Three Bonsai – Before & After

Three before and after bonsai styling by Juan Andrade. The trees are from top to bottom: Shimpaku juniper, Japanese black pine and a Needle juniper trunk with Shimpaku juniper foliage grafted on. Juan Andrade is a long term apprentice at Bonsai Aichien nursery in Japan. We’ve been following Juan’s progress for a long time (here’s a Bark post from 2012 that features a tree of his). Juan posts regularly on facebook, which is where we found these photos. This pine has a bunjin feel, but I think it’s a little too lush to qualify as bunjin, though I suspect … Continue reading Three Bonsai – Before & After

Colin’s Moon Pot Bonsai

The first time we showed this splendid Shimpaku was back in 2010. Now time and Colin Lewis’ deft touch has wrought some positive changes. Here’s Colin’s caption for this latest iteration. His Majesty: Another last minute de-wiring before sleepy time…. I guess Majesty is Colin’s way of saying he likes this one. Or maybe there’s a fascinating story behind it… At least two things unite the three trees shown here; they all below to Colin Lewis and they are all in moon pots. All three are from Colin’s facebook photos. Colin also has a website with an extensive gallery. … Continue reading Colin’s Moon Pot Bonsai

Nipping & Snapping at Noelanders – Part 2

This one has that wild, almost untouched look, that takes you straight to a rocky ledge off in the mountains somewhere. I don’t know what it is but I like it and its pot. This photo and the others shown here (and in yesterday’s post) were taken by Graham Potter at last weekend’s Noelanders Trophy. Yesterday I wrote “There’s a long discussion on facebook about Noelanders Trophy and some ‘haters’ (an overused word that some people use just because someone else expresses a dislike or a contrary opinion), but I’ve decided that this is a part one post, so we’ll … Continue reading Nipping & Snapping at Noelanders – Part 2

Unusual Bonsai and a Human Tendency to Orthodoxy

This magnificent old yamadori Shimpaku, with its self framing deadwood just might be one of the most outrageously unusual bonsai you’ll ever ever see. It’s from Taisho-en in Japan. I originally found this image here. Today is catch up day after a hectic week, so once again it’s archive time. This one is from August 2014. It was titled ‘A Magnificent Affront to Bonsai Orthodoxy.’ Trees as unusual as the one above are often controversial. I think some of this controversy is a human tendency to orthodoxy. We get used to things a certain way and next thing you know … Continue reading Unusual Bonsai and a Human Tendency to Orthodoxy

Crazy Shimpaku Bonsai

One of several great Shimpaku junipers from a post by Bjorn Bjorholm. I picked this one in part because of the little curlycue jin (dead branch) hanging down. I’ve seen plenty of other intriguing jins, but this one is so distinctive and in a place so prominent that it comes close to stealing the show (in spite of the light background that diminishes its effect, and in spite of the many other wonders of this tree). We’re busy around here, but we’re still trying to post everyday. So, it’s the archives again. This one is from April 2014. I picked … Continue reading Crazy Shimpaku Bonsai

Full Attack Mode

Aggression. Everything is moving to the left. The deadwood, which is so dominant appears to be in full attack mode, while the crown and living branches provide some contrast (speaking of contrasts, you might notice the piece of wood pushing a piece of the trunk up and the wire pulling another piece down). Whether you like this tree or not, my guess is you’ll remember it. I found these photos here. Due to the language I don’t know much beyond that. Feel free to do your own research (you could start with the face below). The long needles and … Continue reading Full Attack Mode

The Sargent

This dynamic tree with its unusual trunk shaped liked the number 3 (this effect is enhanced by the fluid, brush stroke like movement that runs up and down the length of the trunk) belongs to Marcelo Michelotti. He calls it Il Sergente (see below). Yesterday I stumbled upon the bonsai of Marcelo Michelotti, yet another of the talented bonsai artists that seem to be popping up everywhere lately. Marcelo lives and works in Alta Gracia, Argentina. All the photos shown here are from his facebook feed. A lovely confusion of names. Marcelo calls the tree above Il Sergente (the Sargent). … Continue reading The Sargent

Bonsai Brilliance at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Cork bark Chinese elm in full fall brilliance at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. You don’t see that many good Chinese elm bonsai. I like this one a lot; its color, the heavy trunk with its corky bark, the handsome Tokoname pot. This photo and the others in this post are from the bonsai collection on the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens website. With the exception of the Trident maple root-over-rock just below, and some re-writing to bring things up to date, the rest of this post appeared back in December 2013. Though I haven’t been there for a long time, I think … Continue reading Bonsai Brilliance at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Slow Down & Take a Bonsai Tour

Michael Hagedorn reworked this Sierra juniper (grafted with shimpaku) in a refinement session at the Weyerhaeuser bonsai collection (now the Pacific Bonsai Museum), way back in 2009. The before photo is below. This is the third time for this post (nonwithstanding some key changes and additions). And though today is not yet Labor Day, it is Labor Day weekend. Time to chill with family, friends and late summer bonsai chores. It’s rare to find writing that explores our thoughts when we work on our bonsai. So I was surprised and delighted when I read Michael Hagedorn’s post on Crataegus Bonsai, … Continue reading Slow Down & Take a Bonsai Tour

Revisiting An Old & Still Relevant Bonsai Debate

Hinoki cypress by Dan Robinson. From Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees. An excellent example of a naturalistic bonsai. I think it’s time to revisit a discussion that seems to provoke plenty of interest each time we bring it up (there were 35 comments to this post back in 2011 and numerous comments to previous posts on topic). It’s also timely given that Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees is now back in print and Dan Robinson’s bonsai play a big part in the discussion. A note about Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees that I neglected to mention last post: By agreement with the publisher, … Continue reading Revisiting An Old & Still Relevant Bonsai Debate