Old News on the Pacific Rim

This stately Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) is from Weyerhaeuser’s Pacific Rim Bonsai collection. The photo is from a gallery of Pacific Rim bonsai from Kahlua Bonsai on facebook. I was going to use this photo to start a post on Formal upright bonsai when, in the course of a little research, I stumbled upon an important piece of old news about the Pacific Rim Collection. Better late…. Way back in April 2009 we featured a post titled Pacific Rim; a Glimpse of What You Can’t See. The Pacific Rim refers to Weyerhaeuser’s rather famous bonsai collection in Washington (near … Continue reading Old News on the Pacific Rim

A Bonsai Snapshot in Time

One of the famous old ’Chabo-hiba’Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa, Chabo-hiba) at Boston’s Arnold Arboretum. This one was dates back to 1787 and it looks like it’s still in the original pot. Snapshot in time The Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection (the first bonsai collection in North America that is still living), resides in Boston at Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum. Aside from the fact that it’s very old and the trees (some of them, at least) are still alive, this collection represents something quite unique; a living snapshot of Japanese bonsai from 100 years ago. Well almost; nothing living is static and the … Continue reading A Bonsai Snapshot in Time

Hinokis, Spruces & Mountain Tops

I found this Hinoki forest on the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society website (from their 2009 Annual Show). I think it’s unusual and quite compelling in its naturalness. I’ve come across spruce groves while hiking in Vermont and New Hampshire that look something like this. You find them near the mountain tops, where the harsh climate causes the trees to dwarf and huddle together. These little forests of dwarf trees with their lush moss carpets and time worn rocks, can evoke a peaceful almost other worldly feeling when you stumble across them.

America’s Oldest Bonsai Collection

Two trees from one at The Larz Anderson Collection. I borrowed this image (and the others in this post) from Colin Lewis’ Bonsai Art website in the Larz Anderson section. Here’s what Colin (The Curator of the Collection) has to say about this photo: Known as “Mother and daughter,” these two trees were originally one, until a lower branch, with its own set of roots, became separated from the main trunk in 1969. In Colin’s own words “The Larz Anderson Collection at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in Boston is the oldest collection of bonsai in the United States. … Continue reading America’s Oldest Bonsai Collection