremiah Lee’s ABS award winning Sierra juniper (Juniperus occidentalis). I cropped the original (see below) for a closer look Continuing with the prize winning bonsai from the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, today we’ve got Oscar Jonker’s photos of the winning ABS Award Bonsai and the Finest Tropical Bonsai POTTING SPECIAL ENDS SUNDAY 30% OFF LIST ON OUR HIGH IMPACT PLASTIC BONSAI POTS 30% OFF LIST ON BONSAI SOIL & SOIL INGREDIENTS special ends tomorrow, Sunday Sept 16th at 11:59pm EDT – This one of my favorites. For starters its sheer size is a mind stopper. I don’t know the … Continue reading Two More Award Winning Bonsai Favorites

Winning Shohin & Mame Bonsai

The winner of the Finest Mame Bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Willow leaf ficus (Ficus neriifolia) that belongs to Johnson Teh. No dimensions are given, but some sources list mame as up to 4″ (10cm) tall. Others go a little taller. Oscar Jonker took the photo. I cropped it for a closer look. Oscar’s original is below Continuing with the prize winning bonsai from the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, today we’ve got Oscar Jonker’s photos of the winning Mame bonsai and the winning Shohin display NEW KOYO JAPANESE TOOL SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL KOYO TOOLS – The winner … Continue reading Winning Shohin & Mame Bonsai

Suthin’s Beautiful Beasts & the 6th U.S. National Exhibition

This beautiful beast with it rugged trunk and luminous foliage belongs to Suthin. Here’s his caption… “#04 Shimpaku ‘Itoigawa’ Tree’s height: 39 inches. Interesting PM. me. Pick up at US. National show in Rochester, NY. suthinbonsaistudio.com” Continuing with American bonsai leading up to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (Rochester, NY, September 8th & 9th – it’s not too late to make your plans)… today it’s everybody’s friend Suthin (officially Suthin Sukosolvisit), another long time favorite here on Bark STONE LANTERN’S NEW BONSAI FERTILIZER SPECIAL 25% off list prices for Fertilizers & other care products – Here’s another one you can arrange to pick up at the Exhibition. It’s a … Continue reading Suthin’s Beautiful Beasts & the 6th U.S. National Exhibition

Japanese Maple Bonsai Through Three Seasons

Japanese maple in its fall brilliance. From the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Continuing with Maples at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum we came up with this one from our archives. It’s a single Japanese maple in three stages of it’s annual migration through the seasons. There’s a lot to like about this tree but there’s one question that arises; have you ever seen a bonsai with such a flat top? This is especially pronounced in the fall and summer photos Continued below… BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL ALL BONSAI TOOLS & GARDEN TOOLS 25% OFF LIST PRICES special ends Sunday, August 25th Winter. Maybe this is the … Continue reading Japanese Maple Bonsai Through Three Seasons

Kissing the Rock

That’s a rock sticking out on the left side of this Trident maple. According to Juan Andrade, the maple is kissing the rock (Arce “besando” la roca) Continuing with the bonsai of Juan Andrade… Juan is one of a whole host of young Western apprentices (Costa Rica in Juan’s case) who are studying or have studied in Japan. This post is from our archives (July, 2017) and the photos and quotes shown here are from Juan’s timeline POTTING SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT 25% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL BONSAI SOIL & SOIL INGREDIENTS Special ends Tonight, Sunday, August 19th at 11:59pm … Continue reading Kissing the Rock

Not All Bonsai Need Deadwood

It takes a strong tree to handle a pot like this. This Pistacio (Pistacia chinensis Bunge) has at least two features that qualify: its muscular trunk which works well with the depth of the pot (deep pots with thin trunks just don’t work) and its lushly hued full crown which contrasts with the pot’s brilliance. Today is the first day of a short summer vacation. We’ll try to keep Bark going by employing some favorites from our archives. This one is from January, 2016 (with a couple revisions today) The trees shown here are all Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s creations. Cheng is famous for his Sidiao method (a … Continue reading Not All Bonsai Need Deadwood

Bonsai, Before & After – Evolution & Elevation of a Native Scots Pine

Jan Culek’s caption for this yamadori pine reads… “Evolution of native Czech Sylvestris pine between the years 2013-2017.” In English Pinus sylvertris is commonly called Scots pine. Jan makes no mention of the slab pot or the deadwood stand that supports it Here’s one more post featuring the bonsai of Jan Culek. It’s an unusual before and after of a yamadori Scots pine. The tree itself is distinctive enough and shows off Jan’s skills, but I think it’s the deadwood underneath the tree that that elevates the bonsai and causes the whole presentation to stand out (if you suffer from fear of puns, please accept … Continue reading Bonsai, Before & After – Evolution & Elevation of a Native Scots Pine

A Most Unusual & Provocative Bonsai Extravaganza

I don’t know how big this planting is, though I’m leaning toward pretty big. Impressive too with its sophisticated sense of depth (larger trees in front and smaller toward the back). Not to overlook the very large pot with its flowing lines and no doubt hefty price tag. This photo and the next three below are from Bill Valavanis’ blog Continuing with yesterday’s mixed media bonsai theme, this one is from Robert Steven’s 2014 1st International Bonsai Biennale. At the time we referred to it as the most unusual and provocative bonsai extravaganza ever TWO NEW TOOL SPECIALS Famous Roshi BONSAI Tools 30% … Continue reading A Most Unusual & Provocative Bonsai Extravaganza