Bonsai tree: Million dollar bonsai

Source: Bonsai Tonight
Million dollar bonsai

There was a lot of talk about a large white pine at the 11th Asia-Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention & Exhibition (ASPAC 2011) offered for 100,000,000 yen. At today’s exchange rate, that’s close to 1.3 million dollars.

Million dollar bonsai

The tree was offered by S-CUBE, the bonsai organization headed by Seiji Morimae. The tree sported a sold sign on the second day of the convention, but I do not know for how much the tree actually sold.

Could a large white pine really be worth $1,000,000? Good question. The pine is big, really big, and it has amazing roots.

Million dollar roots

Good trunk, good roots, and the man behind S-CUBE, Seiji Morimae

What I’m learning is that it can be difficult to determine the value of trees like this because they are unique. Vendors have heard about the slow economies around the world in many languages this week, but a few good buyers have been leaving a slew of red sold signs in their wake, and the very best trees sold well – hence the success of S-CUBE at the event. If only more exhibits featured such nice trees!

Japanese maple – sold

White pine – sold

Japanese maple

Chinese juniper – sold

Cork bark black pine

Chinese quince

Japanese black pine – sold

Japanese maple

Chinese juniper – sold

White pine – sold

White pine – sold

A row of great trees

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Bonsai tree: Your Fate is in Their Hands

Michael Hagedorn (our alphabetically first judge) worked on this Japanese white pine before his teacher, Shinji Suzuki entered it in the famous Kokufu show. You can visit Michael’s Crataegus Bonsai (one of my all time favorite bonsai blogs) for the whole story. Michael is the author of Post-Dated – The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk.

Bonsai from Scratch Contest: it’s time to meet the judges

All the images have been sorted and sized and sent to the judges. Now it’s their turn, so I thought it might be a good idea to introduce them. In alphabetical order, they are: Michael Hagedorn, Colin Lewis, Teddi (Theodora) Scobi, Robert Steven and Bill Valavanis. I would like to extend a hearty thanks (in advance) to each of them for taking the time to help us along with this contest. I look forward to the results of their efforts.

This very muscular Elm is from a gallery of Colin Lewis’ trees. Colin is a well known bonsai artist, teacher and author (and, I suspect, a genuinely literate gentleman – though that might just be his English accent), and is our second (in the alphabetical sense) judge. Colin’s home and bonsai studio is located in the snowy wilds of Maine. Way back in 2010, we featured an interview with Colin.


This cascading Japanese black pine is from Teddi Scobi’s (and Hitoshi Kanaegae’s) New England Bonsai Gardens. Teddi is the warm heart of NEBG, and, on a personal note, a long time dear friend.

This now famous Premna, is one of dozens of my favorite Robert Steven trees. Robert is one of the most prolific and daring bonsai artists, teachers and authors in the world, and is always a great pleasure to work with. Robert’s critiques frequently appear here on Bonsai Bark.

Bill Valavanis must occasionally grow tired of being last or near last in the alphabet (but in no way last in the art of bonsai). But not to worry, we feature Bill, his excellent bonsai and his world class bonsai events (the 2012 US National Bonsai Exhibition is coming up) here on Bonsai Bark regularly. This Seigen Japanese maple is one of Bill’s most famous and most wonderful trees.

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Bonsai tree: Leafless Red Maple

This is the same tree as the previous post. I’d taken that picture in leaf, took a trip, and when I came back it was completely bare. Here’s a winter silhouette, and, since several commented on it, a close-up of the nebari.

Red Maple, Acer rubrum, October 2011.

Nebari

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Bonsai tree: Red Maple in Fall Color

This post is dedicated to Portland’s own dear lady of deciduous, Anne Spencer, who passed recently. Anne grew this Red maple, Acer rubrum, from a three year old seedling twenty years ago. It is one of the joys of my backyard. This maple is a fine example of what slow dedicated work can bring, which is really the only way to an excellent deciduous product.

This year the Red maple is orange... the color of the photo does not get the glow of the orange quite right. 18" high.

