Larches are Coming to Rochester – Green T Bonsai Turntables too!

ORDER YOUR OWN GREEN T TURNTABLE NOW OR PICK ONE UP AT THE 6TH U.S. NATIONAL BONSAI EXPOSITION CANADIANS – If you want to avoid shipping costs order yours online before Saturday Morning and we’ll hold it for you We’ll also remove the shipping charge when we process your order But be sure to put Rochester in the comments when you check out Free Shipping for Green Ts in the Continental U.S. We will also be offering 2 slightly used Green T Basics at the Exhibition for only 295.00 (regular discounted price is 345.00) StoneLantern.com Contrary to what you may have heard, … Continue reading Larches are Coming to Rochester – Green T Bonsai Turntables too!

NEW Bonsai T-Shirts & the 6th U.S. National

Our neighbor Sophie modeling our Brand NEW all cotton Stone Lantern T-shirt. And no, Sophie is not a professional model. Just a friend (and local police officer). You can order your T-shirt online for 20.00 plus a very modest shipping charge or save the shipping charge and pick one up at the upcoming 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Continuing with our lead up to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (Rochester, NY, September 8th & 9th – it’s not too late to make your plans)… This time it’s our new T-Shirt that will accompany us to the show along with a wide range of bonsai … Continue reading NEW Bonsai T-Shirts & the 6th U.S. National

Japanese Maple Bonsai Through Three Seasons

Japanese maple in its fall brilliance. From the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Continuing with Maples at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum we came up with this one from our archives. It’s a single Japanese maple in three stages of it’s annual migration through the seasons. There’s a lot to like about this tree but there’s one question that arises; have you ever seen a bonsai with such a flat top? This is especially pronounced in the fall and summer photos Continued below… BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL ALL BONSAI TOOLS & GARDEN TOOLS 25% OFF LIST PRICES special ends Sunday, August 25th Winter. Maybe this is the … Continue reading Japanese Maple Bonsai Through Three Seasons

A Bonsai in Hand – a Quick Study on Perspective

This Willow left Ficus (Ficus nerifolia) belong to Suthin Sukosolvisit. If you are familiar with this species and know something about its typical leaf size, then you may not be fooled by the presentation. However, if you aren’t familiar with this variety of Ficus, you might imagine that the tree is considerably larger than it is A study in perspective with a nod to pot color. When comes to bonsai photos, perspective can be an issue. This is sometimes solved by contrast with a familiar object. Suthin, the artist behind the Ficus shown above and below, sometimes uses a can (something I find a … Continue reading A Bonsai in Hand – a Quick Study on Perspective

Strolling Through Walter’s Backyard Bonsai Garden

Well, we know it’s a pine, but we could only guess the variety and we’ll forsake guessing today (your guess is as good as mine) Seeing the trees photographed at home on their benches is a different experience than seeing them when they are photographed in a studio setting. All the photos shown here are from Jennifer Price’s timeline. The only text provided is… “Discussing trees in Walter Pall garden today….. We’ll leave the rest to you (no guessing or researching today) FALL POTTING SPECIAL ENDS SUNDAY 25% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL HIGH IMPACT PLASTIC BONSAI POTS 25% OFF … Continue reading Strolling Through Walter’s Backyard Bonsai Garden

Simplicity, Elegance & More than a Little Skill…

Simplicity, elegance and more than a little skill is expressed in plantings like this and the one below. Often Penjing landscapes will include a whole range of items, both manmade and natural. In this case we have only three trees and what looks like three rocks, or rock clusters. And of course the elegant long thin white penjing tray (white trays are common, especially with waterscapes) I found the two Penjing landscapes featured here on Pham Thái Bình’s timeline. It’s not clear who the artists are, though the caption for the one above says with Dang Nguyen Van, though there are reasons to believe Dang is … Continue reading Simplicity, Elegance & More than a Little Skill…

Hanging off a Cliff Somewhere in the Alps

This very distinctive bonsai belongs to Mauro Stemberger. The rock was made by Erik Križovenský, a master of unique pots and other creative vessels for planting bonsai. No mention is made of the type tree, but it looks like some type of Juniper. I cropped Mauro’s original photo (below) to get a closer look and to eliminate some background noise It’s past due time to revisit Mauro Stemberger, an old favorite here on Bark. If you’d like to see more of what Mauro is up to you can visit him on facebook and on his Italian Bonsai Dream website. You can also visit … Continue reading Hanging off a Cliff Somewhere in the Alps

A Most Unusual & Provocative Bonsai Extravaganza

I don’t know how big this planting is, though I’m leaning toward pretty big. Impressive too with its sophisticated sense of depth (larger trees in front and smaller toward the back). Not to overlook the very large pot with its flowing lines and no doubt hefty price tag. This photo and the next three below are from Bill Valavanis’ blog Continuing with yesterday’s mixed media bonsai theme, this one is from Robert Steven’s 2014 1st International Bonsai Biennale. At the time we referred to it as the most unusual and provocative bonsai extravaganza ever TWO NEW TOOL SPECIALS Famous Roshi BONSAI Tools 30% … Continue reading A Most Unusual & Provocative Bonsai Extravaganza

Revisiting the Great Bonsai Debate

A naturalistic Norway spruce (Picea abies) by Walter Pall (from Bonsai Today issue 106) A blast from the past. This post originally appeared here in July, 2009, our 6th month Barking (this means we’ve been doing this for almost ten years). I don’t know if the topic is still relevant to any of you, but there was a time when it created a bit of a buzz and I think many of us can learn something by reading what Walter Pall has to say about the topic (below). As always with reruns, I’ve made a few changes. In the expanding galaxy of … Continue reading Revisiting the Great Bonsai Debate

Feed Your Bonsai (They Don’t Survive on Water, Light and Love Alone)

Your bonsai may never look like this, but they can be this healthy if you tend to basic care, including ample fertilizing. It’s a Japanese maple that belongs to Walter Pall. Walter lists its height as 75cm (30″) and its age as around thirty years. It was imported from a Korean nursery in 2016. The pot is a Tokoname from Japan. This is not the first time we’ve encouraged you to tend to your bonsai’s nutrient needs, and it won’t be the last. The tree above appeared here on Bark a few months ago. Most of the rest of what you see here … Continue reading Feed Your Bonsai (They Don’t Survive on Water, Light and Love Alone)