Today we're featuring Mauro Stemberger. Someone with a powerful and prolific presence throughout our bonsai world. And he's not afraid to take on very large trees with gusto and considerable talent. 

A Taxus cuspidata (var Nigata) from Bonsai club Dolomiti night, at Mauro Stemberger's ItalianBonsaiDream. 

Crazy action on the trunk...

...that pops up on the crown. 

Mauro calls this unusual little beauty a Southern box, so we know it's some kind of Buxus. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine. 

A closer look. 

'Duckbilled box'?

Another Taxus cuspidata (Japanese yew) which proves once again that for deadwood, Taxus is hard to beat (and HARD too!).

Creature feature. 

Foliage framing the lower trunk.

And it's a lower trunk worth framing. 

We've got some good ones from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum today. One of our favorite destinations. 

This extraordinarily lush, powerful and perfectly balanced Ginkgo biloba makes its home at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Saitama, Japan. It has a name, Icho, and stands 95cm (37.5") high.

Grandfather Bonsai! Here's another impressively powerful bonsai at Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. It's a yamadori Ezo Spruce, (Picea jezoensis var. jezoensis) named Todoroki, with an estimated age of 1000 years! It stands 94cm (37") high.

This colorful beauty is an Itea viginiana, which, as you might surmise from the name, is a native to the Eastern United States.

We've shown this Needle juniper before, but I think it's worth another look. Its estimated age is 300 years and it stands 62cm (24.5") high.

We've shown this dynamic Japanese maple several times over the years and for good reason. To my eyes it seems like it is crouched and ready to leap, taking the pot with it (it would have to, given how firmly the powerful nebari is gripping to the soil). Like so many of the most extraordinary trees in Japan, it has a name, 'Koryo.'  Its estimated age is 120 years and it stands 69cm (27") high and measures 120cm (47") side to side.

Flowering Japanese apricot (Prunus mume). No age is given. It stands 55cm (21.5") high.

Here's a very distinctive tree with a compete top to bottom split trunk. It's a Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora) named Sokaku.  Its estimated age is 300 years and it stands 110cm (43.25") high.

Both the scroll and the shadow enhance the beauty of this Japanese white pine. Its estimated age is 100 and it stands 103cm (40.5") high.

This colorful beauty is a Japanese camellia (Camellia Sasanqua Shishigashira). Its age estimated at 50 years and its height is 95cm (37.5").

This one is a Seigen Japanese maple. It's estimated to be 90 years old and stands 96cm (38") high.

It has been too long since we last featured our old friend, Suthin Sukosolvisit, on Bonsai Bark. We'll call this post eight magnificent monsters plus one. 

This beautiful beast with its rugged trunk and luminous foliage belonged to Suthin when this photo was taken. Based on his caption, I believe it was sold to someone who was going to pick it up at the U.S. National. "Shimpaku 'Itoigawa' Tree's height: 39 inches... Pick up at US. National show in Rochester, NY."

Looks like this old Trident maple is swallowing its rock. A bit like a python with prey, only much slower and the rock doesn't really care. 

Another Trident maple root-over-rock. I think of the hundreds of root-over-rock bonsai I've seen, ninety percent have been Tridents. 

In addition to so many being so impressively huge, Tridents can also turn on spectacular fall color. By the way, do you think the trunk is really that massive or is there a big rock in there?

All that color is hiding the trunk. 

Nice pot that complements the smooth rounded lines of the tree. 

Those little plastic covers are protecting the fertilizer from hungry birds. 

I think this one might have a rock in there. Though it's hard to tell for sure. 

Here's one that's not a monster. But impressive enough anyway.

Gallery Sources:

Suthin Sukosolvisit website

Suthin on Bonsai Bark

Suthin Bonsai Studio on FB

I'm not sure how Peter Tea keeps putting up so many quality bonsai. Every time I visit his Facebook timeline (about once a week) there is another batch of great trees in various stages. A seemingly endless progression. Some from before, but a surprising number each time that I haven't seen. Some kind of magic I guess. 

