Rebar, Turnbuckles, Stones & Wire for Shaping Bonsai

This is what you can do with a little daring and more than a little skill. The huge crack just up from the base of the trunk is intentional. Without it, there’s no way this old pine is surrendering to that first subtle bend and without the rebar and wooden peg there’s no way the second larger bend is holding. This photo and the before photo below are from David Benavente’s Estudio de Bonsai. We featured this one fairly recently (August of last year), but, because it shows techniques you might never see, I think it’s worth another look. Before. … Continue reading Rebar, Turnbuckles, Stones & Wire for Shaping Bonsai

That Natural Look with a Daring Touch

Though the wood may have been painstakingly carved, this distinctive Pomegranate is a good example of a natural look. The living tree is not particularly stylized and the deadwood looks naturally aged. The unusual red pot (bright red bonsai pots are rare) adds a daring touch and sets off the new red pomegranate leaves, though you might chose a rugged earth-toned pot if you’re trying for a more natural look. I’m not trying to restart the old discussion of natural versus stylized bonsai. Just noticing how natural the two trees shown here look. This is particularly true of the pine … Continue reading That Natural Look with a Daring Touch

A Radical Approach to Bonsai Soil

This sturdy, barely tamed beast of a tree is a perfect example of Walter Pall’s naturalistic style. The photo is from Walter’s website. The tree is a European spruce. Yesterday we resurrected Walter Pall’s unique hedge pruning method. Today we’re resurrecting (for the second time) his equally unique take on bonsai soil. It originally appeared here on Bark in June of 2013. Walter Pall, world famous bonsai artist and much more… We’ve feature Walter’s bonsai numerous times here on Bark (and in Bonsai Today) and will continue to feature them for as long as we continue posting. I won’t say … Continue reading A Radical Approach to Bonsai Soil

Bill’s Bonsai Exploration

Infinity sign. A piece of a Japanese white pine trunk at the Shimpuku-Ji Temple in Japan. This and the other photos in this post are from Bill Valavanis’ Bonsai blog. The photos in this post are from Bill Valavanis’ 2015 Autumn Japan Bonsai Exploration (part 6). Bill has been posting loads of photos from the Exploration almost daily for the last week. The handful shown here represent a small fraction of the photos you’ll find on Bill’s blog. Continued below… Not a bad setting for a spectacular bonsai display. Yesterday Bill and friends visited the Shimpuku-Ji Temple. In Bill’s own … Continue reading Bill’s Bonsai Exploration

Breaking the Bonsai Mold

For every highly stylized Japanese bonsai, there’s one like this that breaks the mold. It’s a Japanese red pine from Japan’s 80th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition (2006). The other Japanese pine. Japanese black and white pines comprise some of the most famous bonsai in the world. And thousands that aren’t so famous. Japanese Red pines (Pinus densiflora) are much less common in bonsai circles, but judging by the ones shown here and some others we’ve seen along the way, they have no problem holding their own. All the photos shown here are Japanese red pines from Japan’s famous Kokufu-ten Bonsai Exhibition. … Continue reading Breaking the Bonsai Mold

Shaping Bonsai with Rebar, Turnbuckles, Stones, Wire – Everything but the Kitchen Sink

This is what you can do with a little daring and more than a little skill. The huge crack just up from the base of the trunk is intentional. Without it, there’s no way this old tree is surrendering that first subtle bend and without the rebar and wooden peg there’s no way the second larger bend is holding. This photo and the before photo below are from David Benavente’s Estudio de Bonsai. This post, which provides valuable tips on some relatively obscure bonsai techniques, is a mishmash from three previous posts. Before. What would you have done? … Continue reading Shaping Bonsai with Rebar, Turnbuckles, Stones, Wire – Everything but the Kitchen Sink

Powerful Pines & Bonsai Wire

This powerful pine with its aged, heavily plated bark (reminiscent of our North American Ponderosa pines, especially the reddish section at the base of the trunk) is one of many spectacular trees displayed at the recent 2012 BCI convention in China. This and all the photos in this post are courtesy of Robert Steven. Summer sun beckons, so we’ll take the easy way out once again. This post, with some text added today (in italics) originally appeared in April, 2013. Pines now, the rest later. Robert Steven just sent us a whole host of great photos from the recent 2012 … Continue reading Powerful Pines & Bonsai Wire

Only the Surface Waves

These three trees belong to Masahiko Kimura. I lifted (and cropped) this photo from El Tim Bonsai. It’s a Spanish language blog with an English language option. The Tim. I have long admired the great photos and great dedication to bonsai expressed on the El Tim Bonsai blog (the original Spanish language version and an English language version). The photos shown here are from El Tim’s visit to Masahiko Kimura’s nursery on a recent Japan trip. They are the tip of the Kimura iceberg and only the surface waves on El Tim’s vast ocean of great bonsai photos. If … Continue reading Only the Surface Waves

Bonsai on the Plaza

Bonsai on the plaza. What could be better, sidewalk cafes, old world architecture and bonsai? All the photos in this post are from Barbazza Bonsai in Treviso, Italy. I think this the first time we’ve featured bonsai on a plaza. In Italy, or for that matter, anywhere. The displays belong to Barbazza Bonsai. The city is Treviso. You can visit Barbazza on facebook or on their website. Or, best of all, you could go to Italy. Another great bonsai and architecture shot. Looks like Treviso is an old walled city. And then there are the ubiquitous men on … Continue reading Bonsai on the Plaza

Not All the Best Bonsai Are For Sale, But There Are More Than Enough If You Know Where to Look

This powerful pine was not one of the winners at the recent 2015 Kokufu en Bonsai Exhibition (widely considered the most prestigious bonsai exhibition in the world). In fact, it wasn’t even on of the entries. It was rather, one of hundreds (if not thousands) of amazing bonsai you might find in the sale area that accompanied the Exhibition. This photo and the other photos in this post are from Bill Valavanis Bonsai Blog. I am continually amazed how much Bill Valavanis accomplishes as a result of his lifelong bonsai passion. I won’t say much more except that you can … Continue reading Not All the Best Bonsai Are For Sale, But There Are More Than Enough If You Know Where to Look