Midori’s 40th annual bonsai show

Midori Bonsai Club held their 40th annual show on September 26th, 2009, in San Jose, CA. I’d been hearing about Midori’s show for a long time and was finally able to make it this year. I’m glad I did. The one-day affair included quality trees in well-executed displays, a demo from Boon Manakitivipart and a sales area.

Japanese Maple

The show is not large – but because it was so well done I found myself walking back and forth across the exhibit for more than an hour to closely look at every tree that caught my eye. Of course, most of the trees caught my eye at one point or another. All were healthy, well-kempt and well-displayed.

Itoigawa juniper

Peter Tea, President of Midori, has done a fantastic job with the club in recent years. Monthly programs feature a variety of teachers that include both club members and visiting artists to offer members a broad array of bonsai knowledge. And because the club is fortunate to boast a healthy membership with many long-time artists and teachers, it’s able to put on an impressive show.

Best in Show – Shimpaku

As soon as the show was set up early Saturday morning, club members voted for the best trees in the show. This year Peter Tea took both awards. The shimpaku above is one of these trees – I’ll write about the other later this week.