Back to the future - Bjorn Bjorholm reworks the tree he styled in Japan. A bonsai is never finished, over the years it will mature, perhaps even grow out of its original style. This is what happened with a juniper […]
Cuabilla de Costa - Suriana, or Cuabilla de Costa as it’s known in Cuba, has well-hidden qualities, as Jorge Pensado discovered Jorge: ‘My first step in cultivating bonsai was in 1996. I was self-taught since there was a complete lack […]
Good on all sides - Dominique Bosch styles a sabina juniper Dominique Bosch, an upcoming Dutch bonsai artist, has been studying under Masters like Hotsumi Terakawa, Salvatore Liporace and Taiga Urushibata of the Taisho-En in Japan. In 2017 he was […]
Step by step with Hemlock - Teunis Jan Klein shows us how to create a medium sized bonsai in just a few steps. This time he works on hemlock (Tsuga), a variety less commonly seen as bonsai. 1. Analysis The […]
Boring bonsai - Because bonsai are relatively small they get visually boring very quickly Bjorn: ‘This means that you have to have an eye for detail to avoid this happening. A slight adjustment can make a huge difference […]
Chamaecyparis – Just a simple line up? - Nobuichi Urushibata creates a rock planting with cheap material. Making a group planting on a rock with inexpensive material is the goal here. Bonsai Master, Nobuichi Urushibata, Taisho-en Nursery, has much expertise in growing and […]
A double life – A juniper is split up to create two separate bonsai - Minoru Akiyama is well-known for his refined work, which has been seen in many previous issues Bonsai Focus. In summer 2017 he was invited by Frank Busch, of Bonsai Park Nursery, to carry out some […]
Is it natural? - Harry Harrington guides you to create and use deadwood features on deciduous and broadleaf bonsai
Cotoneaster – A friend to everyone - An extremely versatile and easily grown plant. It enables the grower to happily style away with very satisfying results. Bruno Wijman shows the amazing results after a few hours’ work. 1. Analysing the tree This […]
Spiralling veins - Jan Culek sketches options for Max Ludwig’s juniper The tree looks quite fresh and I would like to recommend working first with the essential things for junipers — the live veins and deadwood. The trunk […]
Prunus: Create a finished tree starting from scratch - You can propagate and create bonsai from cuttings and by grafting, especially with unusual and interesting species. Here we introduce an illustrated guide from taking a cutting to a finished tree. We are creating a […]
Instant reward with Blaauw juniper - It’s almost needless to say that junipers are the most popular material for bonsai. They can withstand lots of work done in a short period of time. Available at most nurseries in all kinds […]
Sankan-gi | Triple trunk style - Triple trunk style – This has three, five, or seven trunks of different trunk diameters growing from a single root ball. If there are three trunks of differing diameters, it is referred to as a […]
Chopped off - Bjorn Bjorholm is challenged by a chunky pine on Mallorca. In collaboration with the Bonsai Sense Nursery, Bjorn has a bonsai school on the beautiful island of Mallorca. What would be better than to invite […]
Larch, best of both worlds - Larch is actually a mix of conifer and deciduous trees, it has best of both worlds. Its leaves change with the season from fresh green to a golden glow in autumn. It is an extremely […]
An elegant pine - Antonio Ricchiari sketches the options for the Pine of Gunther de Boeck Antonio Ricchiari passion for bonsai started in the early seventies. He is known for his many publications in bonsai magazines and writer of […]
Easy-going forest planting with maples - Takao Katsumata creates a deciduous forest. There is a certain type of enjoyment that is special and unique to a forest style bonsai, regardless of the species or origin of the material. As a part […]
Going wild - Ageing a Prunus avium – wild cherry It was a journey of more than 15 years that began with simple native garden material and resulted in a stunning small-sized bonsai. Morten Albek guides us through […]
Utah Juniper - Now that I have settled back in California, it’s time to rebuild my Bonsai collection! For the past 6 months, I have been slowly rebuilding the Bonsai business I left behind and have worked with many terrific people. I have study groups that have formed throughout California and even in other States! You can say that I’m living the Bonsai dream! I hope to play my part in helping the promotion of bonsai in the United States and get good information out there to those that want it. My other goal is also to build a quality bonsai collection for myself and not just enjoy the final development of the trees, but the journey as well.
