One of my favorite activities relating to bonsai display is pot selection. I’ll be showing a young black pine at tomorrow’s Bay Island Bonsai exhibit and the pot used for the past year isn’t exactly show quality.
13 year-old black pine in colander
Here are 11 options for the tree. Some look great to me, others less so. A couple of my favorites are either a bit too small or a bit too large. Any favorite combinations?
Pot 1 – scalloped sides
Pot 2 – Chinese antique
Pot 3 – nanban style
Pot 4a – Reiho
Pot 4b – same pot from the other side
Pot 5 – drum pot
Pot 6 – shallow dish
Pot 7 – nanban
Pot 8 – flower-shaped pot
Pot 9 – square pot
Pot 10 – Bunzan
Pot 11 – square pot
To see the final selection, come to Bay Island Bonsai’s 17th annual exhibit this weekend or stay tuned for upcoming posts from the exhibit.
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Michael Mitchell says
Hello Jonas, The Yamaaki pot #1 will look good if placed higher in the pot. #2 appears to be made by Bonsai, not antique Chinese. The Reiho #4b wood also look good.
bonsaiko tony says
I like pot 3 or pot 8.
Mac McAtee says
Pot 8
AlexV says
Gonna go with the first pot 8 (there are currently 2 pot 8’s), the flower shaped one. Lots of good choices there, I just like the small bit of stability the wider lower pot offers. One of the nanbans would be my second choice.
gabegunz1 says
I like 4a or 5
Dane buxbaum says
First choice #9 followed by 6.
Roberto Dominguez says
How can I get one of those shoin black pines!!!
Alain Krizic says
Very interesting, thanks for posting.
I think the square ones don’t fit the overall design.
I Think shallow pots enhance the exposed roots better, the deeper ones don’t work so well.
My favourite one is Pot 4a – Reiho : the spot on the front is not too distracting, it looks like an imperfection rather, and lead the eyes upward, first the roots, then the canopy.
Alain
evanmb says
Pot 8 (flower)
mcktextiles says
Voting for #5 the drum pot, but wish it was just a little bigger. Guessing that won’t be your choice though. I’ll see tomorrow!
mcktextiles says
Correction to above – wish it was a bit ‘smaller’.
Tom Knoblauch says
4a for show then back to 1 for the bench
Fr. Wm. Tom Davis, OSA says
#8 in that the lines of the flower pot work with the lines of the exposed roots, a nice melding. I also like the depth of #8.
Todd says
I feel better with pot #1, it seems to anchor the other end of the seemingly tenuous root network… must be the engineer in me…
LeeBee says
Liking #9. It gives a sense of stability — an anchor to a tenuous life.
Graham says
4(b).
Bonsai Scratcher says
Def pot 8
Linh says
Pot 8 too. Have fun my friend.
brendenstudio says
Fun stuff! Have any shovels handy? 😉 I like 4a best if it were a little deeper…
Carol says
4 definitely. Just have to picture it mossed up.