Flowering Bonsai, Fleeting Bliss

Satsuki azalea displaying a perfect blend of white with a touch of pink and soft green. The flowers dominate right now, but it’s no accident that the color of the pot enhances the not-so-shabby, deeply grooved trunk and nebari. An earlier shot of the same tree appears below. Trying to buy a little time off (but still working), so rather than dream up a new post, we’ll dip back into our archives. This one originally appeared in May, 2011, with a little value added today. The first three photos in this post are part of a photo album by Andres … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai, Fleeting Bliss

Flowering Bonsai & some other Good News

This is the first and only Fuchsia bonsai we’ve shown. Until now, that is (see below). It’s from a post we did two years ago. We originally found it at Aus Bonsai. Tropical and semi-tropical flowering plants are common and abundant, though not all are suitable for bonsai. This has a lot to do with leaf size, as many have leaves that are too large for bonsai (you can reduce leaf size to some degree, but in most cases it’s best to start out with plants that have small leaves and short internodes). Two good warm climate flowering plants that … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai & some other Good News

Colorful Shots to Brighten up Your Mid-Winter

This photo was taken to emphasis the flowers, rather than the tree. If you were to take a photo of this tree when it’s not in flower, you’d take it a from a point a little lower to better show the powerful trunk and nebari. Sometimes photos just seem to appear on my desktop without any reference. This is the case here, so my apologies for failure to attribute this multi-hued Satsuki azalea to its rightful owner (best guess; Japanese owner). Today, it’s just a few colorful shots to brighten up your mid-winter experience. Got a strange old pot … Continue reading Colorful Shots to Brighten up Your Mid-Winter

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

Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s Colorful Side

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 lush, full, colorful crown (subtle, but still colorful) which contrasts with, and is not overpowered by, the pot’s brilliance. The trees shown here are all Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s creations. Cheng is famous for his Sidiao method (a technique for creating and enhancing deadwood – more on this tomorrow), but today, in keeping with yesterday’s theme, we’ll show his more colorful side. We’ve featured Cheng, … Continue reading Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s Colorful Side

Brilliant Bonsai & Bougainvillea Bracts

This cheerfully bright Bougainvillea illustrates the principle that, when it comes to flowering bonsai, the tree should be designed and displayed in a way that, first and foremost, shows off the flowers (bracts in this case – see below). Success! For reasons that are easy to understand, we like to show flowering bonsai during these darkest days. The photo shown here is from Bonsaimania; Bonsái del álbum de Virgie Bambilla. We originally featured it in August, 2010. Cropped for a closer look. Did you know that Bougainvillea flowers are really colorful leaves (bracts)? Our 20% to 30% off Site … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai & Bougainvillea Bracts

Happy Bonsai Holidays – Merry Bonsai Christmas

Though it’s usually considered bad form to lop off part of the pot, in this case it’s all about the color (and the wildly expressive trunk). The variety is listed as Issho-no-haru. This and the rest of the photos in this post are from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! No matter what you celebrate (or don’t celebrate), may you and your loved ones enjoy the Season and have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. The photos here are from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. In particular, a part of their collection of Satsuki azalea bonsai … Continue reading Happy Bonsai Holidays – Merry Bonsai Christmas

Flowering Bonsai Brighten the Darkest Days

A peach. We’ll call this ‘flowering peach perched on a rock with small pond.’ According to our source (see below), it’s a Prunus persica (Peach tree). No cultivar is given, but it looks to me like it may be a variety that was developed for flowers rather than fruit. Even without the flowers it would be a sweet planting with lots of character. With the flowers… well, you can see for yourself. This one is short and sweet. Just two colorful trees to brighten the darkest days of the year. I found both of these trees here. Looks like just … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai Brighten the Darkest Days

Caught in the Act

Caught in the act of flowering. This ubiquitous little Hawthorn belongs to Morten Albek, shohin bonsai artist, author and teacher. The display appeared during a visit to Denmark by Tomohiro Masumi. Still out of the office. This one originally appeared in 2011. It was titled ‘Small Is Beautiful.’ Tomohiro Masumi, Morten Albek & Shohin bonsai Rather than bore you with my take on things, I’ll just post a few photos I think you might appreciate. If you want more (photos and information), you can visit Morten’s facebook post on Tomohiro Masumi’s visit to Denmark, or you can go directly to … Continue reading Caught in the Act

Bonsai Flower Dreams

If you can get past the flowers, you might pull your eyes down to the trunk. While you’re down there, you might also notice the pot. The photo is from an exhibit called “Japanese Flower Dreams – 1st Azalea Festival” in Schwetzingen, Germany. I found the photo on bonsaipots.net. The caption reads: “A lovely example by Udo Fischer Bonsai Design.” Lots of azaleas lately. Response is good and who’s to argue with all the brilliant colors? You can see the photos shown here and others on bonsaipots.net. It’s not always about the flowers. Some azaleas are powerful enough to hold … Continue reading Bonsai Flower Dreams