The deciduous bonsai on display at this year’s expo included some fantastic trees. When considered together, they offer a great opportunity for discovering what you like best about this group of trees.
As you look at the photos below, think about the following questions.
- Do you prefer deciduous trees with dense or sparse branches?
- Do you prefer deciduous trees with clean silhouettes or relaxed silhouettes?
- Do you prefer deciduous trees with with straight lines or curved lines?
- Do you prefer deciduous trees with deadwood or aged bark (or does this depend on the species)?
You can also think about what you look for in the trunks of deciduous trees or what kinds of branch structures suit deciduous trunks best.
- Do you prefer deciduous trees with straight trunks or trunks that have movement?
- Do you prefer deciduous trees with branches that rise as they emerge from the trunk, descend as they emerge from the trunk, or grow horizontally?
On a deeper level, you might think about how deciduous bonsai convey great age and which characteristics contribute most to your sense about how old a tree looks.
Of course, you’re also free to simply think about which you like best and save the why for another day.
Japanese maple
Corylopsis
Korean hornbeam
When you see deciduous trees on display that still have leaves, you may be curious what these trees look like without leaves. That’s definitely true for me. Here are two trees on display at the Expo with leaves followed by photos of the same trees without leaves.
Cork bark elm
As displayed at the Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai Winter Silhouette Show
Korean hornbeam
As displayed at the Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai Winter Silhouette Show
Does it help to see the branches? If you were judging the tree, would you score it differently with or without leaves (and if so, why would the same tree score differently in a different season)?
Koto Hime Japanese maple
Pomegranate
Korean hornbeam
Shishigashira Japanese maple
Post-Expo Updates
- You can pre-order a commemorative album with photos of the trees in the exhibit at the Expo website.
- Did you attend the Expo? If so, consider completing a brief survey about your experience to help us learn what we can do better next time.
- Looking for photos of the award-winning displays? You can find them on the Expo website.
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Craig says
Went to the show with my dad who knew basically nothing about bonsai and it was funny to see how our reactions to a tree that had its leaves were different. Some trees, though still awesome I remember being a little disappointed that I couldn’t see all the branching where my dad was probably just blown away by the general Beauty. The Korean hornbeam was a perfect example of that. I feel like leaves, with or without fall colour we can see anywhere but a tree so small with such age and fine ramification we can not.