THE exhibition has come and gone, and it’s taken me personally one week to recover. Well over 1,000 paying visitors from Australia, Italy, England, Mexico, Colombia traveled to Rochester, New York to see and study over 300 bonsai from throughout the United States and Canada.The vendors and staff added over 100 people.

People enjoyed the exhibition, and many needed to wait about an hour to get in because of fire code capacity regulations. Diane even needed to stop selling tickets so we would not overpopulate the 50,000 sq ft venue which consists of two indoor soccer fields.

Over 109 different species and cultivars were on display for viewers to enjoy. There were 122 individual shohin bonsai for those who appreciate small bonsai. Some said this year’s exhibition was the finest and largest in the United States…ever!

Throughout the two day exhibition, professional bonsai artists donated their time to conduct tours and critiques of the bonsai. They included David Easterbrook, Boon, Suthin, Sean Smith, Bjorn Bjorholm and Kora Dalager.

Additionally, our three foreign judges, Koji Hiramatsu (Japan), Gerald Rainville (Canada) and Corin Tomlinson (England) selected the best and most beautiful bonsai to receive over $7,000 in cash awards. Each judge and Sean Smith presented demonstrations to a packed house. All 300 chairs were occupied.

Over 45 vendors from the United States, Canada and Colombia brought their finest ware for sale. Two vendors sold out on the first day and returned home early.

All this time, in a hidden room was Joe Noga carefully capturing the beauty of each bonsai for the upcoming Commemorative Album. The photos are superb, sharp and took considerable time to light each tree. Joe spent four days photographing and actually finished up so he could enjoy the exhibition on Sunday afternoon.

This was a tremendous amount of work and energy my crew and friends donated so others could appreciate the bonsai beauty. This year was special for me, personally, as it marked the 100^th bonsai exhibition, symposium, colloquium and convention I have organized with the help with my friends, of course.

Be on the watch for the 2025 9^th US National Bonsai Exhibition in Rochester, New York on September 13-14, 2025. And please order your tickets early, before making your hotel and travel plans so you will not be disappointed.