The Redwood Empire Bonsai Society held their 27th annual show this past weekend in Santa Rosa, California. As always, the large show drew large crowds. Kathy Shaner’s demonstrations highlighted each day’s events, and the club’s large vendor area kept visitors engaged.

A number of new trees made it into the exhibit this year, and particular attention was paid to the display of accent plants – more on that in an upcoming post.

Here is a sampling of the trees that were on display.

Coast redwood

White pine

Japanese maple

Ginkgo

Shimpaku

Pomegranate

Trident maple

Trident maple

Pyracantha

Cork oak

Hawthorne

Pine

White pine

Sonare

Crape myrtle

Japanese black pine

Trident maple

Crape myrtle

Shimpaku

Japanese maple

Trident maple

Coast redwood

Here are some more photographs from the California Suiseki Society’s 15th Annual Show.

Coastal – Italy

Figure stone – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Coastal – Northern California

Doha – Japan

Doha – Japan

Mountain – Northern California

Meditation stone

Meditation stone

Meditation stone

Mountain range – Northern California

Dobutsu-seki – Mendocino, California

Waterfall – Northern California

Kinzan-seki – Northern California

Mountain range – Northern California

Mountain range – Northern California

Distant mountain – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Tropical island – Northern California

Mizukagami – Northern California

Mizukagami – Northern California

Kisogawa – Northern California

Kisogawa detail – Northern California

See more suiseki from this show.

The California Suiseki Society held its 15th Annual Show at the Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, California on June 12-13, 2010. Typically members display stones new to their collections – this year President & Founder Felix Rivera encouraged members to display their very best stones. The result was a wonderful collection of close to 100 suiseki.

Most of the stones on display were “mountain stones” from Northern California. I was a bit surprised by this – either most engaging stones in California make good representations of mountains, or the mountain style speaks to members. A core of over a dozen are from the Bay Area – most of the rest are located across the country. Worldwide, the active membership is about 50.

I was also surprised by the diversity of rock geology. Northern California is clearly home to diverse collections of rock making it a great place for collecting.

Here’s a sampling of the suiseki on display. I’ll post more later this week.

Mountain & arch stone – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Near mountain – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Waterfall – Northern California

Distant mountain – Northern California

Waterfall – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Lake – Northern California

Mountain range – Northern California

Nearby mountain – Northern California

Island – Northern California

Island detail – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Plateau – Northern California

Waterfall – Northern California

Distant mountain – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Kinzan-seki – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Distant mountain with river – Northern California

Mountain – Northern California

Mountain range – Northern California

The Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai’s 16th annual exhibit included evidence that good satsuki azalea bonsai stock is available if you look in the right place. In this case, the right place is Japan. A number of the club’s members visit Japan regularly to study bonsai with Suisho Nakayama. The trees below were purchased at his nursery and shipped, recently, to California, after completing a 2-year quarantine in Japan.

Satsuki azalea at a fun stage of development

Satsuki azalea – a bit further along

I didn’t remember to write down the varieties of the above trees, but I did get information for the tree below. The display card read: “Eik(w)an [=a garland] (seedling of Asahi Zuru Taisho Era) Rhododendron indicum cv., (L) Sweet, Ericaceae.” In addition to azaleas and rhododendrons, the Ericaceae family includes cranberries, blueberries, huckleberries and heathers, among others.

Satsuki azalea ‘Eikan’ – 40 years old and still in training

It’s hard to convey this tree’s size in photos. Here’s a close-up of the trunk.

Satsuki in training – trunk detail

A combination of shredded Australian sphagnum moss and Mountain moss (Yama goki) cover the kanuma soil to retain moisture. Nakayama recommended planting these trees in very large and surprisingly deep (around 12″) pots to help them recover from the bare-rooting and shipping to California. After a couple of years, the trees will return to bonsai pots.

Of course, the main reason to visit azalea bonsai shows is for the flowers. Here are some favorites from this year’s exhibit along with translations, when provided.

Fukuju (happiness & longevity)

Miyuke (Imperial visit)

Chiyo no Homare (Glory of 1000 years)

Kanuma no Mai (Dance of Kanuma)

Meguriai

Kinpai (Golden cup)

Unknown sp.

Karenko

Sai no Matsugaki

Hikaru Genji (Shining Genji Clan)

Other varieties with great names included Kakuo – feather of a crane, and Hito Mebore – love at first sight.

The Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai (BASA) held their 16th Annual Exhibit on May 22 & 23, 2010, at the Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, California. It was another colorful exhibit – here are some of the trees that were on display.

Chiyo no Homare

Kinsai

Hana Botan

Kanuma no Mai

Shiryu no Homare

For comparison’s sake, here are some photos from BASA’s 2009 exhibit.

As a practical guide for visitors new to satsuki azalea bonsai, BASA provided a view to what lies inside the pot. Next to a very large tree in a very large pot, the jar pictured below showed blocks of foam covered by large kanuma, small kanuma, and finally a generous layer of moss. This was the mix recommended by Suisho Nakayama. A number of fortunate BASA members regularly study with Nakayama, one of Japan’s recognized azalea experts, several times a year.

