Flowering Bonsai & Dissolving Boundaries

It’s a little strange to see such prominent deadwood on an azalea. But then boundaries between acceptable and strange are dissolving in the world of bonsai as they seem to be almost everywhere. A year ago we posted some photos from the 2015 Uneo Satsuki Azalea Festival. Now we’ve got some from the 2016 festival that we lifted from a video by hermanbaik. Most were blown up to fit our format, thus the fuzz. Still, the brilliance of the trees and their flowers can’t help but shine through. More conventional to be sure, but there was a time not too … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai & Dissolving Boundaries

Flowering Bonsai – Choosing the Best Angle

This looking-up-into-the-tree shot, shows off the powerful trunk, excellent nebari, good branching and taper from bottom to top. If you wanted to accentuate the flowers, you might shoot from a point considerably higher. I don’t know who this tree belongs to and an image search came up empty. How you chose to photograph a bonsai, makes a world of difference.* Without going into the obvious, like good lighting and a simple, uncluttered neutral background (bad photos are often worse than no photos at all), just the angle you chose can make a big difference. In the photo above a very … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai – Choosing the Best Angle

A Scent of Spring

I like it when azaleas show some leaves when they bloom. Sometimes you see them completely covered with flowers, which can seem a little unnatural. This magnificent Nyohozan Satsuki Azalea belongs to Melvyn Goldstein. Its height is only 10 inches (25cm). It, along with nearly two hundred of North America’s other greatest bonsai, can be found in the 2nd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album (out of print – Albums 3 & 4 are still available). We’re not out of the winter woods yet here in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, but there is a slight scent of spring in the breeze. Still, … Continue reading A Scent of Spring

Flowering Bonsai, Fleeting Bliss

Satsuki azalea displaying a perfect blend of white with a touch of pink and soft green. The flowers dominate right now, but it’s no accident that the color of the pot enhances the not-so-shabby, deeply grooved trunk and nebari. An earlier shot of the same tree appears below. Trying to buy a little time off (but still working), so rather than dream up a new post, we’ll dip back into our archives. This one originally appeared in May, 2011, with a little value added today. The first three photos in this post are part of a photo album by Andres … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai, Fleeting Bliss

Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s Colorful Side

It takes a strong tree to handle a pot like this. This Pistacio (Pistacia chinensis Bunge) has at least two features that qualify: its muscular trunk which works well with the depth of the pot (deep pots with thin trunks just don’t work) and its lush, full, colorful crown (subtle, but still colorful) which contrasts with, and is not overpowered by, the pot’s brilliance. The trees shown here are all Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s creations. Cheng is famous for his Sidiao method (a technique for creating and enhancing deadwood – more on this tomorrow), but today, in keeping with yesterday’s theme, we’ll show his more colorful side. We’ve featured Cheng, … Continue reading Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s Colorful Side

Satsuki Bonsai – A Passion for Variety & Beauty

This wildly colorful Satsuki Azalea is from a Flowering Bonsai Gallery in Bonsai Today issue 65 (image courtesy of Bonsai Focus). If you take a close look at the flowers, you’ll see that there are a number of different shades and patterns. A mark of human passion for beauty and endless variation. There are few things as delightful as Satsuki azalea bonsai in full bloom. Especially in person. Lacking that, next best are high quality photos of Satsuki azalea in full bloom. Especially during the darkest and coldest days of winter. We borrowed this stunning (some might say gaudy) Satsuki … Continue reading Satsuki Bonsai – A Passion for Variety & Beauty

Happy Bonsai Holidays – Merry Bonsai Christmas

Though it’s usually considered bad form to lop off part of the pot, in this case it’s all about the color (and the wildly expressive trunk). The variety is listed as Issho-no-haru. This and the rest of the photos in this post are from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! No matter what you celebrate (or don’t celebrate), may you and your loved ones enjoy the Season and have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. The photos here are from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. In particular, a part of their collection of Satsuki azalea bonsai … Continue reading Happy Bonsai Holidays – Merry Bonsai Christmas

Satsuki & Other Bonsai, Doug Paul’s Doug Fir & Famous Bonsai Artist in Baggy Pants

Part of the large Satsuki (and maybe other Azaleas?) at the Kennett Collection. There’s no doubt this photo was taken in the spring (Satsuki means 5th month), but we just discovered it and the other shown here yesterday. We haven’t featured the Kennett Collection for a while now, though we did feature a Doug Paul tree that was at the Artisans Cup (see below). These photos (with the exception of the last one) are all from facebook. A different angle and a lot closer. More Satsuki. No label but no doubt it’s a root-over-rock Trident maple in fall … Continue reading Satsuki & Other Bonsai, Doug Paul’s Doug Fir & Famous Bonsai Artist in Baggy Pants

Freeze Damage in Bonsai (& other woody plants)

This luscious planting resides at the North Carolina Arboretum. The photo was put up on the Internet Bonsai Club forum by Arthur Joura. The caption reads “This planting is one of a small handful in our bonsai collection that consists entirely of plant material that can tolerate the extremes of winter, and so it remains on the bench, on display in the Bonsai Exhibition Garden all through the year.” The statement ‘can tolerate the extremes of winter’ makes sense if you live someplace like North Carolina, but not if you live someplace like Vermont. Our Vermont fall foliage extravaganza is … Continue reading Freeze Damage in Bonsai (& other woody plants)

Digging & Field Growing Bonsai in the Early Fall

This sumptuous Satsuki is from Bill Valavanis’ 2014 Japan Satsuki tour. Though I don’t know for sure, based on the massive trunk it’s easy to imagine that it was originally field grown. Early fall is good times to dig and transplant. For me, it’s mostly native larch (some cedar and spruce too) from a friend’s land here in northern Vermont. However, unless you live in the frozen north or blazing tropics, Satsuki azaleas just might work for you. This post (from 2009) is taken from one of many field growing posts we’ve done over the years. I have edited (italics) … Continue reading Digging & Field Growing Bonsai in the Early Fall