The Other Cascade: Before & After

After by Kimura (aka the Magician). This photo is from a chapter in our Masters’ Series Pine Book titled Masahiko Kimura Transforms A Semi-Cascade. The tree is a Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora). The other cascade Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seem to me that, with the exception of Junipers (especially the ever present Procumbens nana) you don’t see that many semi-cascade bonsai (I just scrolled back through the last couple month of Bonsai Bark and about 10% of the trees featured are semi-cascade; more than I thought I’d find, but still, not that many). Actually, you don’t … Continue reading The Other Cascade: Before & After

Weekly Wire: Bonsai Surperstar, FREE Fertilizer, Making Uro, Spring!

Goyo-matsu (Japanese white pine) from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. FREE FERTILIZER! We are giving away our favorite fertilizer over on Stone Lantern. Just for the fun of it (and to encourage you to place an order and to feed your bonsai!) Happy white Easter from Walter Pall. This morning Walter posted a whole bunch of photos a lot like this. There’s even some scary photos that shows fully and partially leafed out maples covered with snow. Here’s the good news from Walter: “While I am posting these photographs it has stopped snowing and even the sun is … Continue reading Weekly Wire: Bonsai Surperstar, FREE Fertilizer, Making Uro, Spring!

BIB Tonight, BABA Last Night

I wonder where this little Japanese black pine came from originally. My guess is that it was imported from Japan. I’ll also guess that, though it looks like a Yamadori (collected from the wild), it was actually grown for bonsai. I could be wrong on both counts, but there’s one count I’m pretty sure of; this is an excellent little tree, with it’s strong base, aged bark, compact twisted shape, small bright needles and complimentary pot. BIB then BABA I should have posted BIB before BABA (see last post). Confused? Okay, here’s how it goes: There are two (at least) … Continue reading BIB Tonight, BABA Last Night

Eighty Two and Still Going Strong

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bunjin style bonsai in such a deep pot. You almost always see them in shallow round or near-round pots. No problem though, this one works to perfection; a spectacular tree with a simply lustrous pot. I think the heavy foliage (unusual for a bunjin) helps balance the heavy pot. Thanks again to Mr. Tea The photos in this post are all courtesy of Peter Tea, our current favorite bonsai apprentice (nothing personal to the rest of our apprenti in Japan, it’s just that Peter keeps sending great stuff). Meifu-ten, a show for … Continue reading Eighty Two and Still Going Strong

A Bonsai Story

This famous old Japanese white pine appears on the cover of Bonsai Today 43 (below) and in the gallery section of our Pine book (Bonsai Today Masters’ Series Pines: Growing and Styling Japanese Black and White Pines). It originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 31 where it is restyled by Japan’s most famous bonsai master, Masahiko Kimura and subsequently won the President’s Award at the 9th Taiken-ten Bonsai Exhibition. A revised version of this article later appears in The Magician, The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2. Back in good hands I stumbled upon the photo below in a 2009 post … Continue reading A Bonsai Story

Million Dollar (Plus!) Bonsai in Perspective

I just received this photo from Bill Valavanis. It’s that Million Dollar Japanese white pine we featured a few days ago. Now you can get a little perspective (size-wise at least). Bill’s remarks Here are Bill Valavanis‘ remarks that he sent along with the photo. Hi Wayne, I’ve just returned home from Japan and saw your post on my friend’s bonsai, the Million Dollar specimen. The million dollar bonsai WAS actually sold and at the current exchange rate on the sale day was $1,282,000. The tree is a grafted Miyajima Japanese five-needle pine which has not been on display since … Continue reading Million Dollar (Plus!) Bonsai in Perspective

Million Dollar Bonsai

This magnificent White pine was sold at the 11th Asia-Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention & Exhibition in at Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan, earlier this month. As you can see, the asking price was 100,000,000 yen (that’s close to 1.3 million dollars). I don’t know what the actual sales price was. Photo borrowed from Bonsai Tonight. $1,000,000 for a bonsai? I’ve heard of million dollar bonsai before, but don’t know if I’ve ever seen one (in person or in a photo). We don’t really know what this one sold for, but still, an asking price of 1.3 million dollars is a little … Continue reading Million Dollar Bonsai

Elevating the Art of Bonsai in the West

Mesmerizing bonsai perfection. I think this tree has something to say about just how far American bonsai has come. It’s a Japanese white pine by Ryan Neil. From his International Bonsai Mirai website. Ryan Neil and International Bonsai Mirai I think these photos of Ryan Neil’s bonsai speak for themselves. Loud and clear. But just in case you’d like to read a few words to flesh things out a bit, here’s what Ryan’s site has to say about itself: International Bonsai Mirai is a reference point where serious individuals can come to see bonsai pursued at a higher level with … Continue reading Elevating the Art of Bonsai in the West

Quiet Dignity

This Cryptomeria japonica is reminisent of the unimaginably vast and towering Giant sequoias in California’s Sierra Nevadas. This effect could be enhanced by photographing it from a little lower (see the photo below), but you still get the drift. Far and few between What a great tree. It’s from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai. You seldom see a real good formal upright bonsai (you don’t see very many formal uprights at all) and you don’t see many good Cryptomeria bonsai either. Especially in the West; they are more common in Japan (their common name in English is Japanese cedar, even though … Continue reading Quiet Dignity

Our Pine Book Is Here – Finally!

One of dozens of world class trees featured in our pine book. Which, by-the-way has just arrived. Better late than never. A little gift for those of you who have been waiting It ain’t much, but we’d like to offer each of you who pre-ordered our Pine book (before July 1st) a $5.00 discount on your next order. Just put in the comments that you pre-ordered our Pine book. Your discount won’t show up when you check out, but we’ll adjust it on this end. Meanwhile, thank you for your patience and understanding. It’s been a long strange journey (see … Continue reading Our Pine Book Is Here – Finally!