At least two things set this Root-over-rock Trident maple (Kaede Ishitsuki - maple planted on a rock) apart from thousands of other root-over Trident maples on this planet. First there it's exceptional quality, and second, it was part of Japan's Imperial Bonsai Collection. The tree's age is about 90 years. Its height is 57 cm (22.5"). Here's a quote from the Imperial website... "Among 'zoki' deciduous trees, Momiji (Japanese maple) and Kaede (Trident maple) are particular favorites of bonsai lovers because of the way they show off the four seasons. Aficionados appreciate the young buds in early spring, the fresh green leaves in May, the red foliage in autumn, and the bare trunk and branches in winter. Kaede does not turn as red in fall as momiji does, but its autumn leaves -- a mixture of yellow and red hues -- are equally prized.... At the Imperial Palace, this Kaede has been transplanted almost every year, according to the condition of its roots. Due to its beauty, it is used for ornamental purposes throughtout the year."

I've seen countless root-over-rock Tridents over the years, but never one quite like this. The way the roots cling with such a firm grip (almost like a hand) and yet so gracefully, is simple bonsai perfection

All five trees shown here were donated to (this was incorrect when I posted it on Wednesday, the corrected text follows...) are from the Japanese Imperial collection and the Trident maple above and the Japanese red pine below were donated the U.S. National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. The other three trees are still in the Imperial Household's collection in Japan

I am struck by the quality of all five and further by how well the curator and staff at the National Bonsai Museum have maintained the two that were donated

 "Bright reddish leaves cover a 'De-Shojo momiji (Acer palmatum 'De-Shojo') in the budding season in April, as shown in a photo. Most of those leaves turn green in summer, but some remain red. They turn red again in autumn before the tree loses leaves toward winter. " From the Imperial Bonsai website.
The tree is about 50 years old. Its height is 95cm (37.5"). If you'd like to dig in further, there's more on this tree and the others shown here at the Imperial site

Another momiji (Japanese maple). This one is a Seigen (Acer palmatum 'Seigen'). It's age is about 100 and its height is 74cm (29"). Here's teaser from the Imperial site... "Red leaves bloom from the tree in April. The color is not as vivid as hues found in the leaves of "deshojo," another momiji species (above), but it is a cherished spring color.
"The tree features radial "nebari" (surface roots) and dynamic "tachiagari" (the initial rise of the trunk) that help balance the shape of the whole tree. Its "mikihada" trunk surface gives a sense of old age and represents an ideal momiji bonsai work. Given that its leaves grow strongly in summer, the tree was planted in a relatively large vessel. This makes viewers think of a tree growing from Mother Earth." 

This Fuji Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda Fuji) is about 450 years old! It's height is 83 cm (almost 33"). This time we'll show you the entire quote from the Imperial site...."The tree age is astonishing. Despite the great age, this tree continues to bloom flowers powerfully every year without showing any signs of weakening.
"The viewing season falls in late April. But this year, the Fuji tree sent out flowers a bit earlier than usual. The Fuji was in full bloom in mid-April with its long bunches hanging down.
"After the flower season is over, what appears to be a dent which looks like a hole comes to be seen in the lower part of its trunk. But it is not a hollow hole, but a work of natural formation that has grown into something like a dent over a long period of time.
"Despite the large size of the tree, it is planted in a relatively small pot. The vessel is overcrowded with tree roots. So, the Fuji tree is transplanted once in every two years with the roots being unstiffened (untangled?).
This is considered to be a species of the original Fuji, or the so-called yamafuji (silky wisteria), that had not been modified."

This famous Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora) was donated to the U.S. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum by The Imperial Household of Japan. It has been in training since 1795.  

This Japanese beech planting belongs to Sergio Cuan, who happens to be the illustrator for Michael Hagedorn's Bonsai Heresy

Today is World Bonsai Day, so here they are... world bonsai. So many people have generously offered photos of their trees and the variation is spectacular. All types of trees from almost everywhere, and they range all the way from magnificent to strange and back (you can substitute 'daring', for 'strange' if you like). We put some up Wednesday, now here are a lot more for your viewing pleasure.

