The 42^ndMidwest Bonsai Exhibition will be held on August 16-19, 2019 at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois. Nearly 100 bonsai from across the Midwest and beyond will be on display.

 

This is a judged show so the quality will be there to introduce the public as well as to help experienced hobbyists raise the level of their bonsai. Bonsai from the excellent and extensive permanent Chicago Botanic Garden Collection under the care of curator Chris Baker will be on display in the two outdoor courtyards.

I’ll be presenting an educational lecture/demonstration on Saturday on Bonsai Refinement & Show Display.Information and techniques for improving the quality of your bonsai will be presented which can be applied to any tree. Next, preparing your bonsai for a club, regional or national exhibition will be discussed. Wiring bonsai for display will be demonstrated. Yes, there is such as technique as “show wiring.” Moss and ground cover application techniques will be shown as well as display tables and companion plantings. Finally, a trained Dwarf hinoki cypress will be transformed into a show ready bonsai using the information presented.

Demo tree before refinement and display

 

Soil surface before moss and ground covers

Also, I’ll be conducting two workshops, one on bring your own tree on Saturday morning and the second on Tiger Bark Fig bonsai on Sunday morning. The workshop trees are good size grown in 3 gal. pots. Trees will be pruned, wired and shaped with my assistance. These trees have been pruned for bonsai during their training and exhibit the characteristic striped bark and many are full of ripe red small figs. There will also be 15 other workshops for beginners to advance hobbyists.

Workshop Tiger Bark Fig before wiring and shaping

Tiger Bark Fig after initial shaping

Additionally 23 vendors from across the country will be offering everything you could ever want for sale. I look forward to seeing you there!

For additional information on the exhibition, workshops, vendors and more contact the Midwest Bonsai Society at: http://www.midwestbonsai.org/august-exhibition

Of course, a complete report with photos will be forthcoming after the exhibition.