Shohin Bonsai

Small Is Beautiful

Caught in the act of flowering. This ubiquitous little hawthorn belongs to Morten Albek, shohin bonsai artist, author and teacher. The display appeared during a visit to Denmark by Tomohiro Masumi. Tomohiro Masumi, Morten Albek & Shohin bonsai Rather than bore you with my take on things, I’ll just post a few photos I think you might appreciate. If you want more (photos and information), you can visit Morten’s facebook post on Tomohiro Masumi’s visit to Denmark, or you can go directly to Morten’s website. If you’d like to dig deeper, you can also visit Tomohiro’s website. And then there’s … Continue reading Small Is Beautiful

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

World’s Smallest Bonsai?

Micro tree. Is this a Japanese maple? It’s from a facebook posting by Bonsai Guest House. Novelty? Usually, when something is billed as the world’s smallest (see below) or largest, or..?,  it moves into that surreal novelty realm. Would you say these tiny bonsai qualify? I’m not so sure. There’s an art to doing this and to keeping the tiny trees healthy. Still….. A place to stay The photos in this post are from Bonsai Guest House in Osaka. I know almost nothing about the place, but you might want to check it out on your next Japan junket. $1,000 … Continue reading World’s Smallest Bonsai?

You Can Win Our $1,000 Bonsai from Scratch Contest!

A close up of a large nursery stock plant that was transformed into a shohin (small bonsai) by Morten Albek (author of Majesty in Miniature, Shohin Bonsai), from Bonsai Today issue 107. Why you can win No one has entered yet. We’ve had a couple threats, but no one has sent us any photos of the raw stock yet. The contest is wide open. One suggestion Do what Morten Albek did. He took a relatively large nursery plant and cut it way down to make a small bonsai. That’s just one idea, but it’s a good one. Another suggestion Do … Continue reading You Can Win Our $1,000 Bonsai from Scratch Contest!

New Leaves & Broken Conventions

Spring! Japanese maple by Morten Albek, author of Majesty in Miniature: Shohin Bonsai. Could it really be? Today we are experiencing our first real taste of spring here in northern Vermont, though we’re still a ways from leaves and flowers (unlike in Denmark, where this little maple lives, and where it never gets real cold). A sweet little tree I don’t know what the variety is, but it’s obvious that this very sweet little bonsai is a Japanese maple. Even though the tree is very small, the nebari is quite strong and lends a feeling of both age and stability. … Continue reading New Leaves & Broken Conventions

$250 Bonsai from Scratch Contest

A good example of a bonsai from scratch. Especially considering where it came from (see below). European yew (Taxus baccata) by Morten Albek (author of Majesty in Miniature, Shohin Bonsai), from Bonsai Today issue 107. Height 7″ Bonsai from Scratch It’s time to get start thinking about your entry in our upcoming Bonsai from Scratch Contest. We’re going to make it worth your while with a $250 Stone Lantern gift certificate for the winner and other gifts for outstanding entries. Five easy steps to get you started 1. Find an untrained stock plant. Your choice of size, variety etc. 2. … Continue reading $250 Bonsai from Scratch Contest

The Evolution of a Honeysuckle

Morten Albek’s now famous shohin Boxleaf honeysuckle as it appeared in the 2010 Danish Bonsai Exhibition where it was part of Morten’s winning shohin display (see below). Morten is the author of Majesty in Miniature: Shohin Bonsai (Stone Lantern publishing) and creator of the Shohin-Bonsai Europe website. Here’s how it looked when it appeared on the cover of Bonsai Today issue 105 six years ago. Same pot, but if you compare this with it’s later incarnation above (disregarding that this photo’s is much sharper) you’ll see a tree is maturing in a very positive direction. Moten’s winning display. In case … Continue reading The Evolution of a Honeysuckle

More Mammouth Book Discounts

Morten Albek’s classic book on small bonsai is marked down from $24.95 to only $9.95. This is the only book on Shohin bonsai in English and is both beautifully photographed and thorough going in its coverage of the ins and out of styling and growing small and miniature bonsai. As we’ve already stated, we can’t do this with most books… … just the ones we published. We pay way too much for books by other publishers to reduce them this much. However, with our own books, we can do what we want; they were paid for eons ago, and though … Continue reading More Mammouth Book Discounts

Tool Sale Ends Tomorrow: Books Up Next

Right now and until tomorrow (Monday, July 5th) around 9am Eastern Daylight Time, all tools are 35% to 45% off. This sale will be replaced by a book sale (also 35% to 45% off). Speaking of books, the photo above is from Morten Albek’s Shohin Bonsai. Happy 4th but don’t forget to water! Today is July 4th. For some of you, it’s just another Sunday, but it’s Independence Day here in the States. For those of you celebrating, enjoy the sun, the grill, the beer, family and friends (or whatever you choose), but don’t forget to water! Warehouse closed this … Continue reading Tool Sale Ends Tomorrow: Books Up Next

Some Noelanders Mysteries Solved

Another great unidentified tree from the Noelanders Trophy VII No NameBonsai Gallery (see yesterday’s post) that is featured on bonsai4me. I love the way this tree’s wild essence has been left intact, just the way Mother Nature intended. This comes through loud and clear in the deadwood that speaks of great age and looks so perfectly natural; as though the artist never touched it. Mysteries solved Thanks to our friend Ferry Freriks (you might remember Ferry as the winner of our $100 Unique Bonsai Contest), many of the mysteries in yesterday’s No Name Bonsai Gallery have met the light of … Continue reading Some Noelanders Mysteries Solved