Highlights from the Bay Area Suiseki and Shohin Show

I’ve always enjoyed visiting bonsai exhibits as they’re both fun and educational. I study the trees I like to see what makes them work. Later, when I’m back in the garden, I try to make use of what I’ve learned.

Here are some of the characteristics I liked about a selection of trees on display at last weekend’s Bay Area Suiseki and Shohin Show in Oakland, California.

What I liked about a willow leaf ficus:

• Great roots
• Great trunk
• Full, healthy canopy

Willow leaf ficus

What I liked about a very small coast live oak:

• Great density for a very small tree
• Healthy foliage
• Lots of slender branches

Coast live oak

What I liked about a shohin black pine:

• Unbelievably healthy for such a small pot!
• Huge trunk for such a small pot!
• Good color and even density

Black pine

What I liked about a trident maple:

• It looks like a larger tree
• No major scars on the trunk
• Good surface roots

Trident maple

What I liked about a shohin shimpaku:

• It’s one of very few small trees I know of that successfully evokes a larger juniper growing in the mountains
• Deadwood is in scale with the tree
• Fantastic movement in the trunk

Shimpaku

What I liked about a princess persimmon:

• The ripening fruit indicates the season
• The style is a good match for the shape of the trunk
• The blue pot is a great match for the tree

Princess persimmon

What I liked about a small hinoki:

• The miniature foliage is a great fit for a small tree
• The canopy is full and dense
• Despite the tree’s small size, there are lots of branches

Hinoki

What I liked about a black pine:

• The shape of the silhouette is a great match for the trunk
• The needle size (last year’s needles) is good for the tree
• The tree is impressively healthy for a mature shohin in a small pot!

Black pine

Up next: photos of shohin displays.

Dates Set for Upcoming Bonsai Development Intensives

After hosting a session focused on deciduous bonsai and pine technique last month, I’ve added dates for future Development Intensives:

• Summer: August 9-11
• Fall: November 1-3
• Fall: November 15-17

For more information and the complete schedule through 2020, click here.