Kanuma, moss, and foam

Yama goki is the beautiful Mountain moss found in Japan. I find it tough to grow in my end of the San Francisco Bay Area. White sphagnum moss has the virtue of not growing when placed atop bonsai soil. This makes it a great candidate for preserving moisture in the soil below.

Yama goki (Mountain moss) and Australian sphagnum moss

I’ve seen a number of educational displays like these at bonsai shows in recent years. It’s a great trend – I’m looking forward to seeing more in future shows.

Here are some of the accent plants exhibited at the Sacramento Bonsai Club’s 64th Annual Show.

Mixed planting

Crab pot

Mixed planting

Fern and moss

Spring color

Iris

More color

Just missed the blooms

Bonsai and accent, or accent with accent

Related links – posts about the Sacramento Bonsai Club’s 64th Annual show:

• Sacramento Bonsai Club – 64th Annual Show
• Mino yatsubusa and other bonsai fun
• Suiseki in Sacramento
• Article from the Sacramento Bee: “Sacramento fertile ground for bonsai lovers”

The Sacramento Bonsai Club’s 64th Annual Show was dedicated to long-time member Shigema Kitamura. Kitamura curated the suiseki display at the show and is responsible for collecting many of the stones and creating the daiza. It was a great display – here are some highlights.

Mountain stone – great color

Hut stone

Abstract/figure stone

From the other side

Abstract

Landscape stone

Stone in suiban

From the other side

Laughing man

Murphys stone

Hut stone

Abstract/figure stone

Abstract/landscape stone

Murphys stone

If you’re interested in the Japanese names for the different types of stones, Suiseki.com provides a good resource.

The Sacramento Bonsai Club’s 64th Annual Show included a number of varieties I don’t always see at bonsai exhibits. One of my favorites was a Mino yatsubusa trident maple.

Acer buergerianum ‘Mino Yatsubusa’

The variety differs from Acer buergerianum in leaf shape (elongated), bark (rough) and fall color (brilliant!). It’s an attractive variety that creates a more textured effect then typical trident maples.

Mino Yatsubusa maple in white pot

Another favorite featured a ezo spruce planted on a tall rock. I’ve seen a few around, but not many. They were created by Oscar, a long-time Sacramento Bonsai Club member responsible for many great trees and stands in the area.

Ezo spruce

Spring is a great time to show ezo – the foliage is beautiful.

Ezo spruce – foliage detail

The vine growing along the length of the rock, as well as the moss, fern, and other plants near the base, create a compelling scene.

The base of the rock

Other varieties stood apart from their neighbors and provided nice contrast to the pines, junipers, and other more-popular varieties for bonsai.

Nandina – Heavenly bamboo

Full Moon maple

Full Moon maple foliage

One variety was new to me – Fringe tree. The flowers are like white fireworks.

Fringe tree foliage

Fringe tree bonsai

Then there were the schefflera bonsai. I’d seen a handful of schefflera bonsai in retail stores, but none that looked like these. Which pot do you like best?

Schefflera bonsai

Schefflera bonsai

Schefflera bonsai

While I’ve seen many live oak bonsai, I’ve been surprised at how few deciduous oak bonsai I’ve seen.

Oak bonsai

I could say the same about blooming Hawthorn. I’ve seen plenty in winter and fall shows, but now understand why they’re popular in spring shows – the color is great.

Hawthorn bonsai

Although the variety below is popular – Japanese maple – the display is novel. I really like the spaces that open up between the panels and think that they create a number of interesting opportunities. I also like the stone – a Madonna in browns.

Japanese maple with Madonna

]]> http://bonsaitonight.com/2010/05/07/mino-yatsubusa-and-other-bonsai-fun/feed/ 3 xwires http://bonsaitonight.com/2010/05/04/sacramento-bonsai-club-64th-annual-show/ http://bonsaitonight.com/2010/05/04/sacramento-bonsai-club-64th-annual-show/#comments Wed, 05 May 2010 06:25:09 +0000 xwires http://bonsaitonight.com/?p=1152 ]]> Sacramento Bonsai Club’s 64th Annual Show

The Sacramento Bonsai Club held their 64th annual show this past weekend at the Sacramento Buddhist Church. The event left quite an impression. The exhibit showed how fun a spring show can be. The suiseki displays were a super addition to the show. And the 40 or so happi-coated club members were one of the nicest bonsai groups I’ve run into. Sacramento Bonsai Club is doing great after 64 years.

Boon Manakitivipart provided demonstrations both days and the event was well-attended. As the Sunday demonstration cleared most of  the exhibit, I had a chance to to take some pictures.

The juniper below is one of two Members’ Choice Award winners at the show.

Members’ Choice Award – Juniper

The trident maple bonsai display below is a good example of some of the well-thought out displays. I like the addition of the pale-blue – almost Kokufu-felt blue – screen behind the display. It’s a nice way to highlight the relationships among display elements and it does a good job of obscuring the backdrop support.