Yose-Ue | Forest/group style - Forest/group style – We can see this as a small forest in a flat pot. It should create the illusion of a miniature version of a forest. The distances between the trees should be different. Do […]
Moyogi | Informal upright style - Informal upright style -The trunk is slightly bent and tapers toward the top. The top of the tree is straight above the base of the trunk. The branches are distributed asymmetrically. The lower branches must […]
Chokkan | Formal upright style - Formal upright style – The trunk is straight and tapers toward the top. The branches of the bonsai must gradually become shorter and thinner from the bottom to the top, be horizontal compared with the […]
Sabamiki | Split trunk style - Split trunk style – Usually has the base of its trunk split or hollowed out. In nature this style is usually found in very old trees. In bonsai, Sabamiki can add a feeling of great […]
Bunjin-gi | Literati style - Literati style – This strange style is characterized by a thin slender trunk with only a few branches. The lower branches are often dead and barren, but the trunk itself is full of great character. […]
Seki-joju | Root-over-rock style - Root-over-rock style -A rock planting where the roots grow over the rock and disappear into the ground. In nature, trees are forced into all kinds of shapes under the influences of weather, wind and placement. […]
Ikadabuki | Raft style - Raft style – This represents a fallen tree, with the trunk buried under the soil. The branches at the top of the fallen tree grow straight upwards as trunks. In nature, trees are forced into […]
Kabudachi | Clump style - Clump style – This is basically the same as the double-trunk style (Sokan). However, we only refer to a multi-trunk style if three or more trunks are growing out of the ground from a single […]
Ishitsuki | Rock-clinging style - Rock-clinging style – A planting where the tree grows on a rock, or the roots cling in a small rock crevice where there is a little soil. In nature, trees are forced into all kinds […]
Sharimiki | Driftwood style - Driftwood style – A tree where the trunk is mostly deadwood, more commonly seen on junipers and yews where the trunk is primarily deadwood with one or two live veins running up to the remaining […]
Netsuranari | Sinuous-root style - Sinuous-root style – Resembling the Yose-Ue style, but all the trunks are connected by a single root system. It consists of a primary tree with multiple stems, each of which has emerged from various points […]
Kengai | Cascade style - Cascade style – In nature, this tree grows on a rock face and, because of snow and wind, it first grows downwards and then upwards again. In Kengai the leaves grow lower than the pot. […]
Hokidachi | Broom style - Broom style – Trees in this style have an upright trunk with branches and foliage radiating outwards in the shape of a Japanese fan or an umbrella. In nature, trees are forced into all kinds […]
Shohin - Miniature trees – Bonsai are classified in sizes. The most commonly known are Mame (5–15 cm / 2–6 inch), Shohin (13–20 cm / 5–8 inch), Chiu (41–91 cm /16–36 inch) and Dai (76–122 cm / […]
Shakan | Slanting style - Slanting style – In nature, a tree can lean to one side when there is a prevailing wind direction, or when a tree is standing in the shade and growing towards the light. In the […]
Tanuki | Artificial driftwood style - Artificial driftwood style – Tanuki is not so much a style, more a technique for making bonsai look older than they are. A live plant is joined to a piece of driftwood. Sharimiki is the […]
Sokan | Double-trunk style - Double-trunk style – A double trunk occurs if a tree develops two trunks out of a single root base. The junction of the trunks at the base must be sharply “V”-shaped and not “U”-shaped. One […]
Fukinagashi | Windswept style - Windswept style – You should imagine this as a tree through which wind is blowing at that very moment. The main branches stay in position; only the thin branches and leaves position themselves according to […]
Han-kengai | Half-cascade style - Half-cascade style – In nature, this tree grows on a rock face and, because of snow and wind, it first grows downwards and then upwards again. In Kengai the leaves grow lower than the pot. […]
Bankan | Coiled style - Coiled style – This twisted style is probably the closest to what came from China; often called the ‘dragon style’ (or ‘green dragon’) it is a favorite in Chinese bonsai and is an auspicious presence […]
Neagari | Exposed-root style - Exposed-root style – The roots of the neagari emerge above the surface of the soil. These uncovered roots give the impression that the tree has been exposed to soil erosion for many years. In nature, […]
Gokan | Five/seven-trunk style - Five/seven-trunk style – This has a multitude of trunks, usually of an odd number. Gokan (five trunks) and Nanakan (seven trunks) refer to those bonsai with distinct, countable trunks, each of which has a stronger […]
Respect for an old juniper - Grace, elegance and style all come together in one tree What do you expect from a good juniper bonsai? Dynamism? Restlessness? Elegance? Style? But is this always so? Antonio Gesualdi is going to prove that, […]