All the photos shown here are from California Bonsai Society's World Bonsai Exhibition pages on Facebook (scroll down the bottom for the link). Enjoy!

Full Moon Maple (Acer japonicum). William N. Valavanis

"The Calligrapher" (Pemphis acidula) Robert Steven

Phoenician juniper (Juniperus phoenicea). Zino Rongo

 Golden pinball. Sanjay Dham 

"A bonsai exhibition is incomplete without pots..."  Bonsai Monogatari

Juniperus chinensis. Andrea Junger

Ficus phillipinensis. Juan Llaga

Trident maple, Root-over-Rock. Mark R Cooper

Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani). Mugo Ferrari

Bucida (Terminalia molineti). Enrique Castaño

Chinese hackberry. Marge Blasingame

Cork bark Chinese elm. Michael Roberts

Chinese elm (Ulmus parviflora). Ed Trout 

Cadetia Kusamono. Bonsai Monogatari 

"From BIG to small" Mark Arpag

We started this post with one of Sergio Cuan's offerings and now we'll end it the same way. Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis)

 One of Sergio's illustrations from Bonsai Heresy

Here's your link for the California Bonsai Society's World Bonsai Exhibition pages on Facebook

Japanese beech (Fagu crenata). The caption says Japan. It was posted by Tomás Bustamante Gómez‎

World Bonsai Day is coming in two days (Saturday, May 9th). In celebration, bonsai artists around the world are posting photos of their trees on California Bonsai Society's World Bonsai Day Exhibition Group (scroll down for your link). The ones you see here are just a few that jumped out at me. There will be more to follow. Enjoy!

Japanese maple ukon (Acer palmatum var ukon). Steve Mckee

Phoenician juniper (Juniperus phoenicea). Zino Rongo

Korean hornbeam (Capinus tschonoskii). William Valavanis

European olive (Olea europaea). Zino Rongo 

"The Swiss Dragon" Mugo pine (Pinus mugo). Steven Trolley

   Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii). John Romano

Mahaleb cherry (Prunus mahaleb). Tony Tickle

 Here's your link to California World Bonsai Day Exhibition on Facebook

After, by Juan Andrade. This is a very unusual tree with three trunks merging into one (you can just see a small piece of the third trunk). Though it does look like the reviled reverse taper, but in this case I don't think it's a problem. I cropped the original photo (below) for a closer look at the trunk

There's good chance you know by now the Michael Hagedorn's Bonsai Heresy has arrived (see below). Because we pre-sold so many, we are full tilt here trying to catch up. So rather than put together a new post, we've dug up a good one from our archives (all the way back to 2013). One of our earlier Before and After posts.

Here's what we (that's me) wrote at the time... Just couldn’t pass this one up. This Japanese white pine transformation is so unusual and the result so striking and unique, that… well, you can see for yourself.

The artist, Juan Andrade is one of a whole host of young apprentices who are studying or have studied in Japan.

The progression. It’s clear that plenty happens that you can’t see.
For example, how on earth did he get the left trunk to cooperate?
And did he really bend the tree over that far without repotting it?
Guess you’ll just have to use your imagination.

Before. From this to what you see above is no mean feat.
There’s that pesky bowed out left trunk for starters, but clearly there’s more.

During. Still in the same pot, but now we have a new planting angle. 

The original after photo.

Here's your link to Juan's original on Facebook

Bonsai Heresy is here!
and we're only 2 or 3 days behind shipping
Thanks to Ric and to Corey, Ric's stalwart, socially distanced masked helper.

Dave De Groot's Redwood bonsai bridge in saikei (landscape) style

Today we've a unique Redwood bonsai by Dave De Groot. Rather than me trying to parse it out for you, we'll let Dave tell his story of his brilliant bonsai bridge...

