Maintenance Before & After Bonsai

This muscular little tree is a good example of a maintenance before and after. The artist (or artists) that wired and trimmed it perform their magic at Bonsái Pavía. You might remember them from just the other day. The tree looks a lot like a Taxus Yesterday we posted a from scratch before and after. Today it’s a maintenance before and after that we found at Bonsái Pavía. This is when a bonsai that has become overgrown is brought back to presentable (this is a little oversimplified, but you get the drift). Every quality bonsai that has been around for a while, has experienced this type maintenance. In many cases dozens of times. Continued … Continue reading Maintenance Before & After Bonsai

Bonsai from Scratch – Before & After

I think this qualifies as ‘from scratch.’No small amounts of skill and imagination were required to get from what you see on the left to what you see on the right. You’ve got the good makings of a trunk and a lot of potential leaders and branches to choose from, but beyond that it’s pretty rough. The artist is Paolo Salemi. Here’s his caption… “Thuja, before and after 5 years. I start working on this tree in the 2012, work in progress…” Time to pick up our recurrent before and after series. Several things struck me about this one… first, it’s a ‘true’ … Continue reading Bonsai from Scratch – Before & After

Culture & Local Bonsai Styles

This venerable, naturally dwarfed Ponderosa pine belongs to American/British bonsai artist and teacher, Colin Lewis. Colin lives on the coast of Maine. Ponderosa pines grow in the inland mountains of the western U.S.; two distinctively different environments This post originally appeared here in June, 2011. It was titled Local Bonsai Styles 2: Growing Conditions, Native Species & Culture. I’ve done a little editing and rewriting If you get a chance, take a look at the comments from the last post (from June, 2011). They provide insight into what started as a simple post with a single idea: the effects of human culture … Continue reading Culture & Local Bonsai Styles

Shopping for Bonsai in Japan

I’ve always had a soft spot for three fingered Shohin bonsai (bonsai that are easily held with three fingers). Particularly ones from Japan, where most of the good ones seem to show up… at least in photos. This one looks like a Shimpaku juniper. It’s from Bonsái Pavía, as are all the photos in this post. Today must be my lucky day. Not only did I discover a new bonsai company (new to us at least), I also discover a never before used theme for Bonsai Bark… shopping for bonsai in Japan. The new company is Bonsái Pavía in Madrid, Spain. They’re the ones doing … Continue reading Shopping for Bonsai in Japan

Botanical Misnomers & an Old Tree from Left Field

You like unconventional? Crazy? How about daring? Notice how the color and design of the pot plays with the wild deadwood and the small touch of moss on the left mirrors the foliage. Just another bonsai from left field by crafty old Nick Lenz, master left fielder, author and preeminent collector-from-the-wild of cedars, larches and other North American gems. This photo is from North American Bonsai (out of print). Still on vacation (we’ll be back and Stone Lantern will be open on the 14th). The photo above originally appeared on Bark in a post titled Eccentric Bonsai #8, Nick’s Crafty Cedar, from … Continue reading Botanical Misnomers & an Old Tree from Left Field

To Deadwood or Not to Deadwood (for My Friend Sal)

There’s deadwood and then there’s deadwood. It’s a safe guess that this crazy tree is a juniper, just like the other two trees shown here (it may also be a safe guess that it’s a tanuki*). There’s no mention of the artist/owner. Ditto for the other two. Every few days we get a comment from someone objecting to all the deadwood you see on bonsai these days. I get it, things get overdone. Including deadwood. But if we’re going to consider bonsai an art, then we might want to leave room for experimentation. And if we do that, there’s always … Continue reading To Deadwood or Not to Deadwood (for My Friend Sal)

The Whole Bonsai Setup – Trees, Tools & Wire

I like this photo. In addition to the rather spectacular tree, there’s the whole setup, with tools and wire that tells us something about the place where this tree was styled and the means by which it was styled. Here’s the caption with this tree… “What 6 years of work, a beautiful environment and a great photographer Jill Moors can do …” I always get a little jolt when I discover a new (for me) bonsai artist. In this case the artist is Yannick Kiggen. Yannick calls his bonsai endeavor YAMA Bonsai Studio. We’ll just scratch the surface here and encourage … Continue reading The Whole Bonsai Setup – Trees, Tools & Wire

Muscular Bonsai – Muscular Tools

Old European olives are often full of character as well as muscle, and this one is no exception. I believe the tree belongs to Luis Vallejo, though I couldn’t find evidence on his website. Taking some time to work outside today, so we’ll resurrect an old favorite from our archives. While we’re at, we’ll give a nod to our powerful Green T Turntables. There’s something compelling about bonsai with powerful trunks. Assuming that I’m not the only one so compelled, below are three more very sturdy bonsai and one very sturdy turntable for your enjoyment. Wire Special Ends Sunday at … Continue reading Muscular Bonsai – Muscular Tools

More North American Bonsai Excellence

Winner of the Creative Award at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. The tree is a Dwarf Japanese garden juniper (Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’) and the artist is Creighton Bostrom. The photo is by Joe Noga, as are all the photos in the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album To continue where we left off yesterday… we just got our new 2017 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album and it’s the best yet. We’ll show two more photos here and leave the rest up to you Time to Stock Up on Bonsai Wire 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) Bonsai Wire now … Continue reading More North American Bonsai Excellence

North American Bonsai Excellence – The 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album Is Here!

Winner of the Finest Bonsai Masterpiece at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga Mertensiana) that belongs to Eric Schikowski. The photo is by Joseph Noga as are all the photos in Exhibition Albums 2-5. Every two years we get a jolt of bonsai excitement when our copies of the latest U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album arrives. This time it’s the 5th Album, and it’s the best yet. This should come as no surprise, bonsai is still relatively new in North America (and much of the world) so steady improvement is to be expected. However, given … Continue reading North American Bonsai Excellence – The 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album Is Here!