Bonsai tree

The Sacramento Bonsai Club held their 64th annual show this past weekend at the Sacramento Buddhist Church. The event left quite an impression. The exhibit showed how fun a spring show can be. The suiseki displays were a super addition to the show. And the 40 or so happi-coated club members were one of the nicest bonsai groups I’ve run into. Sacramento Bonsai Club is doing great after 64 years.
Boon Manakitivipart provided demonstrations both days and the event was well-attended. As the Sunday demonstration cleared most of the exhibit, I had a chance to to take some pictures.
The juniper below is one of two Members’ Choice Award winners at the show.
The trident maple bonsai display below is a good example of some of the well-thought out displays. I like the addition of the pale-blue – almost Kokufu-felt blue – screen behind the display. It’s a nice way to highlight the relationships among display elements and it does a good job of obscuring the backdro support.
A number of trees were in full-bloom for the show. The satsuki azalea below was the brightest.
As I alked into the exhibit, I met Greg McDonald, a club member that contributed several trees to the show. Like his brother Jay, Greg has some great deciduous trees, including the hawthorn below.
Greg’s unsure about the variety of this hawthorn – not a big surprise considering the size of the crataegus genus, but an anomalie for a hawthorn enthusiast like Greg. He’s also doing a great job with the oaks below.