Bonsai Today

Online magazine for Bonsai lovers

jack

Masterclass

A Pine Puzzle

Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris, is one of the most popular pine varieties and one of the most commonly styled tree.


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Styling

Jack & John

British artist, John Milton, works on a white pine in Japan.


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Styling

How to ‘crack’ a white pine

Masayuki Fujikawa transforms a white pine by changing the angle and compacting an elongated trunk. One of the best characteristics of this tree is the aged appearance of the bark, making it look as though it was just collected from the mountains. Additionally, the leaf characteristics and the power in…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Technique

Doing the opposite

Instead of compacting and downsizing, David Soto opens and unfolds cramped branches We are used to seeing how branches and trunks are bent to bring the green areas closer to the interior, compress them and reduce the length. Well, I am going to reduce the dimensions of this tree by…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

No beating about the bush

A very bushy juniper for Mauro Stemberger to style It was January 2020 when I arrived at the small city of Marostica at the foot of the Italian Alps for a demo with Mauro Stemberger. In the studio of Enrico Pavin, Mauro, together with his team, was ready to transform…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Technique

Trick of the master

Grafting techniques taught by bonsai Masters to improve your bonsai These techniques can all boosts the quality of your bonsai. Grafting, approach grafting and some simple bending are are just a few of the options available. Let these Masters inspire you to change the level of your trees. Transformation by…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

Can it be opened ?

Untangling the dense foliage canopy of a sabina juniper Valentin Brose, former apprentice of Kunio Kobayashi, is a refined artist. The sabina juniper has such a dense canopy that all is hidden away from the eye. Valentin knows what is needed to open it up and show off its qualities…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Styling

Lost and Found

Making the most of a bad pine Masayuki Fujikawa brings out the hidden character of a white pine (Pinus parviflora) Looking at the four photos below, there is nothing of note that one feels makes this a tree worth working on. The position of the apex goes both ways and…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Technique

Heavy bending

How to bend thick branches Sometimes wire is simply not enough to bend the branch in the desired position. Here we sum up the proper techniques to make things bend smoothly. Lower a branch by pulling a guy wire Even though you wire it from the base, if a branch…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Shohin

The little gem

Reworking a small juniper Alexandre Escudero is crazy about shohin bonsai. At the nursery of his teacher Hiroyuki Tanibata, he found a little gem of a juniper. Let’s together find the beauty lost on this Juniperus itoigawa and discover step-by-step how to rework a shohin-sized tree. I bought this Juniperus…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now