A Magnificent Affront

This magnificent old yamadori Shimpaku, with its self framing deadwood has to be one of the most outrageously unusual bonsai we’ve ever posted. It’s from Taisho-en in Japan. I originally found it here. Spectacular smokey Yosemite (day before yesterday with a fire detour), Rustic old Jamestown (Yesterday), San Francisco to Portland (today, more fires) and back home to Vermont (Monday). It’s a wonder we even have time to answer our email – but we try – and a wonder we have time to whip up a new post. Again, we try, but today we’re re-whipping one from August, 2014 Trees as unusual as … Continue reading A Magnificent Affront

Boxwood Bonsai – Before & After Armageddon

Michael Hagedorn’s Japanese boxwood. Here’s part of what Michael wrote about this tree (from his Crataegus Bonsai blog)… “And after the new flush of leaves came out, summer 2017. Defoliation creates regrowth with smaller leaves. This photo is after minimal wiring and pad cleanup. There is a scale shift from the earlier, un-defoliated 2017 photos, and the structure of the tree comes out a bit better than the earlier attempt 14 years ago as a well-manicured foliage ‘mop.’ Which was fine for dusting or generally shrubbery use in Monty Python movies, but less good for bonsai.” Up to our old … Continue reading Boxwood Bonsai – Before & After Armageddon

Is This Really One Tree in Two Pots?

Is this really one tree in two pots? Or is it a just a bit of tricky photography? This might be settled by more photographs taken from different angles, but this one is all we have and there’s no written explanation. Anyway, I’m inclined to believe that it is what it appears to be… but then we’ve been fooled before. It was posted by Trang Jira. His only caption is the word Diospyios* We don’t usually feature novelty bonsai (with the possible exception of halloween specials- see below). Still, and though one tree in two pots is a novelty, it is a decent … Continue reading Is This Really One Tree in Two Pots?

More Before & After Bonsai Mania

Juniper before and after, by Michael Hagedorn, Crataegus Bonsai. Michael says it’s a Juniper procumbens, but it looks a lot like a J. procumbens ‘nana’ to me (that’s the dwarf cultivar), especially in the before below. Continuing with our Before and After mania. This one is from our archives (way back in July, 2010) with some value added today. I have long been a big fan of Michael Hagedorn’s bonsai and his approach to bonsai (here are some of our previous posts on Michael and his bonsai that you might like). Continued below… KILO WIRE ONLY 15.95 this exceptional special ends tomorrow Only 14.35 … Continue reading More Before & After Bonsai Mania

Maintenance Before & After Bonsai

This muscular little tree is a good example of a maintenance before and after. The artist (or artists) that wired and trimmed it perform their magic at Bonsái Pavía. You might remember them from just the other day. The tree looks a lot like a Taxus Yesterday we posted a from scratch before and after. Today it’s a maintenance before and after that we found at Bonsái Pavía. This is when a bonsai that has become overgrown is brought back to presentable (this is a little oversimplified, but you get the drift). Every quality bonsai that has been around for a while, has experienced this type maintenance. In many cases dozens of times. Continued … Continue reading Maintenance Before & After Bonsai

Shopping for Bonsai in Japan

I’ve always had a soft spot for three fingered Shohin bonsai (bonsai that are easily held with three fingers). Particularly ones from Japan, where most of the good ones seem to show up… at least in photos. This one looks like a Shimpaku juniper. It’s from Bonsái Pavía, as are all the photos in this post. Today must be my lucky day. Not only did I discover a new bonsai company (new to us at least), I also discover a never before used theme for Bonsai Bark… shopping for bonsai in Japan. The new company is Bonsái Pavía in Madrid, Spain. They’re the ones doing … Continue reading Shopping for Bonsai in Japan

A Small Man Contemplates a White Pine from Below

I borrowed this delicious little gem from Michael Bonsai. Michael doesn’t say who it belongs to or what it is, but given his fondness for Japanese black pines, and given that it looks like a Japanese black pine, well you get the drift. We could even go a little further and speculate that Michael took this photo in Japan; he’s been know to do such things and the tree does have a Japanese feel Continuing from yesterday with Michael Bonsai photos and another plug for this weekend’s Mid-America Bonsai Society Show & Sale… KILO ROLLS ONLY 15.95 Only 14.35 per roll … Continue reading A Small Man Contemplates a White Pine from Below

Meandering Myrtles

Here’s the copy from our source (a Bark post last November titled Meandering Lines)… “This Myrtle (Myrtus communis) belongs to Andrea Albergo. The pot is by Greg Ceramics and the photo is by Harry Harrington. I chose it for the lead tree for several reasons; I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Myrtle with such a massive trunk (turns out I had), deadwood on most non-conifers isn’t all that common (though becoming more common) and I like the loose abstract meandering lines of the deadwood and living veins.” Yesterday we feature a very muscular Myrtle (Myrtus communis) for your viewing … Continue reading Meandering Myrtles

Monster Bonsai, True Confession & the Meaning of Life

It’s hard to tell just how large this monster is from this photo (cropped from the photo just below), but it does provide some notion of how massive the trunk is and a pretty good look at the details on the pot… In the past I’ve always managed to post in spite of being on vacation… which might beg a question about the meaning of vacation (maybe even the meaning of life). Anyway, this is my first post in almost a week, and – true confession – much of it is borrowed from a 2011 post that was titled Vacation Gallery. The original … Continue reading Monster Bonsai, True Confession & the Meaning of Life

Silky Smooth

We cropped the original photo (just below) so we could get a closer look at both the extraordinary pot and the heart of this magnificent tree. We don’t know the variety, but thanks to Silky Jemiran, we do know that the owner is Tri Djoko Endro Susilo. Yesterday’s Root Over Rock Bonsai with Sherlock Holmes featured a handful of excellent tropical bonsai photos that we borrowed from Silky Jemiran. We liked what we saw, so we’ll just keep going in the same direction. As we mentioned yesterday, we liked Silky’s habit of listing the owner of each tree (something that is often lacking on social media), and though it turns out … Continue reading Silky Smooth