A Large Korean Hornbeam at the ABAS Annual Show

One of the standout trees at American Bonsai Society, Sacramento’s, recent exhibit was an old Korean hornbeam.

Korean Hornbeam

It’s a great example of a tree with an unusual feature that provides interest – in this case, a long, straight branch with a big bend.

Big bend

While straight branches are rarely encouraged, their presence doesn’t necessarily detract from a tree’s overall presentation.

A tree on the quite curvy end of the spectrum was a root over rock Japanase maple.

Root over rock maple

Much more massive was the Sierra juniper below.

Sierra juniper

Seeing these trees together underscores how many different styles and varieties were present in the exhibit. In stark contrast to the large Sierra juniper, a literati-style red pine sported a long, slender trunk.

Red pine

Azalea

A big fish of a stone represents one of the exhibit’s suiseki.

“Tsuru” – to fish

Japanese five-needle pine

Ginkgo

White flowering bonsai

White blossoms

Accent

Texas cedar elm

Chinese elm

Korean hornbeam

Japanese maple

Even an orchid made it into the hall.

Phalaenopsis