Before heading east to the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, I put together a display for a Yaupon holly. I didn’t have a good second tree for the display so I borrowed a small shimpaku from Eric Schrader. Eric and I then tried dozens of combinations of stands and accents to see which we liked best.
Medium displays, also known as three-point displays, typically consist of two medium-sized trees and a companion plant. The idea is to use trees, pots, and stands that offer variety in color, texture, and size.
Rather than show all of the combinations we looked at, I’ll focus on the stands we tried for the holly. We started small with a low box stand.
Display 1 – low box stand
The stand for the holly was the right size for the tree but we didn’t like that both trees sat on low stands. We also tried a more ornate stand, but still didn’t like the low height.
Display 2 with an ornate low stand
The next stand we tried was taller but not tall enough.
Display 3
Not only was the stand an awkward height, but it was the same shape as the stand for the juniper. We decided to try larger stands for both trees.
Display 4 on a tall stand
While we liked the larger stand for the juniper, the stand for the holly was too tall.
Display 5
A slightly lower stand proved to be a good height for the composition, but we didn’t like the dark color and slender features for a tree with a large trunk and full silhouette.
Display 6
We both liked the variety added by using a stand with slats. And although it’s not the ideal stand for the composition – slatted stands are a more conventional choice for deciduous species – it was the best we had on hand.
The ideal stand would have softer features. As potter Nao Tokutake pointed out at the exhibition, the tree is full and round with an undulating trunk but the pot and stand are composed of exclusively straight lines. A pot and stand with curved or rounded elements could complement the tree well.
I’ll share photos – and podcast episodes – from the exhibition in upcoming posts.
Soil Update
The short version is that akadama and Aoki Blend are on the way, but I don’t know when exactly they’ll arrive. If you’d like to receive notice when akadama and Aoki Blend are back in stock, you can sign up here.
Based on the shipper’s recent experience, the soil may be available on the online store within 1-2 months.
I don’t have an idea of when soil will be available for bulk or wholesale orders (orders of 50+ bags). The soil is on order but current shipping conditions make it hard to determine exact dates. I’ll post updates when more information is available. See the Wholesale Order page for details.
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Tom Tynan says
The variations as always are interesting to see…you also did not mention that there is a limit on the number of stands one actually has available or can borrow. Could you tell us more about the pot itself; maker and age; I like the angled corners; unusual….
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi Tom! That’s right about the number of available stands in the US – the right stand can be really hard to come by. Fortunately we have some great stand-makers in the US like David Knittle and Austin Heitzman.
As for the pot, it’s a third generation signed Yamaaki. For a pot that isn’t very old, the patina has been coming along nicely.
Vance hanna says
Great looking trees “stands” or dai as mentioned earlier, are very limited as well as costly. Yet I’d feel that the pot choice is welcome rest for the eye simply because the foliage/mass is quite busy. As far as stand: the slatted one is a fine traditional and formal design that although graphically busy is a better choice overall .
The deadwood on the juniper is eye catching yet I feel it is out of proportion to the scale of the trunk dia and foliage mass.
All in all they really are stunning! Thank you!
Vance Hanna
Alex V. says
Jonas,
It was wonderful to see you and your display at the show! Thank you for walking us through some of the options you considered, each does something interesting (or not) for the display. I like some of the shorter stands for the main tree as they add strength to support the massive tree, but I agree that they are very similar to the stand for the juniper. If you had a wide selection of second trees and stands, what might you have been looking for to compliment the main tree?
Thanks!
Alex V
Jonas Dupuich says
Great to see you too Alex! The one thing that comes to mind looking at photos of the display is that the juniper looks like a miniature version of a large tree whereas the holly is less of a miniature. It’d be nice to have a conifer accompany the holly that had a twisty shape to provide contrast without the difference in scale.
Omar A says
These are my favorite types of posts Jonas, for those of us without an extensive collection of pots and stands it’s great seeing how the display can be varied with the same trees. Thanks!
Jonas Dupuich says
Thanks, Omar – I’m happy to hear it! I plan to do more posts like this over the coming year in the run-up to the Pacific Bonsai Expo.