What a busy show, we over 400 visitors to our show and it was a fun packed day with much to see and discuss. Following an early start finishing off all the preparations for the show with the rest of the other visiting societies and traders, the show was officially opened by the Mayor. The show then was open to the public and within the first half an hour over 200 visitors had come through the doors.

There were three great presentations during the day following the judging of the show for the various awards starting at 11am with John Armitage’s Tree Clinic, followed by Ritta Cooper talking on accents, Kusomona and others and finishing with Tony Tickle presenting on how to create a show Escallonia. We were also fortunate to have a visiting professional photographer as well as many other visitors from all around the UK including some from further afield in Europe and from Sweden in particular.

There were 22 fabulous raffle prizes to be won and all went to lucky winners and the prizes were kindly donated from a range of sources including the attending traders and the full list is below.

The show seems to be a buzz with people, discussions and enthusiasm all day and towards the afternoon Chris Thomas took a walk around the show with a group to discuss some of the visiting club displays and the trees within the show which was excellent. The day rounded off with the awards presentations and our thanks to all who visited our show to make it a great event. The final stage was the take down, which seems to be a much quicker process that the set up. Now time to relax and work on plans for our show next year. In the meantime here are a selection of photos from the show and the traders.

This was the view of some of Swindon’s Club Members trees on display at our winter show. 

Swindon Club Members trees (Middle area)

• Punica granatum (Pomegranate)
• Alnus incana (Grey Alder)
• Acer buergerianum (Trident Maple)
• Ulmus procera (English Elm)
• Carpinus turczaninowii (Korean Hornbeam)
• Taxus baccata (English Yew)
• Ulmus parvifolia ‘Corticosa’ (Cork Bark Elm)
• Carpinus turczaninowii (Korean Hornbeam)
• Ulmus parvifolia (Chinese Elm)
• Ulmus procera (English Elm)
• Ulmus parvifolia (Chinese Elm)
• Carpinus turczaninowii (Korean Hornbeam)
• Acer buergerianum (Trident Maple)

Swindon club members show trees (Top row)

•  Ulmus pumila (Siberian Elm)
• Ulmus parvifolia ‘Corticosa’ (Cork bark Chinese Elm)
• Rhododendron indicum  (Satsuki Azalea)
• Carpinus turczaninowii (Korean Hornbeam)
• Ginkgo biloba (Maidenhair tree)
• Acer palmatum ‘Deshojo’ (Deshojo Maple)
• Juniperus chinensis  (Chinese Juniper)
• Ulmus parvifolia ‘Corticosa’ (Cork Bark Elm)
• Juniperus chinensis  (Chinese Juniper)
• Acer palmatum (Mountain Maple)
• Carpinus turczaninowii (Korean Hornbeam)

The gallery below is each of the club members trees individually

Best in Show tree went to Mark Cooper for his Trident Maple

Swindon & District Bonsai Society Winter image show 2012 results

• Best Shohin display* was by Mark & Ritta Cooper
• Best Mame display* was by Bob Bailey
• Best Conifer* was the Chinese Juniper that was owned by Martin Shepherd
• Best Deciduous* tree was the Trident Maple by Mark Cooper
• Best Chuhin* was the Elm of Will Baddeley
• Best Visiting Society* was the Artistic Bonsai Circle
• Best Accent sponsord by John Trott was by Ian Warhurst from Wirral Bonsai Society
• Best in Show* was the Trident Maple of Mark Cooper
• Best Tree/Pot combination was the Pyracantha by Mark Cooper
• Best individual Shohin award from the British Shohin Association went to Paul Hunt of Swindon & District Bonsai Society
• NB: Awards with * are all sponsored by John Pitt Ceramics

Reg Bolton's words of thanks to all those who came to the Winter Show

Best Shohin display went to Mark and Ritta Cooper presented by John Pitt

Best Mame display went to Bob Bailey and was presented by John Pitt

Best Conifer tree award went to Martin Shepherd for his Chinese Juniper

Best Deciduous tree went to Mark Cooper for his Trident Maple and presented by John Pitt

