13th Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo 2025

Written by: Published in: Rss Feeds On: 07 December 2025 Read: 236 times
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Promotional poster for the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo featuring a stylized tree silhouette, event details, and a description of the exhibition.
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Steve Zeisel, sponsor and organizer of the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo did it again! A huge crowd of visitors and bonsai enthusiasts enjoyed an elegant display of fine bonsai! Every bonsai was of much better quality than in the first 12 exhibitions featuring naked trees. He privately holds the event to promote bonsai and allows exhibitors to express their beautiful bonsai and creative displays, especially in their winter appearance. 

Interior view of the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo showcasing beautifully displayed bonsai trees on tables, surrounded by elegant marble flooring and decorative elements.

There are more bonsai this year, and all were better designed and exquisitely displayed and prepared. Each exhibitor was allocated a six or eight-foot table to fill. A critique on Sunday morning will discuss some basic display information, as well as bonsai design so exhibitors can improve their bonsai for next year’s Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo.

Overview of the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo featuring various bonsai displays and attendees engaging with the exhibits.

The highly regarded and anticipated Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo was again held at the North Carolina Research Center in Kannapolis, outside Charlotte, North Carolina, on December 6-7, 2025.

An aerial view of the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo, featuring a bonsai tree display on a table surrounded by visitors engaging in conversation.
A display of bonsai trees at the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo, featuring a tall green bonsai with a moss-covered base, a small purple flowering bonsai, and an artistic backdrop with a round orange moon against a blue sky.

In addition to the bonsai on display, in a magnificent five story rotunda which is covered in imported Italian marble, several suiseki and accessory plantings were shown. Steve has had an excellent track record of hosting this elegant display which also had three rooms of vendors combined with demonstrations.

Aerial view of the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo, featuring numerous bonsai displays on tables, with attendees engaging in conversation in a marble rotunda.

Several demonstrations and a wide variety of vendors completed the exhibition as well as critique on Sunday morning for exhibitors. On Saturday afternoon, there was a benefit auction to help defray the costs to produce this fine exhibition. It’s one of my most favorite events of the year which I look forward to.

A bustling crowd gathers at the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo, showcasing an elegant bonsai tree display in a marble-floored venue.
A meticulously styled bonsai tree with intricate, bare branches, prominently displayed on a moss-covered surface in a decorative pot, set against a black backdrop.

A beautifully arranged bonsai display featuring a tree with bright red fruits next to an artistic scroll depicting a crane, set against a backdrop of blue fabric.
A bonsai tree with bare branches adorned with bright red fruits, set against a dark blue background.
Display of bonsai trees on tables in a marble-finished venue during the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo.
Display of bonsai trees at the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo, featuring elegantly arranged plants against a black backdrop with a decorative scroll in the background.
A finely crafted bonsai tree displayed on a wooden table, surrounded by a black backdrop. The bonsai features intricate branches and is situated in a decorative container filled with moss.
A beautifully displayed bonsai tree on a wooden stand, accompanied by a mossy stone arrangement, set against a dark backdrop.

There were also several high quality shohin bonsai displays, all exquisitely displayed.

A beautifully arranged bonsai display featuring lush green moss and a prominent rock centerpiece on a wooden table.
A wooden display stand showcasing several bonsai trees of varying sizes, with a marble wall in the background.
A beautifully shaped bonsai tree with vibrant green foliage and a unique twisted trunk, displayed in a simple brown pot against a dark background.

A well-deserved thank you to Steve Zeisel and his team for organizing another successful Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo. Attached are my quick photos so you can see the bonsai now, taken with my iPhone 17 Pro Max and my new Meta Ray Ban glasses. Joe Noga is professionally photographing the show and his high-quality images will be forthcoming, along with the Award Winners.

A beautifully crafted bonsai tree displayed on a wooden stand, surrounded by lush moss, with a decorative arrangement of berries in a basket beside it, set against a marble wall.
A beautifully crafted bonsai tree displayed in an elegant ceramic pot, featuring lush green foliage and a textured brown trunk, set against a marble background.

This year’s exhibition featured several deciduous species well developed forest plantings.

A display of a fine bonsai tree with multiple bare branches, set on a wooden table with moss-covered soil, against a black backdrop.
A close-up view of a group of bonsai trees with bare branches, set on a moss-covered base, showcasing their intricate root structures.
A beautifully arranged display of bonsai trees showcasing intricate branching and moss-covered bases, set against a black curtain backdrop.

Be sure to add the next Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo in 2026. Details following.

A display of a bonsai arrangement featuring numerous bare branches set on a moss-covered stone base, placed on a wooden table.
A display of several bonsai trees with bare branches arranged on a moss-covered tray, set against a black backdrop.
A detailed display of a bonsai tree with intricate branches, positioned on a decorative wooden table with a green pot, next to a stone display, against a black backdrop.
A bonsai tree displayed on a wooden table with a decorative pot, next to a traditional hanging scroll depicting a waterfall. The background features a black curtain and the floor is covered with a red cloth.
A close-up image of a beautifully arranged bonsai plant in a ceramic pot, with green leaves and unique flowering stalks, set on a wooden display base.

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