Carolina Bonsai Expo

[crust]

Wow, great show!

 

[Adair M]

Thanks!
That is a nice tree, and it looked familiar to me when I saw it... Speaks to the quality of the trees in this competition that this world class Bonsai was not even my favorite one!

It has a few problems: some juvenile foliage, the tree leans back, away from the viewer. Give it a couple years to get refined, and it will be really nice!

 

[Adair M]

One club made a display where you entered a "tunnel" made of black shrouds. Then the trees were lit by small up and down lights. The idea, I'm sure, was to try to duplicate the Artisans Cup look and feel. It was fun to enter and see the effect. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of it. And too dark inside to photo. Space felt cramped. But, it was a fun display!

This show tries to promote "out of the box" display ideas. Other clubs do that much better than ours. We're still trying to get traditional display working:

 

[jk_lewis]

I got a surprize! I was just beginning to break down our display when Curt a Howard came in and said I won People's Choice! Totally unexpected!

Congrats!

 

[jk_lewis]

I REALLY enjoyed your windswept Tridents as well! Very well done and a very difficult style to pull off effectively! Had your trees already dropped their leaves on their own, or were they defoliated for the show?

The leaves were looking pretty awful, anyway; I plucked them, but I designed his tree to look its best w/o leaves. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[jk_lewis]

But, it was a fun display!

If you say so. It was too dim inside to see anything about the trees. The spots just illuminated parts of them.

I was surprised at the number of trees with LOTS of wire on them. One had every branch and branchlet wired. I wanted to ask about radio reception.

 

[MACH5]

Congrats to all. Super show!! Thanks to everyone that shared pics.

 

[JudyB]

Congrats Adair, and to all the participants. Really enjoy seeing the quality from year to year in this show. Thanks to all for the photos!

 

[Djtommy]

agree with the above comments, sounds like it was a fun show. thanx for the pictures!

the display with the mountains as background is kinda funny, i like it

 

[Adair M]

If you say so. It was too dim inside to see anything about the trees. The spots just illuminated parts of them.

I was surprised at the number of trees with LOTS of wire on them. One had every branch and branchlet wired. I wanted to ask about radio reception.

I actually agree with you on it being too dark. There was a large pine right at the entrance, and since the canopy forced you to be up close and personal, you really couldn't see what it looked like! We were too close! The tree would show better from farther away.

And you're right about some trees being over wired. One was really freshly wired. The copper was really bright. I wired one of the trees in our display a couple of weeks ago, but then it was sprayed with a 10 percent lime sulphur solution. It immediate turns the copper black. Then, immediately wash off the lime sulphur.

The best in show tree was wired to the tips. By Ryan, I believe. It was interesting to see his technique.

 

[Ron Dennis]

jkl,

I very liked your windswept trident! The only way to show it is bare of leaves. It looked great!

The second picture is of a JWP, not a Black. It's grafted just below the first branch.

The "fallen tree, broken pot" tree would have been much better if the slab was big enough to have both the pot and the bottom branch on it. I've seen some that would have been perfect. The smaller slab should have least been It also had what appeared to be a live vein going to that bottom branch, but there's no foliage. It should have been Jinned.

BVF's pyracantha is looking good, too. Several of us were discussing how a different pot might work. To bring out the red berries. Or maybe a white one to go with the spring flowers.

I got a surprize! I was just beginning to break down our display when Curt a Howard came in and said I won People's Choice! Totally unexpected!
View attachment 83677
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Congratulations! Your tree is STUNNING! I enjoyed meeting you and talking briefly with you yesterday. The Atlanta display may have been more traditional but it definitely was one I went back to again and again. Beautiful.

 

[Ron Dennis]

Great show! It was impossible to select a tree as my favorite. I photographed every tree, every accent and numerous shots of the Arboretum and am looking forward to presenting to our club in Birmingham. Did anyone else find the Kusamono plantings to be as outstanding as the trees? Congratulations to all for an outstanding show.