"I got this redwood stump from Mendocino Coast Bonsai a number of years ago. It is a natural arch, rooted at both ends. Like all my other bonsai, it languished in my backyard during my working years, with some haphazardly shaped sprouts.

"Eventually the bark began to peel off the dead front of the arch. The very smooth newly exposed deadwood was jarringly different than the old, weathered dead wood and the transitional pot was too short and too deep. The new longer, shallower pot looked better to me but emphasized the starkness of the empty space around the arch. I carved the new deadwood to help it relate to the old, and created a landscape with stream to create context for the arch. There is now a line of eight somewhat disheveled young redwoods marching across the arch – (or is it off a cliff?) - of my saikei."

Before. Off to a good start...

 Just in case you don't know Dave De Groot, he is, among other things, a long time American bonsai artist and teacher as well as the previous curator of the Pacific Bonsai Museum.

Dave is also the author of the the best selling book, Principles of Bonsai Design, an important contribution to north American and world bonsai. We've seen nothing in print since John Naka's Bonsai Techniques one and two, that is so thorough going and practical when it comes to bonsai design (scroll to the bottom for more)

This is what happened after time spent languishing in Dave's bonsai garden

After. Close up of the arch and carving 

 Another closeup. The stream and its banks

 More detail 

 Principles of Bonsai Design
Available at Stone Lantern

Here's your link to Dave De Groot on Facebook 

I'm not so sure about the apex or the way it's so crowded in this photo, but I like the tree anyway. Especially that gnarly old trunk. It's a Chi Chi, a small leaf Ginkgo cultivar that I found on Lakeshore bonsai. Here's their caption: "Ginkgo biloba ‘chi-chi’, 7 years in development from imported raw material. Probably started as an air layer in Japan."

At 270 million years Ginkgo biloba (Maidenhair tree) has the distinction of being the oldest living tree species on this planet. Even though they are now found on streets and in parks in many places, ginkgo bonsai are not all that common. This may be because of the problems that the branching presents. Can you think of another type of tree that's used for bonsai, whose branches grow almost straight up and all tightly bunched together?

This remarkable broom style Ginkgo is a good example of how
the branches grow straight up and all bunched together.
The photo is from Classic Bonsai of Japan
(Nippon Bonsai Association, now out of print).
50 years old, 33 inches tall (82cm)

The following is borrowed from an ofBonsai article by Heather Hartman...
“It is best to style Gingko based on their natural inclinations toward a column, or flame shape. Ginkgo can resent pruning, and as a result, many ginkgo bonsai have a similar look, due to how they show their dislike. Pruned branches are prone to dieback, either shortly after being pruned or the following winter. This can result in a heavy trunk with relatively few, upward facing branches. Twigs will grow in clusters from the branches. As the growth and replacement of branches is repeated over the years, it can result in interesting, gnarled areas on the trunk. Fortunately, not all shoots will dieback, but predicting which ones will and which ones won’t is nearly impossible.” 

  

This ginkgo in full fall yellow belongs to Roger Case

Here's part of what Wikipedia has to say about Ginkgos...
"Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or gingko, also known as the maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta, all others being extinct. It is found in fossils dating back 270 million years. Native to China, the tree is widely cultivated, and was cultivated early in human history. It has various uses in traditional medicine and as a source of food.

"A combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos long-lived, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old."

This is a good example of the columnar shape that is so common with ginkgos. 
It belongs to Dan Barton. I found the photo on ofBonsai Magazine.
It and the photo just below are part of a Ginkgo article by Heather Hartman
(a good read, especially if you like Ginkgo - see above for an excerpt). 

