I’m undecided I’ve ever seen bark fairly like this. Its uniquely patterned texture and shade provides an abundance of character and age to this dwell oak. Moreover (and on the danger of extra phrase proliferation), have you ever observed the pot? How a lot character it has (and the way small it’s for the tree)? No point out of who made it with the photograph, however whoever did deserves some love. The tree and the pot are from the ‘My Timber’ part of Mauro Stemberger’s web site.
There isn’t any surer indication of a bonsai’s age than its bark. You possibly can develop younger bushes with fats trunks and should you’re expert sufficient, you carve deadwood and apply strategies that may make it look historical, however you may’t create previous bark. Solely time can do this
At first look I assumed the rock that stands out on the correct was a part of the trunk. However a more in-depth look confirms the sturdy suspicion that it is a rock. There’s a narrative right here for positive that has to do with how this tree grew over time. Nevertheless it’s the heavy furrowed bark that chinches it. The tree is the King of bonsai, a Japanese black pine. We borrowed the photograph from Micheal Bonsai an ongoing supply for excellent photographs of Japanese bonsai.
Bark like that is uncommon on a Japanese maple, until it’s this Tough Bark selection (Acer palmatum ‘Arakawa’). The tree is roughly eighty years previous and stands 70cm (virtually 28″) excessive. Walter Pall imported it from Japan as semi uncooked materials. Walter has a superb collection of images on the tree’s transition on his Bonsai Adventures weblog.
If you’re expert sufficient you may create the phantasm of age by carving and making use of different strategies with deadwood. However relating to bark, time and solely time is critical for that prized aged look. We borrowed this photograph from Salvador De Los Reyes.
Extra aged bark, this time on an illustrious previous European olive that belongs to David Benavente. It resides at his Estudio de Bonsái in Galapagar, Spain, simply exterior of Madrid. The images are from David’s timeline.
Right here’s one from Michael Hagedorn’s Portfolio. As a result of Michael is a gifted author along with being a bonsai genius, we’ll let him do the speaking…
“This Engelmann spruce was initially owned by a man up in Seattle and I think it grew in a mica drum pot for a pair many years. Collected within the Cascades a few years in the past, it has good flaky, mature bark and sports activities a wholesome group of lichen up and down the primary trunk.
“It was rising wildly and moppish once I purchased it in 2008, and was styled in 2009. When wiring spruce, watch out to spray the foliage with water first. In any other case many wholesome needles may merely drop off, which actually weakens a tree. Ezo spruce is particularly delicate to agitated needles; hydrating them first makes them extra sturdy.
“I just like the calm, peaceable feeling of spruce. This one would look good in a tokonoma show, perhaps with a water stone to counsel a serene excessive mountain lake. Or, for the satirically inclined, a small figurine of a panting, exhausted hiker, leaning on a stick…”
Talking of Michael Hagedorn, his Bonsai Heresy is a should learn (and reread) for any critical bonsai fanatic. I do know of no higher approach to enhance your bonsai understanding and supreme success than to learn Bonsai Heresy after which take your newfound insights and apply them to your follow of the artwork of bonsai.
