Bonsai Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beast of the Southern Wild. We don’t know the dimensions of this monster, but we know its name. It’s a Pithecellobium unguis (Catclaw black bead), a genus and species completely new to us (and probably new to you too). As you can see, this particular bonsai is about as unique as they get with nature doing most of the work and Nacho Marin providing the finishing touches. Getting ready to head out of town for a little mixed R&R and work (there’s always some work), so we’ll take a shortcut today. This post originally appeared in February, 2015, though from where we sit now, it … Continue reading Bonsai Beasts of the Southern Wild

A Bonsai Life

This prize winning Ficus neriifolia belongs to Ed Trout. I like its relaxed, almost sensuous look. Or if you’re not into anthropomorphizing bonsai, you might just notice its wide stable nebari and its stout well tapered trunk and leave it at that. All the photos in this post are from Bonsai Mary. In keeping with our tropical theme from yesterday and our mention of Mary Miller (Bonsai Mary) from the day before, I dug up this up from our archives (April, 2010, with some editing today) Mary Miller’s years of experience as a bonsai teacher, author and grower come together very nicely in her Bonsai … Continue reading A Bonsai Life

Tropical Bonsai Before & After by Robert Steven

Before and after by Robert Steven. The before is a photo that was submitted to Robert by David Royinsyah. The after is a digital simulation by Robert. The tree is a Tamarindus indica, a type of tropical legume. The photos are from the Black Scissors Community. It has been a while since we posted one of Robert Steven’s simulated before and after photos. In addition to being one of the foremost bonsai artists in the world, Robert is a bonsai teacher, so his before and afters are always information rich, with comments about style, technique, horticultural considerations and even bonsai history. Continued below… Brand … Continue reading Tropical Bonsai Before & After by Robert Steven

Tiger Bark Bonsai

We’ve shown this magnificent Tiger bark ficus (Ficus retusa) before, but not this cropped front shot. The photo of the entire tree is below along with several other shots that focus on sections. The photos and the tree belong to Nacho Marin. Bonsai Aesthetics Wire SPECIAL 100 gram rolls Only 2.95 500 gram (1.1 lb) rolls Only 8.95 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) rolls Only 15.95 I know we’ve shown this front view of the entire tree before, but it’s worth another look The base of the trunk NEW BONSAI TOOL KIT SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES ALL BONSAI TOOL KITS plus an extra … Continue reading Tiger Bark Bonsai

More Magnificent Mugo Pines

This superb Mugo pine has a distinctly natural feel. Almost as if someone found it just as is, growing somewhere high in the European Alps. Still, whenever you see a bonsai, a human hand is intimately involved. Even when the tree appears perfectly natural (in some cases, especially when the tree appears perfectly natural). In the case of both trees shown here, the human hand belongs to Georg Reinhard. We borrowed the photos from a post we did in November, 2010. It was titled Mugos by Mother Nature & Georg Reinhard Continuing with our Mugo pine theme from yesterday… I … Continue reading More Magnificent Mugo Pines

Bonsai Wizardry – Before & After

Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) before and after. The artist is Suthin Sukosolvisit, who wrote that it took only one year from before to after, which might lead you to believe that the before tree is bigger than it looks. Here’s your link to the original Suthin, day three… Part of this post is from one we did back in December 2013. It was titled Flying High with Suthin (don’t even think it… I was on a plane). Coincidentally, in that original post I happened to mention a bit about flying by the comedian Louie C.K., who unfortunately is in the news this week . NEW Bonsai Aesthetics … Continue reading Bonsai Wizardry – Before & After

Just for Fun!!! – Shohin Mugo Pine Before & After

After. Mugo pine by Suthin Sukosolvisit. We know you like to see the before and after photos side by side, but in this case it doesn’t fit the format on social media, so we put it just below Continuing with Suthin. Today it’s a Before and After. As you can see just below, something very unusual has happened. How did he compress this tree so radically? And how long did it take him? Suthin doesn’t say, but if you look at the closeup below, it’s not too difficult to see. Both photos shown here are from Suthin’s timeline. Continued below… NEW SPECIAL Okatsune Bonsai & … Continue reading Just for Fun!!! – Shohin Mugo Pine Before & After

A Masterful Example of how Energy Can Be Redirected

This powerful old cascading Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii) is a masterful example of how energy can be directed downward in a tree that naturally wants to grow upward. The photo is from Bonsai Today Master Series; Pines. A late start today, so it’s time for a journey into our past. This post was one of our very firsts (Feb 2009 with an added azalea photo from a later post), but like so much with bonsai, is still 100% pertinent today… and tomorrow, and so forth. Whenever you prune, trim or pinch, you are redirecting energy. If you remove a … Continue reading A Masterful Example of how Energy Can Be Redirected

Redwood Empire

Though the trunk on this two header monster expresses sheer power, the branches and foliage are surprisingly delicate and graceful. The tree is a Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), a species* that happens to be the tallest tree on this planet (there are a few hidden in the wilds of northwest California that tower to as high as 400 feet – 122 meters). You don’t see that many top notch Redwood bonsai and, in my experience, most of the ones you do see come from members of the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society (who knew that the group that calls themselves Redwood Empire would have … Continue reading Redwood Empire

NEW 2018 Bonsai Calendars Are Here!

2018 Bonsai Calendars They’re here and they’re beautiful – Enjoy 26 powerful Japanese bonsai Next year you can cut off the dates & enjoy beautiful wall hangings 30″ x 14″ – 13 pages – made in Japan – Note: The photos shown here are from 2017 Our photographer is off for a couple days & we didn’t want to wait we’ll have our 2018 photos by Tuesday special extended one day! BONSAI AESTHETICS TOOL SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES extended until tomorrow Aesthetics tools for the budget minded bonsai enthusiast special ends Monday Nov 6th at noon EST