Winter Bonsai Brilliance

There’s something about Quince flowers… Here’s Bill Valavanis’ caption… “A small size Toyo Nishiki Japanese flowering quince, Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Toyo Nishiki’ with multiple colored flowers. Although red, pink and white blossoms are common for this great cultivar, I’ve often seen red branches grafted onto specimens to improve color distribution.” Busy day today, so we’ll revert to our old tricks. This one originally appeared in February, 2015 All the photos shown here are lifted directly from Bill Valavanis’ blog, Welcome To My Bonsai World. Bill’s account of the 2015 world famous Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition is first hand and what you see here is … Continue reading Winter Bonsai Brilliance

Brilliant Bonsai Forests – Quality Bonsai Tools, Wire & Much More

This illustrious forest with its impressively natural, in-scale ground cover is from Bonsai Today issue 23.* Among other things this planting shows how one very strong tree can add drama and power to a forest planting. Though the original doesn’t say, I’ll guess that the trees are Ezo spruce. 30% to 50% off BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL ENDS TOMORROW 30% TO 50% OFF LIST PRICES ALL BONSAI TOOLS & TOOL KITS plus an extra 5% off all orders 150.00 or more Roshi, Koyo, Bonsai Aesthetics, Yoshiaki, Okatsune & more order yours now – only 3 more days including today Ends Tuesday, Nov 28th at … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai Forests – Quality Bonsai Tools, Wire & Much More

Larch Forest, Twenty Years from Zero

This simple lovely Larch forest belongs to Mariusz Folda. Here’s his caption… “Larix decidua – European Larch. About 20 years ago I made cuttings from a forest larix. I recently noticed that the bark starts to be flaky on the cuttings … am I getting older ;))) ?? There is something very very special to start something from 0 and stick with it. Every time I look at the so simple composition I remind mine self to enjoy what I have. Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. We must never forget to love and enjoy our trees, even so simple as this forest. Isn’t … Continue reading Larch Forest, Twenty Years from Zero

Bonsai Perfection, 150 Years Old

Borrowed this and the other photos you see here from Michael Bonsai. His caption reads simply… “Goyomatsu – 150 years old” Goyomatsu translates as white pine (goyo is white five needle (thanks to Bill Valavanis) and matsu is pine) In this case, it’s Japanese white pine I don’t know much about this tree, other than it’s a nine trunk Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora) that Michael Bonsai posted, and that it’s among the finest examples of Japanese white pine multiple trunk bonsai I’ve seen. 30% to 50% off BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL 30% TO 50% OFF LIST PRICES ALL BONSAI TOOLS & TOOL KITS plus an extra 5% off … Continue reading Bonsai Perfection, 150 Years Old

This One Is For Yew

We have no way of knowing how much of this impressive deadwood is due to natural forces over a very long time, or the relatively sudden hand of man. Maybe a bit of both. We do know that’s it’s Yew (Taxus) but do not know which species. Today’s one tree post is from Robert Pressler‘s timeline. The caption states simply… “Will Baddeley this one is for yew.” Robert is the owner of Kimura Bonsai and Landscape Nursery in Los Angeles and Will is a well known bonsai artist and teacher who lives in the U.K. 30% to 50% off BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL 30% TO 50% OFF … Continue reading This One Is For Yew

Bonsai Forest, Bonsai Books, Bonsai Tools, Green T

This striking Sakhalin spruce (Picea Glehnii) forest belongs to Luis Vallejo. Seems like every forth post these days features Luis Vallejo’s trees. This is no accident; Luis consistently puts up great trees that are beautifully photographed. This makes my job easy. As is usually the case, the original photo (just below) came from Luis’ timeline. Huuuge Bonsai Book Special 20% TO 70% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL BOOKS includes Japanese Garden Books Choose from over 50 Bonsai & Japanese Garden Books and enrich you skills and understanding this special ends Friday, Nov 24 at 11:59pm EST Here’s the original photo, exactly the way we found … Continue reading Bonsai Forest, Bonsai Books, Bonsai Tools, Green T

Bonsai Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beast of the Southern Wild. We don’t know the dimensions of this monster, but we know its name. It’s a Pithecellobium unguis (Catclaw black bead), a genus and species completely new to us (and probably new to you too). As you can see, this particular bonsai is about as unique as they get with nature doing most of the work and Nacho Marin providing the finishing touches. Getting ready to head out of town for a little mixed R&R and work (there’s always some work), so we’ll take a shortcut today. This post originally appeared in February, 2015, though from where we sit now, it … Continue reading Bonsai Beasts of the Southern Wild

A Bonsai Life

This prize winning Ficus neriifolia belongs to Ed Trout. I like its relaxed, almost sensuous look. Or if you’re not into anthropomorphizing bonsai, you might just notice its wide stable nebari and its stout well tapered trunk and leave it at that. All the photos in this post are from Bonsai Mary. In keeping with our tropical theme from yesterday and our mention of Mary Miller (Bonsai Mary) from the day before, I dug up this up from our archives (April, 2010, with some editing today) Mary Miller’s years of experience as a bonsai teacher, author and grower come together very nicely in her Bonsai … Continue reading A Bonsai Life

Tropical Bonsai Before & After by Robert Steven

Before and after by Robert Steven. The before is a photo that was submitted to Robert by David Royinsyah. The after is a digital simulation by Robert. The tree is a Tamarindus indica, a type of tropical legume. The photos are from the Black Scissors Community. It has been a while since we posted one of Robert Steven’s simulated before and after photos. In addition to being one of the foremost bonsai artists in the world, Robert is a bonsai teacher, so his before and afters are always information rich, with comments about style, technique, horticultural considerations and even bonsai history. Continued below… Brand … Continue reading Tropical Bonsai Before & After by Robert Steven

Tiger Bark Bonsai

We’ve shown this magnificent Tiger bark ficus (Ficus retusa) before, but not this cropped front shot. The photo of the entire tree is below along with several other shots that focus on sections. The photos and the tree belong to Nacho Marin. Bonsai Aesthetics Wire SPECIAL 100 gram rolls Only 2.95 500 gram (1.1 lb) rolls Only 8.95 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) rolls Only 15.95 I know we’ve shown this front view of the entire tree before, but it’s worth another look The base of the trunk NEW BONSAI TOOL KIT SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES ALL BONSAI TOOL KITS plus an extra … Continue reading Tiger Bark Bonsai