The Finest of the Fine

This luminous Tensho Satsuki Azalea belongs to Joseph Noga of Winterville, NC. You can find it and the other photos in this post, in Fine Bonsai, Art and Nature. The finest of the fine It’s not that these are the finest bonsai in the world and it’s not that they aren’t either. It’s more the combination of top quality bonsai and top quality photography has resulted in some of the finest bonsai photos you’ll see anywhere. In this vein, it’s important to bear in mind that these digital images, though very good, are inadequate. For the full effect and for … Continue reading The Finest of the Fine

More Bonsai Winners

Winner of the Yoshimura Award. It’s a Nikko Satsuki Azalea by Robert Blankfield of Rochester, New York. Round two This is our second posting of the winners of the 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition which was held two weeks ago. We still have some to show, so stand by for a third posting. Night and day The photos from the 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition are professional and well done. However, the difference between seeing the splendid power of top quality bonsai up close and personal, and photos of those same top quality bonsai are, to borrow a common phrase, … Continue reading More Bonsai Winners

Restyling a Mugo, Offing a Shari, Bonsai Tourists, More Bonsai Rafting & Some Excellent Events

This old beauty is one of hundreds of quality bonsai that was featured at the 2nd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Nikko Satsuki Azalea that belongs to The Kennett Collection. It originally belonged to Kunio Kobayashi who started it by planting smaller trees next to each other. The 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition takes place June 9th and 10th in Rochester NY. It’s not too late to sign up. Now half price. Order this collector’s set from the first two U.S. National Bonsai Exhibitions and save 50% It’s not a bonsai, but it is a sweet photo. … Continue reading Restyling a Mugo, Offing a Shari, Bonsai Tourists, More Bonsai Rafting & Some Excellent Events

Kokufu & the Upcoming 2012 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

This Shishigashira Japanese maple was a 2012 Kokufu award winner. A few things stand out about this remarkable tree: the shape, with most of the action on one side is somewhat unusual for a Japanese maple; the wonderful nebari with its smooth spread and the way it stabilizes the top of the tree; and the undulating movement of the branching (from primary branches all the way out to the tips of the twigs). Best in show All the photos in this post are from Bill Valavanis’ 2012 KOKUFU BONSAI EXHIBITION REPORT which appears on the Internet Bonsai Club. You might … Continue reading Kokufu & the Upcoming 2012 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

Bonsai Bark Weekly Wire #3

This photo of Kobayashi Nursery comes from Soh-Ju-En Satsuki Bonsai. I assume it’s Kunio Kobayashi*** (he’s won awards for Satsuki bonsai), but my research team (that’s me) is a little over-worked right now and is having trouble finding time, so we’ll have to leave it at that. ***Thanks to Marc (see comments below) we now know that this photo is of Kobayashi Sangyo Satsuki Bonsai Nursery and is not Kunio Kobayashi’s. Do your tools look like this? If not, then here’s a hot tip on how you can make it happen: visit Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s most excellent website (he’s one … Continue reading Bonsai Bark Weekly Wire #3

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 trunk and nebari. An earlier shot of the same tree appears below. Mis Arboles by Andres Alvarez Iglesias The first three photos in this post are part of a photo album by Andres Alvarez Iglesias that appears on facebook. The title of the photo album is ‘Mis Arboles’ (my trees). The forth photo appears on Andres’ website. All too fleeting It’s flower time here in northern … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai, Fleeting Bliss

Three Monster Satsuki Bonsai

A prize winning Satsuki azalea from Bonsai -Matsuda Seishoen displaying it power, balance and tranquility. A rare and wonderful trunk The trunk on this Satsuki azalea (above) is near perfection; heavy and powerful with great texture, color and a well balanced yet completely natural looking nebari that adds stability with the way its fingers clutch the soil (okay, okay, getting a little carried away, but still…). Japanese style Some people say that Japanese bonsai are often overly stylized. If you are of that opinion, then you might think that the foliage pads on this tree are too neatly trimmed and … Continue reading Three Monster Satsuki Bonsai

Laying An Old Misconception To Rest

Flowering cherry (Prunus apetala) by Kyuzo Murata. From his book Four Seasons of Bonsai (sadly, long out of print). Misconception “in Japan, flowering bonsai, need to be displayed with only few flowers. It is considered bad taste to present a bonsai in full flowering.” (from a comment on facebook). Rules vs guidelines There are a host of misconceptions about bonsai. They often arise when we think there are fixed rules (there aren’t any in bonsai, except maybe in judged contests, and these are often fluid). There are however, plenty of useful guidelines. Pinching flowers One guideline that can be helpful, … Continue reading Laying An Old Misconception To Rest

Satsuki Art Blooms at the National Museum

The sky blue pot is the perfect compliment to the light pink flowers on this powerful Satsuki Azalea that resides at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington DC. There are a multitude of cultivars in the Satsuki group of azaleas. This one is a ‘Nikko.’ It was donated to the museum by Masayuki Nakamura. As you read this… … one of the best and most breathtaking exhibits of blooming satsuki azaleas is taking place at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. It has already started (May 29th) but don’t despair, it runs until June 13th. Even if you … Continue reading Satsuki Art Blooms at the National Museum

Flowering Bonsai #3

I’m not sure what this is and I apologize for the somewhat blurry image. Beyond that, it’s another example of a flowering bonsai that is designed to show off its flowers rather than its bonsai chops. In fact, without its flowers, it’s quite conventional with its commercial spiral S shape and funky nebari. I got it from the April page on our 2010 bonsai calendar. Aha! A little better. This satsuki azalea holds its own as a bonsai, with or without flowers (though the power of the ‘with’ is hard to deny). I borrowed the image from Classic Bonsai of … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai #3