The Time Is Right…

One of the over 150 bonsai by Walter Pall that are featured in the gallery of Modern Bonsai Practice, a ground breaking New Bonsai book. Learning the art of bonsai from the best bonsai books is an essential way to upgrade your bonsai skills. Second only to taking live courses from expert bonsai teachers. Many of us have advanced our bonsai skills by relying on books and our willingness to just jump in and learn as we go. You might even say trial and error, though we hope it’s more trial and less error. This post is a reminder about … Continue reading The Time Is Right…

Before, After & Midway Through

Mugo pine by Walter Pall. Here’s what Walter wrote about this tree: “This one has exceptional potential. Unfortunately, it almost died a few years ago. Now it is recovering and some day it will shine again.” From the looks of it, I’d say it’s already shining. I can think of at least four good reasons to feature this tree… First, the artist is Walter Pall, a favorite on here on Bark and someone whose trees are featured in Modern Bonsai Practice, a groundbreaking new bonsai book. Second, it’s a Before & After, which judging by responses is a favorite topic. … Continue reading Before, After & Midway Through

Pine Boom again

This gnarly old Mugo pine belongs to Walter Pall. It’s no doubt a yamadori (bonsai collected from the wild). Perhaps from the Alps? Yesterday was Walter Pall. Today it’s pines, two of which belong to Walter. This post originally appeared here on Bark in September, 2012. As far as I know, there is no Pine Boom. I was trying to type Pine Book as a filler until a more suitable name for this post came to me. Then, a simple typo, and now it’s Pine Boom. Anyway, I’m trying to pull myself to together to catch a plane, so, quickly, … Continue reading Pine Boom again

Getting Out of the Way & Extending Our Bonsai Book Sale

This Ponderosa pine was no doubt collected somewhere in western North America and exported to Europe. Europeans are lucky in that regard; it’s relatively easy for them to import plants from around the world. Here in the U.S. restrictions are much more onerous. The tree belongs to (or belonged to?) Walter Pall. The photo is from The Art of Bonsai Project, as are all the photos in this post. We’ve decided to extend our Bonsai Book Sale until Sunday (see below). This is because I’m traveling and can’t find the time (don’t want to be bothered) to make the decisions … Continue reading Getting Out of the Way & Extending Our Bonsai Book Sale

Bonsai & Magnificently Beautiful Towering Trees

Walter Pall and Mother Nature conspired and came up with something really good. It’s a Ponderosa pine that was originally collected in the Rockies. Got a couple Ponderosa pine Yamadori today (Yamadori is the Japanese word for bonsai that were collected from the wild). Just in case you never been to the mountains of the western U.S., Ponderosa pine are magnificently beautiful towering trees (obviously they don’t all tower, but in optimal conditions that’s what they do) with distinctive reddish bark. Unfortunately millions of acres of Poderosa have been wiped out by an ongoing Mountain pine beetle infestation. Previously these … Continue reading Bonsai & Magnificently Beautiful Towering Trees

A Radical Approach to Bonsai Soil

This sturdy, barely tamed beast of a tree is a perfect example of Walter Pall’s naturalistic style. The photo is from Walter’s website. The tree is a European spruce. Yesterday we resurrected Walter Pall’s unique hedge pruning method. Today we’re resurrecting (for the second time) his equally unique take on bonsai soil. It originally appeared here on Bark in June of 2013. Walter Pall, world famous bonsai artist and much more… We’ve feature Walter’s bonsai numerous times here on Bark (and in Bonsai Today) and will continue to feature them for as long as we continue posting. I won’t say … Continue reading A Radical Approach to Bonsai Soil

Suburban Yamadori

This old Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) belongs to Mauro Stemberger. The color coordinated pot is by Petra Hahn (even the moss has reddish spots). I found the photo on The Art of Bonsai Project. We’ve been featuring Yews and carved deadwood a lot lately. An auspicious match, as you can readily see in the photos shown here. One of the great things about Yews is they grow almost everywhere. Half the landscapes here in the Eastern U.S. sport a yew or two. For some of us, it’s possible to find good ones for bonsai in our own front yards (suburban … Continue reading Suburban Yamadori

What You Do to the Land You Do to Yourself

Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) collected by Andrew (aka Andy) Smith and first styled by Walter Pall. It would hard to find a better pair for the job. Andy (Golden Arrow Bonsai) is a professional forester, master collector of wild bonsai and a bonsai artist in his own right, and Walter Pall is a world famous bonsai artist, teacher, trouble maker (in the positive sense of course) and owner of a very impressive bonsai collection. The photograph is by Walter. My apologies for the fuzz. It’s the result of dramatically increasing the image size. On balance I think this size … Continue reading What You Do to the Land You Do to Yourself

“A Little Bit Above Average” – Backyard Bonsai 14

Bird’s eye view of Dan Dolan’s backyard. It’s has been a while since we’ve featured a backyard bonsai post (our last one was in 2013). Now, finally, we’ve got another good one for you. The yard and the bonsai, as well as the Japanese influenced landscaping and structures, belong to Dan Dolan. A little bit above average. Dan sent along some of his thoughts on bonsai and bonsai display: “Unlike many enthusiasts who heed the remonstrance of American bonsai masters to acquire only the best material upon which to work…… I take only the least promising and strive to make … Continue reading “A Little Bit Above Average” – Backyard Bonsai 14

Revisiting An Old & Still Relevant Bonsai Debate

Hinoki cypress by Dan Robinson. From Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees. An excellent example of a naturalistic bonsai. I think it’s time to revisit a discussion that seems to provoke plenty of interest each time we bring it up (there were 35 comments to this post back in 2011 and numerous comments to previous posts on topic). It’s also timely given that Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees is now back in print and Dan Robinson’s bonsai play a big part in the discussion. A note about Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees that I neglected to mention last post: By agreement with the publisher, … Continue reading Revisiting An Old & Still Relevant Bonsai Debate