I know some people don't appreciate highly stylized trees like this one, but certain trees seem to demand it. Especially in Japan, though this one is from California. It belongs to Peter Tea who apprenticed in Japan a few years back. 

Here's Peter's caption: 

The front view of this Moss Cypress that I cut back and cleaned up recently. This tree has been in development for the last 15 years. It’s super full with lots of pads and has a happy, plentiful feel to it. I can’t help but pet the tree every time I walk by it in the garden!

Bird's eye view. Again Peter's caption:
The Aerial shot is not a common way to view bonsai but kind of cool! Moss cypress looking pretty full from up top!

BTW, I think the botanical name for Moss cypress is Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Tsukomo.'

Sticking with a more formal look. Peter's comments:

The work continues with the tall cryptomeria. Cut back and cleaned up the pads. Some more fine tuning and it’ll be show time! Thanks for following and liking the page everyone!

We'll let Peter do the talking:

Cleaned up and cut back this collected Western Juniper. It was a bit overgrown and last shown at the 2018 GSBF convention in California where it won Best Conifer and Best in Show. 🎉 I shrunk the top and removed a few leggy branches this time around. New branches are coming in and I plan to change a few things as the tree develops. Also extended a deadwood feature that was started last year. 

Now it’s time to relax and enjoy the Summer sun. 

I'm not sure I've ever seen a Arboricola so well developed. Here's what Peter wrote: 

It’s nice to have variety in the collection. Here’s a umbrella tree that’s native to Taiwan and China. My client put this together almost 20 years ago. Hard to see but two of them are growing over rocks.

I don't know if I've ever seen a Shohin display by Peter. Until now, that is. 

Preliminary shohin mock up. Missing a few stands and an accent, but a good start!

Redwood

Chojubai, Trident maple

J. Maple, olive

Potentilla cascade

Monster Trident maples are pretty common in mild climates (not up here in Vermont though), and San Jose, CA is most def a mild climate. And of course, being in Peter's hands this one is well above average. Here's his caption:

Back to the deciduous trees! Got this huge trident maple recently and looking forward to building out the structure. Going to repot it next year and put it in a box to work out the root system and spread. In the mean time, I’m going to check out the branch structure and do some rebuilding.

Tree: Trident Maple

Pot: Japanese training pot

Okay, now for a little fun (see below).
It speaks for itself, so no comment from Peter.

For more of Peter's trees, you can check out his work on Facebook.

Today we're going backwards in time through the centuries to the Japanese Imperial Bonsai collection. There may be some trees in bonsai pots that are older, but precious few that have spent nearly as much time living in bonsai pots.

This Goyomatsu (Japanese white pine) from the Japanese Imperial collection is said to be 550 years old. And it shows it!

By our contemporary standards, this Needle juniper might seem somewhat quaint. But when you consider that it's 230 years old (give or take) and that efforts have been made over the years to keep it as true to its original style as possible, then we can appreciate it for what it is. Which, by the way, is quite impressive. 

"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." Quoted from the Imperial Bonsai website. 

The tree is about 50 years old. Its height is 95 cm (37.5''). If you'd like to dig in further, there's more on this tree and the others shown at the Imperial site. 

Another momiji (Japanese maple). This one is a Seigen (Acer palmatum 'Seigen'). Its age is about 100 and its height is 74cm (29''). Here's a 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." 

This Fuji Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda Fuji) is about 450 years old! Its 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."

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 is its exceptional quality, and second, it's part of Japan's Imperial Bonsai collection. The tree's age is about 90 years. Its height is 57 cm (22.5'').

No self-respecting Imperial collection would be complete without a formal upright Hinoki. 

For extensive information on this tree and the rest of the 'time capsule' Imperial Bonsai collection, see the links below. 

Gallery Sources:
Japanese Imperial Bonsai website
History of the Japanese Imperial Bonsai Collection 
Bonsai Bark 'The Emperor's Bonsai'

Today we've got a rare treat for your from our old friend Pierre Leloup (via Michael Hagedorn).

