Michael Hagedorn call this one a "Very Old Mountain Hemlock Styling." If you spend some time with Michael's Portfolio , you'll quickly discover his fondness for Mountain Hemlocks.

Today I've decided to feature some of Michael Hagedorn's conifer bonsai. All but one of the shots* shown here are from his Crataegus Bonsai Portfolio. In addition to being a bonsai artist and teacher of some renown, Michael is also the author of two of the most compelling and readable bonsai books we know of, Post-Dated and Bonsai Heresy.

Michael titled this shot "Day of Yikes: Grafted Rocky Mountain Juniper Styling."

Formal upright Cryptomeria. Because formal uprights are so unusual here in the U.S., we'll share Michael's story of this remarkable tree: 

"Any visit to Japan where remote temples are on the menu will usually involve Cryptomeria. These stately forest trees remind one of miniature redwoods, standing bolt upright as if on review.

"The Cryptomeria featured here is a home-grown bonsai from nursery stock, not an import. It was first styled by Harunobu Tokita in California. The first photo starts the legacy of this tree that lived for a long time in Boon Manakitivipart’s garden as a unique formal upright only rarely seen in the United States. I recall it well when I studied with Boon before moving to Japan."

Here's a "Historic Ponderosa" in an old brake drum.

A Black pine grafted Ponderosa.

Michael, again: "This juniper has been growing in my backyard for a year. It’s a client tree, another of the great native yamadori that was collected by Randy Knight of Oregon Bonsai."

A Rocky mountain juniper that Michael calls "The Fish."

Here's one that pops up a lot. It's a Mountain hemlock on a 'Levitated Nylon Board." (scroll down for your link to Michael's portfolio if you're trying to make heads or tails of what that means).

A Shore pine on a metal post. Michael has a few very unusual bonsai that he seems to conjure up from the depths of his adventurous mind.

Michael's famous Mountain hemlock planting at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition where it won the Finest Evergreen Bonsai. Photo by Oscar Jonker of Bonsai Empire.

A closer look at a different angle and another time.

Michael calls this Western hemlock a "Cliff Bonsai."

This one is a Limber pine with a 'helix' root (see just below).

Michael's Tiny House. Look for his Tiny House book next year.