A Happy Bonsai Accident

The original caption from Milan Karpíšek reads “Sabina of my friend ready for a show.” From this we might assume that the tree belongs to a friend and was styled by Milan, but we know about assumptions. The three trees shown here are from Milan Karpíšek’s fb photos (Milan is from the Czech Republic). Like many of the bonsai featured here, these were discovered by accident (aka stumbled upon). A very happy accident indeed. After yesterday’s post featuring two Savin junipers (Juniperus sabina) by Gaicomo Pappalardo, I went back to see others we’ve featured over the years and was surprised by just how … Continue reading A Happy Bonsai Accident

Extreme Bonsai

Perfect! The tree is a Savin juniper (Juniperus sabina) and you already know the painting. Before I realized that Gaicomo Pappalardo’s bonsai nursery is called Extreme Bonsai, I was taken with how unusual many of his trees are. Now it all make sense. Today we’ve got three of Gaicomo’s Junipers that caught my eye. If you’d like to see more, you might want to visit Extreme Bonsai’s website or facebook timeline. Or in person if you’re ever in A Coruña, Spain. 30% OFF BONSAI FERTILIZER SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT Tuesday, May 15th at 11:59pm EDT – Another wild and wonderful full cascade Juniperus sabina … Continue reading Extreme Bonsai

Before & After Bonsai – Rediscovering a Juniper’s Natural Beauty

Here’s Tyler Sherrod’s caption for a job well done…. “Just wired up this juniper for Joe Noga. He has owned this tree for about 30 years. It was grafted with kishu foilage by Mr. Mas Ishii of California. Another cool piece of history of bonsai in America.” Monday morning and we’re already behind, so we’ll let the photos do the talking…. except to say that Tyler Sherrod is one of several Americans (and other Westerners) who has gone through the rigors of a Bonsai apprenticeship in Japan and has brought back his impressive knowledge and skills. Here’s you link to Tyler on fb. 30% off Bonsai … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai – Rediscovering a Juniper’s Natural Beauty

A Little Imagination and a Whole Lot of Experience and Skill

This dramatic Mountain Hemlock was recently restyled (reimagined) by Michael Hagedorn and friends. Here’s part of a quote by Michael… “Very old Hemlock …. often have idiosyncratic branching, and in the restyling … we tried to feature the lines of these unusual branches that were created in the wild, without influence or manipulation in the studio…” The whole quote is below Michael Hagedorn (Crataegus Bonsai) continues to amaze. With an abiding respect for the tree and an approach that is so uniquely his that you might recognize his trees in an instant. Which in this case is a remarkable old Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana). Rather than say more, we’ll … Continue reading A Little Imagination and a Whole Lot of Experience and Skill

You Don’t Have to Go to Japan to Study Bonsai with Bjorn

This powerful little White pine-over-rock is from the Fujikawa International School of Bonsai website. Yesterday we mentioned Bjorn Bjorholm’s upcoming Advanced Bonsai Coourse with Bonsai Empire (see below). This got me thinking about Bjorn’s history here on Bark, so I took a little journey through our archives and came up with this from June, 2013, one of our earliest Bjorn posts The post was titled Study Bonsai in the Old Country. It featured the Fujikawa International School of Bonsai and Bjorn’s role their at the time. Here’s your link if you’d like a little bonsai history. NEW SPECIAL HIGH IMPACT PLASTIC BONSAI POTS 25% OFF LIST PRICES … Continue reading You Don’t Have to Go to Japan to Study Bonsai with Bjorn

Magnificent Cliff Bonsai & Bjorn’s Advanced Bonsai Course

Here’s a challenge for you. Take a look at this Cliff Bonsai photo and the next couple (but don’t scroll all the way down) and see if you can figure out just how big they are. I borrowed this and the other photos in this post from Bonsai Empire. The artist/mastercraftsman is Daisuke Nakajima. Here’s what Oscar (Bonsai Empire) wrote about these Cliff Bonsai… “Trees clinging to a steep cliff, roots entangled in solid rock and beautifully detailed miniature buildings – welcome to the mysterious world of “Cliff Bonsai”. Japanese artist Daisuke Nakajima created these four stunning miniature landscapes, and agreed to share his creations with us. … Continue reading Magnificent Cliff Bonsai & Bjorn’s Advanced Bonsai Course

Small Is Beautiful (& Practical Too)

This banyan style dwarf Snow rose serissa (Serissa foetida microphylla) was styled by David Fukumoto of Fuku Bonsai in Hawaii. The pot is a Tokoname from Japan. Living in the tropics is a big plus when it comes to growing aerial roots. Monday morning, Stone Lantern’s peak season and the busiest time of year for bonsai growers, so it’s back to our archives. This one is from April, 2014 Based on thirty five years experience in bonsai business, I’d say that the majority of our readers and customers are into their middle years or beyond. I’m sure there are several good reasons for this, but … Continue reading Small Is Beautiful (& Practical Too)

Celebrating Bonsai & the Arrival of Our Bright Sun

This brilliant Deshojo Japanese maple (Acer palmatum var. Deshojo) and the equally brilliant rising sun scroll belong to Bill Valavanis. All the photos shown here were borrowed from Bill Valavanis’ timeline. Here’s Bill’s caption… “Alcove display for tonight’s Introductory to Classical Bonsai Course. Deshojo Japanese maple displayed with a ripe strawberry accessory. Although the rising sun theme hanging scroll is generally only used once a year in Japan on New Year’s Day, it was used tonight to celebrate the bright sun and 85F weather we enjoyed during the day.” By the way, Bill Valavanis is, in addition to being a highly respected bonsai … Continue reading Celebrating Bonsai & the Arrival of Our Bright Sun

Sweet Trees, but They Grow Microscopically…

You can tell this is a genuine Dwarf Kingsville boxwood by the tight tiny leaves. This planting by Boon Manakitivipart was the winner of the Certre Award at the 2010 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. Continuing with Kingsville boxwoods and with Boon (see above), we’ve got three more Dwarf Kingsvilles today. Sweet trees, but they grow microscopically, so don’t expect fat trunks any time soon. NEW Bonsai Book Special 50% off list on Stone Lantern & Haskill Creek Publishing Books 30% off list on All Other Books This has to one of the most perfectly conceived and executed Kingsville boxwoods you’ll see … Continue reading Sweet Trees, but They Grow Microscopically…

Seven Pots for One Tree – What’s Your Choice?

Seven choices for Boon’s Kingsville boxwood. One stands out as by far the best choice for me, but I’m pretty sure we won’t all agree. Which pot would you choose? Boon Manakitivipart is at it again. Boon regularly posts his which pot? questions and we regularly borrow them. Judging by the response, it’s one of our most popular type posts, so as long as Boon is willing, we’ll keep putting them up. If you would like to share your choice, you can go to our facebook comments or you can go directly to the source (that would be Boon). Or you … Continue reading Seven Pots for One Tree – What’s Your Choice?