On Sunday morning after my educational constructive critique, I announced the award winners. It was a difficult job as there were so many excellent bonsai. Last year there was an award for Fruiting Bonsai, however only one had fruit. This year there was not a Fruiting Bonsai Award, and there were several which could have been awarded this prize. One never knows what will be exhibited.

Although the beauty and excellence of the bonsai is important, I considered how the bonsai was created, the length of time of training and the total aesthetic impact. There were two “finalists” for the Evergreen Bonsai Award. Although both were beautiful and well grown the final decision went to the Japanese five-needle pine that took considerable work to create. Although the other Taiwan sergeant juniper was large and most impressive the foliage pads and bark appeared “young and immature” to my trained eye.

Steve Zeisel, sponsor of the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo, kind of made my job selection a bit easier this year. There was not a single “Best of Show” Award; there were four, each in a different category. Also, I was quite pleased to see Steve use the word “evergreen” rather than “conifer” for a category. Most bonsai exhibitions, at least in North America, have a “conifer” and “deciduous” category. Which of these two categories would you enter a Bald cypress, Larch or Dawn Redwood, as all three are deciduous conifers. The word conifer describes the fruiting of the species. That does not make sense to me because other categories are classified horticulturally according to the foliage. So, in my opinion the correct categories would be Evergreen, Deciduous and Broadleaf. Even better would be Narrow Leaf Evergreens, Broadleaf Evergreens and Deciduous. Since many bonsai are appreciated for their flowers and fruit another category could be “Flowering and Fruiting or Flowering and Fruiting.”

In North America people like to grow species that cannot be easily grown in their area. We call this “Zone Envy.” People from warm regions want to grown Larch, deciduous species and pines which cannot be grown because of their climate. Northern area bonsai hobbyists want to grow figs and other tropical species that are not winter hardy in their area. So, people in the Northern areas must grow non winter hardy species like figs indoors. And, therefore another category is created called “Indoor Bonsai” or Tropical Bonsai.” If people from the hot Southern areas could grow larch, deciduous and pines, another category could be formed. But, so far the bonsai community has not been successful in growing the winter hardy species in hot climates. Perhaps a cooler could be utilized, but that would only take into consideration the cool dormant season. Then summer humidity would need to be considered for the health of the plant. Many winter hardy Northern species cannot tolerate high humidity. This might make an excellent future research project.

 

 

Best of Show– Evergreen

Miyajima Japanese Five-needle Pine

Pinus parviflora ‘Miyajima’

Adair Martin, Georgia

This bonsai was created well over 20-30 years ago by Mas Imazumi who grafted a few Japanese five-needle pine scions onto an ancient Lodgepole pine with aged bark and old deadwood feature. Boon Manakitivipart trained and developed the bonsai with his students and was finally refined by Adair Martin.

Best of Show- Deciduous

American Hornbeam

Carpinus caroliniana

Tom Bjorholm, Tennessee

 

 

Best of Show­– Tropical

Green Island Fig

Ficus microcarpa ‘Green Island’

Seth Nelson, Florida

This masterpiece bonsai has an interesting story as told by Seth Nelson, curator of the James Smith Bonsai Gallery at the Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Fort Pierce, Florida, in his recent post on Facebook. The Green Island Fig bonsai has been trained for approximately 30 years. Jim Vandingham in Florida who studied and worked for the Tropical Bonsai Pioneer Jim Smith originally created this bonsai. Seth inherited the bonsai and the earliest photo was taken in 2010. This year, working with Juan Andrade they redesigned the bonsai to improve the aesthetic appearance of the bonsai. The bonsai was turned around making the original rear view the current front. No branches were removed, only a few unattractive thick aerial roots were pruned. On August 26, 2017 the planting angle of the trunk was changed creating a new appearance. Jim Vandingham has seen the newly designed bonsai and is pleased to see his original creation in a new light. The bonsai was defoliated for the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo to display the fine twigs and interesting buds and bark. During my critique, Seth turned the tree around to the original front, which also looked good, but now needs a couple of back branches. Good bonsai often have more than one viewing side. Developmental photos by Seth Nelson.

2010

 

August 2017

 

August 2017

 

August 2017

 

Best of Show– Display

Princess Persimmon

Diospyros rhombifolia

Mac McAntee, North Carolina

There were about six “creative displays” in the exhibition. Only three actually featured bonsai and it appeared to me that the others only used bonsai as an accessory and reminded me of a museum diorama. On one featured an erupting volcano painting, but I could not find a dinosaur…

The award winning Persimmon Display by Mac McAntee was beautiful, well presented and distinctive. Each year he presents his bonsai according to his own taste, the way it should be. His display did not follow the classic Japanese bonsai display that avoids duplication as he wanted to feature Persimmons throughout his exhibit.

