I’ll be showing a medium sized Western juniper and Japanese maple at this weekend’s Bay Island Bonsai exhibit – that much is clear. What I’m still working on is how they’ll be arranged and which stands work best.
Here are the two trees – the maple on a hexagonal stand, and the juniper is on a round stand.
Display with Japanese maple and Western juniper
I usually try to create as much variety as possible when setting a display. One tree is a conifer and the other is deciduous. One has a deep glazed pot, the other a shallow unglazed pot. Both pots are round.
I’d prefer if the pots were different shapes, but these were the best pots I had for these trees.
Accent plants offer additional opportunity for contrast – I’ll try to find a broadleaf variety, possibly like the saxifrage planting below.
Display with saxifrage accent plant
I’ve paired the accent with the larger tree in the photo above. It’s a bit large when placed next to the maple.
Large accent next to the maple
If I decide to complement the maple, I’d likely go with something smaller.
Small accent next to the maple
A small figurine might work instead of an accent in this case.
Small boat accent
Close-up of the boat
Just as a large accent doesn’t make sense next to the smaller tree, a small accent doesn’t make sense next to the larger tree.
Small accent next to the larger tree
As an alternative to the round stand for the juniper, I tried a large slab.
Juniper on a slab
Here it is with the saxifrage planting.
Juniper on slab with accent plant
And here are the same stands with the accent next to the maple.
Juniper on slab and accent next to the maple
The last options I tried used a slab to connect the maple with the small accent.
Maple and accent on a manzanita slab
Maple and accent on a quince slab
I like that slabs under the maple add more visual weight to the left side of the composition. The manzanita slab in particular does a good job of this.
Which will it be? That’s a matter for tomorrow. One of my favorite parts of participating in Bay Island Bonsai exhibits is the collaboration between members to share stands and accents to create the best display possible given the materials on hand.
If you’re curious to see the final display, come to Oakland this weekend to see the trees in person (details below).
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José Luis says
Jonas,
Is it possible for you to place the juniper on the left and the maple on the right (using the backside as a front)? As of now, I respectfully think that they look like two separate displays rather than one.
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi José – if the maple looked better from the back this would be a good option. The juniper could also be displayed in the middle with the accent on one side and the second tree on the other.
Jeff says
I keep looking at these pics and feel like the juniper is facing away from the maple. Like its got it’s back to it.
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi Jeff, I agree – a good case could be made for the juniper to face both directions.
Frank says
I like the saxifrage accent next to the Juniper on slab. Also appreciate the way the maple and Juniper flow the same direction. Creates a visual unity and the differences in size from trees and accent is more balanced with the slab and companion plant chosen. Looking forward to the show. See you tomorrow.
John C says
Hi There
Large accent next to the maple does it for me if you are going with what is in the photos.
JC
Randolph Obien says
Hi Jonas,
The movement of both trees are to the right. For me it will look better if the Juniper is placed on the left side and the maple on the right side with the branch pointing to left. The accent plant is to placed to act as a fulcrum to create visual balance ( closer to Juniper). The aim is to lead the viewer’s eye to the composition.
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi Randolph – Were the maple better looking from the back (it’s hard to see in the photo) I’d likely set it up as you suggest. The juniper is an interesting tree to work with as the trunk points one way (left) while the apex points the other way (right). Thanks for the note!
Rob says
No one is commenting on the crack of the table. I understand if that’s what you’re given to work with, but the crack is the first thing my eye jumps to. No matter what you put there, I will never see it as a three-point display. It’s always a two-point display and a single display with a divider in the middle. Everyone is adding their artistic input, and that’s great, but they’re ignoring the elephant in the room.
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi Rob – good point. This is was a practice display in my workshop – not the final display in the exhibit. Will have photos from the show soon. Thanks!
John says
I have to echo Jose and Randolph’s comments that traditionally the accent faces to the main tree, and not to its back side. In this respect it stands out in this respect, but could be that you have no other choice as each tree has only a right pointing front.