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Yamadori giant
The late Serge Clémence was a real bonsai Master, who mainly worked on yamadori trees. His bonsai, all dug up by himself and carried on his back down the mountainside, have become iconic works. ..
An emotional experience
I began with bonsai about 15 years ago, but soon the commercial, industrially manufactured pots no longer related to my ideas.
Euonymus
These shrubs and small trees, known as spindles, grow on all continents except South America and Africa.
Survivor
Bonsai or trees marked by time and climate tell a story, says Lydie Carpentier.
The apex
Our scrutiny of the essential rules of bonsai concludes by taking a look at the apex, or summit (Atama). It is also one of the significant points of the tree.
The branches
In a bonsai the two most significant areas are the roots and the trunk. But what about the branches, or eda as they called in Japanese?
The trunk
The second essential element in bonsai is the trunk, or Kokejun. A trunk should taper to the top and it also determines the movement of the tree.
The roots
Learn the rules of bonsai and they will always be retained to guide you in whatever task that you wish to perform. To help you understand we’re going to scrutinise a bonsai starting from the root base, moving up to the trunk, the branches and finally the top..
Shiny blades II
Three tools that have a similar appearance: concave cutters, root cutters and trunk splitters. The major difference…
Shiny blades
How to maintain your precious tools because, just like our bonsai, the tools also need tender care…
Just imagine
A suiseki, or viewing stone, often seems to resemble a mountain range…
Can an oversized cutting survive
A lucky strike – The development of a yamadori spruce
like Italian design…?
A child with presents – The ceramic passion of Giuseppe Lombardo…
Pinus sylvestris
In the wild, a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) matures naturally into the same style as a bonsai literati with branches spreading horizontally below its flattened apex.
Trachelospermum asiaticum
How to create bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods using interesting and unusual species…
Satsuki Azalea
Members of the huge Rhododendron family are the most flamboyant of flowering shrubs, producing masses of bright flowers in late spring.
Pinus Nigra
Austrian pines make great bonsai; their rugged bark and dark green needles give them a special character.
Conocarpus
Mike Lane’s story of a buttonwood and his best ever decision. Sixty Seconds. This was all the time I needed to make what would be the most important decision of my life. I had been working for several years in finance, pursuing a career in the stock market, when during
Hibiscus
Jerome Kellerhals has his bonsai garden in sunny Florida USA, where he mainly works on semi-tropicals. This time he talks about the many virtues of the sea hibiscus acquired from a special friend. This old-world tropical tree (Hibiscus tiliaceus) is a member of the mallow family. It has heart-shaped leaves
Pinus parviflora
This is one of the most popular of the Asian pines for bonsai work and garden use. The two species of the white pine commonly seen as imported bonsai in the west are: Pinus Parviflora var. ‘Negishi’, with its very blue leaves and P. Parviflora var. ‘Zuisho’, which has very
Acer palmatum
Acer palmatum, the Japanese maple, has a wide distribution and grows at many elevations throughout its native habitat. In cultivation, it is seen everywhere as a garden plant and as bonsai. Under good conditions, the tree grows from about 2.7m to 4.6m in a spreading or rounded, open-tiered shape, depending