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

“Nobody thought at that time that the Westerners would ever be able to develop bonsai themselves”

The Japanese maple that Walter Pall uses to illustrate his ‘hedge-cutting method.’ This photo was taken four years after Walter started working with this tree. The before photo is below. Time to revisit Walter Pall’s hedge-cutting method. We’ve shown this post several times over the years, but it’s a good one. So just in case you missed it… I first learned about hedge shearing bonsai from Jim Smith (sadly now deceased*), a highly respected American Bonsai Artist and grower who worked primarily with tropical and sub-tropical bonsai. Because Jim lived in Florida, I figured that hedge shearing was only used in the … Continue reading “Nobody thought at that time that the Westerners would ever be able to develop bonsai themselves”

Celebrating Forty Years of Bonsai

This sweet Japanese black pine with its thinned and reduced needles and its gnarled old trunk jumps right off the page. The luminous pot and the way it accentuates the color of the tree’s bark doesn’t hurt either. Together they provide a study in simplicity and attention to detail. It belongs to Michael (of Michael Bonsai). Here’s his caption… “Ready for the 40th Midwest Bonsai Show. My kengai kuromatsu. Japanese Black Pine. – Come visit the show next weekend August 18th – 20th at the Chicago Botanic Garden.” I’ve been a fan of Michael Bonsai for a long time, and he’s been a … Continue reading Celebrating Forty Years of Bonsai

Monster Bonsai, True Confession & the Meaning of Life

It’s hard to tell just how large this monster is from this photo (cropped from the photo just below), but it does provide some notion of how massive the trunk is and a pretty good look at the details on the pot… In the past I’ve always managed to post in spite of being on vacation… which might beg a question about the meaning of vacation (maybe even the meaning of life). Anyway, this is my first post in almost a week, and – true confession – much of it is borrowed from a 2011 post that was titled Vacation Gallery. The original … Continue reading Monster Bonsai, True Confession & the Meaning of Life

Little Bonsai Beans

The sweet little Japanese maple belongs to Hiroshi Kunii. Hiroshi calls the pot Maru (circle in Japanese). The tiniest bonsai are called Mame in Japanese (bean in English) and the little trees shown here certainly qualify. They (including the pots) are by Hiroshi Kunii, who is new to us. A noble addition to our list of Japanese bonsai artists and potters. NEW Bonsai Wire Special 500 gram rolls Only 9.50 each 20% to 30% off Selected Bonsai Tools see below Here’s part of Hiroshi’s caption (computer translated from Japanese)… Lesser Spindle (Euonymus Alatus), Shooting date: May 18, 2017, Height: … Continue reading Little Bonsai Beans

Still Searching for the Perfect Nebari

Stewartias often have strong nebari and this one is no exception. This photo is from a post we did back in July 2014. I didn’t know who the artist was then and I still don’t know. I tried Image Search, which recognized that it’s a Stewartia, but didn’t find this particular tree. This post is a continuation of yesterday’s Bottoms Up! More Nebari How-to. which was taken in part from In Search of the Perfect Nebari – part four, a 2009 Bark post. (In Search of the Perfect Nebari parts four and five are from Bonsai Today issue 64). The … Continue reading Still Searching for the Perfect Nebari

Two Maple Bonsai Looking “Kind of Good Today”

There are numerous plants in this world with red or reddish leaves, but very few can rival the sheer brilliance of this Deshojo Japanese maple. And just in case your eyes are completely drawn in by the intensity of the leaves, it might be worth pointing out the brilliance of the pot as well. Both of these rather impressive Japanese maples were posted on facebook today by Bill Valavanis. Here’s what Bill wrote about them… “Two of my maple bonsai looked kind of good today so I thought I’d share their beauty with friends. Deshojo Japanese maple and Shishigashira Japanese … Continue reading Two Maple Bonsai Looking “Kind of Good Today”

Bonsai, It’s About the Soil – An Informed Approach

This Japanese maple belongs to Mariusz Folda. I don’t know if Mariusz also made the pot, but based on what I’ve seen of his ceramics, I wouldn’t be surprised. Yesterday’s post on Mariusz Folda’s Shimpaku serves as lead in for today’s comments by Mariusz on his soil mix, and more specifically on the uses and limitations of Akadama, the most famous and widely used imported Japanese soil. Here’s Mariusz’s quote on Akadama in its entirety… “I look after some bonsai that are very old, like a very old Fagus crenata (Japanese beech) or an old Carpinus koreana (Korean hornbeam). I … Continue reading Bonsai, It’s About the Soil – An Informed Approach

Impressive Nebari, Wild Deadwood, and a Colossal Wire Sale Ends Tonight

I cropped the original (below) to get a closeup of this rather impressive deadwood. Even though there is no variety listed, the fresh buds look a lot like a Yew in full spring glory. All the trees shown here were posted by Luis Vallejo. Because Luis is a highly accomplish and prolific bonsai artist, we can assume they are all his (unfortunately, and due primarily to laziness, facebook and other online sites are rife with unattributed bonsai). Conitnued below… Our great sale on 500 gram rolls of Bonsai Aesthetics Wire ends tonight 30% off 2+ rolls of 500 gram Bonsai … Continue reading Impressive Nebari, Wild Deadwood, and a Colossal Wire Sale Ends Tonight

Radiant Red Leaves, Luminous Yellow Pot

Without going into the stunning red-yellow contrast or why we are showing fall foliage when spring is looming… This sweet little Japanese maple belongs to Mark Arpag. Here are his comments, “Joe Noga Photography and color separation is exquisite !!! The sweet display table (below) is my friend Bill Valavanis’ and really compliments my tree. Thanks to my great friends for capturing this beauty!” Got a very late start this morning but still wanted to squeeze a post in (to make sure you know that today is the last day of our Roshi Bonsai Tool Sale). Coffee and then straight … Continue reading Radiant Red Leaves, Luminous Yellow Pot