The Columbus Bonsai Show was nice.

[edprocoat]

I went a had a good time , talked the ear off many different people. There was this guy named mark that had a display of Erodium plants trained as Bonsai in flower at about 2 to 4 inches and they were IMO the best display at the show, the best looking tree IMO was an extremely large Ficus that was well rooted and had amazing aerial roots and was beautifully styled too. It stood about 3 feet tall. The show winner, for the popular vote, (non club member) was a disappointing american elm forest planting, it was well done but the trees were all stick thin, I think what caught everyone's eye was the penjing style with a tiny mudman fisherman. It was the only tree with a mudman there. There was an amazing forest there with well proportioned trees and laid out great, each tree could have been a specimen on its own, yet it did not even receive recognition. The Erodium display received fourth place, another shame as it was not only beautiful but the display and placement of the miniscule flowering "trees" was not just eye catching, it pulled my eye in and then allowed it to wander to each plant and then too another! It was as if they were saying, hey look at me, nice huh, take a look at him then, and so on. I have some pictures but I am out of room at Flickr, I will see if I can post them somehow. I bougth a tiny little Shimpaku, and another slightly larger one, and a nice "elm" with leaves that are half the size of my Catlin Elm's leaves, the lady had no idea what it was besides being an elm, I also got two cheap pots and one real nice one cheaply and a bag of soil mix. I used the " aren't you afraid that tree will get struck by lightning with all that wire on it " joke on one guy, who actually got a worried look and said " we have had problems with lightning the last two years", not the hearty laugh I was soliciting!

All in all I had a great time, there were some great buys on Trident Maples, $70 for one with about a 3 1/2 inch trunk, I am still a little Maple shy after my sole attempt this spring, main thing was I was a little worried about the heat, after driving almost 50 miles towards home it dawned on me that I thought I had read that they were good in the heat ?

I will definetely make another show whenever I get the chance.

ed

 

[chappy56]

Lookin forward to the pictures.

 

[bougie nights]

I had an all-weekend meeting out of town, but was able to catch the last couple of hours on sunday. Very nice show, overall. I was surprised that John Hill didn't have any trees this year. I resolved not to spend any money even though I was very tempted by Tom Holcomb's pots. I did get a small Black Hills spruce, though for a good price.

 

[edprocoat]

Ok, try this again.

A nice Kingsville Boxwood 7 years in training. The display actually seemed to point at each other, or direct my vision twords each element of it.


IMG_8157 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

A display of Erodium grown in teh root up, or Neagari style. The picture does this no justice as it was breathtaking, no plant was even 4 inches tall ! The pinkish/violet color of the little blooms was enhanced by the black light shining on the display as well as the excellent moss base, yet the camera washed out under each WB setting I shot it on. This is the best I could capture.

IMG_8189 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

I am pretty sure this was a Chinese Elm.

IMG_8165 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

ed

 

[edprocoat]

This was a Japanese garden Juniper, Junperus Procumbens 1 year in training.

IMG_8160 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

This was a donation to the Franklin Park Conservatory that was cleaned up by club members as it had been allowed to bush out, its a Procumbens Nana Juniper.

IMG_8175 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

This was a Ponderosa Pine with an amazing hersheys kiss looking base, it either grew this way or it was an amazing chop with really no visible scar to give it away. I did not get the particulars on this one.

IMG_8172 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

ed

 

[edprocoat]

This was an ok Ficus Forest.

IMG_8171 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

This was an American Hornbeam forest that was simply many times better than the Elm Forest that took first plac in the popular vote (non member). The forest that won had a mudman setting to the left, but the trees were stick thin and arrow straight, smaller than the Ficus group posted above.
My picture of the winner did not come out at all.

IMG_8171 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

This was a Ficus Burt Davyi with a great trunk and a decently healed and well hid chop scar, the pot was a great choice too IMO.

IMG_8167 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

ed

 

[edprocoat]

This was an ok Ficus Forest.

IMG_8171 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

This was an American Hornbeam forest that was simply many times better than the Elm Forest that took first plac in the popular vote (non member). The forest that won had a mudman setting to the left, but the trees were stick thin and arrow straight, smaller than the Ficus group posted above.
My picture of the winner did not come out at all. Once again sorry for the quality.


IMG_8169 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

This was a Ficus Burt Davyi with a great trunk and a decently healed and well hid chop scar, the pot was a great choice too IMO.

IMG_8167 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

ed

 

[edprocoat]

This was a Hinoki Cypress 3 years in training, and beautiful in person with the greenest foliage pleasing to the eye.


IMG_8162 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

This was a great Satsuki Azalea 13years in training, I could only imagine what it looked like in bloom.


IMG_8158 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

I am not sure what this was, I am thinking maybe Bougainvillea, but I am usually wrong on id's.

IMG_8156 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

ed

 

[edprocoat]

This was another Chinese Elm, IMO these trees should not have been in the same pot, and I would have cut off that little sucker like extension growing on the bae of the left tree.

IMG_8155 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

This was favorite tree of the show, Burt Davyi over 3 feet tall with a 3 feet spread and fantastic aerial roots.


IMG_8153 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

A closeup of the roots and trunk of this ficus.


IMG_8154 by EdsBonsai, on Flickr

Thats all that came out viewable for me. The show had a hodgepodge of lighting employed among the displays and as my eyes are not good at close range I thougth I had better shots in many instances. I asked beforhand about teh lighting and was told flourescent white, which would have came out with teh white balance setting I used, but I noticed regular light bulbs and grow lights and in one instance a black light bulb.

hope you enjoy what i was able to capture, I sure did!

ed

 

[stacy allen muse]

?????????????????