 Same tree as just above, different time of year 

This eccentric Ginkgo with its rough bark, great taper and impressive hole (sabamiki)
was sent to us by Calin from Italy

 Here's an impressive full size Ginkgo.
It resides at Dargent in Luxembourg City
Photo from Wikipedia

Flowering quince and pot by Haruyosi. You might wonder why he left the wilted flower at the top. Maybe he wanted to show the process uncleaned up. Or reveal something about fleeting beauty, a common theme in Japanese art and literature

It's time for Haruyosi, our favorite tiny bonsai master. Today it's a few little Quince bonsai. The first two were photographed while flowering and again after the flowers were removed

Removing flowers is about health. Big flowers on such small trees take their toll. Too much energy is put into flowers at the expense of the rest of the tree. In other words flowers are more about the survival of the species (and our enjoyment too!), while healthy leaves, roots etc are more about the strength and survival of the individual tree.

Same tree, moments later. Now the leaves can grow unabated

Another tiny quince with leaves that are a little more advanced

Where'd that white flower come from?

Look at all those buds! Though this one is still in a growing pot, judging by the power of the little trunk, I'd say it's ready for a bonsai pot

The two trees at the top of this post are single petal flowers. This one looks like a double

Here's the little quince from the top of the post, displayed at a spring show

Here it is again, from another angle and a little fuzzy, but still beautiful

Another Haruyosi quince at the same spring show

There's something about the purity of quince flowers and this shot pretty much says it all. It's another Haruyosi from a post we did eight or nine years ago

Here's your link to more wonderful little Haruyosi bonsai

This has to be one of the best Northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) bonsai we've seen yet, though we have seen thousands of magnificent Cedars growing in the wild here in Northern Vermont and surrounding states and provinces. This one belongs to Brian Donnely of Quebec City. The photo is from one of the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition album

If you don't like riddles, or you're simply bored by my enthusiasm about all things trees, then please feel free to skip ahead and just enjoy the photos

Now for the riddles....
Riddle 1: When is a Cedar not really a Cedar?
Riddle 2: And if it's not really a Cedar, then what is it?

The answers are below...

Before. This is what happens to Cedars. You do heavy trimming and wiring (see below) and next thing you know, it looks like this. This one belongs to Michael Pollock

As you may know, our native Cedars present a challenge for bonsai artists. The foliage fans tend to grow too large for scale, so diligent and ongoing trimming is essential. Without going in to too much detail, there’s an art to it that requires sharp shears, wire and an understanding of how cedars grow

After Michael Pollock's extensive trimming and wiring. Now it just needs some time for the foliage to recover and grow just a bit. Here's Michael's caption... "Another recently re-worked tree. This time a Thuja or Eastern White Cedar. Recent scientific study aged these collected New England specimens as quite old. Safe to say this tree pre-dates the USA. Really ready for a new pot soon."

Boreal Bonsai. This White cedar (Thuja occidentalis) belongs to Paul Chong of the Toronto Bonsai Society and the Lakeshore Bonsai blog. White cedars grace much of northern New England, though the best ones for bonsai are usually found further north in Quebec and Ontario, along the escarpments and near the northern tree line, where sparse rocky soil and cold winds provide just the right degrees of difficulty for spectacular wild bonsai like this one

If you've read this far and you're one of the two people who care about the Riddles,
the answers, are...

Riddle 1: When is a Cedar not really a Cedar?
Answer: When it's not a Cedrus or true Cedar

Riddle 2: If it's not a true Cedar, then what is it?
Most of the trees that we commonly call Cedars here in North America are not Cedrus (Latin for Cedar) but rather are Thuja (Aka Arborvitae - tree of life). The three bonsai shown in this post are Thuja occidentalis, a species that may have more common names than almost any other tree on this planet. Ten that you might stumble upon, are: Cedar, White cedar, Northern white cedar, Eastern white cedar, Atlantic white cedar, Swamp cedar, False white cedar, American arborvitae, Eastern arborvitae and simply Arborvitae (thank you Wikipedia).

