Just Another Great Juniper with Sculpted Deadwood?

This dynamic Sabina juniper was posted by Mauro Stemberger (Italian Bonsai Dream), someone whose trees and photos have long graced this blog. Is the tree featured here just another great Juniper with sculpted deadwood? Well… yes, that’s exactly what it is, another great juniper, sculpted deadwood and all. There was a day not too long ago when trees like this could only be from Japan. But this is the 21st century and the explosion of high quality bonsai worldwide is happening. If I’m not mistaken, this one resides in Italy. Or at least, that’s where Mauro Stemberger resides. For more … Continue reading Just Another Great Juniper with Sculpted Deadwood?

Eccentric or Just Twisted?

Doing the Twist. This tree belongs to Mauro Stemberger (Italian Bonsai Dream). Mauro has one of the most dramatic bonsai collections in the West, and though this one certainly qualifies, is there a line between dramatic and eccentric? Two of the trees in this post are naturally twisted and the other two were twisted by the hands of man. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble telling which is which. Site Wide Sale 20% to 25% off Everything* Including our large selection of Roshi & other Bonsai tools Even though there’s something unnatural about many of the twisted by-the-hands-of-man … Continue reading Eccentric or Just Twisted?

Bonsai Dreaming (on Such a Winter’s Day)

I’m guessing that this is a Mugo pine that was originally collected in the mountains of central Europe (the Alps?). It belongs to Mauro Stemberger, a long time favorite here on Bark. Gearing up for the big push (the whole year condenses to next three or four weeks), so we won’t spend too much time here. Just enough to brighten up your day (on this cold grey and snowy winter’s day) with three of our favorite Mauro Stemberger bonsai from his Italian Bonsai Dream website . And to remind you about Stone Lantern and our Site Wide Sale. Continued below… We … Continue reading Bonsai Dreaming (on Such a Winter’s Day)

The Sun Still Shines on Our Bonsai

Japanese yew with one thin live vein and lots of great deadwood. From Mauro Stemberger’s Italian Dream website. Still on vacation and trying to recover from a hangover and a bad dream. Rather than going to the time and trouble to compose a new post, we’ll resurrect this one from December, 2013. It was titled, “Sun is shining on my bonsai, but I stay in bed a little longer…” Mauro Stemberger is something of force in European and world bonsai. He usually starts with excellent stock and ends with even better bonsai. This is not not the first time we’ve … Continue reading The Sun Still Shines on Our Bonsai

California Bonsai Dreaming Again, but this Time in the Right Sequence

It would have been better (and correct) if I had used this as the lead (and final) photo in this morning’s post. Had I been paying attention, I could have figured out that I had the third and forth iterations backwards in this morning’s California juniper post (if you don’t like humiliation, be careful what you say and be doubly careful what you write. Especially on the internet). Michael Andrews just emailed me to gently help clear things up (and to mention that the tree is ‘huge’). Though the tree does belong to Mauro Stemberger, Michael recently worked on it … Continue reading California Bonsai Dreaming Again, but this Time in the Right Sequence

California Bonsai Dreaming

This rather impressive California juniper has come a long ways in about three years (based on the Mauro Stemberger’s caption – see below). It still needs to find a massively large pot, but otherwise it looks like it’s getting ready for showtime. The only caption Mauro Stemberger lists with the photos shown here is: CA juniper / 2016-2015-2014 (facebook). I was hoping to flesh out the story with a visit to Mauro’s website, Italian Bonsai Dream, but no such luck. Still, just the photos tell a pretty good bonsai story. Before. There’s lots of character in this old yamadori … Continue reading California Bonsai Dreaming

Bonsai Zen – Circles & Curves

Zen pine. In some types of art (calligraphy comes to mind) shapes are often suggested rather than completed. The mind of the viewer does the rest. In the case of this pine, it’s a circle (the way the raw power of the deadwood demands your attention cinches it). The tree and the photo belong to Mauro Stemberger. You can see more of Mauro’s bonsai here, here and here. Circles, semi circles and curves are today’s theme. Bonsai with long slow curves like this one tend to be out of favor, at least with some people, who might refer to this … Continue reading Bonsai Zen – Circles & Curves

Bonsai Is Both the Tree & the Pot (and we know that)

It’s not often you see bark like this. Its uniquely patterned texture and color adds considerable character and age to this old live oak. And then there’s the pot; the way it complements the tree (an how small it is relative to the tree). No mention of who made it, but whoever did deserves some love. The photo is from the ‘My Trees’ section of Mauro Stemberger’s website. The following is in response to a comment on Facebook… We would never chop off part of the pot in a bonsai photo unless that’s the way we found it, or we’re … Continue reading Bonsai Is Both the Tree & the Pot (and we know that)

May You Enjoy a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year

Just couldn’t resist posting yet another yew (there have been several lately). This time it’s an English yew (Taxus Baccata) by Stefano Frisoni. It’s almost 2016 and there are countless loose ends to tie up, so we’ll dig up part of a December 2012 post with some trees that I particularly like. Meanwhile, may you and yours enjoy a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! And thank you for helping to make 2015 a happy bonsai year. Nice tree. Fantastic pot! Eleven years from stump by Mario Komsta (a regular here on Bark). I originally guessed that it was an Ilex and of course, I … Continue reading May You Enjoy a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year

Suburban Yamadori

This old Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) belongs to Mauro Stemberger. The color coordinated pot is by Petra Hahn (even the moss has reddish spots). I found the photo on The Art of Bonsai Project. We’ve been featuring Yews and carved deadwood a lot lately. An auspicious match, as you can readily see in the photos shown here. One of the great things about Yews is they grow almost everywhere. Half the landscapes here in the Eastern U.S. sport a yew or two. For some of us, it’s possible to find good ones for bonsai in our own front yards (suburban … Continue reading Suburban Yamadori