 

[mat]

Glad you had a good time Ed. I usually enjoy the vendors' area as much as the exhibit itself when I go to shows.

The Erodium look cool - almost artificial - in that light. I also like that base on that big Ficus.

I'm somewhat hesitant to say it, but many of the others seem to be in need of some refinement. Easier to criticize than to do, I suppose. I've never had a tree in a show (yet).

 

[edprocoat]

Glad you had a good time Ed. I usually enjoy the vendors' area as much as the exhibit itself when I go to shows.

The Erodium look cool - almost artificial - in that light. I also like that base on that big Ficus.

I'm somewhat hesitant to say it, but many of the others seem to be in need of some refinement. Easier to criticize than to do, I suppose. I've never had a tree in a show (yet).

Mat, I thought that too on many of the trees there. I have had some trees that were in my opinion nicer than some of those displayed there, although this was a show of the Columbus Bonsai Society which is a local club, not like its one of teh national shows. The two finest display IMO were the large Ficus and teh Erodiums. The Kingsville Boxwood was an attractive display but the tree was minimal, the forests or group plantings were mostly stick thin trees, the nicest one I posted a picture of here.

ed

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Thanks for taking the time to take and post these photos, Ed.

 

[tmmason10]

Thanks for the photos Ed. That ficus and the hinoki were pretty nice.

 

[edprocoat]

Thanks for the photos Ed. That ficus and the hinoki were pretty nice.

True, I forgot about the Hinoki Cypress, it was a real great color green too, it looked real healthy.

ed

 

[JudyB]

Glad you had a good time Ed. I usually enjoy the vendors' area as much as the exhibit itself when I go to shows.

The Erodium look cool - almost artificial - in that light. I also like that base on that big Ficus.

I'm somewhat hesitant to say it, but many of the others seem to be in need of some refinement. Easier to criticize than to do, I suppose. I've never had a tree in a show (yet).

Quite..
I went to this show on Sunday, and my mom always told me, that if you can't say something nice.... Weel you get the picture. I was disapointed to say the least. Part of the reason I've not checked this club out is the photos of past shows, ficus,ficus, jade... The Hinoki was among the only few trees that held my interest very long. I don't want to be rude in any way, but quite a few of these trees have little potential. And to tell you the truth, not much of the vendor material was much better. I actually saw some s curve mallsai for sale, what is up with that at a bonsai show????!!
Ok so now you know why mom always told me that...

Not a good experience for my first attendance to a show. I'll have to see if I can get to Chicago someday, I hear theirs is wonderful.

 

[tmmason10]

Quite..
I went to this show on Sunday, and my mom always told me, that if you can't say something nice.... Weel you get the picture. I was disapointed to say the least. Part of the reason I've not checked this club out is the photos of past shows, ficus,ficus, jade... The Hinoki was among the only few trees that held my interest very long. I don't want to be rude in any way, but quite a few of these trees have little potential. And to tell you the truth, not much of the vendor material was much better. I actually saw some s curve mallsai for sale, what is up with that at a bonsai show????!!
Ok so now you know why mom always told me that...

Not a good experience for my first attendance to a show. I'll have to see if I can get to Chicago someday, I hear theirs is wonderful.

Or maybe you should join and turn that club around. Your trees are well on their way and would be a welcome addition to that show.

 

[bougie nights]

I would encourage you not to give up on the club just yet. the quality of shows fluctuates from time-to-time. Some of the more experienced artists did not have anything in the show this year which surprised me, but July is a month where a lot of people travel. Last year's show had a lot more entries. Space was limited too, so perhaps the Big Shots decided to let the less-experienced gain some experience in showing their trees.

 

[edprocoat]

Quite..
I went to this show on Sunday, and my mom always told me, that if you can't say something nice.... Weel you get the picture. I was disapointed to say the least. Part of the reason I've not checked this club out is the photos of past shows, ficus,ficus, jade... The Hinoki was among the only few trees that held my interest very long. I don't want to be rude in any way, but quite a few of these trees have little potential. And to tell you the truth, not much of the vendor material was much better. I actually saw some s curve mallsai for sale, what is up with that at a bonsai show????!!
Ok so now you know why mom always told me that...

Not a good experience for my first attendance to a show. I'll have to see if I can get to Chicago someday, I hear theirs is wonderful.

JudyB, I went on sunday too, let me share a funny story with you. I was standing near a counter with my Canon camera around my neck when I seen this lady at a vendor wearing black shorts and a white shirt with black print design on it, she was buying some trees from a vendor and mentioned to the sales lady how she lost some Maples to the heat. I almost asked her if she was JudyB from the B-Nut forum, but I decided that I did not want to creep her out also thinking that if it was you I may have security called on me thinking that I was some sort of stalker LOL !!.

ed

 

[JudyB]

Hey Ed, wasn't me. I haven't lost any trees this year...

Bougie, are you a member of this club? If so, I dont mean to offend... There were a few trees by Jeff Carr that were nice, and a couple by someone named KAS, other than that...
Have you ever made the Dawes show? I've never been able to get to that one, but wonder if it's better, or at least a bit broader in scope. I am still scratching my head about the s curve vendor trees. You'd think that we'd want to let the general public know that these are not what bonsai is. So why would they want a vendor selling the antithesis of bonsai?

Thanks Tom, I just don't know that showing trees is what the hobby is about for me. As far as joining the club, being in the biz I'm in, I'm usually working weekends, so I don't know that it'd be worthwhile.