Bonsai Berries & a Failed New Year’s Resolution

This prolific Pyracantha was our 2018 New Year’s tree. I don’t know who the artist or owner is (more about this below), but my guess is the tree is Japanese Here’s my New Year’s resolution from 2018… No more unattributed trees on this blog (uh… except for the one just above). So I failed on the first day last year and the failure reoccured throughout the year (you can take this as a metaphor if you’d like). In light of this, here’s a more realistic resolution for this year… I will attribute the trees we post when possible and encourage all of us who have been … Continue reading Bonsai Berries & a Failed New Year’s Resolution

Five Shohin Bonsai Plus One

A sweet little Firethorn (Pyracantha) in full flower. Yesterday we showed one with a few berries and if you scroll down you’ll see one with a lot more than a few. Thought we’d continue yesterday’s Shohin theme with a few more photos. I’ll spare you too much commentary. The photo above is from Bonsai Mike. Continued below… NEW SALE 25% off All Bonsai Books Choose from 50 different titles additional 10% off orders 100.00+ FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 50.00+ be sure to select Free Shipping when you check out It’s not everyday you see a shohin Buttonwood (Conocarpus … Continue reading Five Shohin Bonsai Plus One

Shohin Bonsai – An Art Unto Itself

This muscular little pine is a great example of well done Shohin bonsai. You might notice the lack of secondary and tertiary branching and thus the limited foliage. There is only so much you can do on such a small canvass. This results in an overall look and feel that is quite different than larger trees. Almost like an art unto itself. It’s Shohin day today. Little bonsai with big advantages. A few of these advantages are: shohin tend to be less expensive than larger trees, they take up a lot less space, they are easy to lift and move, … Continue reading Shohin Bonsai – An Art Unto Itself

Brilliant Bonsai Berries

Pyracanthas (aka Firethorns) are prolific when it comes to berries and this one is certainly no exception. It’s from a post we did in 2012. Just back from a way too short vacation and now it’s catch up time, so once again we’ll dig into our archives. This one is borrowed from last June. In just a few short months it will be fruit and berry season (sooner for some of you), so in anticipation here are three photos of Pyracanthas with berries and one in full flower. From the many to the few. It’s another Pyracantha. By Shohin … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai Berries

Brilliant Bonsai Color Combinations

You don’t see that many bright yellow pots. The glaze is expensive and hard to come by and the brilliance of the color can be overwhelming. But in this case the little tree holds its own. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a better choice of pots to set off the the richly hued Trident maple leaves. Yesterday one of the trees we featured was by Haruyosi, when reminded me how much I like his seemingly endless collection of Shohin bonsai. This post originally appeared November 2014. I think you could spend a lifetime browsing bonsai images and never find another bonsai … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai Color Combinations

Bonsai Bearing Berries

Pyracanthas (aka Firethorns) are prolific bearers of berries and this one is certainly no exception. More like exceptional. It’s from a post we did in 2012. I’m trying to experience an approximation of a vacation of sorts. Easier said than done, though I’m determined to carve out some free time. So determined that I’m going to borrow four photos from previous posts this time. It’s almost fruit and berry season, so in anticipation here are three photos of Pyracanthas with berries and one in full flower. It won’t be long. From the many to the few. It’s another Pyracantha. … Continue reading Bonsai Bearing Berries

Sweet Bonsai – Still Fat and Happy

Sweet tree, phenomenal pot. The little tree is a Pyracantha coccinea Roem by Haruyosi. The pot is also by Haruyosi. All the trees and pots in this post are by Haruyosi. Yesterday it was Flowing quince bonsai by Haruyosi. Today it’s Pyracantha bonsai by Haruyosi. Five trees, two varieties. All flowering. There are two common names for Pyracantha: One is Pyracantha (it’s not that often the Latin name and common name are identical) and the other is Firethorn. Either way, and as you can see, they make good bonsai (especially miniature bonsai); both the leaves and flowers are small and … Continue reading Sweet Bonsai – Still Fat and Happy

Easy to Move and a Delight to Behold…

I think this one qualifies as Mame (‘bean’ in Japanese). Bonsai-wise, mame is a common word for the very smallest bonsai. When we originally posted this, I didn’t know who this lovely little bonsai belonged to. I’ve since been told that it is a Haruyosi tree. Strange how once you know something it’s obvious. And btw, the sweet little pot was no doubt made by Haruyosi as well. Oh, and I’m pretty sure the tree is a Pyracantha. On the road again (and out of the bone chilling cold for a precious minute) so we’ll go archiving once again. This … Continue reading Easy to Move and a Delight to Behold…

Masters of Bonsai Technique

When I first saw this tree I thought it might be a Yew. But, the bark isn’t right, and even the foliage, though close, isn’t quite right either. Fortunately, Peter Tea solved the problem in his 2011 Taikan-ten Exhibition post. Peter’s caption reads: “This Yew Hemlock caught many peoples attention. It made sense that it took the prize for medium conifer. We don’t have any Yews here at Aichien because they don’t do well in the hot weather that we have in Nagoya.” As for the species, it turns out that there are two Hemlocks that are native to Japan … Continue reading Masters of Bonsai Technique

Luminous Leaves, Glowing Glazes & Contrasting Colors

You don’t see that many bright yellow pots. The glaze is expensive and hard to come by and the brilliance of the color can be overwhelming. But in this case the little tree holds its own. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a better choice of pots to set off the the richly hued Trident maple leaves. The photo, like all the rest in this post, is from Haruyosi’s facebook timeline. I didn’t set off to talk about pot-tree color combinations, but that’s what happened anyway. I guess it’s pretty easy to tell why. I think you could spend a … Continue reading Luminous Leaves, Glowing Glazes & Contrasting Colors