American Larch & Other Bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

A famous American larch (Aka Tamarack – Larix laricina) in full fall color (larch are one of a small handful of deciduous conifer in the world). The artist is ‘Larch Master’ Nick Lenz. It’s a massive tree. Much bigger than you might think based on this photo We (Stone Lantern) are bringing about 30 field grown larches to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (September 8th & 9th in Rochester, NY – the one bonsai event not to miss!) Almost all of our larches are 15 to 20 years old and most are in nursery pots and have had minimal … Continue reading American Larch & Other Bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

Japanese Maple Bonsai Through Three Seasons

Japanese maple in its fall brilliance. From the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Continuing with Maples at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum we came up with this one from our archives. It’s a single Japanese maple in three stages of it’s annual migration through the seasons. There’s a lot to like about this tree but there’s one question that arises; have you ever seen a bonsai with such a flat top? This is especially pronounced in the fall and summer photos Continued below… BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL ALL BONSAI TOOLS & GARDEN TOOLS 25% OFF LIST PRICES special ends Sunday, August 25th Winter. Maybe this is the … Continue reading Japanese Maple Bonsai Through Three Seasons

A Bonsai in Hand – a Quick Study on Perspective

This Willow left Ficus (Ficus nerifolia) belong to Suthin Sukosolvisit. If you are familiar with this species and know something about its typical leaf size, then you may not be fooled by the presentation. However, if you aren’t familiar with this variety of Ficus, you might imagine that the tree is considerably larger than it is A study in perspective with a nod to pot color. When comes to bonsai photos, perspective can be an issue. This is sometimes solved by contrast with a familiar object. Suthin, the artist behind the Ficus shown above and below, sometimes uses a can (something I find a … Continue reading A Bonsai in Hand – a Quick Study on Perspective

Kissing the Rock

That’s a rock sticking out on the left side of this Trident maple. According to Juan Andrade, the maple is kissing the rock (Arce “besando” la roca) Continuing with the bonsai of Juan Andrade… Juan is one of a whole host of young Western apprentices (Costa Rica in Juan’s case) who are studying or have studied in Japan. This post is from our archives (July, 2017) and the photos and quotes shown here are from Juan’s timeline POTTING SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT 25% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL BONSAI SOIL & SOIL INGREDIENTS Special ends Tonight, Sunday, August 19th at 11:59pm … Continue reading Kissing the Rock

Strolling Through Walter’s Backyard Bonsai Garden

Well, we know it’s a pine, but we could only guess the variety and we’ll forsake guessing today (your guess is as good as mine) Seeing the trees photographed at home on their benches is a different experience than seeing them when they are photographed in a studio setting. All the photos shown here are from Jennifer Price’s timeline. The only text provided is… “Discussing trees in Walter Pall garden today….. We’ll leave the rest to you (no guessing or researching today) FALL POTTING SPECIAL ENDS SUNDAY 25% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL HIGH IMPACT PLASTIC BONSAI POTS 25% OFF … Continue reading Strolling Through Walter’s Backyard Bonsai Garden

Our National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, an American Treasure

This famous old Japanese white pine is one of the most powerful bonsai anywhere. You can find it at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. As always. the photo, though enticing, doesn’t begin to do justice Overslept this morning and then had to deal with delivery of 127 boxes of Bonsai Aesthetics wire (about 7,000 individual rolls of wire in 3 sizes: 100gram, 500gram & Kilo rolls), so we’re already way behind schedule. Time for our archives. This one is from Bark’s first month in existence (Feb, 2009) Next time you are in Washington DC, don’t miss the opportunity to visit our exciting National … Continue reading Our National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, an American Treasure

Red Bonsai Pots, a Shift in Taste

This Trident maple (Acer burgerianum) was imported from Japan in 2016 by Walter Pall. The tree is around fifty years old and about 50cm tall (20″). The pot is by Walter Venne. Here’s Walter’s caption… “The maple got a new pot by Walter Venne. To many this will be a big surprise. Ten years ago one could not get a red pot nor could one sell it. Now it’s still very new and somehow daring to use one. In ten years it will be common. A shift in taste is going on.” Walter Pall must have one of the largest … Continue reading Red Bonsai Pots, a Shift in Taste

More Ficus Bonsai – Amazing Roshi Tool Special Ends Friday

Finest Tropical Bonsai & Finest Accent Plant. The tree is a Tiger bark Ficus (Ficus microcarpa) by Hoe Chuah. I’ve cropped this lead photo to show just the tree (a photo showing Soon Chuah’s companion is just below and a photo of the tree with the companion is below that). The first three photos in this post are from Bonsai Empire. Continuing with our 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition theme from yesterday and our Ficus bonsai theme from the day before. And of course, our encouragement for you to visit the 6th U.S. National next month A family that does … Continue reading More Ficus Bonsai – Amazing Roshi Tool Special Ends Friday

6th U.S. National – Bonsai on a Steady Upward Curve

This award winning dwarf Japanese garden juniper (Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’) belongs to Creighton Bostrom of Waxhaw, North Carolina. The photo is from the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. You can find it and all the other trees in the Exhibition Album. The same goes for the 4th Exhibition (the albums for 1, 2 and 3 are out of print) Thanks to Bonsai Empire for the photos shown here (and for identifying the varieties and the owners). They just made my job easier. And of course, thanks to Bill Valavanis and all the kind folks who put together the previous U.S. National Bonsai Exhibitions … Continue reading 6th U.S. National – Bonsai on a Steady Upward Curve

Movement, Power & Artistic Freedom

Abstract bonsai art. I think there’s a temptation to judge trees with elaborately carved deadwood. But maybe it’s best to just appreciate the skill involved and not worry about too much deadwood or whether the result look like our sense of what’s natural or not. Not to downplay the importance of bonsai the look like trees in nature, rather to appreciate the vast variety of approaches and results in our wonderful world of bonsai Yesterday we featured Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s colorful side. Today we’ll touch upon his famous Sidao carving method and some results. Hopefully this will peak your interest. If … Continue reading Movement, Power & Artistic Freedom