The featured bonsai is, of course, a Princess persimmon he trained from a tree originating in California. He built the display table completely out of Persimmon wood. The intricate detail in the top rail was patterned from a Persimmon leaf and in the center he inlayed a solid Persimmon leaf made from Persimmon wood as well. The unique and most appropriate print featuring an opossum eating a Persimmon fruit was found on the Internet and was enlarged and framed for his Persimmon display. The accessory was a ceramic Chinese figurine featuring an elderly man holding Persimmon fruit. Then as a final piece, Mac used tan colored tablecloth to add interest to the display. It is not as an accident that he displayed it in a rhomboid shape. This species of Persimmon is rhombifolia.

It is NOT necessary to always display bonsai according to the classic Japanese bonsai style to be effective. What is important is that the display be interesting, well balanced, in good taste and the main feature being a bonsai. Mac did this perfectly, reflecting his understanding and appreciation of bonsai.

 

Peoples’ Choice Award

Dwarf Hinoki Cypress & Japanese Maple

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’ & Acer palmatum

Steve Zeisel, North Carolina

 

 

American Bonsai Society Award

American Hornbeam

Carpinus caroliniana

Gary Clark, North Carolina

The American Bonsai Society President Karen Harkaway, together with Adam Lavigne presented the American Bonsai Society Award for a native species, to this beautiful snowy forest scene display of American hornbeam. This display was also my second choice for the Best of Show– Display Award.

Congratulations to the winners of these awards, but each exhibitor in the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo should also be complimented for sharing the beauty of their bonsai with others to appreciate.

I look forward to next year’s 2018 6^th Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo in December and hope to welcome you there, hopefully with one of your bonsai.

 

 

This year’s edition of the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo at the David H. Murdock North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, North Carolina, was the best edition of this exhibition. Held on December 2-3, 2017 in an elegant marble enclosed four story atrium, the event drew many more visitors from across the east coast. Although the venue was the same as in the past, with careful planning and layout there were more vendors, demonstrations and exhibitors than in past years. More importantly, the quality of each bonsai improved. This event is sponsored by Steve Zeisel, a bonsai hobbyist from Raleigh, North Carolina, who is also the current president of the Triangle Bonsai Society. The North Carolina Research Campus supports the event to help Steve achieve his goal.

 

Sponsor Steve Zeisel hosts the expo, to improve the quality of bonsai in the region and attract the public to enjoy the art. He does not do this to make money, as he usually loses funds and time from his busy nutritional research position and travels. He simply does this for his love of bonsai. There is no entrance fee for the public, nor for the vendors as well. Each year the expo grows in size which is a good indication of the interest in bonsai and that Steve is doing something right.

There are no restrictions or entrance fees for exhibitors. They simply sign up for an eight or six foot display table and are responsible to present an interesting exhibit. Although this is officially a winter silhouette bonsai exhibition several evergreens and tropical bonsai are displayed, but most are deciduous specieds where the true beauty of naked bonsai can be appreciated. Creativity is always encouraged and this year many more “creative” exhibits were shown. Some actually looked like dioramas rather than proper bonsai displays, but each featured bonsai. The public seemed to enjoy all the displays which were usually crowded with visitors and shoppers. A few bonsai with colorful fruit were very popular as were a couple of bonsai still in full autumn coloring.

 

The Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo lecture/demonstrations were presented by Rodney Clemons (Georgia), Sean Smith (Pennsylvania), Tyler Sherrod (North Carolina), Owen Reich (Tennessee) and William N. Valavanis (New York) who also judged the show and presented an educational constructive critique of the bonsai and displays.

Two and a half rooms were filled with vendors from across the east coast offering bonsai, pre-bonsai, containers, supplies, suiseki, display tables, hanging scrolls and more. There was something for everyone from basic pre-bonsai for beginners vend to masterpieces and antique Chinese containers for advanced hobbyists and collectors. There is no vendor fee, however each vendor donates something for the Saturday auction, which is a fun event and to help raise funds to assist with the exhibition expenses.

I’ve attended and participated in numerous bonsai events around the world, this year alone over twelve, and the North Carolina Research Campus is the most elegant beautiful venue I’ve seen, truly. I always enjoy displaying and supporting this worthwhile and important event for bonsai in the United States and look forward to next year’s Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo during the first weakened in December in 2018. Enjoy my bonsai display photos of the event and look for the high quality professional photos by Joe Noga bin a future issue of International BONSAI magazine.