Mid-America Bonsai Show 2013, Part VII. Two More Things To Do

(This is my last post about this year's Mid-Am Show -- honest.)

     Participate in the Exhibit Critique, attend Bjorn Bjorholm's demonstration, go thru the Exhibit savoring the quality of the trees, touch base with friends -- what more was there to do at the Mid-America Bonsai Show, you might ask?  I did have two more objectives.

One of the weak areas in my knowledge is the development of an apex. So I devoted two to three hours to peering down (or up) into the apices of various Exhibit trees, examining how they were arranged, and deducing how they must have been pruned. I also took pictures for further study at home, like these of a Japanese black pine:

"On Getting Older," from Willowbog Bonsai

      I read this on Willowbog's blog (thanks to "Bonsai Eejit,") commented, and moved on -- but then came back to it after a few minutes' thought. This is worth passing along.

Mid-America Bonsai Show 2013, Part VI: Tropical Trees and Suiseki

     I am what one bonsai friend calls a "northern tropicals nut," so I'm a little surprised myself that I didn't get more picturess of the tropical trees on display at the 2013 Mid-Am. (But then I also have to remind myself to take pictures at all.) Let me share what I did get.

Mid-America Bonsai Show 2013, Part V. Temperate broadleaves.

     Maples are probably used for bonsai more than any other non-conifers, in the planet's temperate zones. And the trident maple (Acer buergerianum) is, I think, the maple used more than any other. (Tho a couple of others give it competition.) In this part of the USA, I don't think anyone is more known for his work with trident maples than Matt Ouwinga of Kaede Bonsai En. Two of Matt's trident maple bonsai particularly got my attention.