Maples!
The Bay Area Bonsai Associates (BABA) held their 28th annual show at Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, California, this past weekend. The show included a good number of maples. Some of my favorites belonged to local bonsai enthusiast Jay McDonald.
Jay is active in a number of clubs and has contributed greatly to the local scene. He acquired the maple below some time ago and has done a great job developing the ramification.
Japanese maple
If only there were more big maples around. They are a striking variety in every season and are relatively easy to care for.
From below
Maple roots and moss
All of Jay’s trees featured bright green moss as a top-dressing. He claims a secret source for the stuff – a valuable vein somewhere in Marin County.
I missed the opportunity to get a shot of a second large maple Jay had on display, but I caught his trident maple, again displayed with the great moss.
Trident maple
All told there were plenty of attractive maples at the show, including the following.
Japanese maple
Japanese maple
Japanese maple ‘kiyohime’
I recently learned that Kiyohime is a mythic Japanese character who, once driven to a mighty rage, transforms into a fiery serpent. It didn’t end well for her paramour, the priest Anjin.
I don’t know that the variety is named for her, but I can’t say the name is inappropriate due to its fiery spring colors.
Shohin pot display
The exhibit at the recent Shohin Seminar in Santa Nella, CA, featured a wonderful selection shohin-sized pots. Decorations ranged from the pictorial to the abstract. Best of all, many were displayed on box stands without trees. It was a great way to show off some great pots.
Landscape
Abstract
Monkey and bird
Landscape
Flowers
Box display
Box display
Open box display
See more photos from the exhibit here.
Age, character, and beauty
January has always been one of my favorite times of the year for bonsai. Full of repotting and show prep, wiring and cutback, the month entails some of the hardest and most rewarding work of the year. It also fills me with optimism for all of the bonsai work the year will bring.
For all of this, I’m grateful. Bonsai has enriched my life and led me on wonderful adventures around the world. Through it, I have made lasting friendships and learned to appreciate some of the more subtle beauties nature has to offer. I expect this year will be no different.
Years ago, I came across a flyer that provided a good summary of what makes a bonsai special. Age, character, and beauty, it asserted. I’ve used the definition often. If a tree lacks age, it cannot demonstrate its relationship to the environment. If it lacks character, there is nothing to distinguish it from the next tree on the bench. And if it lacks beauty, whether the elegance gained over time or the heart-rending tenacity that keeps it alive, the tree will fail to move us.
Full of age, character, and beauty, the Bristlecone Pines never fail to move me. The following grow along the Discovery Trail in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.
One of the more famous trees along the trail. It lived for over 3,000 years.
It’s neighbor is still alive – it too has celebrated more than 3,000 new years.
John next to a huge Bristlecone pine.
Maybe the most photographed branch in the grove. The natural twists are outstanding.
A proud tree on the west edge of the grove.
Two Bristlecones catching last light.
Bristlecone pine deadwood
Old Bristlecone Pines can exhibit outstanding deadwood. Some of it is gray and weathered – other bits look freshly sandblasted. Here are some shots of deadwood from along the Methuselah Trail in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest; images link to full gallery.
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