 

[Coach]

One club made a display where you entered a "tunnel" made of black shrouds. Then the trees were lit by small up and down lights. The idea, I'm sure, was to try to duplicate the Artisans Cup look and feel. It was fun to enter and see the effect. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of it. And too dark inside to photo. Space felt cramped. But, it was a fun display!

This show tries to promote "out of the box" display ideas. Other clubs do that much better than ours. We're still trying to get traditional display working:
View attachment 83727

Adair, Tree #4 from left to right in this pic is spectacular...looks like a 100 year old oak...this look might be my favorite in Bonsai...it's the best of Texas in a pot ...pic is too grainy to see details. What is it?

 

[Adair M]

It's a collected Water Elm. Estimated to be somewhere between 200-300 years old. Several about that size were collected at the same time. Not all made it. They cut one of the dead ones and counted rings. Appeared to be over 200. It was collected about 50 years ago.

 

[Dav4]

It's a collected Water Elm. Estimated to be somewhere between 200-300 years old. Several about that size were collected at the same time. Not all made it. They cut one of the dead ones and counted rings. Appeared to be over 200. It was collected about 50 years ago.

Adair, were you there for the critique? I would bet that Walter would have loved the water elm, since it fits fairly well into the "fairy tale" tree genre he enjoys so much. And....did he say anything about that exquisitely designed Japanese Red Pine sitting off to the right?? Probably too classical Japanese for his liking...

 

[jk_lewis]

It's a collected Water Elm. Estimated to be somewhere between 200-300 years old. Several about that size were collected at the same time. Not all made it. They cut one of the dead ones and counted rings. Appeared to be over 200. It was collected about 50 years ago.

Yes. A very fine tree!

 

[Coach]

It's a collected Water Elm. Estimated to be somewhere between 200-300 years old. Several about that size were collected at the same time. Not all made it. They cut one of the dead ones and counted rings. Appeared to be over 200. It was collected about 50 years ago.

Wow...most impressive...200+ years! Thank you for the details...now I really have a crush on that tree

Zach Smith does a lot of work with Water Elm, always enjoy his blogs on those...I'm officially planning a hunt in February for one now. Thanks again for the pic, history and inspiration

 

[Adair M]

Dave, I was not there for the critique on Saturday. Ed was, and he video recorded it. Ed said Walter liked our display, even though its traditional. He liked your red pine. He liked all our trees! I'm sure we will get a copy of his critique.

On Sunday, Walter was kind enough to tell Curt and I what he thought of ours. Naturally, he loved Curt's water elm. He likes its naturalistic style, of course. And he said it's also of the "Fairy Tale" genre. He suggested that Curt hollow it out even farther.

My tree, he said was a very nice example of traditional Japanese styling. He liked that while I have the pads compact, they're not so dense you can't see through them. I used 50/50 lime sulphur on the deadwood. He suggested I do it straight to make the deadwood pop more.

Warren Hill made an appearance. He's wheelchair bound after his stroke. He LOVED your Red Pine.

 

[Dav4]

Dave, I was not there for the critique on Saturday. Ed was, and he video recorded it. Ed said Walter liked our display, even though its traditional. He liked your red pine. He liked all our trees! I'm sure we will get a copy of his critique.

On Sunday, Walter was kind enough to tell Curt and I what he thought of ours. Naturally, he loved Curt's water elm. He likes its naturalistic style, of course. And he said it's also of the "Fairy Tale" genre. He suggested that Curt hollow it out even farther.

My tree, he said was a very nice example of traditional Japanese styling. He liked that while I have the pads compact, they're not so dense you can't see through them. I used 50/50 lime sulphur on the deadwood. He suggested I do it straight to make the deadwood pop more.

Warren Hill made an appearance. He's wheelchair bound after his stroke. He LOVED your Red Pine.

I gotta say, our display, though bland compared to others there, had the best grouping of trees we've put together for the show since I have been a member of ABS...good stuff!

 

[Eric Group]

I gotta say, our display, though bland compared to others there, had the best grouping of trees we've put together for the show since I have been a member of ABS...good stuff!

I didn't realize that pine on the end was your Red Pine Dave.. I walked by it a few times.. Very nice!