Bonsai Stories

Here’s what Michael Hagedorn (Crataegus Bonsai) wrote about this tree… “Ponderosa Pine collected by the Backcountry Bonsai guys, styled years ago in a Seasonal class. Much of the deadwood was hiding under bark and was created courtesy of borers of the Rocky Mountains. We’ve written them a thank you note but the posting address was a bit vague.” A little information can enrich our appreciation of any bonsai. Every tree has a story. Some have engaging stories, like the one above (a good story teller is always a plus), with a lot of information packed into about fifty words and a touch of … Continue reading Bonsai Stories

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? Continuing with ‘Eccentric Bonsai’ from two days ago, here’s another one from our archives (November, 2016). 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 ENDS TOMORROW Everything Is At Least 20% off DOUBLE DISCOUNTS – SALE … Continue reading Eccentric or Just Twisted?

Bonsai Essentials Site Wide Sale Is Back & Better Than Ever – Same Day Shipping*

STONE LANTERN’S 20% OFF SITE WIDE SALE multIple DISCOUNTS on hundreds of items SALE INCLUDES ITEMS THAT ARE ALREADY ON SPECIAL Discounts are computed at check out – *We Ship the Same Business Day on orders received by 2:00 pm EST If you want to make sure your order arrives on time you might want to choose accelerated shipping when you check out If you don’t care about arrival time, and your order is at least 75.00 you can choose Free Shipping for the Continental U.S. — All ROSHI BONSAI TOOLS ARE 20% OFF IN ADDITION TO OUR 20% OFF SITE WIDE SALE Discounts are … Continue reading Bonsai Essentials Site Wide Sale Is Back & Better Than Ever – Same Day Shipping*

You Don’t See Bonsai Like These Everyday

You don’t see bonsai like this every day. For me, there’s a temptation to grab my thinning shears. But first, it’s a good idea to take it in as is. And there’s a lot to take in. Especially the sheer weight of the remarkably lush foliage. And, if you can pull your eyes down to the trunk, the play of the living veins and deadwood is striking. Unfortunately the tree is not identified (nor attributed), but it looks a lot a like a Shimpaku juniper Normally we shy away from unattributed and unidentified bonsai. But in this case the trees are so unusual that I couldn’t … Continue reading You Don’t See Bonsai Like These Everyday

Natives Is Here! Brilliant & Unique, Bonsai at Its Best

We’ve all waited long enough and now the Pacific Bonsai Museum’s Natives is here. We’ve featured some photos in the past, but now we’ve got the real thing. One hundred and five mind stopping pages. Now available at Stone Lantern Here’s the Museum’s description… “As artistic representations of trees, bonsai are collected from the wild to be cultivated as works of art. While the natural forces that shaped the tree are visibly echoed in its trunk and branches, the direct link between a bonsai and its native habitat has been lost. By displaying a tree with a portrait of its … Continue reading Natives Is Here! Brilliant & Unique, Bonsai at Its Best

Two Potentilla Bonsai & Two Brand New Books

Would you ever guess that these two little gems are Potentilla? Both are sweet in their own way, and so’s the photo; the muted painterly background, the contrasting pot colors and contrasting dead and live wood on both trees. I don’t know what the little companion is, but I like it too. I found it on Roman Stresow’s timeline. His caption is Just two Potentilla When I saw the photo above and then read that the trees were Potentilla (aka Cinquefoil), I felt a little tug of excitement. Not only were both little trees unique, but they’re Potentilla, a type tree I have … Continue reading Two Potentilla Bonsai & Two Brand New Books

Wild Plum Bonsai, Before & After

Walter Pall’s Wild plum (Prunus cerasifera) before and six years later Continuing with our latest before and after series… Walter Pall has long been a favorite of ours. Aside from his massive bonsai collection and his considerable skills in developing and maintaining that collection, Walter takes the time to walk us though step by step transformations with a series of sharpe uncluttered photos. And not just three or four photos. In this case there are upwards of fifty (that’s on the high side even for Walter, but he’s always generous in this regard). We’ll show you five photos here and encourage you … Continue reading Wild Plum Bonsai, Before & After

Before & After Bonsai – the Desire to Improve What Most of Us Might Settle For

Before and after Shohin pine by Koji Hiramatsu. No size or species is mentioned, but you can tell it is quite small and you might guess it’s a Japanese black pine simply because it’s a favorite in Japan and the after shot looks like it might be one Continuing with another before and after, though moving way down in scale from yesterday’s monster. The photos are from Koji Hiramatsu’s fb timeline TWO NEW TOOL SPECIALS 40% off list prices on all Bonsai Aesthetics Tools & Tool Kits 40% off list prices on all Stainless Steel Tools Includes Roshi, Koyo & Other Tool Brands … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai – the Desire to Improve What Most of Us Might Settle For

Godzilla Refines a Monster Bonsai – Before & After

Before and after Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) by Todd Schlafer. The tree belongs to Mike Andrews. For the Godzilla reference, scroll down to the bottom of the post Continuing with another before and after transformation by Todd Schlafer (see Oct 19th). Here’s a quote by Mike Andrews (facebook)… “Progression of collected Rocky Mountain Juniper. Collected by Randy Knight, delivered to my house September 2016. Initial design and structure setting with Mauro in April 2017. Fertilized heavily and full sun 2017 and 2018 growing seasons resulted in very nice dense foliage. Finally detail wired and pad formation by Todd yesterday. … Continue reading Godzilla Refines a Monster Bonsai – Before & After

Coming Soon! Another Great Bonsai Expo

Based on what we’ve seen and heard about their past shows, this one promises to be a real winner. I wish we could say see you there, but we’ve got other plans. Still, I hope you can make it. I’m sure you’ll be happy you did. Here’s your link to their website Our Enormously Popular Tie Pots Are Back! We just got a shipment of 81 Tie Pots Monday and 36 more yesterday, and already there are only about 40 left. We’ve got more coming in 3 or 4 weeks, but if you’d like some sooner, better order yours now… 18.00 each for 1 or … Continue reading Coming Soon! Another Great Bonsai Expo