One thing I’ve appreciated about Bay Island Bonsai’s annual exhibits is the use of moss to cover the surface of the soil. The convention is common among bonsai exhibits in Japan and elsewhere. It gives the trees a clean look and provides some life in the case of dormant deciduous varieties like the corkbark elm below.
Corkbark elm
Moss can provide contrast to both pots and flowers.
Flowering plum
And in the case of evergreen conifers, moss can help set the scene, grounding trees in what we might imagine to be undisturbed earth.
Red pine
Shimpaku juniper
Of course, it’s hard to overlook the trees growing in the moss or the oftentimes antique containers in which they are planted.
Japanese five-needle pine in antique Japanese pot
Tsukumo cypress in antique Chinese pot
Branch structure as seen from below
When I see trees that are in relatively early stages of development, I study the branch placement to get an idea of what the tree might look like a few years down the road.
Japanese black pine
For more mature trees, I simply enjoy the age and character of the trunk.
Japanese black pine
Shore pine
One of my favorite trees with a bright future was a Chinese elm created just a few years ago from air layer. The density is already good. In time, continued refinement will showcase the trunk and convey age through the fullness of the silhouette.
Chinese elm
Shohin black pine
Shohin shimpaku juniper
Mas Nakajima displayed two suiseki art installations featuring stones with paintings. The photos don’t begin to do justice to the depth of the paintings or the overlapping colors among display elements.
Suiseki art by Mas Nakajima
Suiseki art by Mas Nakajima
And what of my maple and Western juniper? I left the trees on their own during setup and found someone had paired them in a fairly similar fashion to how I’d imagined them together. The main difference was that the juniper was turned to point slightly more to the right.
Japanese maple and Western juniper
In time, I plan to change the tree and extend the lowest branch to further emphasize the right-leaning movement so I can use the tree on the left side of the display.
Bunzan pot
Hut stone and moss
Japanese maple
The next Bay Area bonsai exhibit is coming up soon – tomorrow and Sunday at the biennial Shohin Seminar in Santa Nella, California.
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