Born in the U.S.A. & A Couple Recent Immigrants

Picasso’s (aka Dan Robinson’s) now famous wild and wonderful Hinoki. It’s from Will Hiltz’ excellent book, Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees, about Dan’s life and work. It’s no longer available through Stone Lantern, but I think they might still have some at Dan’s Elandan Gardens. Here’s the original Bark post. It’s Independence Day (here in the USA at least)! To help you celebrate, why not enjoy a sampling of home-grown (and a couple recent immigrant) bonsai from previous Bark posts? But first, because many of our readers are not US Americans (and because some US Americans don’t know much about history … Continue reading Born in the U.S.A. & A Couple Recent Immigrants

Quick & Easy Azaleas in Bloom

This striking Kyushu azalea (Rhododendron Kiusianum) with its wild almost chaotic trunk is from an Art of Bonsai Project contest held in 2005. It belongs to (or belonged to?) Melvyn Goldstein. The only thing I would take issue with is the pot. Not to say that this isn’t a very nice pot (and very clean and well oiled), it’s just that a shallower glazed oval might be better. BTW: Kyushu are not Satsuki azaleas. Kyushu usually bloom in March or April (depending on where they are) while Satsuki bloom in May (again depending and thus the name Satsuki, which means … Continue reading Quick & Easy Azaleas in Bloom

No Mean Feat

This remarkable Satsuki azalea with its bright profusion of flowers belongs to Teunis Jan Klein. It’s not very often you see a cascade with such a long reach (both vertically and horizontally). What’s more remarkable is the mass of flowers around the tip, which is almost as strong as the crown. That much strength so far from the base is no mean feat. This photo and the other photos in this post are from Hans Van Meer’s blog. It was taken at the 7th Het Westen Bonsai Show in Delft, Netherlands. All the photos in this post have been borrowed … Continue reading No Mean Feat

Stunning Satsuki & No Slouches

This Nikko Satsuku Azalea is from the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s Japanese collection. It was donated by Masayuki Nakamura. See May 25 – June 2 below for an important upcoming event at the Museum. May 25-26: If you’re anywhere near Slovakia next weekend and you like the name ‘Tea House of Good People’ as much as I do, then this one is a don’t miss event, which judging by the photo above (especially the Juniper on the right), should feature some pretty good bonsai. This one is a Korin Satsuki. Like the magnificent Nikko Satsuki above, it … Continue reading Stunning Satsuki & No Slouches

Kokufu: More of the Very Best Bonsai

2012 Kokufu Prize wining informal upright Osakazuki Satsuki azalea (Rhododendron lateritium var. Osakazuki). This and the other images in this post are from Phoenix Bonsai. As long as we’re stealing images from Phoenix Bonsai Society we might as well pillage their text: “This now eight-day February national exhibit of bonsai is the largest and most prestigious of all bonsai shows worldwide. The Nippon Bonsai Association (NBA), the official sponsor of the event, has worked diligently over many years to insure that only the finest bonsai in Japan are displayed. To win one of the several prizes or sho awarded greatly … Continue reading Kokufu: More of the Very Best Bonsai

Still the Best

When I first saw this tree I thought it might be a Yew. But, the bark isn’t right, and even the foliage, though close, isn’t quite right either. Fortunately, Peter Tea solved the problem in his 2011 Taikan-ten Exhibition post. Peter’s caption reads: “This Yew Hemlock caught many peoples attention. It made sense that it took the prize for medium conifer. We don’t have any Yews here at Aichien because they don’t do well in the hot weather that we have in Nagoya.” As for the species, it turns out that there are two Hemlocks that are native to Japan … Continue reading Still the Best

Satsuki, Starflower & Not Much More

You can tell by the little symbol in lower right corner that this azalea was borrowed from Bonsai Empire. However, when I went back to find it, it seems to have vanished. So, no name, no specs & no attribution (our friend Jose Luis says that it’s from the Kennentt Collection and Terry Davis say it’s a Nyohozan – see comments below). Just a great Satsuki with a massive gnarly trunk, a colorful display of flowers, two large holes (like dark eyes peering out), and a nice pot. I’m in Portland studying with Michael Hagedorn (more on this later), so … Continue reading Satsuki, Starflower & Not Much More

Delightful Points of Color & More…

There’s much to say about this magnificent tree: First the gem-like male pine cones that cover much of the tree add delightful points of color; and they go perfectly with the well-chosen (and beautifully cleaned up) pot. Then there’s the way the undulating twin trunks harmonize so well; one slanting style and one semi-cascading style. You might also notice that there isn’t much in the way of counter-balancing branching, yet the whole planting seems stable. I think this is mostly due to the weight of the pot and mounded soil, and also to the anchoring effect of the gnarly nebari … Continue reading Delightful Points of Color & More…

Random Shots

I believe this photo came from Certre, though I don’t know who the artist is. In any case, it’s a powerful full cascade with a strong trunk, good movement and great pot. I’m traveling again and pressed for time, so I’ll make it brief. I pulled the photos for this post from a couple old folders of random shots. Unfortunately, some are poorly labeled and I’ve forgotten where they came from. Maybe someone out there can help with identification. This delightfully showy maverick is labeled Empirreken (nothing turned up on google). Lot’s of time and no small amount of … Continue reading Random Shots

A Boon to Bonsai

From chuhin to shohin. I have a soft spot for stubby little trees. Especially ones with reams of character like this European olive that was originally a stump dug from Boon Manakitivipart’s garden. Bonsai Boon Boon Manakitivipart is without doubt one of North America’s most influential bonsai artists and teachers. Several of his students have become important artists and teachers in their own right, and countless trees of Boon’s and his students’ have appeared on this blog, in magazines and books and elsewhere on the web. All of the photos in this posts (except the very last one) are from … Continue reading A Boon to Bonsai