NEW Bonsai T-Shirts & the 6th U.S. National

Our neighbor Sophie modeling our Brand NEW all cotton Stone Lantern T-shirt. And no, Sophie is not a professional model. Just a friend (and local police officer). You can order your T-shirt online for 20.00 plus a very modest shipping charge or save the shipping charge and pick one up at the upcoming 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Continuing with our lead up to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (Rochester, NY, September 8th & 9th – it’s not too late to make your plans)… This time it’s our new T-Shirt that will accompany us to the show along with a wide range of bonsai … Continue reading NEW Bonsai T-Shirts & the 6th U.S. National

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

Maple Bonsai Perfection & New Lower Wire Prices

This Trident maple on root-on-rock is called Soshun-no-fu. It’s estimated age is 80 years. Like the other two trees in this post it’s from The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Lots to do to get ready for the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (Rochester, NY, September 8th & 9th), so we’ll make this one short and sweet. All three Maple bonsai shown here are from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Saitama, Japan* BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL ALL BONSAI TOOLS & GARDEN TOOLS 25% OFF LIST PRICES special ends Sunday, August 25th Japanese maple named Musashi-ga-oka, estimated age 150 years Speaking of the 6th U.S. National … Continue reading Maple Bonsai Perfection & New Lower Wire Prices

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

Bonsai Hedge Cutting Method

The Japanese maple that Walter Pall uses to illustrate his ‘hedge-cutting method.’ This photo was taken four years after Walter started working with this tree. The before photo is below Continuing with Walter Pall… we originally ran this post on Walter’s hedge-cutting method in 2013, but it’s so good that it’s worth another look I first learned about hedge shearing bonsai from Jim Smith (sadly now deceased), a highly respected American Bonsai Artist and grower who worked primarily with tropical and sub-tropical bonsai. Because Jim lived in Florida, I figured that hedge shearing was only used in the tropics or sub-tropics, due to rapid rates … Continue reading Bonsai Hedge Cutting Method

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

The Evolution of Bonsai

This photo and the others shown here are from a post by Ryan Neil titled, Bald Cypress #1, Evolution I recently found these photos and an eye opening story by Ryan Neil on his Mirai blog. It’s titled Bald Cypress #1 Evolution. Ryan’s story touched on American trees and American bonsai and how they can’t be judged except on their own terms. But rather than me trying to explain, here’s part of what Ryan wrote… “Bald Cypress #1 embodies the diversity of landscape and form Mirai strives to explore through our trees. Its rapid taper, flat-topped foliage, and overall Dr. Seuss-esque form demands … Continue reading The Evolution of Bonsai

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