Bonsai, Babies & Roshi Tools

Three photos of the same tree at different times. I think it’s probably the same baby too. No identification of the tree is given, but it looks a lot like a Japanese beech I try to focus on bonsai and stay away from babies and kittens (here on Bark at least), but for some reason I couldn’t pass this one up (it helps that the tree is magnificent). The babies and the photos below were posted by Matthijs Hartjes, a Bonsai Bark first timer ROSHI TOOL SPECIAL ENDS TOMORROW NIGHT  30% OFF see below – Japanese maple for sure, but no variety is given … Continue reading Bonsai, Babies & Roshi Tools

Fat Trunks & Small Pots 2

Bright yellow is a strong color, but I think this tree can handle it. The dense foliage and sturdy trunk are the keys. The artist is Tomohiro Masumi. No variety is given A few months ago we featured Tomohiro Masumi in a post titled, Fat Trunks, Small Pots. Now we’ve got more of both. All the photos are from Tomohiro’s timeline. The only text is “Takao Koyo pots at Shuga-ten” 30% off Tool Specials End Friday Night OKATSUNE BONSAI & GARDEN TOOLS KOYO BONSAI TOOLS specials end Friday, Nov 9th at 11:59pm EST Another bright yellow pot and an even stronger … Continue reading Fat Trunks & Small Pots 2

Beauty Doesn’t Always Conform to Our Expectations

Before and after European olive by Javi Campos Juan. Though it looks as though Javi has somehow managed to bend the trunk, perhaps all he has done is changed the planting and viewing angles. In any case, the improvement is striking Continuing with our Before & After theme from the last few days… You don’t often see Olives styled like this one; more like a conifer than an Olive. Regarding this, there is a good argument for styling in the way the type tree naturally grows. Trees that don’t conform to this standard often look unnatural Still, I like this tree. True, … Continue reading Beauty Doesn’t Always Conform to Our Expectations

Shadow Shots & Stainless Bonsai Tools

Juniper with shadow. This and the other trees shown here belong to Luis Vallejo It’s time to visit Luis Vallejo, one of our favorites. I was attracted to these photos for their artist value as well as for the trees themselves. The only text Luis provided is… “Preparando exposición. 17/25 Noviembre 2018.” Though I suspect you can get it without translation, here it is just in case… Preparing for exposition,  November 17-25. (scroll down for details) NEW SPECIAL ALL STAINLESS TOOLS 40% OFF LIST PRICES SEE BELOW One tree, two shadows. I don’t know what type tree this is, and know even less about the one … Continue reading Shadow Shots & Stainless Bonsai Tools

Winning Deciduous Bonsai & a Little Break with Tradition

Winner Finest Deciduous Bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. The tree is a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) that belongs to Dennis Vojtilla. I cropped Oscar Jonker’s original photo (see just below) for a closer look Continuing with the prize winning bonsai from the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, today we’ve got the winning deciduous tree and another couple bonsai photos by Oscar Jonker (Bonsai Empire), as well as a couple photos of people at the event by Candy Shirey (Candy’s eye and feeling for people are spot on) The break with tradition mentioned in the title of this post, is the shots … Continue reading Winning Deciduous Bonsai & a Little Break with Tradition

Japanese Maple Bonsai Through Three Seasons

Japanese maple in its fall brilliance. From the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Continuing with Maples at the Omiya Bonsai  Art Museum we came up with this one from our archives. It’s a single Japanese maple in three stages of it’s annual migration through the seasons. There’s a lot to like about this tree but there’s one question that arises; have you ever seen a bonsai with such a flat top?  This is especially pronounced in the fall and summer photos Continued below… BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL ALL BONSAI TOOLS & GARDEN TOOLS 25% OFF LIST PRICES special ends Sunday, August 25th   Winter. Maybe this is the … Continue reading Japanese Maple Bonsai Through Three Seasons

Maple Bonsai Perfection & New Lower Wire Prices

This Trident maple on root-on-rock is called Soshun-no-fu. It’s estimated age is 80 years.  Like the other two trees in this post it’s from The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Lots to do to get ready for the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (Rochester, NY, September 8th & 9th), so we’ll make this one short and sweet. All three Maple bonsai shown here are from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Saitama, Japan* BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL ALL BONSAI TOOLS & GARDEN TOOLS 25% OFF LIST PRICES special ends Sunday, August 25th   Japanese maple named Musashi-ga-oka, estimated age 150 years Speaking of the 6th U.S. National … Continue reading Maple Bonsai Perfection & New Lower Wire Prices

A Most Unusual & Provocative Bonsai Extravaganza

I don’t know how big this planting is, though I’m leaning toward pretty big. Impressive too with its sophisticated sense of depth (larger trees in front and smaller toward the back). Not to overlook the very large pot with its flowing lines and no doubt hefty price tag. This photo and the next three below are from Bill Valavanis’ blog Continuing with yesterday’s mixed media bonsai theme, this one is from Robert Steven’s 2014 1st International Bonsai Biennale. At the time we referred to it as the most unusual and provocative bonsai extravaganza ever TWO NEW TOOL SPECIALS Famous Roshi BONSAI Tools 30% … Continue reading A Most Unusual & Provocative Bonsai Extravaganza

Bonsai Folk Art

Bonsai folk art. There’s so much that’s unusual and delicious about this one, that I won’t bother to say much, except that the tree looks like an Olive (talk about asleep at the wheel, and thanks to a couple astute readers, we’re going have to revise this to Rosemary), I love it and Juan Antonio’s caption says… “Otro listo. Romero Palaui.” I don’t know who Romero Palaui is, but his name comes up on Pinterest a lot. The World Cup Finals start in about 80 minutes, so we’ll save researching him for another time Continuing with our newly discovered Juan Antonio Pérez (see … Continue reading Bonsai Folk Art

If you only visit one bonsai event this year, make it the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

I borrowed this famous cascading Juniper from the 5th National Bonsai Exhibition website (cropped to better fit a certain social media’s format). If you only visit one bonsai event this year, make it The 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. Rochester NY, September 8th & 9th. Do whatever it takes! Rearrange you life if necessary so you can be there. Each National Bonsai Exhibition is better than the last, and the last one was mind-stopping. The buzz was palpable and from conversations with dozens of others, the feeling was universal. And it wasn’t just the bonsai, though they amazed me more each time … Continue reading If you only visit one bonsai event this year, make it the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition