Surayama – Shimpaku, Spruce & Several Others

It’s a little surprising that there are so few good shots of bonsai in creative settings. Not that they don’t exist, just that they don’t exist in larger numbers. This one was borrowed from Peter Warren’s Surayama, as were all the photos in this post. We’re merging two themes from recent posts: Rosemary bonsai and Peter Warren’s bonsai. Only one Rosemary actually, but all the bonsai shown here are Peter’s. This is not the first time we’ve featured Peter Warren’s bonsai and, as we are fond of saying, won’t be the last. Peter is an accomplish bonsai artist and teacher … Continue reading Surayama – Shimpaku, Spruce & Several Others

Professional Nanny & Famous Bonsai Artist Suthin Is Downsizing His Personal Bonsai Collection

This powerful Japanese maple is one of many bonsai from Suthin Sukosolvisit’s private collection that are now offered for sale. You can find this tree and the others in this post on Suthin’s facebook feed and more on his website. This is your chance. Friend to all and gifted Bonsai Artist Suthin Sukosolvisit is downsizing his bonsai collection. These are not the ordinarily excellent trees that he regularly sells at shows and at his studio/nursery, these are some of his favorites from his personal collection. In Suthin’s own words: “Due to my hectic schedule, old age, and slowly becoming a … Continue reading Professional Nanny & Famous Bonsai Artist Suthin Is Downsizing His Personal Bonsai Collection

Just for Fun – A Short & Sweet Bonsai Gallery

Bill Valavanis just put this remarkably brilliant Seigen Japanese maple up on facebook (with a value added short story). Just got back from two day trip with some catching up to do, so we’ll make this one a short and sweet three tree gallery (by three of our favorite bonsai artists). Suthin just put this Shimpaku and friends up with “Just for fun” as a tag line. BTW Though most people know him as just Suthin, his whole name is Suthin Sukosolvisit. Robert Steven put this distinctively thin tree up a few days ago. You don’t see slant … Continue reading Just for Fun – A Short & Sweet Bonsai Gallery

Which Pot Do You Prefer?

These four images were borrowed from Juraj Szabó on facebook. Juraj lives, works and plays in Slovakia. The tree is a Shimpaku juniper (Juniperus chinensis sargentii). Juraj doesn’t say where the pots came from, though a couple look like they might be either Tokoname or Yixing pots. Most of our previous Which Pot? posts have been lifted from Boon Manakitivipart, so it was nice to discover one from someone (and somewhere) else. Nothing against Boon’s offerings, he puts on a world class facebook bonsai show, just a nice change of pace. A couple details: First, it’s best if you put your … Continue reading Which Pot Do You Prefer?

A Sneak Preview of the 4th U.S. National Bonsai Album

We just got our advance copy of the 4th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album. Like the last three, it’s better than the one that came before. This speaks volumes (unintended) for North American Bonsai. It also speaks loud and clear of the tireless effort that Bill Valavanis and friends put into the Exhibitions and the albums. Stay posted for the arrival of the 4th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album. Meanwhile here’s a quick sneak preview of the cover and a couple shots from inside the album. This Itoigawa shimpaku juniper won the finest medium size bonsai award. It belongs … Continue reading A Sneak Preview of the 4th U.S. National Bonsai Album

Americans Abroad

This beautifully flowing Sargent juniper(Juniperus chinensis var. Sargentii ‘Itoigawa’ – aka Itoigawa Shimpaku) belongs to Douglas Paul, the owner of The Kennett Collection (we’ve featured The Collection here on Bark). This and the other photos in this post are borrowed from Bill Valavanis’ Bonsai blog. Just in case you are not familiar with Kokufu ten, it’s a bonsai exhibition that takes place in Tokyo once a year and is widely considered the world’s most famous and prestigious bonsai event. 2015 was its 89th year, which I believe makes it the world’s oldest bonsai exhibition as well as the most famous. Simply … Continue reading Americans Abroad

Two Very Large & Very Famous Bonsai

This remarkable tree is said to be at least 800 years old and may be one of the most valuable bonsai in the world. I borrowed the photo from Bonsai Empire. Busy today so we’ll keep this short and sweet. Both Shimpaku junipers shown here belong to Kunio Kobayashi, one of the best known and most respected Bonsai artists in the world (it’s hard to argue with a four time winner of the prestigious Prime Minister’s award at Sakufu ten bonsai professional’s exhibition). Mr Kobayashi’s nursery, Shunka En, is located in Tokyo and is open to visitors. Be sure to … Continue reading Two Very Large & Very Famous Bonsai

Not Shimpaku: A Juniper Bonsai Non Starter

This lovely tree with its natural flowing feel is from a 2012 Bark post. The tree resides at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. It’s listed as a Procumbens nana, though I’ve never seen a ‘nana’ with such a massive trunk. Which begs the question… (the story is here). It’s archive time again. This post originally appeared in September 2013. It was titled Not Shimpaku and was supposed to be the start of a series on juniper bonsai. Like many starts in life, it turned out to be a non-starter (maybe later…?). Japanese Garden Juniper bonsai Shimpaku junipers rule. You … Continue reading Not Shimpaku: A Juniper Bonsai Non Starter

Be There Or Else…

This image was taken from Bill Valavanis’ 4th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition website. If you are one of the three or four people who don’t know about this most important upcoming bonsai event, it’s time to educate yourself. The 4th U.S.National Bonsai Exhibition starts in eight days. We (that’s me) strongly suggest you be there or else you’ll miss the most important U.S. bonsai event since 2012 (the 3rd National Exhibition). It’s not too late to register and enjoy some of the best bonsai and most talented bonsai artists in North America (and beyond). This wonderful Sargent juniper planting belongs … Continue reading Be There Or Else…

Twisted & Otherwise Abused

Man made twisting. This little Shimpaku juniper was grown (in Japan) and shaped by human hands. Whoever grew it did a great job at creating a natural effect – it’s almost impossible to mimic the raw and rugged look that nature sometimes comes up with after hundreds of years of stressful conditions. The final styling was done by Masahiko Kimura. You can find this photo and the chapter that shows Kimura shaping this tree in The Magician, the Bonsai Art of Kimura 2. The following photos are from a post titled Creating Twisted Juniper on a blog that I happily … Continue reading Twisted & Otherwise Abused