41st Annual Midwest Bonsai Society show August 17th thru 19th

[CasAH]

I like the big Pine with the Shari and also the clump Japanese Maple at the end....really cool!

I believe one of the people said the clump was started by Walter Hill.

 

[Owen Reich]

Got to talk to @William N. Valavanis @Owen Reich and Todd from First Bonsai(?) out of Colorado. Only briefly as they were all in demand or had paying customers to attend. All very pleasant and nice as always.

I have photos on my cellphone. It is an old iPhone 4 with a loose charging port, that is dead right now, and I am having problems charging.

I did pick up a Japanese larch from Bill.

Nice to speak with you; albeit briefly. The show was hectic in a good way. Sold most of my trees and got to assist my sempai Maeoka-san in the demo. Least i can do for years of instruction while I was in Japan. My booth had the pots and Stewartia monadelpha.

Owen’s and Todd Shaflers(sp?) sale tables prior to opening.

 

[CasAH]

Nice to speak with you; albeit briefly. The show was hectic in a good way. Sold most of my trees and got to assist my sempai Maeoka-san in the demo. Least i can do for years of instruction while I was in Japan. My booth had the pots and Stewartia monadelpha.

I was going to ask what species those large trees were. They looked like nice trees, but a little to big to carry to the car.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I only ran into Sorce, Bob King, and Irene, I was there Sat afternoon. I did my usual ritual, and purchased another Sara Raynor pot, I get one every year, whether I need one or not. LOL. Karen Schuman is the other potter I buy from whether I need a pot or not, but she is semi-retired, if she comes, it is to the May show at CBG.

Great show, the winning trees deserved to win, all were notable. There were a couple trees I thought were exceptional.
This juniper had no label, no listing of owner or other details. As a cascade it was exceptionally well balanced with the lowest parts of the branches nearly perfect in having the similar vigor and density as the upper foliage. In the photos, the difference between the upper tree and lower tree is more obvious in person, so it is not perfect, but having done a cascade or two, I want to commend the owner for excellent work balancing energy in this lovely tree.


Bob King exhibited a Jack pine, Pinus banksiana, and I think it notable for a really nice example of a species we don't often see. It is a great species for short needles, rough bark, and exceptional winter hardiness. An ideal tree for the northern half of the midwest. Probably not good for those living south of Saint Louis, as it really needs a cold winter dormancy. A good single flush pine with a short, concentrated growing period, much like mugo.



another Bob King tree, Stewartia monadelpha. Well grown, and nicely displayed. We see Stewartia occasionally, but they deserve to be much more popular. They are really a good species for bonsai. Look at the rich color of the bark, Bob said it has flowered, though he does enough pruning he doesn't often see it bloom. White flowers smaller than camelia, in better proportions for bonsai than Camelia on a tree that is fully winter hardy in the greater Chicago area.


Houston S of Milwaukee exhibited a Mexican bald cypress, Taxodium mucronatum. Not a species seen around the midwest, as it is not winter hardy. Unusual in that he chose to train it in a weeping style, as opposed to the more common naturalistic styles we see for the common bald cypress. Judges liked it too. It was very well done.


I liked all the trees that got awards, best of show etc were all good, but I thought these 3 were worth pointing out. They were not as flashy as the ''big winners'' and if you were not paying attention, these could have been missed.

 

[sorce]

I only ran into Sorce, Bob King, and Irene, I was there Sat afternoon. I did my usual ritual, and purchased another Sara Raynor pot, I get one every year, whether I need one or not. LOL. Karen Schuman is the other potter I buy from whether I need a pot or not, but she is semi-retired, if she comes, it is to the May show at CBG.

Great show, the winning trees deserved to win, all were notable. There were a couple trees I thought were exceptional.
This juniper had no label, no listing of owner or other details. As a cascade it was exceptionally well balanced with the lowest parts of the branches nearly perfect in having the similar vigor and density as the upper foliage. In the photos, the difference between the upper tree and lower tree is more obvious in person, so it is not perfect, but having done a cascade or two, I want to commend the owner for excellent work balancing energy in this lovely tree.
View attachment 206932

Bob King exhibited a Jack pine, Pinus banksiana, and I think it notable for a really nice example of a species we don't often see. It is a great species for short needles, rough bark, and exceptional winter hardiness. An ideal tree for the northern half of the midwest. Probably not good for those living south of Saint Louis, as it really needs a cold winter dormancy. A good single flush pine with a short, concentrated growing period, much like mugo.
View attachment 206944
View attachment 206945

another Bob King tree, Stewartia monadelpha. Well grown, and nicely displayed. We see Stewartia occasionally, but they deserve to be much more popular. They are really a good species for bonsai. Look at the rich color of the bark, Bob said it has flowered, though he does enough pruning he doesn't often see it bloom. White flowers smaller than camelia, in better proportions for bonsai than Camelia on a tree that is fully winter hardy in the greater Chicago area.
View attachment 206947

Houston S of Milwaukee exhibited a Mexican bald cypress, Taxodium mucronatum. Not a species seen around the midwest, as it is not winter hardy. Unusual in that he chose to train it in a weeping style, as opposed to the more common naturalistic styles we see for the common bald cypress. Judges liked it too. It was very well done.
View attachment 206946

I liked all the trees that got awards, best of show etc were all good, but I thought these 3 were worth pointing out. They were not as flashy as the ''big winners'' and if you were not paying attention, these could have been missed.

