A Perfect Example of What Great Ramification Looks Like & a Series of Excellent How-to Illustrations

You have your own eyes so there’s no need for me to say much. Except that this photo appeared here on Bark last spring in a post titled The One Percent (.001 percent would be more accurate). It’s a Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) that received the coveted Kokufu prize at the 88th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition (the oldest and most prestigious bonsai exhibition in the world). Aside from its overall magnificence, this tree provides a perfect example of what great ramification looks like (made even more obvious by the bright rusty-red leaf buds). The photo is from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation. … Continue reading A Perfect Example of What Great Ramification Looks Like & a Series of Excellent How-to Illustrations

Relaxed & Alert

Lots of rugged character and great ramification. I can’t read Korean, but I’ll guess it’s a Japanese beech. It has been a while since we’ve featured bonsai from Korea. When I look at these trees, I see Chinese and Japanese influence. Though my guess is the Koreans wouldn’t necessarily see that way. All the trees in this post are from Bonsai Korea. More elegant, yet still a little rough. Looks like another beech. This one has a relaxed look below and an alert look above. Nice mineral encrusted pot too. Is it a Hornbeam? The heavy funky … Continue reading Relaxed & Alert

The One Percent

You have your own eyes so there’s no need for me to say much. Except to point out a couple little things, like the bright new rusty red buds and the daring glaze on the perfectly shaped pot that picks us the trunk color and contrasts with the buds. Another thing that distinguishes this bonsai is the amazingly fine ramification (fine branching). And then there’s the perfect mossing job. Photo is from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation. The one percent. I probably look at between fifty and hundred bonsai a day. Online. Some are pretty good and a few are … Continue reading The One Percent

Still the Best

When I first saw this tree I thought it might be a Yew. But, the bark isn’t right, and even the foliage, though close, isn’t quite right either. Fortunately, Peter Tea solved the problem in his 2011 Taikan-ten Exhibition post. Peter’s caption reads: “This Yew Hemlock caught many peoples attention. It made sense that it took the prize for medium conifer. We don’t have any Yews here at Aichien because they don’t do well in the hot weather that we have in Nagoya.” As for the species, it turns out that there are two Hemlocks that are native to Japan … Continue reading Still the Best

Uh oh!

Avant-garde bonsai. This wonderfully fluid tree with its distinctive flying pot is from Bonsai Do. The caption says with Tony Tickle (I visited Tony’s blog and couldn’t find it, though I’m sure someone with a little more patience can pinpoint it). There’s also this quote by Thomas Browne (it’s in Spanish on Bonsai Do, but here’s the original English): Art is the perfection of nature. Nature hath made one world, and art another. Uh oh! A moments confusion. Fingers moving too fast, awareness disengaged, and suddenly it’s gone. I just deleted our January 29th post! It was titled A Famous … Continue reading Uh oh!

Arts of the Earth

Beech with vase. The tree is a Japanese beech ‘Fuji’ by Kazuhiro Ohashi. For more information, including the name of the artist who made the vase, you can visit the Weyerhaeuser’s Pacific Rim Arts of the Earth Exhibit Traditions and Transitions: Arts of the Earth Exhibit Digging way back to the early days of this century (2006), we turned up this unique exhibit from Weyerhaeuser’s Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection. Aside from saying that I very much enjoyed the photos and the concept, we’ll leave the rest to David De Groot, the curator of the collection. In Curator David De Groot’s … Continue reading Arts of the Earth

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

What About Deciduous Bonsai?

You can find this magnificent elm and other seriously stupendous deciduous bonsai at Andy Rutledge’s The Bonsai Journal in an article by Andy with photos by Boon Manakitivipart. In a bonsai world dominated by conifers and tropicals… …it’s a good idea to remember the wonder of deciduous bonsai. Okay, this may be an overstatement, but still, how many top notch elm bonsai do you see on the internet? Warehouse vacation Our warehouse is on vacation until July 12th (it needs a break, not to mention a new paint job). Orders placed before then will be shipped on, or soon after, … Continue reading What About Deciduous Bonsai?

Local Bonsai Styles 2: Growing Conditions, Native Species & Culture

This venerable, naturally dwarfed Ponderosa 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. Climate, native species and culture If you get a chance, take a look at the comments from the last post. They expand and provide insight into what started as a simple post with a single idea: the effects of culture (human rather than biological culture) on local bonsai styles. The first three comments deal mostly with nature (climate and other growing conditions, and native … Continue reading Local Bonsai Styles 2: Growing Conditions, Native Species & Culture

Beech Forests: in a Pot or on a Slab

This somewhat faded image of a somewhat amazing Japanese beech forest is from Bonsai Today issue number 4 (long out of print). The popularity of beech forests In Japan, Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) have long been a favorite for forest plantings. Their smooth almost white bark, fairly small leaves, fine branching and easy-to-work-with toughness, makes them a natural for bonsai. Here in the you not be able to find any Japanese beech, but don’t despair, most of the principles can be applied to other deciduous trees. This not-so-faded slab planting is from Bonsai Today issue 99 (still available). See below … Continue reading Beech Forests: in a Pot or on a Slab