More Bonsai Beans

The sweet little Japanese maple belongs to Hiroshi Kunii. Hiroshi calls the pot Maru (circle in Japanese). Continuing with tiny bonsai theme from yesterday…. I borrowed this post from June of last year. It’s definitely worth another look. The tiniest bonsai are called Mame in Japanese (bean in English) and the little trees shown here certainly qualify. They (including the pots) are by Hiroshi Kunii. 30% off Watering Can & Watering Wand Special Ends Tonight, Sunday, at 11:59pm EDT – Here’s part of Hiroshi’s caption (computer translated from Japanese)… Lesser Spindle (Euonymus Alatus), Shooting date: May 18, 2017, Height: 9.5 cm, … Continue reading More Bonsai Beans

A World of Bonsai Creativity

Hand held bonsai come in handy (so to speak). Without the hand, it would be difficult to say just how small this tree is. This little gem and the others shown here, look like Shimpaku junipers (Juniperus sargentii Shimpaku) I just stumbled upon a new one for me. It’s called DANY Bonsai. The translation is… “Danny small works. A world of creativity. Free and carefree.” Not a bad way to view the art of bonsai. Continued below… Deeply Discounted Bonsai Wire KILO ROLLS 17.95 ONLY 15.95 EACH FOR 3 OR MORE 500 GRAM ROLLS 9.95 ONLY 8.95 EACH FOR 3 OR MORE … Continue reading A World of Bonsai Creativity

A Perfect Example of Great Bonsai Ramification

This magnificent Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) received the coveted Kokufu prize at the 88th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition (the oldest and most prestigious bonsai exhibition in the world). Aside from its unique power and beauty, this tree provides a perfect example of what great ramification looks like (made even more obvious by the bright rusty-red leaf buds). The photo is from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation. Identification and other details were provided by Bill Valavanis. Yesterday we discussed ramification so we’ll keep going with this post that we last featured in January, 2015. 30% to 50% off Book Special Ends Soon see below – This … Continue reading A Perfect Example of Great Bonsai Ramification

Deciduous Bonsai & Fine Ramification

Please excuse the fuzz. I lifted this image from youtube and the fuzz came along on its own (there are some still shots below without much fuzz). It’s a Field Elm (Ulmus minor) that belongs to Davide Cardin. The youtube video was shot at the 2016 Bonsai San Show in France. You can learn a lot about deciduous bonsai in the winter. Particularly ramification (see below). Deeply Discounted Bonsai Wire KILO ROLLS 17.95 ONLY 15.95 EACH FOR 3 OR MORE 500 GRAM ROLLS 9.95 ONLY 8.95 EACH FOR 3 OR MORE 100 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 3.95 – Same tree, different pot in this shot from Bonsai … Continue reading Deciduous Bonsai & Fine Ramification

Before & After Bonsai with at Least Five Names

Suthin’s before and after Japanese five needle pine, aka Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora aka Pinus parvifolia). This is the only variety tree that I know of that has two common names in English and two botanical names. To further confuse the issue, in bonsai circles it is sometimes referred to as Goyomatsu (Japanese – Goyo = five needle, Matsu = pine) We never go too long without visiting our friend Suthin Sukosolvisit. If you’d like more, here’s a link to dozens of other Suthin posts we’ve featured over the years. Before. A tree in need of styling and a new pot Wanna learn … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai with at Least Five Names

How Not to Water Your Bonsai – This Just Might Be the Most Important Watering Advice You’ll Ever Read

This illustration by Kyosuke Gun is from our Masters’ Series Juniper book. It is a perfect fit for this post that is borrowed from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai. Speaking of Bonsai Books, this morning we started a 30% to 50% off Sale on all of our books (see below) We originally featured this post in June, 2009. It’s one of our earliest and perhaps one of our most important. I don’t think we’ve featured it since 2009, clearly an oversight on our part. Especially considering the importance of the topic and our source. Michael Hagedorn knows more about the inner workings of bonsai and … Continue reading How Not to Water Your Bonsai – This Just Might Be the Most Important Watering Advice You’ll Ever Read

Site Wide Sale Ends Sunday Night – Deep Discounts on All Your Bonsai Essentials

This Sierra juniper by Boon Manakitivipart has the distinction of being on the cover of our final issue of Bonsai Today (issue 108). Bonsai Today magazine back issues are included in our Site Wide Sale which ends Sunday night (March 25th) at 11:59pm EDT – 20% to 70% off Site Wide Sale* ends Sunday Night – INCLUDES OUR SUPERB ROSHI TOOLS quality materials & craftsmanship make for precision, durability and beauty and at much more reasonable prices than you might expect BONSAI AESTHETICS WIRE also deeply discounted KILO ROLLS ONLY 15.95 500 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 8.95 100 GRAM ROLLS ONLY 3.45 Site Wide Sale also … Continue reading Site Wide Sale Ends Sunday Night – Deep Discounts on All Your Bonsai Essentials

Before & After Bonsai – a ‘Grandiose’ Transformation

Before and after. The tree is a Lawson’s cypress (Chaemacyparis Louïsiana ‘Elwoodii’). Here’s the caption copied directly from Michel Delen, our source for these photos… “Chaemacyparis Louïsiana ‘Elwoodii’ AFTER Grandioos Noelanders Marc.” I’m impressed. The date on the before is Feb 8th of this year and the date on the after is March 22nd (two days ago). Given just how little time elapsed, it’s an remarkable transformation. All the photos in this post are from Michel Delen’s timeline. – You might assume from the caption and the photo below that the artist is Marc Noelanders. It’s unclear who the tree belongs … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai – a ‘Grandiose’ Transformation

One Bonsai, Three Seasons, Four Photos

Fall. Luis Vallejo calls this tree a Spanish oak (Quercus faginea) though Wikipedia and some others refer to it as Portuguese oak (other names that popped up are Valencian oak and Lusitanian oak). It belongs to Luis and resides at the the Municipal Bonsai Museum of Alcobendas in Spain. Welcome to Luis Vallejo’s Bonsai Bark (just kidding). This post features four photos of a single tree over three seasons (winter twice; not sure what happened to spring). There’s a lot more we could say, especially about the Museo de Bonsai Alcobendas and Luis Vallejo’s (and others) involvement, but it’s a whole lot easier to simply invite you to … Continue reading One Bonsai, Three Seasons, Four Photos

Mossy Bonsai Glade & Other Brilliant Forests

Here’s what Felix Laughlin, the president of the National Bonsai Foundation wrote about this outstanding forest… “Wayne, the photo of the forest of Chinese elms is from the North American Collection at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, and was donated by Susanne Barrymore; it’s been in training since 1988.” Two full pallets of Green T turntables just arrived, and a large shipment of Bonsai Aesthetics wire and tools is due any minute, so it’s time for a shortcut. This post originally appeared here February, 2017. As usual, I’ve made a few changes. Speaking of Bonsai Aesthetics Wire & Tools… OUR SITE WIDE SALE ENDS SOON SEE … Continue reading Mossy Bonsai Glade & Other Brilliant Forests