Here's one of Pierre Leloup's amazing constructions. This and the others below are from Michael Hagedorn's Crataegus Bonsai blog. 

Pierre with one of his masterpieces. Now you can appreciate just how large it is. 

Here's part of what Michael Hagedorn wrote about Pierre' Leloup's visit to Crataegus Bonsai. 

Pierre Leloup visited the Crataegus Bonsai garden last month, along with other friends from Quebec, Canada. Pierre is a designer whose interests range from Japanese gardens to commercial design. 

While talking of our various bonsai projects, Pierre brought out his phone and showed me some of his older bonsai. I tried to see them on the small screen, fascinated by their ingenuity and complexity. 

These three photos show Pierre at play in his workshop in southern Quebec, not far from us here in northern Vermont. In fact, I have had the privilege of visiting Pierre and admiring his work, as well as his workshop, house, gardens and his bonsai collection. All of which express his highly accomplished artist/craftsman's touch. 

Here's one more of Pierre's large bonsai/landscape plantings. 

A piece of a Japanese-style garden by Pierre Leloup. We are now branching out to his gardens, ceramics, suiseki and even a little interior design. 

Ceramics for bonsai and beyond bonsai are part of Pierre's many artistic endeavors...

...As is interior design. 

The front entrance of Pierre's property near Sherbrooke Quebec. 

Suiseki by Pierre. He also makes his own daiza (the wooden suiseki stands). 

Another of Pierre's suiseki with daiza. 

Part of an interior design by Pierre. 

A piece of a garden at a client's house. 

One more suiseki with a rather unusual daiza. 

Screen by Pierre. 

Pierre Leloup. 

We featured Pierre Leloup back in 2016 on Bonsai Bark. You can read that blog post here. 

We've got a real treat for you today by Tobie Kleynhans of South Africa, who says that his bonsai may not be the best in the world, but he loves them all. And so do we!

Pretty flashy, but it has character that will come through even after the color fades. It's a Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) that belongs to Tobie Kleynhans of South Africa. 

Bougainvillea Peruviana. One of about 18 species of Bougainvillea, a native South American genus. 

Towering twin trunk Bastard olive. Tobie lists this as a False olive (Buddleja saligna). To quote Wikipedia, Buddleja saligna, the false, or bastard olive, is almost endemic to South Africa where it has a wide distribution. 

Here's another good one. It's a Juniperus virginiana, one of our North American junipers. We usually call it Eastern red cedar and Tobie calls it a Pencil cedar (common names can be confusing), but no matter what you call it, it's still a juniper. 

I like this one. Even though it's also Juniper (J chinensis), it reminds me just a bit of the towering* White pines (Pinus strobus), a dominant tree in much of the Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada. 

*towering by East Coast standards, not West Coast

Black monkey thorn (Acacia burkei). I like the rugged bark and simple lines. I wonder what kind of rock those are around the base. 

Believe it or not, this one is unrelated to the one just above. It's another Bastard, aka False olive (Buddleja saligna). 

Here's a sweet little Boug. 

A Trident maple with its coat of many colors. 

Without making too big a fuss, this Blaauw juniper (Juniperus chinensis blaauw) raft is natural, uncontrived and near perfect in scale. Nice pot too. 

We'll start with a confession. I've never been to the North Carolina Arboretum. Even though I've had more than one open invitation by the good people down there to visit. One of these days…

Meanwhile, maybe you can go in my stead. As encouragement, there's what promises to be a phenomenal event coming up. It's Bonsai As Fine Art and if you aren't convinced scroll down for some incentives (hint Bjorn will be there along with Arthur Joura and some other notable bonsai pros). 

Saikei style planting at The Arboretum. I imagine Bonsai Curator Arthur Joura had something to do with it. 

For links to this event and the Arboretum, click on the flier above, or scroll down to the bottom of this post. 

Azalea at the Arboretum. Even with a magnifying glass I can’t make out the fine print. Maybe you’ll have better luck.

