Cast your votes for the Five-Year, Native Tree, Native Pot Challenge!

[Gabler]

Select your three favorite trees from amongst the listed eligible entries. Unfortunately, as I created this poll, I discovered there is a maximum number of options in a poll. The website limits us to ten. Consequently, I have listed the ten eligible entries with the most reactions as of January 10, 2026. Fortunately, that bumped out only one entry, which was technically late anyway. Sorry, @Bonsaidoorguy.

Anyone is eligible to vote. Votes are anonymous. View the eligible trees in the thread linked below:

Thread 'FINAL SUBMISSIONS - 2020 5 yr Native Tree, Native Pot Challenge'

Dec 21, 2025

Time is up for this challenge:

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/the-five-year-native-tree-native-pot-challenge.46006/

Please submit your final photos in this thread for judging. According to the original rules you can submit one tree to be considered for the contest. If you have some others to show for “Honourable Mentions”, please post those in your individual contest threads. Add a link to your contest thread, along with your tree photo, so people can see your tree’s progression.

Also, along with you photo submission, please include a brief description of the pot, indicating...

• cishepard
• Replies: 30
• Forum: The 2021 Five Year Native Tree Challenge

• 

I encourage you to critique the trees in your replies to this thread.

Lastly, an honorable mention to @RJG2 and @Woocash, who shared excellent but ineligible material.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

NVM

 

[Gabler]

Why are there eight votes? The total number of votes should be equal to the number of voters multiplied by three. Please ensure you are choosing your THREE favorite trees.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Why are there eight votes? The total number of votes should be equal to the number of voters multiplied by three. Please ensure you are choosing your THREE favorite trees.

Cuz I was only willing to vote for 2.

 

[Ruddigger]

Cuz I was only willing to vote for 2.

Same

 

[Bonsaidoorguy]

No problem, I'm not just a little bit hurt to work on my tree for five years and be one day late because of the site being down, so I'm bumped out. This site used to be inclusive, not so much anymore.

 

[Gabler]

No problem, I'm not just a little bit hurt to work on my tree for five years and be one day late because of the site being down, so I'm bumped out. This site used to be inclusive, not so much anymore.

To be clear, I made the decision of whom to include based on the total number of likes—which was originally going to the basis for voting anyway. It was impossible to list more than ten usernames in a poll, which I discovered only after I started making it. I used the number of likes per post to determine who would make the cut. The fact that you were late was irrelevant to my decision. It just happened to work out that a tree entered past the cutoff had fewer votes.

 

[Bonsaidoorguy]

To be clear, I made the decision of whom to include based on the total number of likes—which was originally going to the basis for voting anyway. It was impossible to list more than ten usernames in a poll, which I discovered only after I started making it. I used the number of likes per post to determine who would make the cut. The fact that you were late was irrelevant to my decision. It just happened to work out that a tree entered past the cutoff had fewer votes.

The fact that there was a limit on the number of entries was never brought up during the contest is enough to irritate anyone. If there were other entries they would have bumped too. Just because you couldn't figure out a solution to the problem other than bumping a contestant. I realize that my entry was an "also entered", but it's the the spirit of the contest that I feel wasn't thought about.

 

[Gabler]

The fact that there was a limit on the number of entries was never brought up during the contest is enough to irritate anyone. If there were other entries they would have bumped too. Just because you couldn't figure out a solution to the problem other than bumping a contestant. I realize that my entry was an "also entered", but it's the the spirit of the contest that I feel wasn't thought about.

I genuinely wanted to include everyone in the final vote. When I said "Sorry, @Bonsaidoorguy," I meant it. I'll say it again. Sorry. I found what seemed to be the most elegant solution to an unexpected problem, and I implemented that solution. It may not be in the "spirit of the contest," but it is the most objective means I could find to make the vote work.

If it helps, I don't think of this as the vote. I think of it as the final round of voting. The first round of voting occurred via reactions, and now there are ten finalists.

 

[misfit11]

It's really a shame that @RJG2 didn't get his tree in a pot and @Woocash was a late entry. These were my favorite trees. @RJG2 's Elm raft could be an absolute stunner if handled well and put in the right pot. @Woocash 's Field Maple has the bones to be a stellar tree as well in about 10 years. Just a reminder to those of us (myself included) to keep an eye on the finish line for these contests so we're eligible.