By the way, around here most people simply call them Cedars. However, to be more specific I prefer Northern white cedar (I have my reasons which have to do with not confusing them with at least two other trees that are native to the Northeast, Chamaecyparis thyoides and Juniperus virginiana)

Northern white cedar (aka Eastern white cedar, aka Thuja occidentalis, aka Arborvitae)
growing in the wild. Now you know about the white part,
though many have reddish brown or cinnamon trucks 

Japanese white pine from Michael Hagedorn's Crataegus Bonsai portfolio. Here's Michael's caption: "A Japanese White pine that was entered into the Taikan-ten. This was when I was a second-year apprentice." 

Another trip back in Bark time. This one originally appeared here in April 2016 (with a little added value now). It's a good one and definitely worth another look. Particularly if you're growing pines

Every time I visit Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai, I learn something new. If you want to enrich your understanding of bonsai, you could do a lot worse than reading and digesting everything Michael writes (including of course his new  book Bonsai Heresy, which is due here soon - see below). His deep knowledge of bonsai combined with an unusual gift for written language will help guide you to the bonsai promised land

This time it’s Michael’s post from yesterday (a 2016 yesterday) about the "Big Difference Between ‘Decandling’ and ‘Breaking’ Pine Shoots…" We’ll just show a couple pieces and encourage you to visit Michael's Crataegus Bonsai for the whole story (your link is below).

In Michael’s own words…
“There’s a storm of confusion around these two techniques…and it’s one of those things we don’t want to get wrong. Pines take a couple years to get back on track, once off track, and so they make us look at our mistakes for a long time.

"I’ll try to make this short and sweet. For starters, how do we distinguish decandling from breaking/pinching?

"Breaking/Pinching means taking part of the shoot off, usually with fingers, as the shoot is extending in early to mid-spring. This is before the needles have come out.”
Continued below…

 "Scots pine candles, before pinching" 

"With the fleshy part of the fingers, pinch the candle according to its strength, taking more off for stronger ones, less for weaker, none for weakest."

Moving ahead a bit (visit Crataegus - link below - to see the photos and captions we skipped).

Michael continued from above...
“Decandling means cutting off the entire pine candle off in late spring. Often the new needles have come out already.”
Continued below...

"With a sharp bud scissors, the candle is cut at the base."

And again after skipping some photos and captions, what Michael says next about the difference between Breaking/Pinching and Decandling is very important and we’d be remiss to skip it…

“Both techniques are appropriate…one isn’t cooler than another, one won’t win you accolades and the other not…we simply apply them to different pines.

"Candles of single flush pines—such as Japanese White, Lodgepole, Shore, Scots, Limber—MAY be broken or pinched.

"Candles of multiple flush pines—Japanese Black and Red—MAY be decandled.

"I say MAY, because only strongly growing pines in good sun should be decandled or pinched.”

Michael has a lot more to say and show on Breaking/Pinching and Decandling and I strongly encourage you to visit Crataegus Bonsai. And if you haven't ordered your copy of Bonsai Heresy, now is a good time

SOMETHING TO GET EXCITED ABOUT

 Michael's Bonsai Heresy is in New York harbor, ahead of Schedule!
But before you break out the confetti, remember these are strange times 
(how could you forget?), so who knows how long it will take to clear harbor
and arrive here at our warehouse? Still, this is a promising development
Meanwhile, if you haven't ordered yours yet, here's your link

Boon's caption for this reads... "Selecting a pot for sumo Olive — with Adair Martin" I like the tree and the pots, though there's one pot that stands out for me. But I'm not saying, at least until we hear from you

Taking a quick journey back into our archives. This one is from January, 2018

Boon Manakitivipart (Bonsai Boon) is at it again. This time you have a choice of six pots for a tree that he call a *Sumo Olive. If you’d like to play, please put your choice (or choices), along with your thoughts if you’d like, in the comments on Bonsai Bark on facebook, rather than our blog, where we don't take comments due to relentless spam

*You probably figured this out, but just in case... Sumo is not an official varietal name, more like a well chosen description

#1

#2

 #3

#4 

#5

 #6

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