About bonsai as art: “Bonsai are living sculptures, each artistically trained in a container by the skilled hands of one or more artists over many, and sometimes hundreds, of years,” said Blue Ridge Bonsai Society Board of Directors member Felix Laughlin. “A bonsai is like any creative art defined as ‘fine art,’ like a painting or a stone sculpture, appreciated for its aesthetic content and emotional appeal. In short, a bonsai is “fine art” with the magical power to reconnect our consciousness to the beauty and majesty of our natural world.”

This lush Japanese maple with the perfect spaces for the birds to fly through is from Eisei-en, Bjorn Bjorholm’s nursery. Bjorn will be offering a demo at the event called “Transforming Plant Material into Fine Art” on Saturday June 10, and in addition there will be video presentations by both Bjorn and Arboretum Bonsai Curator Arthur Joura. 

Here’s another rather famous tree that belongs to Bjorn Bjorholm who will no doubt be a key attraction at the event, along with some of his trees on display. If you haven't seen Bjorn in action, this is your chance. 

For more information, you can find The North Carolina Arboretum on Facebook, and the Bonsai as Fine Art page on their website. 

Saving the best California juniper for last? (see below for the previous two). So much muscle and such dynamic flow at the same time is rare and precious. Like brightly polished gold. It has been in training since 1989 and was donated by Sze-ern Kuo in 2012.

Today is the last day for The North American Collection. Just a few this time, but stayed tuned, Japanese trees are coming!

Here's the caption with this lovely Bougainvillea: Even though Bougainvillea is a vine, it can be grown as a bonsai by continually pruning the long growth. This one has been in training since 1985 and was donated by Harold M Harvey in 1990.

The twist in the lower trunk on this English hawthorn was shaped with wire when the plant was a young seedling. It's been in training since 1955 and was donated by Bertram Bruenner in 1990.

This Prostrate juniper was nursery grown, so if you surmise that the artist created the deadwood for effect, you'd be correct. It has been in training since 1969 and was gifted by Kaz and Kiyo Yoneda in 1990.

Last but not least. This windblown Chinese elm forest has been in training since 1970 and was donated by Marybel Balendonck in 1990.

Here's an old favorite. It's a European olive grove by Melba Tucker. It has been in training since 1972 and was donated by Melba's estate in 2000.

I think today's post just might be the best yet when if comes to our series on The North American Collection. If not, it's a close second. 

You don't see many American beech bonsai. They are difficult to keep in proportion with leaves that want to get much bigger and internodes that want to keep stretching. Unless you happen to be Julian Adams, who has perfected the somewhat painstaking techniques involved (scroll down for a link to Julian).

This one which is quite impressive, especially given the challenges, was donaled by Fred H. Mies in 2003 and has been in training since 1979.

This lovely Thorny Elaeagnus was gifted to the Museum by Mike Naka in 2004. John Naka originally found it growing on property to be demolished for freeway construction in Southern California. It has been in training since 1960.

This old yamadori California juniper was gifted to the Museum in 2004 by Harry Hirao, one of the great Japanese American bonsai teachers. Harry collected it in the Mojave desert in 1960 and donated it to the museum in 2004.

Harry Hirao (Mr California juniper) from an article in the National Bonsai Foundation newsletter. Even though I never had the privilege of meeting Harry, from what I've heard he was a great teacher, a great human being and a friend to everyone. He first studied bonsai with John Naka. For more on Harry, scroll down for a link to the article.

This wonderfully strange Common privet was originally collected in a cow pasture. It has been in training since 1979 and was donated by Jack Fried in 2010.

Can you imagine being out digging and coming upon a tree like this? It's another California juniper that's no doubt a yamadori (bonsai collected from nature). It has been in training since 1982 and was donated by Sze-ern Kuo in 2012.

Aha! A tree by Bill Valavanis. It's a Scots pine that Bill donated in 2017 and that he grew and trained since 1880. I don't need to say what a great tree it is, you can see for yourself.