Timeline for preparing bonsai for exhibit

Years ago, I remember pulling trees off the bench for their final prep ahead of a Bay Island Bonsai exhibit when I started thinking about what trees I’d show the following year. We had a rule in the club that we couldn’t show the same tree two years in a row so the planning typically spanned years, not months.

Preparing for a regional event can take even longer. Although there a lot of variables, particularly when it comes to the species you’re working with, there are a basic number of steps to complete if you’re looking to show a tree at its best. The following is a starting point for such a list – feel free to note additional steps in the comments below.

12-24 Months Out

• Select the trees to be shown. Although it’s possible to condense this time frame in some cases, it generally takes one or more years to get a tree into shape for a regional event.
• Place orders for custom stands or pots. If you don’t have the right pot or stand for a tree and you’d like to work with someone who can make these items for you, the more advance notice the better. If you’re looking to purchase container, leaving yourself more time to shop will ensure everything arrives in time for repotting season.

12 Months Out

• Create the basic display. About a year before the event is a good time to make sure the basic display elements are in place. This usually includes tree, container, stand, and an accent for trees over 18″; two trees, two containers, two stands, and an accent for medium displays (8″-18″); and up to six trees, six containers, seven stands, and an accent for small tree displays. If anything is missing, there is still time to find the missing bits before the event.
• Plan any work that needs to happen before the show. Exactly twelve months before the show is a good time to evaluate your trees and make a plan for any remaining work as there’s only one year left for the tree to produce new growth. If you’d like assistance with this, reach out to a professional for help making a plan as early as possible.
• Create accent plantings. The best accents take years to mature. About a year before the exhibit is a good time to see if you have any existing accents that can work with your trees. Planning accents twelve months out is also helpful as you know what the accent will look like at show time (flowers, seasonal color, etc.). If you need to create something new, try to re-use portions of existing accents and make several new companion plantings so you have good options when the time comes for final accent prep.

8-12 Months Out

• Wrap up major work, if any. This includes major pruning, wiring, and repotting. Ideally trees don’t need much, if any, wire at the show, so now’s the last chance to reposition any branches that need it. You can also repot right before the event, but repotting a year out may help when you have an unusual container or you want to plan the display with the tree in the final container.

3-6 Months Out

• Prune to stimulate new foliage. This is the last chance to defoliate, decandle, or otherwise prune to encourage new growth before the show. You can get the timing right by taking note of how long it takes your trees to produce a new flush of growth depending on what time of year you cut. If your’e planning for a show in February, your last chance to prune to stimulate new growth might be in August of the previous year. If your show is in summer and your trees are growing quickly, you might be able to prune as late as one month before the event.

1-2 Months Out

• Clean the trunk and lifelines. Remove flaky bark from otherwise clean trunks on deciduous species like trident maple, stewartia, and azalea. If you show juniper lifelines without aged bark, now is a good time to remove old layers of bark to bring out the ruddy color of healthy lifelines.
• Clean and treat deadwood. You can clean deadwood and reapply lime sulfur earlier if you like a faded deadwood look or later if you prefer a brighter look. Preparing too early might give algae an opportunity to grow on recently cleaned deadwood features. Doing deadwood prep too late might make the jin and shari too bright.

1 Month Out

• Do a dry run of the final display. This is the time to put everything together and make sure there will be no surprises when it’s time for the show.

1-4 Weeks Out

• Complete “Show Prep” tasks. This is time time to make your trees shine. Tasks can include needle pulling, leaf pulling, touch up pruning, touch up wiring, and moss work/top dressing preparation. It’s also a good time to clean the pot and stand so they won’t appear oily at the show.

1-2 Days Out

• Complete final “Show Prep.” Before you load your tree in the car, you can make any final branch adjustments, repair moss work damaged by animals, and remove dirt that may have collected on the pot.

Right Before the Exhibit Opens

• Perform a final check after setting up your display. This is the last chance to make sure everything is in place before the doors open to the public.
• Cut needles (only if necessary!). Reducing the length of overly long pine needles is one of the last tasks as the tips of the needles will begin to turn brown soon after cutting them. Avoid this when possible and cut as few as necessary to ensure clean a presentation.

The time frames noted above are more suggestions than specific times to complete given tasks. The variety of species, show dates, and display goals is diverse so you’ll need to make adjustments as necessary.

The best way to learn how to perform the above steps is to show your trees regularly. Without going the last mile and giving yourself an opportunity to practice these steps you may not get to see your tree look it’s very best. It can be really satisfying to see just how beautiful a tree can become. And when the show is over, you can enjoy the result of your labor at home in your garden.

News & Updates

Tickets are on sale now for the 2024 Pacific Bonsai Expo!

You can pick up Weekend passes, Day passes, and reduced-price Half-day passes for Saturday or Sunday afternoon. All passes are good for entrance to the exhibit, the vendor area, and all talks and demonstrations scheduled during your visit. Also available are t-shirts and tickets for the Friday evening reception.

The Friday evening reception is an opportunity for exhibitors, donors, and sponsors to enjoy the exhibit before it opens to the general public. The reception will be held in the exhibit area and ticket sales will be limited to ensure a more intimate experience with the trees on display. On that note, the vendor area will not be open to keep the focus on the stars of the weekend – the show trees!

100% of the proceeds from ticket sales for the reception are tax deductible and will support our efforts as a non-profit organization promoting the creation, care, and appreciation for beautiful bonsai.

Learn more about what we’re doing and get your tickets now at the Pacific Bonsai Expo website.

Recent Bonsai Wire Podcast episodes

• How you’ve been growing junipers wrong (May 31)
• Jurying and Judging the Expo (May 25)
• 2024 Pacific Bonsai Expo updates (April 23)