About this time of year, I look through the garden to see if any of my accent plants are candidates for upcoming exhibits. With luck, I’ll find a few. If not, I may put a few together so they’ll have time to grow before they’re needed. Most look somewhat rangy in fall but clean up […]
Display
Bonsai is meant to be displayed. The Display posts cover how to present bonsai at exhibits, the Accents with which bonsai are displayed, and the criteria we use when selecting Bonsai Pots.
New bonsai pot – Keizan
I recently added a new bonsai pot to my collection, a Keizan (I think) – Tokoname ware that might be 60 years old (Akio Kondo’s estimate). What do I look for when shopping for bonsai pots? The same characteristics that I look for in trees – age, character and beauty. I try to limit my […]
Preparing a young black pine for show
“Show trees are full trees,” Boon tells us. In need of a second tree to display with my root over rock trident maple, I searched my garden for full trees. I found one, but it was clear that not all full trees are show trees. Japanese black pine My optimistic side figured that some selective […]
Selecting a pot for a small trident maple bonsai
For months, I’d planned on showing a small hinoki in Bay Island Bonsai’s 13th annual exhibit. The hinoki’s health took a turn for the worse and I found myself with a few weeks to prepare another tree for exhibit. I selected a deciduous tree for the exhibit – a root over rock trident maple. I […]
Displaying a shimpaku juniper
Bay Island Bonsai held their 13th Annual Exhibit this past weekend at the Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, CA. The exhibit featured a well developed shimpaku juniper. Shimpaku juniper Before reading any further, which way do you think the tree points – to the left or to the right? When setting up exhibits, we often start by […]