Bonsai Inspirations

December 5, 2016 at 11:24 am / Bonsai, Werner Busch / by Jay

Ulmus by Werner Busch

A very refined bonsai in the Bonsai Museum in Dusseldorf, in the middle of winter. Look at the fine twigging, and the forst crystals on the branches. Exceptional quality!

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November 27, 2016 at 5:27 pm / Bonsai, Bonsaiscapes, Larix, penjing / by Jay

Walk in the forest

A nice Larch forest with some figurine in it.

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March 26, 2015 at 7:19 pm / Bonsai, upright / by Jay

Toringo Crabapple

Toringo Crabapple ‘Malus Seiboldii’ donated to National Bonsai and Penjing Museum US, by Shyuichi Ueda. It has been in training since 1905.

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March 22, 2015 at 8:09 pm / Bonsai, Larix, Pavel Slovak, Progressions, upright / by Jay

Larch – Before and after

During a workshop in Wales, in March 2015, Pavel Slovak put a finishing touch on this larch, owned by Jeremy Wheeler. Over several variations this exploded bush with a big trunk -no pun intended- has become an elegant bonsai. Such a great transformation. Note that This tree went through several alterations over the year, before the final styling that led to this image. First major style & deadwood styling by Bob Hill Widening of the canopy and refining of deadwood […]

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March 6, 2015 at 5:00 pm / raft, Tony Tickle / by Jay

Hawthorn Raft by Tony Tickle

Tony Tickle (http://yamadori.co.uk) is well known for his Yamadori collecting sprees and the resulting amazing trees that he is able to find. One of his earliest trees is this Hawthorn raft. The leaves are the size of finger nails, and it gets better every year. This is a truely spectacular tree. In winter it sits outside on his benches:

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March 3, 2015 at 8:27 pm / Graham Potter, repotting, Video / by Jay

Repotting Bonsai by Graham Potter

Graham Potter (Kaizen bonsai) has a great series of bonsai videos. In this one, he shows step by step, how to repot a bonsai tree. In the example he shows how much rootmass you can remoe when you take a potted up plant, and move it into a nursery container.

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March 1, 2015 at 7:43 pm / Bonsai, Harry Harrington, upright / by Jay

Privet by Harry Harrington

This privet Bonsai by Harry Harrington has been in training for 11 years at time of this picture. In this time, he has managed to turn a stumb from a hedgerow into a beautifull piece of art. The tree is complemented by a custom made pot. The pot was made by Victor Harris of Erin Bonsai.

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January 11, 2015 at 7:45 pm / Paul Spearman, Progressions / by Jay

Elm raft – Paul Spearman

Paul bought this elm of Will Baddely in 2011. By January 2015 the basic structure is very clear. A clear example of what a little bit of vision, combined with skills can do. Can you imagine what this tree will look like in another 5 or even 10 years? Before repotting on the slab (Winter 2014) and in leaf (summer 2014):

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January 11, 2015 at 5:20 pm / Larix, pruning, Techniques, Video / by Jay

Refining Larch branch structure – MiKo Bonsai

When you grown Larch as bonsai, it quickly becomes clear that these are strong growers. This puts some strain on keeping the tree at bay, and the branches nice and refined. This video shows how Mike cleans up an overgrown Lrach and brings it back to a stage that gives andother 2-3 years of growth. Well-explained why certain cuts are made and a must-see if you are growing Larch for bonsai.

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January 11, 2015 at 5:04 pm / bending, Techniques, Video / by Jay

Big branch bending – Seok Ju Kim

Even very thick branches can be bend, provided proper technique is used. Seok Ju Kim is a Korean bonsai professional that gives workshops and stylingdemonstrations around the world. In the Isabelia workshop in Czech republic this video was shot by Bonsai Focus.

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December 29, 2014 at 8:16 pm / Broom, nature, upright / by Jay

Ramification shows age

This image of a highly ramified tree in the north-British hills was captured by Tony Tickle, a well-know British bonsai artist. He announced this tree online with the words Ramification… this is a perfect model! And we can only agree. A nice example of how our finely ramnified bonsai do follow nature. And besides that, it is just a beautifull serene image of nature in early winter display. Just a sprinkle of snow is missing. Just one thing left to […]

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November 22, 2014 at 11:16 am / nature, raft / by Jay

Hawthorn raft

Chris Guise took this picture of a Hawthorn (Crataegus spp) in Basildon Park, Cookham. It is a perfect example for a natural looking raft-style bonsai. It shows the process through which a raft may for in Nature. As thwe tree ages, some section rot, or are broken by wind and/or lightning. As the canopy gets too heavy for the thinner trunk to support, the tree falls over, but continues growing. This may happpen multiple times and a crawling tree forms.

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Growing Bonsai Posts: Growing Bonsai

Removing azalea bonsai flowers

Spring has arrived. The Azaleas are flowering. Great views in the garden. But.. A moment will come when the first flowers start to whilt. It is time to consider removing …

Bonsai spring cleaning and wiring

Spring time in the bonsai garden means pruning, thinning and wiring. But what to take away and how to proceed?

Removing side branches

From growing fields one can get pretty decent bonsai material and older stock is often affordable. But, like for this maple, sometimes you need to make drastic cuts.

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Groovy

December 2, 2016 at 5:43 pm / Bonsaiscapes, nature

Growing along the edge of Copper Canyong, this group of oaks is a perfect example of a small tree group.

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Literati by Qingquan Zhao

March 9, 2015 at 5:16 pm / Bonsai, Literati, Qingquan Zhao

This literati by Penjing Master, Qingquan Zhao, is top of its class. Literati are often dramatic, with many twists and bends, defying logic. however, when expressed properly, a good Literati comes across as a balanced, calm image. The slender long cruved trunk reflecting on the struggle the tree has had to survive. Master Qingquan Zhao is one of the best bonsai artist in his area.

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Airlayering – The basics by Graham Potter

January 11, 2015 at 7:10 pm / Graham Potter, propagation, Techniques

Graham potter is a well-known bonsai artist, amongst others known for his massive online website based in the UK. In this post he explains in simple terms, with very clear footages, the steps to set an airlayer. One of the best tutorials on the process available. A definate guide to airlayering. Air layering is a method to grow roots on a trunk or branch in a place where normally no roots would grow. It can be very usefull if you […]

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Twisted pines

November 13, 2014 at 9:49 am / nature, upright, windblown

These twisted pines were photographed on Formentera by Jelle Ferwerda from Growing Bonsai. A perfect exampe on how windblown bonsai and informal uprights can be combined in a natural look. This forest is right at the beach, subject to strong mediteranean winds.

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Socota dragon tree in Broom style

November 13, 2014 at 8:46 am / Broom, nature

This tree is the perfect example of a broom-style tree in the wild. Dracaena cinnabari, the Socotra dragon tree or dragon blood tree, is a dragon tree native to the Socotra archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It is so called due to the red sap that the trees produce. (Src: Wikipedia).

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Baggins Bonsai

October 31, 2014 at 7:05 pm / Bonsaiscapes, penjing

This amazing bilbo-baggins house, as inspired by the hobbit and the lord of the rings book series, was created by Chris Guise, a bonsai artist in the UK. He is also the creater and distributor of the Bonsai Nibbler.

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Bonsai treehouse

October 31, 2014 at 6:48 pm / Bonsaiscapes, penjing

Takanori Aiba created this bonsai treehouse. A truely magnificant piece of work, worthy as a first post on this wbsite. We fully recommend visiting his website

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Growing Bonsai Posts: Growing Bonsai

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