Lone Wolf with Cub. How a Samurai became Bonsai (Transfer to Bonsai Empire’s blog)

30. June 2013 by princhipi

Lone Wolf with cub

Blog post is moved to Bonsai Empire’s blog: How a Samurai became Bonsai, Literati style.

Thank you for following.

…love, Melanie!!

Bonsai upcoming stars: Mario Pavone

29. June 2013 by princhipi

Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in the world! The weather is sunny and warm, the cities are old, the people are gregarious and friendly, the food is sublime and the bonsai artists there are great at the moment!

One of the upcoming talents is surely Mario Pavone, a young man that lives in Luino, not too far from the Swiss border. Mario started with bonsai in 1997-’98, he’s received many prizes, articles about his trees have been published in many bonsai magazines and he’s been a featured guest at many demostrations. He’s a member of UBI (Unione Bonsai Italiani) and of the BCT (Bonsai Club Ticino).

I had the honor of visiting his small but very powerful garden: he seems to be a lover of pines because I only saw very few deciduous trees. Regardless of the size of the garden it’s a piece of paradise and I was impressed with the elegance of some of the trees. I was expecting big large trunks with little foliage but I was greeted by very stunning and spectacular trees.

Mario has an artistic background and a very accurate knowledge of his trees, although he loves big trees, every single one has his own charm and elegance.

He’s also a teacher at the Bonsai Creativo School, which was established and is directed by Sandro Segneri (another well known Italian bonsai artist) with 21 locations in Italy and throughout Europe, one of the most prestigious school of the country.

Hope to see some of his work at shows soon and meet him again maybe at a demonstration.

love…, Melanie!!

Accent Plant Smorgasbord!

25. June 2013 by princhipi

I really love accent and kusamonos!! This ones are so fresh and airy, gives immediatly a sentetion of coolness in a warm breezy summer.

Michael Hagedorn

It’s been a busy month! And it’s nice to come back from tilting at windmills and other kinds of fun to see what’s been going on while away. I always look forward to see what’s blooming on the accent bench, and what’s getting ready to bloom. They’re a cheerful bunch!

I’ve shared photos of accent plants in the past when they begin to get showy, so it’s nothing new that I’m waxing rhapsodic at this time of year. This time I’ve also included a few paragraphs about their care, and some observations on the aesthetic horizons of these special plantings that my teacher Shinji Suzuki was so very fond of.

I’ve not yet fertilized any of these rascals this year, just watered. In early July I will fertilize. Most accent plants like a lot of water, even the succulents pictured here don’t mind it. But then they are from the…

View original post 497 more words

Japanese!? Can you learn it?

20. June 2013 by princhipi

It’s official! Next May I will go to Japan!! I am so thrilled about it, I am counting the days, well not really but you get the point. It has been always my inexplicably dream to go to Japan, always love bonsai, always loved the simplicity of japan, always loved the melancholy beauty in everything about this Land. Maybe it’s because is so different than any other country! Really I don’t know, I just love it!

Ok, ok!! Everything good and right but what about the language!! OMG!! Yes you name it!!

To be honest, is really not easy but possible and in the end it’s not as different as any other language, the secret is practice, practice, practice.

In this learning process I bump in an article that Owen Reich wrote in 2012 about a “Bonsai Japanese Crash course” which includes almost all the words you need to know in Japanese when dealing with bonsai.

Although by now I know more than only “Sumimasen” – Sorry, excuse me, or “Domo Arrigato Gozaimas” Thank you very much or “Do itashi mashite” –your welcome, this little list gives all a new perspective about what will I expect.

…and the learning process goes on!!