I have to say that I enjoyed myself greatly while in attendance at the show, both during setup and while the exhibit was open. This was the first year that I was able to spend a lot of time there because my work had previously prevented it. I did five demonstrations on the stage in the exhibit…and the most often asked question was: “do you have to prune the roots?” followed closely by “do they have to be kept outside?” I find these questions to be slightly amusing in one way, but they are indicative of the lack of bonsai knowledge in the general public. Many people also seem to believe that the trees are kept small by lack of water and fertilizer, which is also about as far from the truth as possible. If I were just trying to keep a tree small, not trying to make it look good, or at all interesting, then perhaps I could do so by depriving it of water, light or fertilizer…but this could never work in bonsai.

I was interested to see the variety within the club of styles and designs. I was most pleased with the display that John Boyce and I put together; while others may not consider it to be the best in the show, it was the one that was fittingly most to my liking. After many trips to the high mountains, during which I seek out battered and gnarled trees, I think that my trees have started to resemble those trees in some way.

This display captures the harshness of that environment. The pine on the left end is mine. I have been working on it for a couple years but it is about 75 years old, most likely grown from seed by a person. The three small Zelkova to the immediate right of it belong to John and are possibly my favorite trees in the show. John’s style is unique in that he defys the Japanese traditions and mixes natural styling with aesthetic principles that he has developed from 30 years of doing floral arranging, ikebana, and bonsai, all the while stydying nature as well.

The cascade corkbark pine anchoring the center of the display and the bunjin spruce on the right are also examples of his work. In each case he has taken a tree that could have been groomed and manicured and let it “go” a little so that it has a more natural appearance. John called the small boxwood an “accent” which it is in that it compliments the pines in the display and makes everything look a little more friendly. My small, exposed-root, slant pine sits in the middle of the right half of the display and is lost a little in the photo. Nevertheless, this is probably my favorite tree that I own. Thanks to Aaron for providing the accent stone in the tray next to it. I was amused to watch many people paying much more attention to it than to any of the trees in the exhibit.

Tag: Exhibit