A Radical Approach to Pruning

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. I think this is the third time for this post, but it’s a good one. So just in case you missed it… Walter Pall’s hedge-cutting method. In a post a couple years ago, we featured a radical approach to soil and feeding by Walter Pall. This post features another of Walter’s radical innovations. This time it’s about pruning broad leaf bonsai. I first learned about hedge shearing bonsai from Jim … Continue reading A Radical Approach to Pruning

Bonsai You Just Can’t Resist

It’s not just the color. Once the vivid yellow leaves grab you, you might notice there’s a lot going on here. This Ginkgo, like all the other bonsai shown here, belongs to Bill Valavanis. Good Ginkgos aren’t all that common. They have strange shapes and don’t conform to bonsai conventions. The branches tend to grow straight up and the trunks usually lack movement and grace. But sometimes, in spite of all this (or because of all this) you’ll find a Ginkgo that you just can’t resist. Like the one above. All the photos shown here were posted by Bill Valavanis … Continue reading Bonsai You Just Can’t Resist

Subtle yet Simple

Sweet tree, nice pot and brilliant fall color. But do you know what kind of tree it is? Mark Arpag (it’s his tree) doesn’t say, but based on the leaves and the bark, I’m going with Chinese elm. If I’m right, this is tree is quite small (Chinese elm leaves are tiny). One thing I like about Mark Arpag’s bonsai is that they are so accessible. Unlike many of Kimura’s most phenomenal bonsai for example, or the monster first prize tree at the recent Artisans Cup, ordinary bonsai enthusiasts might imagine styling trees like Mark’s. This is not say Mark’s … Continue reading Subtle yet Simple

Bonsai Meets Pop Music Again

This old triple trunk Japanese white pine resides at the Omiya Bonsai Art Musem in Saitama Japan. Busy weekend, so we’ll dip back into our archives. This one is from January 2014. First a confession. The title of this post ‘Bonsai Meets Pop Music’ has little if anything to do with the bonsai shown here. However, if you scroll down, you’ll see that it wasn’t made up out of thin air, and if you read Japanese, some light may be shed. All the trees shown here are from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, which houses one of the best bonsai … Continue reading Bonsai Meets Pop Music Again

Spinning Through the Seasons with a Magnificent Maple

Even though Sergio Cuan (the artist behind this magnificent tree), wrote that “out of the group, the two photos of the tree leafless are probably the most interesting and show off the tree at its best,” still, I couldn’t resist leading with this full-fall-splendor photo (it’s about grabbing your attention). The tree is a Sharps pygmy Japanese maple. You may have seen it at the 4th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (or in the Exhibition Album) where it was the winner of the Finest Deciduous Bonsai award. The still shots you see here are of Sergio Cuan’s now famous Sharps pygmy … Continue reading Spinning Through the Seasons with a Magnificent Maple

The three trunks rising from the fat and robust roots of this Japanese maple bonsai fan out…

Japanese maple in the fullness of summer. From the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. The other day we posted a Japanese maple (Yamamomiji) that we found online. At the time we didn’t know who the tree belonged to, but it didn’t take long for Michael Bonsai to clue us in. It’s from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. The original fall photo is below. Here’s what the Museum has to say, in a rather poetic fashion, about this powerful old tree: “The three trunks rising from the fat and robust roots of this Japanese maple bonsai fan out in the shape of … Continue reading The three trunks rising from the fat and robust roots of this Japanese maple bonsai fan out…

Two Beautiful Bonsai & Two Questions

I would love to know more about this this powerful Japanese maple, especially the artist’s name. I recognize the logo in the corner, but there are no credits with the photo. Thanks to Michael Bonsai we now know this tree is from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum collection. NOTE: Since we posted this Oscar from Bonsai Empire has gotten in touch and very graciously thanked us for pointing out the problems. He came up with a solution to attribution and is working on other solutions. My thanks to Oscar and friends. I look forward to meeting you at the Artisans … Continue reading Two Beautiful Bonsai & Two Questions

Bonsai Guessing Game at the Montreal Botanical Gardens

This vivid close up was taken by Bill Valavanis at the Montreal Botanical Gardens. The tree is a Chinese privet. To see a photo of the whole tree and a whole range of other great photos, visit Bill’s blog. Bill Valavanis is up to his old tricks. Exploring and promoting bonsai with flair and dedication. The result is one of the best bonsai blogs you’ll find. This time it’s the famous bonsai collection (collections actually, though the Penjing section was closed) at Montreal’s Botanical Gardens. I didn’t start out to turn this post into a bonsai varieties guessing game, it … Continue reading Bonsai Guessing Game at the Montreal Botanical Gardens

The Sun Almost Never Gets Too Hot Here in Northern Vermont, but It Just Might Where You Live

Deciduous Award at the 2012 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition for the Finest Deciduous Bonsai. It’s a Japanese Maple by Suthin Sukolosovisit of Royal Bonsai. It has nothing to do with the topic of this post, at least directly, but the 3rd (2012) U.S. National Bonsai Exhibiton Album and all of our other books are now on special at Stone Lantern. Michael’s font of bonsai wisdom: The following very useful piece of summer advice is by Michael Hagedorn from his Crataegus Bonsai. When the sun gets too hot… July 16, 2015 by Crataegus “There are various ways of helping our bonsai … Continue reading The Sun Almost Never Gets Too Hot Here in Northern Vermont, but It Just Might Where You Live

More Bonsai Color & a Snake About to Strike

This is one of those azaleas that would look good even without the flowers. Speaking of the flowers, I suspect the photo has been shopped a bit as the color is a little too bright. You can find this and the other four photos shown here (along with a couple dozen others) at the Akademia Bonsai web gallery. We’ve been featuring a lot of color lately, especially Satsuki azaleas in bloom and the response has been very positive, so here are a couple more azaleas for your enjoyment and some fall color as well (apologies for those of you who … Continue reading More Bonsai Color & a Snake About to Strike