Bonsai tree: Accenting bonsai

Source: Bonsai Tonight
Accenting bonsai

The East Bay Bonsai Society’s 49th annual show featured the kinds of bonsai accents one would expect – including flowering plants and suiseki – and a few that one wouldn’t. One of my favorites was a simple planting in a ceramic pot with a handle.

Accent in ceramic basket

Fern accent

Tiny accent in great pot

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Bonsai tree:Suiseki & Satsuki

This stone speaks of Death Valley or some remote spot on the edge of the North African desert. It’’s from the California Suiseki Society’s 15th Annual Show, via Bonsai Tonight.
I don’t think we’ve ever featured suiseki (viewing stones) on this blog. We used to feature them regularly in Bonsai Today, with occasional objections by some readers. I’ve always felt that suiseki is a natural with bonsai, so mixing in a few makes sense to me. Perhaps this is a Japanese influenced view, as it seems that you see suiseki and bonsai together with much greater frequency in Japan than in the West. Maybe this post will start a great debate on the subject (though I won’t hold my breath).

This still-in-training Satsuki azalea is also from Bonsai Tonight. It’s from The Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai’s 16th annual exhibit

Another suiseki from the California Suiseki Society’s 15th Annual Show, via Bonsai Tonight.
Melba Tucker’s Suiseki and Viewing Stones shows some wonderful American suiseki. Willi Benz’s Bonsai, Kusamono and Suiseki, goes into the subject in great detail, with an emphasis on the relationship with bonsai and kusamono (herbaceous plants in bonsai containers), as you might expect from the title.

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Bonsai tree:Suiseki on display

Source: Bonsai Tonight
Suiseki on display
Here are some more photographs from the California Suiseki Society’s 15th Annual Show.

Coastal – Italy

Figure stone – Northern California

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Bonsai tree: California Suiseki Society 15th Annual Show

Source: Bonsai Tonight
California Suiseki Society 15th Annual Show
The California Suiseki Society held its 15th Annual Show at the Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, California on June 12-13, 2010. Typically members display stones new to their collections – this year President & Founder Felix Rivera encouraged members to display their very best stones. The result was a wonderful collection of close to 100 suiseki.
Most of the stones on display were “mountain stones” from Northern California. I was a bit surprised by this – either most engaging stones in California make good representations of mountains, or the mountain style speaks to members. A core of over a dozen are from the Bay Area – most of the rest are located across the country. Worldwide, the active membership is about 50.
I was also surprised by the diversity of rock geology. Northern California is clearly home to diverse collections of rock making it a great place for collecting.
Here’s a sampling of the suiseki on display. I’ll post more later this week.

Mountain & arch stone – Northern California

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Melba Tucker’s Olive and Suiseki

This dramatic European perfect olive forest on a rooted burl is by Melba Tucker. It is borowed from The National Bonsai Foundations 2008 calendar.

Though it goes without saying
This old gem looks like a forest growing on a rocky ledge somewhere in Spain and though it goes without saying, I will say it anyway: it is one of the most wonderful, natural looking forest plantings anywhere. If you are ever anywhere near Washington DC, check it out. It’s at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum.



Melba found this distinctive American Pattern Stone in the Mojave Desert. The photos are by Peter Bloomer. Peter and his wife, Mary Holmes Bloomer are the editors.




A Chrysanthemum stone from Japan. Read more!

Viewing Stone Exhibit at the National Museum

This wonderfuly scenic suiseki is from the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s current calendar of events.

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