I saw that pot gone!

Oooooh shit! Nice!

S

 

[CasAH]

I only ran into Sorce, Bob King, and Irene, I was there Sat afternoon. I did my usual ritual, and purchased another Sara Raynor pot, I get one every year, whether I need one or not. LOL. Karen Schuman is the other potter I buy from whether I need a pot or not, but she is semi-retired, if she comes, it is to the May show at CBG.

Great show, the winning trees deserved to win, all were notable. There were a couple trees I thought were exceptional.
This juniper had no label, no listing of owner or other details. As a cascade it was exceptionally well balanced with the lowest parts of the branches nearly perfect in having the similar vigor and density as the upper foliage. In the photos, the difference between the upper tree and lower tree is more obvious in person, so it is not perfect, but having done a cascade or two, I want to commend the owner for excellent work balancing energy in this lovely tree.
View attachment 206932

Bob King exhibited a Jack pine, Pinus banksiana, and I think it notable for a really nice example of a species we don't often see. It is a great species for short needles, rough bark, and exceptional winter hardiness. An ideal tree for the northern half of the midwest. Probably not good for those living south of Saint Louis, as it really needs a cold winter dormancy. A good single flush pine with a short, concentrated growing period, much like mugo.
View attachment 206944
View attachment 206945

another Bob King tree, Stewartia monadelpha. Well grown, and nicely displayed. We see Stewartia occasionally, but they deserve to be much more popular. They are really a good species for bonsai. Look at the rich color of the bark, Bob said it has flowered, though he does enough pruning he doesn't often see it bloom. White flowers smaller than camelia, in better proportions for bonsai than Camelia on a tree that is fully winter hardy in the greater Chicago area.
View attachment 206947

Houston S of Milwaukee exhibited a Mexican bald cypress, Taxodium mucronatum. Not a species seen around the midwest, as it is not winter hardy. Unusual in that he chose to train it in a weeping style, as opposed to the more common naturalistic styles we see for the common bald cypress. Judges liked it too. It was very well done.
View attachment 206946

I liked all the trees that got awards, best of show etc were all good, but I thought these 3 were worth pointing out. They were not as flashy as the ''big winners'' and if you were not paying attention, these could have been missed.

I thought they did a good job of selecting trees this year. In past years there were more trees and it looked cluttered and you could not concentrate on the one display.

I was looking for a pot for a juniper and nothing caught my eye.

I did buy a small Japanese larch from Bill though.

 

[CasAH]

I only ran into Sorce, Bob King, and Irene, I was there Sat afternoon. I did my usual ritual, and purchased another Sara Raynor pot, I get one every year, whether I need one or not. LOL. Karen Schuman is the other potter I buy from whether I need a pot or not, but she is semi-retired, if she comes, it is to the May show at CBG.

Great show, the winning trees deserved to win, all were notable. There were a couple trees I thought were exceptional.
This juniper had no label, no listing of owner or other details. As a cascade it was exceptionally well balanced with the lowest parts of the branches nearly perfect in having the similar vigor and density as the upper foliage. In the photos, the difference between the upper tree and lower tree is more obvious in person, so it is not perfect, but having done a cascade or two, I want to commend the owner for excellent work balancing energy in this lovely tree.
View attachment 206932

Bob King exhibited a Jack pine, Pinus banksiana, and I think it notable for a really nice example of a species we don't often see. It is a great species for short needles, rough bark, and exceptional winter hardiness. An ideal tree for the northern half of the midwest. Probably not good for those living south of Saint Louis, as it really needs a cold winter dormancy. A good single flush pine with a short, concentrated growing period, much like mugo.
View attachment 206944
View attachment 206945

another Bob King tree, Stewartia monadelpha. Well grown, and nicely displayed. We see Stewartia occasionally, but they deserve to be much more popular. They are really a good species for bonsai. Look at the rich color of the bark, Bob said it has flowered, though he does enough pruning he doesn't often see it bloom. White flowers smaller than camelia, in better proportions for bonsai than Camelia on a tree that is fully winter hardy in the greater Chicago area.
View attachment 206947

Houston S of Milwaukee exhibited a Mexican bald cypress, Taxodium mucronatum. Not a species seen around the midwest, as it is not winter hardy. Unusual in that he chose to train it in a weeping style, as opposed to the more common naturalistic styles we see for the common bald cypress. Judges liked it too. It was very well done.
View attachment 206946

I liked all the trees that got awards, best of show etc were all good, but I thought these 3 were worth pointing out. They were not as flashy as the ''big winners'' and if you were not paying attention, these could have been missed.

I thought the did a good job of selecting trees this year. In past years there were more trees and it looked cluttered and you could not concentrate on the one display.

I was looking for a pot for a juniper and nothing caught my eye.

I did buy a small Japanese larch from Bill though.