The American Bonsai Society and the Bonsai Society of Greater St. Louis hosted Gateway to Bonsai this past weekend in Collinsville, Illinois. The event drew visitors from all over the country – and a few from outside the U.S. – who enjoyed a good selection of workshops, seminars, and demonstrations.
In between the scheduled events, attendees had ample time to enjoy the convention’s exhibit. As the trees came from different latitudes, some were in full leaf and growing vigorously while others were still dormant.
Here are some of the highlights. I noted some of the award winners but missed others – feel free to indicate other winning entries in the comments below and I’ll update the captions.
Trident maple
Colorado Blue Spruce by Todd Schlafer – John Naka Award, Professional
Willow leaf ficus
Juniper
Shohin display
Black pine
Eastern white cedar by John Wall – John Naka Award, Hobbyist
Japanese white pine and trident maple by Barbara Bogan – Best Shohin Display
Japanese white pine ‘kokonoe’ by Mark Fields – Best in Show
Shishigashira maple
Hornbeam
Japanese white pine ‘miyajima’
Ponderosa pine
Scots pine
Korean hornbeam
Itoigawa juniper by Jesse Gilbertson – Best Conifer
Colorado spruce by Andy Smith – Best Native Bonsai
Japanese white pine
Arakawa Japanese maple
Accent plant
Crabapple
I’d like to thank the ABS Board Members and volunteers from the Bonsai Society of Greater St. Louis whose coordination made the convention a success. Special thanks to Cheryl Sykora and Barbara Bogan for organizing the event and to everyone who stopped by and said hello – it was great to meet you!
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