Dallas Bonsai Garden Contest

[MrFancyPlants]

Isn't it approaching the best time for repotting and styling mugo pines? Why don't we see who can do the best with a $25 piece of material from nursery can to real pot? Lots of pictures including beginning, repotting, and price tag.
You could do a bonus prize for whosever is still alive a year from now.

 

[Vance Wood]

Yes it is and I would be willing to do that. In fact I'll post a couple of trees I want to repot and work down that will need many years to become a bonsai. However I don't necessarily want to do a one man show.

 

[DallasBonsai]

A 12 month progression contest would be cool, we could provide gift cards in advance to Greg or Vance if that were a contest he wanted to administer.

I submitted information for a photo and text contest to Bonsai Nut. I'll see if we can open an area for contest submissions.

 

[Paradox]

I think gift card would be a nice prize for something like this. People can pick what they need/want with them.

As for a 12 month progression, how much can you realistically do to a tree in 12 months and see much change? Unless the best tree alive after 12 months is used as a means to narrow it down some? IDK, just throwing it out there.

In any case, could be fun.

 

[october]

12 month progressions sounds good. Can any material qualify and will price or where the tree was bought be factors?

Rob

 

[Paradox]

12 month progressions sounds good. Can any material qualify and will price or where the tree was bought be factors?

Rob

There has to be some criteria to level the playing field. Otherwise someone who buys a $200 prebonsai wil be a guaranteed winner over a $25 Home Depot shrub unless someone gets extremely lucky.

 

[A Random User]

I agree, designing a bonsai is far more interesting and fun for me than any other activity a contest like this could come up with. Besides; it kind of shows the metal, or lack of same, of some of the people that offer all of these suggestions on doing trees. Personally I don't care what kind of award is being offered, or none at all, all I really care about is having a reason to do another bonsai.

In defense of Dallas Bonsai: I know that there is one person in particular who is being highly critical for where this discussion has taken this turn. Well Whoop-de-doo: This is the first time since I have been on this site that the subject of a contest has come up. I would still like to see it happen but that does not necessarily mean that Dallas Bonsai should be made to eat crow or cow pie. Which also brings up another issue; it does not have to be done with or without Dallas Bonsai or anyone else for that matter. All we need to do is decide to do it and figure out a way to pull it off fairly.

With all due respect, I wasn't actually attacking dallas bonsai...
I don't have a problem with them as a business. I do have a problem
Though with announcing you are going to have a contest, and six
Months later, here we still all sit talking about what we could do...
Perhaps the ideas and details of the contest should be worked out
Before one announces you are actually having a contest ???

This would make sense right ???

 

[mc4mc44]

With all due respect, I wasn't actually attacking dallas bonsai...
I don't have a problem with them as a business. I do have a problem
Though with announcing you are going to have a contest, and six
Months later, here we still all sit talking about what we could do...
Perhaps the ideas and details of the contest should be worked out
Before one announces you are actually having a contest ???

This would make sense right ???

I agree with this 100%

So many good ideas for a contest have already been posted. Since the prize will be from Dallas Bonsai, why don't they just choose one idea now and get rules posted so the contest could get started?

Given the season and timing, I personally think a 12 month contest with mugo pines would be best. I think a 12 month progression contest would really pick out the best of us since the tree will not only have to be styled well, but it also has to stay alive. Also with a full year, the trees could be both styled and repotted. After a year the trees would really start to take final shape. And i don't think anyone would have a real problem with a 12 month long contest, since it took 6 months just to figure out what the contest would be anyway.

 

[october]

After reading through this again. I might have misunderstood something. I was thinking that the 12 month progression could also be from trees we have already done or been working on. A situation where were would review our files on our trees. Since almost everyone documents their trees in various stages. I just thought that we could use those. I really don't want to offer too many ideas simply because I do not know if I am going to participate.

I do not know how many will want to go through a contest taking 12 months. Only because, In many cases, the biggest changes would come after the first styling. The whole extra 12 months would not yield much difference with the exception of new growth. In essence, when the tree does start growing out again, it will make viewing the tree difficult. So as the months go on, you would not see the work as clearly. Basically, the picture that would be the main reference would be the one taken right after the rough material was styled. Also, usually you leave trees alone for awhile year after styling.

I mean there are exceptions to all this. Just thought this was worth a mention.

Honestly, I would have been happy for Dallas Bonsai and B Nut to just create one thread of people posting their before and afters. The judging criteria would be how dramatic the look of the tree had changed. So whether you started with a $300 piece of material or a $30 one. It would be the degree of change that would be judged.

Rob

 

[DallasBonsai]

I sent BonsaiNut another message, we still need a forum created for taking submissions. If I don't hear back tomorrow I will post the contest information in the Dallas Bonsai sponsor forum