Great Root over Rock Bonsai & Great Roshi Tools

No source is given for this colorful ‘Seki-joju’ Azalea. My best guess is that the tree and photo are originally from Japan; it’s not uncommon for Japanese trees to remain unattributed (this is often the case in the Japanese gallery section in Bonsai Today magazine back issues). We found the photo on Bonsai Addicted’s timeline. Yesterday we featured a magnificent root-over-rock bonsai by Marvin Besa from the Philipines. Here’s a post devoted completely to Root-over-Rock bonsai that we originally featured a year ago NEW ROSHI BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL 40% off all Roshi Stainless Tools 30% off all Roshi Carbon Steel Tools Not only … Continue reading Great Root over Rock Bonsai & Great Roshi Tools

The Magician’s Formal Bonsai Forest

Masahiko Kimura ‘The Magician’ styled this Ezo spruce (Picea Glehnii) planting with a high mountain stand of conifers in mind (this shot is three years after the initial planting and two years after the intermediate shot – both are below). Much of this post is from 2009 (our first year blogging). I’ve added some photos today and revised and added to the text. I hope these changes are helpful. Looking at the forest above, you might notice how the trees on the outside lean out in search of sunlight, which is what you would expect in a natural stand of trees. … Continue reading The Magician’s Formal Bonsai Forest

Challenges All Their Own – Mixed Bonsai Forests

This mixed forest/landscape is from Spain. The Museo del Bonsai Marbella to be exact (from Bonsais del Sur). It’s too bad the pot is chopped off and the whole photo is cramped, but that’s the way we found it. Still, from what we can see, it look s like a very ambitious project with a numerous type trees and other features to integrate. No mean feat to pull off Today we’ll stay on our forest and other multiple trunk theme of late, only this time it’s mixed bonsai forests from mixed sources. Mixed forests present challenges all there own and are not as common as … Continue reading Challenges All Their Own – Mixed Bonsai Forests

Attention to Detail, Skill and Precision

Part of large Penjing scene. The full construction is just below. The photo is from Hong Kong Bonsai Pots I’ve long been fascinated by Penjing tray plantings The best exhibit remarkable attention to detail, skill and precision, resulting in dramatic scenes that can transport the viewer to places beyond their ordinary experience. Or if we’ve become jaded, then maybe just a yawn while we scroll to the next photo… All the photos in this post are borrowed from Hong Kong Bonsai Pots BONSAI AESTHETICS TOOL SPECIAL all Aesthetics Tools, Tool Set & Kits and Tool Rolls 30% off our list prices – The whole magnificent scene. The … Continue reading Attention to Detail, Skill and Precision

Clump Style Bonsai – Multiple Trunks with a Single Root Stystem

We found this extraordinary clump style Japanese maple on Bonsai Nakayoshi (sorry the link is no longer active). You can imagine that all the smaller trunks started as suckers on the roots of the main tree (you could also imagine that they started from seeds dropped by the main tree; in which case each seed would have its own roots, so that wouldn’t qualify as a clump style bonsai). Staying on our clump style theme from yesterday, I borrowed this one from our archives. It was titled Multiple Trunks Sharing a Single Root System – Clump Style Bonsai Forests (technically, I don’t … Continue reading Clump Style Bonsai – Multiple Trunks with a Single Root Stystem

Under Appreciated Bonsai?

This single tree with five trunks is an Rough bark Japanese maple (Acer palmatum Arakawa). It was imported from Japan by Akina Bonsai, Poland and redesigned by Walter Pall last month. As you can see, Walter decided to use guy wires. The trunks are on the large side for bending and moving with conventional wiring and wrapping wire around each trunk might damage the bark Maybe it’s just me, but I sometimes feel like clump style bonsai (trees with one root system and multiple trunks) are under appreciated in our bonsai world. Single trunk trees with massive girth or dramatic movement (or both) seem to more readily capture … Continue reading Under Appreciated Bonsai?

Bonsai Mystery Solved

If your short term memory is still functioning, then you might remember this tree from yesterday. Or from March, 2014, when we first featured it. If you forgot it from four years ago, join the club. Here’s part of the caption from that 2014 post… “Carob Tree (Ceratonia silicua) by Salvador de Los Reyes from Spain. Owner, Manolo Vargas. Height: 90 cm. Added by Gustavo Celayes The mystery of yesterday’s unidentified tree was solved while I was looking for some more bonsai by Salvador de Los Reyes (yesterday’s artist). There it was, a Carob tree in a post from four years ago. Right here on … Continue reading Bonsai Mystery Solved

Four Before & After Bonsai

Before & after (antes y depues) Shimpaku juniper by Salvador de los Reyes. Four for the price of one. Still sorting our from vacation (no vacation goes unpunished) so it’s back to our archives (July, 2012). All four transformations are by Salvador de los Reyes. Two Big Specials End Sunday Night Koyo Tools 25% off list Bonsai Pot & Soil Special – A mystery tree before & afte. Salvador identifies most of his trees, but not this one (that I could find at least). Sabina juniper A bonsai rarity. Tamarix before & after. You see don’t many Tamarix bonsai and … Continue reading Four Before & After Bonsai

An Exceptional Bonsai – Before & After

Here’s an excellent example of a before and after with an already established tree. It just needed a talented bonsai artist and some free time to bring it back to its previous splendor. In this case the artist is Gabriel Romero Aguade. The tree is an impressively masterful Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis). Not that you don’t have eyes of your own, but I feel that some extra excitement is warranted with a tree like this. It resides at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid. Here are Gabriel Romero Aguade’s comment (Spanish then English)… “Antes y después del Juniperus chinensis trabajado en el Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid. Si quieres … Continue reading An Exceptional Bonsai – Before & After

Back Savers – Suthin’s Shohin

Bonsai in hand. This little masterpice by Suthin Sukosolvisit looks like a Chinzan Azalea. But that’s just a guess. Suthin doesn’t say. Still recovering from vacation and a serious computer meltdown (fixed now by there’s chaos in its wake), so it’s back to our archives. This one originally appeared in August, 2009 (Bonsai Bark’s Pleistocene). Note: non of the links are still active, so this will be a linkless post. A first for us I’ve long been a fan of Suthin Sukosolvisit’s. Not just because of his shohin, but because he shows mastery across a range of bonsai sizes and styles. Still, shohin … Continue reading Back Savers – Suthin’s Shohin