Still the Best Bonsai Read

I borrowed this potless Rocky Mountain juniper from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai Portfolio. Here’s part of what Michael wrote about this old yamadori… “This juniper has been growing in my backyard for a year. It’s a client tree, another of the great native yamadori that was collected by Randy Knight of Oregon Bonsai.” You can visit Crataegus for the whole story Continuing with the Michael Hagedorn’s bonsai and his now famous book… The photo and caption above are new. Most of the rest of this post is from April, 2009 when Bonsai Bark was in its infancy (our first post … Continue reading Still the Best Bonsai Read

More Before & After Bonsai Mania

Juniper before and after, by Michael Hagedorn, Crataegus Bonsai. Michael says it’s a Juniper procumbens, but it looks a lot like a J. procumbens ‘nana’ to me (that’s the dwarf cultivar), especially in the before below. Continuing with our Before and After mania. This one is from our archives (way back in July, 2010) with some value added today. I have long been a big fan of Michael Hagedorn’s bonsai and his approach to bonsai (here are some of our previous posts on Michael and his bonsai that you might like). Continued below… KILO WIRE ONLY 15.95 this exceptional special ends tomorrow Only 14.35 … Continue reading More Before & After Bonsai Mania

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

Winter Bonsai Silhouettes – Coming Sooner than You Think

In addition to the massive nebari and the lush soft green foliage contrasted with the soft creme pot, you might appreciate the near perfect photograph. It was taken by the omnipresent Joe Noga (all the photos in this post are his as are numerous other bonsai photos featured on this blog and elsewhere). As you can see, the tree is a Willow leaf ficus. No mention is made of the artist. The photo is from the 2016 Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo gallery. I can’t say with certainty that this year’s Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo will be the best yet, but there’s a good … Continue reading Winter Bonsai Silhouettes – Coming Sooner than You Think

A Little Bonsai Love on Hot Summer Days

I borrowed this distinctive two-headed Shimpaku from Micheal Hagedorn’s Portfolio on Crataegus Bonsai. Specifically from the section titled Bonsai Work in Japan (see Post Dated below) The text below is from a 2010 post we borrowed from Michael Hagedorn on summer misting. In addition being a highly accomplished bonsai artist, Michael is a great teacher, with a wealth of bonsai knowledge almost unrivaled in the West. If you’d like to learn more than you ever imagined about bonsai, you’d be well served to visit Michael’s Crataegus Bonsai. Continued below… NEW BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL 30% to 50% off Yoshiaki Hand Tools … Continue reading A Little Bonsai Love on Hot Summer Days

Blooming Bonsai Beauties & a Quick Tip on Ramification

I found this luscious beauty on Micheal Hagedorn’s Crateagus Bonsai. It’s a Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis).* Here’s Michael’s caption… “This tree has been a prolific bloomer for the past five years. When the blooms are done, leaves form at the base of the bloom spike, so we cut them back to those leaves, leaving a short spike. That becomes our ramification in a wisteria bonsai.” Just back from vacation and swamped, so we’ll make this one short and sweet. Thanks once again to our friend and teacher, Michael Hagedorn, a source of brilliant bonsai insights (and brilliant bonsai!) ROSHI TOOL … Continue reading Blooming Bonsai Beauties & a Quick Tip on Ramification

Why Every Bonsai Lover Needs to Make a Trip to the Northwest

This lovely bonsai lives at the Pacific Bonsai Museum near Seattle. We borrowed the photo from their website. I cropped some text and other images out of the original image (below). I love the Pacific Bonsai Museum. Not only do I love the idea of a museum devoted 100% to the art of bonsai, but I also love this particular 100% bonsai museum. The setting is beautiful, the trees are among the best and the devoted and knowledgeable staff host a series of exciting events. Continued below… Wire Sale Ends Sunday Night 25% off our entire selection Bonsai Wire we … Continue reading Why Every Bonsai Lover Needs to Make a Trip to the Northwest

Cliff Bonsai – Before & After

As always, we’ll start with after photo. The tree is a Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) The artist is Michael Hagedorn. The before photo is below. I lifted today’s post straight from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai. Michael posted fourteen step-by-step photos on this dramatic ‘cliff dweller’. We’ll just show you three of these. I encourage you to visit Crataegus – one of our favorite bonsai destinations – to enjoy the whole sequence. Here’s part of what Michael has to say about the creation of this remarkable planting… “We often think of cliff or rock faces being the place where cascade bonsai get … Continue reading Cliff Bonsai – Before & After