Bonsai on Instagram – Great Trees, Great Stones

There’s a lot going on with this one. Especially the two types of exposed roots – the long aerial roots growing down to the flat stone on the right, and the other set of roots fanning down the side of the large stone (the stone is another nice feature). I couldn’t find the type tree (looks like it might be a Ficus) nor any info on the artist/owner. Unless the person who put the photo up is the owner (there’s a name embedded in the Instagram address) Just ventured onto Instragram for the first time. So far I like it. It’s an easy … Continue reading Bonsai on Instagram – Great Trees, Great Stones

A High Degree of Bonsai Skill, Artistic Vision & No Lack of Deadwood at the Recent European Bonsai-San Show

Close up of the intricate deadwood on a Sabina juniper (Juniperus sabina) that belongs to Xavier Massanet. You can see the whole tree below Finally, some good photos from the recent European Bonsai-San Show! Salvatore Liporace was kind enough to post them on his timeline under the heading European Bonsai Show Saulieu Awards 2018!!!. No mention is made of which tree won which award, but Salvatore did bother to put up the names of the owners and the names of the trees, a real plus in our sometimes sketchy online universe, where these valuable pieces of information are often overlooked By the way, Salatore Liporace is one of Europe’s most … Continue reading A High Degree of Bonsai Skill, Artistic Vision & No Lack of Deadwood at the Recent European Bonsai-San Show

Mixed Media Bonsai from Down Under

This unusual mixed media bonsai presentation was posted by the National Bonsai & Penjing Collection of Australia. Here’s part of the caption… “Chinese Junipers set among moss, ferns and stones have been carefully trained for thirty years by Australian artist Syd Green to create this tranquil Penjing. Inspired by the beauty, digital artist Jane Long has transferred the Junipers into a magical realm…” Here’s your link if you’d like to read more I don’t mind bonsai as part of mixed media settings. Experimentation is part of any art, though some experiments work better than others. In this case, I think the bonsai part of the … Continue reading Mixed Media Bonsai from Down Under

Brilliant Bonsai & Grand Canyon Fall Color

Brilliant fall color. Sweet tree too. It belongs to Harry Harrington. Here’s his caption: “A quick shot of my English or Field Elm bonsai today (Ulmus minor), showing autumn colour. Height 17″/42cm. Developed from an airlayered branch 12 years ago, some of you may recognise from my book Bonsai Inspirations 1. Pot by Victor Harris of Erin Bonsai.” Still on vacation so we’ll dig back into our archives again. This one originally appeared in November, 2016. It’s in keeping with our somewhat current fall color theme. As a bonus, we’ve got a photo of full fall color Aspen from near the rim of … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai & Grand Canyon Fall Color

Bonsai Flowers & a Touch of Fall Color

This photo was taken to emphasis the flowers, rather than the tree. If you were to take a photo of this tree when it’s not in flower, you’d take it a from a point a little lower to better show the powerful trunk and nebari. Sometimes photos just seem to appear on my desktop without any reference. This is the case here, so my apologies for failure to attribute this multi-hued Satsuki azalea to its rightful owner Entering the second week of a two week vacation. Today it’s the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We’re experiencing unusual wet, grey … Continue reading Bonsai Flowers & a Touch of Fall Color

Staying on Theme – Fall Bonsai Color

In addition to brilliant fall color, this Trident maple has almost everything you’d want in a bonsai; a massive trunk, fluid natural looking nebari, good lines, a well-matched pot and healthy green moss. The artist is German Gomez. Still on what I call a vacation. Family friends, hiking, eating, drinking (in moderation of course) and only four hours of work a day instead of eight. Close enough. The photos shown here first appeared on Bark way back in 2010. I’ve changed most of the text We knew our New Tie Pots would be well received but we had no idea … Continue reading Staying on Theme – Fall Bonsai Color

Pomegranate Bonsai in Full Fall Color

You can find this brilliant, full fall color Pomegranate (Punica granatum)and a whole host of other powerful bonsai at Bonsai Mirai. I’m on vacation so we’ll resort to our old tricks. This one originally appeared October of last year. It’s the beginning of fall color time at home, so the time is right I’ve been meaning to feature Ryan Neil’s Bonsai Mirai since we saw them at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibiton with their vendor’s display of some of the best trees in the building (including the display area). If you don’t know Bonsai Mirai, you’re in for a treat. And if you’re … Continue reading Pomegranate Bonsai in Full Fall Color

Twisted – a Happy Accident

Here’s what Scott Lee wrote about this tree… “A sad day for me. I had my bonsai selected for the 1st Artisans Cup in Portland, Oregon. This year the weather has been unpredictable and challenging for my area. The tree’s health is not up to my standards nor Ryan’s…” Continued below the next photo… I just stumbled upon this unusual beauty in a post Scott Lee put up back in 2015. Purely a happy accident. The tree is a great example of an unconventional bonsai where little effort is made to make it naturalistic. Though there are plenty of twisted bonsai, especially yamadori from high elevations, I don’t … Continue reading Twisted – a Happy Accident

Another Impressive Before & After Bonsai Transformation

Though we often expect miracles when it comes to transforming mediocre or otherwise undeveloped bonsai into something as impressive as this one, in reality seven years strikes me as about right amount of time for such a radical transformation. The artist is Alfredo Salaccione and the tree is a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Today’s before and after Scots pine is rather famous. So famous that is has a name of its own – Black Desire (Desiderio Nero).* Actually, I’ve seen not-so-famous trees that have been given names, but in this case I think famous works – at least in Europe – as witnessed … Continue reading Another Impressive Before & After Bonsai Transformation

2019 Japanese Bonsai Calendars Are Here

This magnificent tree is from the cover page of our New 2019 Japanese Bonsai Calendar Our 2019 Japanese Bonsai Calendars are here with a special price to reward those of you who plan ahead list price 19.95 Special Only 16.95 15.50 each if you order two Enjoy 26 powerful Japanese bonsai while you check the date on your beautiful new 2019 calendar May 2019 Cover page and speaking of high quality Japanese bonsai products… Our 30% off Koyo Japanese Tool Sale will end soon Special includes koyo masters grade stainless tools STONELANTERN.COM –