Trident maple

A number of trees were in full-bloom for the show. The satsuki azalea below was the brightest.

Satsuki azalea

As I walked into the exhibit, I met Greg McDonald, a club member that contributed several trees to the show. Like his brother Jay, Greg has some great deciduous trees, including the hawthorn below.

Hawthorn

Greg’s unsure about the variety of this hawthorn – not a big surprise considering the size of the crataegus genus, but an anomalie for a hawthorn enthusiast like Greg. He’s also doing a great job with the oaks below.

Coast live oak

Interior live oak

More highlights from the show.

Japanese maple and Japanese black pine

Shimpaku – itoigawa

White pine

Japanese flowering apricot – Prunus mume, commonly known as ume

Ginkgo

Juniper

White pine

California juniper

Boston Ivy

Japanese maple

Coming soon – more highlights from the show including some uncommon varieties for bonsai, suiseki displays, and spring accent plants.

There are few concepts more central to bonsai than “balance.” The California buckeye below strikes me as a well-balanced composition. The foliage, ramification, trunk, pot and stand all work well together.

California Buckeye – Aesculus californica

The photos here are from the Bay Area Bonsai Associates’ 28th annual show. Like so many good exhibits, it provides ample opportunities for thinking about balance.

The cryptomeria below is a favorite of mine. There are few good examples of the variety around, and only a fraction of these are shohin. The tree is well-developed and sports dense foliage – a real trick for cryptomeria. When I squint my eyes and focus on the tree’s silhouette, however, I notice that the trunk is surprisingly thin. For the foliage to be balanced with the trunk, I would expect either a thicker trunk or thinner foliage – a subtle point for such a nice specimen.

Cryptomeria japonica

I’ve always been fascinated by the study of “direction” in bonsai. Apart from formal upright bonsai, most specimens “point” or lean to one side or the other. If a tree leans too far to one side, it lacks a form of balance.

The trunk of the zelkova below points to the right, as does the tree’s apex. Most of the tree’s branches, however, emerge from the left side of the tree. Is the tree balanced? I think a case could be made for either answer – a revealing statement in itself.

Grey-bark elm – Zelkova serrata

Flowering quince in bloom makes for eye-popping bonsai. The reddish/pink flowers below are well complemented by the light blue pot – a Jim Gremel pot for a Jim Gremel tree – and the thin branches are well complemented by the thin legs of the stand. While I may not use the term balance here, the concept is the same – elements of the composition are considered together.

Flowering quince – Chaenomeles speciosa ‘contorta’

Formal displays are rife with questions of balance. Are elements properly spaced up and down, left and right; big and small, light and dark; course and fine, feminine and masculine?

The tree below is one of several dwarf Asian pears Jim Gremel has grown from seed. Brent Walston tells a funny story about them (see entry for “Gremel’s Pear”). In short, Jim grew a batch of “crabapples” that turned out to be pears. In Brent’s words: “Eventually it dawned on us that the reason the ‘apples’ didn’t turn red was because they were pears! Jim offered everyone their money back, but no one took him up on it, we all love our little Gremel Pears.” In Jim’s words: “When I finally concluded that they are pears (mame nashi – ‘bean pear’), I told Brent that they are much more rare than crab apples, so I wanted another $50 for the one he bought!”

Dwarf Asian pear – pyrus calleryana

Developing collected bonsai entails a constant struggle with balance. The Korean hornbeam below looks to be mid-way through its development from collected material. Often starting with little more than a trunk with sprouts, artists must grow primary, secondary and tertiary, etc., branches from scratch. When the transitions between these are abrupt or in any way unnatural, the ramification appears unbalanced. When they are smooth, the balance is good.

Korean hornbeam – Carpinus turczaninovii

Then there is the matter of size. Is the pot well-sized for the tree, the trunk for the foliage, the stand for the whole?

Dwarf Japanese pear – pyrus pyrifolia

On a more subtle note, we can consider the effect a tree’s key branch. The key branch, or sashi-no-eda, the lean of the trunk, and the direction of the apex have a big effect on a tree’s balance. The apex of the larch below may point left or right. The trunk leans left, the key branch points right. Does the combination produce harmony?

Japanese larch – larix kaempferi

The ilex below has a striking pot. Is the size, shape, and color well-suited to the tree? To the stand?

Yaupon Holly – Ilex vomitoria

I can ask the same of this olive’s greenish-tan pot.

Olive – Olea europaea

Then there’s silhouette. Are branch pads balanced from top to bottom? Do branches become thinner from the nebari to the apex? Is this transition smooth and appealing? Yes, I’d answer, in each of these cases.

Hokkaido Elm – ulmus parvifolia ‘hokkaido’

Getting balance right in bonsai is a life-long quest. Good balance may not make a tree great, but it’s hard for a tree to be great without it.

Here are some links to other posts from BABA’s 28th annual show:

• Accent plants
• Bay Area Bonsai Associates 28th Annual Show
• Bonsai stories
• Maples!