 

[Gabler]

It's really a shame that @RJG2 didn't get his tree in a pot and @Woocash was a late entry. These were my favorite trees. @RJG2 's Elm raft could be an absolute stunner if handled well and put in the right pot. @Woocash 's Field Maple has the bones to be a stellar tree as well in about 10 years. Just a reminder to those of us (myself included) to keep an eye on the finish line for these contests so we're eligible.

I don't think it's a coincidence. Five years is a fairly compressed timeline for bonsai. RJG2 and Woocash obviously aren't rushing things. It shows in their results.

 

[The Barber]

In the future, it might be that the best bet would be to make a thread, explain that likes count as votes, or whatever rules you choose in opening post, reply with a quality photo of each tree, each with their own Reply, no comments until all contestants trees are posted consecutively. Sucks the polls limit us to 10 options.

 

[Paradox]

Could also have people DM you their top 3 choices if you want to keep it anonymous and put a time limit for voting

 

[Ozz80]

Could also have people DM you their top 3 choices if you want to keep it anonymous and put a time limit for voting

or maybe adding multiple polls so that all trees are included?

 

[Woocash]

Hey guys, thanks for the nice comments! FWIW, I'm normally extremely competitive, but in such a subjective contest, over so many years and with material which was clearly never suited to a 5 year contest (clearly my darned amateurish optimism), I'm not too fussed about not actually being able to formally submit a final entry. The contest was a good way for me to stay with a form of commitment in the hobby and to learn various aspects of the art form.

Well done to everybody that made it (and those that didn't) - there's some great trees, and cheers @Gabler and @cishepard for sorting out the admin etc.

 

[Mike254]

Couldn't Google forms be used to make a free poll? I'm sure there are other free poll options that allow more than 10

 

[Gabler]

In the future, it might be that the best bet would be to make a thread, explain that likes count as votes, or whatever rules you choose in opening post, reply with a quality photo of each tree, each with their own Reply, no comments until all contestants trees are posted consecutively. Sucks the polls limit us to 10 options.

That's actually what we originally did. The result was that the first couple of posts had the most likes, and it steadily declined from there. It appeared that the earlier you posted, the more eyes you had on your tree, and the more likes you got. Thus, after everyone had already voted by number of likes, we decided not to declare a winner and instead to hold a second round of voting to level the playing field, so to speak. However, when I made the poll, I found I could include only ten candidates. I used the original voting method to decide the ten finalists, and then I released the poll.

Could also have people DM you their top 3 choices if you want to keep it anonymous and put a time limit for voting

Not a bad idea, but I have a very busy week and weekend ahead of me, and I probably won't have time to manually tally up votes. Had I organized the contest, I would have had time to plan ahead. Zanduh is gone, and I stepped in just to get this wrapped up.

Couldn't Google forms be used to make a free poll? I'm sure there are other free poll options that allow more than 10

Great suggestion. I'm not familiar with the whole Google suite of applications. I'll remember that for my Acorn to Oak contest.

 

[leatherback]

If it makes a difference (is it only 1 submission that could not be entered??) I would be happy to step out, as I only join these for the joint adventure and see what is possible within the framework of the guidelines.

To be honest, I find the whole discussion a little moot considering there is no prices and the aim of these challenges is to learn from eachother and challenge on another. Many thanks to @Gabler for putting together the poll in a time of need.

As a sideline.. Probably the upper nut @Bonsai Nut can create a poll with more options if there really is a need.
Using google forms opens a whole other can of wurms with regards to privacy, access to google accounts and unverifiability.

 

[Gabler]

or maybe adding multiple polls so that all trees are included?

This whole affair has been informal, and I thought that holding multiple rounds of eliminations would needlessly complicate things. Plus, how would you decide the matchups? If there were prize money involved, it might have been be worth it. As it stands, the prize for the winner is the winning tree. If you think your tree is the best, and you should have won, then I have good news for you. You won.

 

[Paradox]

or maybe adding multiple polls so that all trees are included?

If that's doable yes. Not sure it is