The Bay Area Bonsai Associates, affectionately known as “BABA,” held their 30th annual exhibit last weekend at the Lake Merritt Garden Center in Oakland, California. BABA is one of the best known Bonsai organizations in the Bay Area and their exhibit lived up to expectations. Their trees have improved rapidly in the past few years, […]
Exhibits
Exhibits are where we can see bonsai at their best. Explore posts from Bonsai Exhibits in the U.S. including the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition and Japanese events including the world-famous Kokufu and Taikan-ten exhibits.
Bay Island Bonsai’s 13th annual exhibit
After hosting ten exhibits in Hayward and two in Pleasanton, Bay Island Bonsai moved its annual exhibit to the Lake Merritt Garden Center in Oakland, California. The 13th annual event was a big success, drawing crowds of experienced bonsai folk as well as many who are new to the art. As the Garden Center contains […]
Looking for directions
I had a lot of fun setting up Bay Island Bonsai’s exhibit this year. Having recently returned from Japan, I found myself looking at trees in a very different light than I had before the visit. I now get much more enjoyment from flowering and fruiting trees, and I’m even more fascinated by the idea of […]
Daisaku Nomoto Bonsai Award
Bay Island Bonsai was fortunate this year to have Daisaku Nomoto around to help with its 13th annual exhibit. Daisaku Nomoto Nomoto, Boon’s senpai at Kihachi-en, wired trees, prepared moss top-dressings, and carried many trees before, during, and after the exhibit. Somewhere along the way, he took a liking to a Western juniper. So much […]
Rocky Mountain Juniper bonsai
One of the trees displayed at Bay Island Bonsai’s 13th annual exhibit got a lot of funny looks. It’s a Rocky Mountain juniper, Juniperus scopulorum. Rocky Mountain Juniper It’s not exactly “show-ready” as we like to say – the tree is only a few years out of the ground and branch pads have yet to […]