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Bonsai tree: Growing Your Own Maple Bonsai

Bonsai trees need tender, loving care and may need extra effort from you to grow and thrive. But, they will reward you with their natural beauty.

The Maples are very vibrant and beautiful trees. They are very leafy and have a full appearance. In the fall, as the leaves are turning, they will turn to yellow and red, this makes a fantastic display.

This is why they are beautiful as Bonsai trees and they tend to thrive well if kept right. The ideal conditions they need combine partial sun and shade for healthy growth.

In the winter, pay particular attention to the roots as they may die if they get too cold. The do not need as much water in the winter, either.

Maples prefer moist soil, so make sure that they have an adequate amount of water daily. Also, make sure there is adequate drainage so that you do not over water it.

These trees do well as informal uprights because of their leafy nature. They may be trained as a cascade but be very careful as you can split the trunk if you do not handle the them delicately. Remember these trees are a long term project and so take your time if training or shaping them.

Some people prefer to wire the tree into a curve. However, this looks and is unnatural for the maple tree. It is recommended that you prune it and work towards a gentle curve. If you are determined to cascade it however, be careful because the tree could scar from any trauma.

Feed the tree approximately once a month. A fertilizer is needed to assist with the growing process, however, do not over do it.

These trees are hearty and must be pruned back fairly regularly. You can also trim the roots if you believe it is getting too large.

It is best to prune the branches in late Fall and Winter when most of the leaves have dropped off. You may want to use a paste to cover the wound once a branch has been cut off.

It may be difficult to determine at times, how much growth is necessary and what needs to be scaled back. The object is to have a miniature rendition of a real tree. Ideally, it should not look like an ordinary houseplant if this is the case it has over grown.

The tree needs to be re potted on a regular basis, typically, every one to two years. When repotting use a mixture of soil, sand and peat.

They can be a very challenging, yet rewarding to grow. Try to obtain as much information in advance so you know what to expect and will be on the alert if there are any problems. Most of all, have fun and enjoy the tree for years to come. Read more!

Bonsai tree: Bonsai Art: Deshojo Japanese Maple

Deshojo Japanese maple by Bill Valavanis. It’s been Bill’s day in the sun lately with a successful 2nd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition under his belt, so why not show another side of his talents? One thing that strikes me about this photo the are the five strong colors (black, vermillon, whitish, green and shades of blue) that stand in sharp contrast to each other. This play of colors in such high contrast, along with the simple beauty of the tree, leaves little doubt that bonsai, when done well, is elevated to pure art.

Here’s something I grabbed off  from facebook that has nothing to do with Bill Valavanis. It’s a kusamono by Fausta Lep. I don’t know if Fausta made this exquisite pot. Anyone?

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Bonsai tree: Spring bonsai display

Bay Island Bonsai’s annual exhibit is held in January each year. It is a great time to show bonsai, but it’s not always the most colorful time of year. At a recent BIB monthly meeting, we worked on a display that included a Japanese black pine and a Japanese maple. In winter, the maple would be bare. In spring, the foliage is bright green.

Boon setting up a display at a BIB monthly meeting

Or bright red. Boon brought two maples to try with the display, one green and one red.

Green and red Japanese maples

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Acer sp. - Maple Bonsai

Finally I have come to talk about my most adorable bonsai specie which is Acer sp. or Maple, which is from the fallen leaves trees class. The land of this tree is the northern hemisphere, with a cold or moderate climate of Europe, America and continent of Asia.
Maple has a trunk type look and does not grow tall. It has a good characteristic when we talk of bonsai: it has an intensive branching. There appears 2 powerful branches from each node. Acer sp. like the sun in almost of all cases, except some species which would appreciate a little shadow, but generally speaking it needs sunlight. Best of all for a maple suits a moderate damp climate, with no over watering, over heating, with minimal protection of cold weather and excessive hot and dryness summer. For a good developing of bonsai you should introduce some nutriments when watering in spring and fall, especially good for this are low dissolving nutriments.

Wallter Pall Japanese Maple

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