Bonsai Hearts for Valentines Day

I was going to post some heart shaped bonsai for Valentines Day anyway, but someone beat me to it by installing a series of heart shaped bushes in Jefferson Park this morning. I know that everyone will think that I did it, but I didn't.

The Wave

Thanks to Beacon Hill neighbor Saya Moriyasu for showing me this one. She called it 'the wave' and I can understand why. It dips and swells beyond what shrubbery should be allowed.

The Beehive, newest trend in Bonsai

The very latest in Spring Bonsai fashion seems to be the 'Beehive' shape, I've noticed this fresh look coming forward all over Beacon Hill this spring.

Bonsai and Mid Century Modernism

I was thinking today about Mid Century Modernism and it's value of simple shapes and lines. Bonsai shapes are a natural compliment to this aesthetic and I think that is why I'm so drawn to this combination. So I took a few photos this morning on my walk of mid century homes with nice bonsai, but this is a common sight on Beacon Hill.

Bonsai of the week, June 30th 2009

The trick to finding new bonsai like this one on mid Beacon Hill is to take different routes every time you have to drive somewhere. It's a little less convenient but it's been helping me discover new areas of the hood.

I liked this yard not only for it's shapely bonsai, but for it's excellent use of a sloped lot with lots and lots of amazing rock work.

Bonsai of the week, June 15th, 2009

Truth be told...it's actually hard coming up with Bonsai of the Week. Not because there isn't anything to choose from...actually it's because there is so much to choose from that it's hard to narrow it down. It's hard to find a single block on Beacon Hill that does not have some kind of crazy shaped bush.

I try to look for the funky factor, strange shapes, plastic sculptures, crazy arrangements...but often times I run across yards like this one located south of the VA hospital on south Columbian way. It's just really well done in a loving way and it looks great. Once again making me glad that I live on Beacon Hill.

shrubs as walls

I've been admiring people that form their shrubbery as walls that separate them from the street. If you think about it, who is going to put graffiti on a bush? Plus it can change over time, if you don't like your neighbor you could grow it bigger or maybe carve hearts into it for valentines day? It's still a labor of love but probably more eco-friendly than chopping down some trees to make a fence.

Earth Art on Beacon Hill

The Earth Art movement was born in the US in the late 1960's. Championed by such artists as Robert Smithson the movement could 'be understood as a protest against the perceived artificiality, plastic aesthetics and ruthless commercialization of art at the end of the 1960's". This has always been one of my favorite art movements because it took art out of the museum and into the natural world where it was meant to be part of the landscape and maybe more than any other art movement (yes, even Dadaism) I think it challenged us to look at art in new ways.

I doubt that this is what this person was thinking of when they made their entire yard into a bulbous contorted mass of bonsai-ism but I can't help but thinking of the words of Robert Smithson when he said "A work of art when placed in a gallery loses its charge, and becomes a portable object or surface disengaged from the outside world."

The gardener that lives in this house (and many others on Beacon Hill) has created sort of a public folk art sculpture that reminds me of how lucky we are to live in this area of Seattle.

What is hiding in that bush?

I spotted this one just off Beacon Ave on the south end of Beacon Hill. This is one of my most entertaining things when people actually take the time to shape their bushes into recognizable imagery. Truly this is a labor of love that goes unappreciated like this butterfly.

I have had to train my eye to look for these things and there have been a few that I have passed by regularly and never noticed until someone pointed them out to me. I've now become a little bonsai paranoid and am starting to see all sorts of things that probably don't exist, but it's fun. Like lying on your back on a summers day and looking up and the clouds and seeing what they have to offer. Topiary can be like Rorschach tests so please let me know if you see any on the hill and I would be happy to add them to the list!

Bonsai Moon-Scape

Pointillism is not my favorite art movement. Championed by artists such as George Seurat, this neo-impressionistic movement took root in late 1800’s Paris and perhaps it’s most famous painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, has become an icon of post impressionistic art and it obviously deserves it’s place in the history books. The basic tenants of this movement is that the eye naturally blends different ‘points’ of light in order to recognize imagery.

This is not my favorite art movement because I find it a little stiff and boring. Or at least I used to find it stiff and boring until I ran across this Bonsai treasure yard. I can’t say exactly where I was because truthfully I was a little lost, somewhere in central Beacon Hill west of Beacon Ave.

This is actually someone’s back yard at it looks more like a moon-scape as they have lovingly draped their yard in different shapes and shades of well trimmed bushes. Who needs a lawn when you could cover your whole yard with living sculpture reminiscent of Pointillism?

Urban Bonsai Safari Complete!

Ok folks, it's been a really long day, but my dog and I walked around the entire perimeter of Beacon Hill. I've seen a lot, I've learned a lot and according to Google maps I've walked about 18 miles today. I took about 400 photos so it is going to take me awhile to sort through everything and present everything I've found. In the meantime I thought you might enjoy this little movie, it's my entire journey squished down to a minute and twenty seven seconds. It's mostly just pictures of well groomed shrubs, but I threw in a bunch of random everything to make it more interesting. Enjoy!

Beacon Hill Blog Kudos

Thanks Beacon Hill Blog for the recognition. I'm kind of new to the hill and I'm just starting to poke around and see what's out there. I promise lots of great things to come!

Bonzilla!

I call this one Bonzilla for obvious reasons. It is the king monster of all Beacon Hill Banzai, could I ever find one greater?

walk the line

please excuse my poor photography, but this was a pretty groovy line of tricked out bushes. Near the viewpoint park on the west side of Beacon Hill

The Birthday Cake

Here is my first shrub entry. I saw this amazing bush while walking my dog on the east side of the golf course and knew that I had to start a website to honor it. If I were to name it, I would call it 'birthday cake bush'