Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
You are welcome to ask, but the rule of posting to this thread is that your post must include a photo of one of your shohin trees.
Trident maple, Ikkou pot, DaSu stand.
The Shohin Tree Thread
- Thread starter Brian Van Fleet
- Start date
Trident maple, Ikkou pot, DaSu stand.
For Shohin display, you’re allowed more freedom to use bold colors. Shohin is supposed to be fun, and playful, while remaining “in good taste”. You can use painted or boldly colored pots with Shohin. As long as the overall composition looks good.
Here is a Shohin display I put together using one of my olives in a yellow pot:
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
I now have another shohin to show.
After thinning buds and needles this autumn it was too tall to qualify standing at just over 30 cm.
This week I decided to try to compress the height a bit.
First wire pulled the head down and reduced the height by 5cm.
A second wire compressed the roots.
I managed to get the final half inch by bending the top down a little further.
total height reduced by 1/3. A good result I think.
The branches are still untidy. That can wait until spring budding. The first branch is too straight too but I'll try to do something with that next year too but just for now it is shohin.
After thinning buds and needles this autumn it was too tall to qualify standing at just over 30 cm.
This week I decided to try to compress the height a bit.
First wire pulled the head down and reduced the height by 5cm.
A second wire compressed the roots.
I managed to get the final half inch by bending the top down a little further.
total height reduced by 1/3. A good result I think.
The branches are still untidy. That can wait until spring budding. The first branch is too straight too but I'll try to do something with that next year too but just for now it is shohin.
Thanks for the explanation. Yes I agree that looks colorful and fun. Nice to have your display on the Front Cover... congrats.
My bad. Okay, this is just a 1 year old cutting, so not strictly a shohin, but since we touched on the subject of bright colors, maybe I could spice it up with this:You are welcome to ask, but the rule of posting to this thread is that your post must include a photo of one of your shohin trees.
View attachment 296441
Trident maple, Ikkou pot, DaSu stand.
(tabasco bottle used for size indication only
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Looks like I’m going to get flowers in a few days on this little Cotoneaster. I think once the foliage fills in a bit more, the flower show will be even more spectacular. 
Mayank
Chumono
@Adair M Is it acceptable to use bold colored (glazed?) for conifers which usually would be in an unglazed pot? Or only deciduous? Thanks.
Here's my shohin/mame to satisfy the rules of this thread (although I've posted this wain in another thread). Budding out and then today we have snow! My question is in general, not for this tree.
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Generally speaking, for a conifer, it would still be best to use an unglazed pot. Especially for the primary tree.
parhamr
Omono
Malus sargentii after its first trim of the year
it’s about 6" tall
it’s about 6" tall
Mayank
Chumono
Couple more questions☺
I'm assuming you can only display in (perceived?) zone appropriate groups? So juniper cannot be displayed with ficus? Also are there warmer zones where you could have trees that can grow in colder climates but also grow there? Like pines in Georgia? But if you paired it with say a Natal plum which may also grow in that region it could look weird in a display together? (I was trying to come up with a better example but I couldn't think of anything right now.)
I'm assuming you can only display in (perceived?) zone appropriate groups? So juniper cannot be displayed with ficus? Also are there warmer zones where you could have trees that can grow in colder climates but also grow there? Like pines in Georgia? But if you paired it with say a Natal plum which may also grow in that region it could look weird in a display together? (I was trying to come up with a better example but I couldn't think of anything right now.)
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SniffingKrylon
Shohin
Hartinez
Masterpiece
I’ll keep posting this one till the flowers fade. 
defra
Masterpiece
Adair- Love the nebari on that tree! I guess with the foliage out one can appreciate the nebari more
Here is my shohin azalea in training with some kind of lizard on it. Hopefully not harmful for bonsai haha ( tree- 9" height, 4.3" nebari)
Daluke
Mame
0soyoung
Imperial Masterpiece
Hinoki 'chirimen' (lookin' a little shaggy 
). 
). 
Lazylightningny
Masterpiece
Well, we're big rock singers
We got golden fingers
And we're loved everywhere we go...(That sounds like us)
We sing about beauty and we sing about truth
At ten thousand dollars a show...(Right)
We take all kinds of pills that give us all kind of thrills
But the thrill we've never known
Is the thrill that'll getcha when you get your picture
On the cover of the Rollin' Stone
(or in this case, the ABS Bonsai magazine
Looking good!
Daluke
Mame
SniffingKrylon
Shohin
Looks like we’re gonna have flowers.
oddirt
Mame
This quince was once a single-trunk tree that died back and was left neglected for years as it produced these sprouts. It has reincarnated as a shohin forest and will go into a Tozan pot when it's better refined. You can see the remnant of the original trunk.
