Help pick a tree to show

[JudyB]

I really like the ginkgo, but the ume would be a good choice too. The other two I'd wait to show.

 

[barrosinc]

Our Spring Show is next weekend. I committed to 5 displays and I’m not completely satisfied with any of these 4, but need to pick one of these four as the 5th display. So, what say you?

Poll: Which one of these four would you want to see if you were walking through a show? Comments welcome.

Ginkgo: last year we had 4 in the show. This one isn’t very big at 19” tall from the pot rim, and shows need a few big trees.
Pine: still early in development, flawed apex, bad pot. Bad time of year to show a pine, but it’s also fairly big at 27” tall.
Maple: still has a thread graft showing, weak right side, and still planted deep to improve the nebari. But, it is big, at 30” tall.
Ume: no reason not to show this, other than they’re normally shown in bloom, and I don’t have a good stand. 24” tall.
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Thanks!

The ume for sure! Love the tree and it's looking awesome.

 

[Adair M]

Kinda where my head is too. Never shown the pine before. Last year was pretty bad. We had several longtime members with good trees decide not to participate, and the show chair was scrambling for trees. I had committed to show 3, got talked up to 5, and ended up showing 11, so most everything that is close to ready has been shown by now.

Who’s Judging?

 

[Cadillactaste]

Had to come back to ogle the Ume...dang night trunk as well as its a good form in leaf. I must say...a nice specimen indeed!

 

[pbrown00]

I prefer the pine because I think in terms of shape, it is more visually pleasing than the maple, which I find to be a little top-heavy. The pine also has great needle-size, great taper, and great bark. I really like your Ume, however, especially because it looks great when it's not in bloom, which is uncommon, but I also don't know how well-received those are in shows. I'm still pretty ignorant on this matter though, and I think all of the trees look fantastic!

 

[0soyoung]

Ume is the only thing that isn't in the show - why does the show need another of the same species everyone else is showing?

Ume is the only one that is forcing you to stretch and be creative to present it.

 

[Smoke]

We had several longtime members with good trees decide not to participate...... I had committed to show 3, got talked up to 5, and ended up showing 11.

Time to find a better club. Maybe start a invite only club with selection committee?

 

[Smoke]

The fact that so many like the ume out of bloom, for me, defeats the purpose of ume as bonsai. It’s that ugly unnatural look with rough bark and jutting branches framed by beautiful flowers that make ume so wonderful. A beautiful ume without flowers is screaming cookie cutter. Nothing special just another green triangle on a fat trunk.

Not that that’s a bad thing, it just means you took all the ume out of the UME. Walter would say you slicked it too much. “Too much lipstick and not enough pig”

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Time to find a better club. Maybe start a invite only club with selection committee?

Good idea, but I’d probably get booted out for being too exclusive.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Who’s Judging?

Kathy Shaner.

 

[Smoke]

Kathy Shaner.

Who is a female bonsai artist?

 

[Vin]

Ume, but they all look like crap. I'll be headed past your place on Friday and I don't mind picking them up to save you from throwing them away.

 

[Smoke]

Good idea, but I’d probably get booted out for being too exclusive.

“MAKE BONSAI GREAT AGAIN”

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Who is a female bonsai artist?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

So, here’s what’s going...

And here’s the “maybe” group...

 

[Smoke]

So, here’s what’s going...
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And here’s the “maybe” group...
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Love the top row. Just two points....Don't care for that moss on the needle juniper, its too coarse. and what is that lower left tree in the shohin display? It really looks out of place with the more finished look of the other trees.

I like most of the bottom row and feel they are worthy except the maple.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Love the top row. Just two points....Don't care for that moss on the needle juniper, its too coarse. and what is that lower left tree in the shohin display? It really looks out of place with the more finished look of the other trees.

I like most of the bottom row and feel they are worthy except the maple.

Thanks, agreed on all points. Moss is scarce right now, with under 2” of rain in April and none yet in May.
The lower left shohin is a crabapple, and is a bit coarse, but is developing some fruit which is kinda cool. Really need to find a good shohin box stand...

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I like the ume or the azalea, Brian. The maple, while you mentioned the graft, is nice, plus if people notice it, it will generate a lot of conversation. We had our club show last Saturday and a few trees had wire on them, visitors were more intrigued by the wire, the process of wiring, how bonsai are created, etc, etc. Which I think will lead to picking up some new members. Those trees generated more conversation than any of the more polished ones there. Your club's goals may be different, but we try to get more people interested in bonsai, anything that inspires a conversation is a win. Azaleas are eye catchers, too.

John

 

[Bonsaicarpenter]

Either the ume or the maple.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Thanks, agreed on all points. Moss is scarce right now, with under 2” of rain in April and none yet in May.

I feel your pain on the moss, even the moss I have been harvesting by the cooling tower and chillers at work has dried up into little brown balls...