Best Deciduous tree went to Mark Cooper for his Trident Maple and Best in Show

Best Chuhin display went to Will Baddeley for his Elm

Best Visiting Society went to Artistic Bonsai Circle presented by John Pitt our show sponsor

Best Accent award sponsored by John Trott went to Ian Warhurst of Wirral Bonsai Society

Best accent by Ian Warhurst of Wirral Bonsai Society

Best accent by Ian Warhurst of Wirral Bonsai Society

Best tree and pot combination sponsored by Walsall Studio Ceramics went to Mark Cooper for his Pyracantha

Tony Tickle announced the winners of each awards for John Pitt our show sponsor to present the awards to the winners

Award of Merit for Ritta Cooper presented by Paul Bowerbank

Terry Adams and John Pitt our show sponsor at the start of the awards presentation

Wirral Bonsai Society received an award of merit for their contribution to our show with their outstanding displays

Best Shohin award for Paul Hunt's Forsythia presented by the British Shohin Association

This is the view on the night before our 10th Anniversary Swindon and District Bonsai Society Winter Image Show for 2012 when we started the set up in anticipation of the big day ahead. It was a busy evening of building, carrying, moving, lifting, unrolling and shuffling by all who helped out and it is no mean feat to set up all the tables and screens and put out all the chairs the night before in only around 3 hours. Some of the visiting clubs and societies and traders were also present and put up their displays ready for the next day too. Here is a little sample of some of the nights activity.

It is now only 5 days before our Winter Image Show this Sunday and Paul B gave an update on the final preparations and we discussed the last remaining arrangements and set up times. This was then followed by a talk firstly from Terry Adams on how to prepare your bonsai trees for a show and then a further talk by Bob Bailey on setting up a Shohin or Mame display / Tokamnoma.

It was a very informative evening and allowed us to run through the basics around putting on bonsai displays and glean valuable tips from both Terry, Reg and Bob based on their experience over the past years. Terry began with the view that the only way to learn about setting up bonsai displays is to actually have a go yourself and this is sound advice. We have recently been looking to set up a Shohin and Mame display at our winter show for the first time and it is a lot harder than one might think now having worked on putting a display together.

Preparing your bonsai trees

Step 1 Top dressing

This is crucial and one part that is often a cause of one of Terry’s pet hates, which being presented with a show prepared tree that is actually not prepared properly. In that he refers to the top dressing being applied without first having removed all the old top dressing and weeds. Therefore you need to strip the top surface of the soil from the pot and clean off all unwanted vegetation and all weeds prior to applying new top dressing.

Moss is often used as part of top dressing, and one method is to apply moss across the whole surface but Terry’s preference is to use it selectively to enhance roots and trunk lines and to form a pattern on the surface of the soil. So the tip is to apply the moss first to the cleaned up soil and then top dress with even sized akadama and ease it in around the moss. Tap down the akadama around the edge of the pot to maintain a soil level below the edge of the pot. Moss can be used to enhance good roots, it can also be used to disguise weak areas of root. Once the moss and akadama is applied, re-check the surface and remove any abnormalities and anomalies that are present to have an even surface. The ideal time to moss up your trees is a week prior to a show as this allows the moss time to settle and if sprayed daily it will plump up. You can even foliar feed the moss to enhance its colour during this time also. Another top tip is to always mist gently the newly applied akadama so that it presents an all over even colour.

Step 2 The pot

In the early days, Terry and others used to use cooking oil to clean their bonsai pots but found a range of problems with this including it causing the pots to become sticky. Now they tend to use Camellia oil as it is thinner and smoother and cleans the pots well. Initially remove any lime scale build up, algae and other debris with wire wool or a toothbrush soaked in either soapy water or as suggested Cilit Bang can be used sparingly. Then once clean, apply the oil as a finish to further clean the pot. Other suggestions included using 50% linseed oil and 50% pure turpentine as this works like Camellia oil, while others use leaf shine products. Also do not forget to clean the underside of the pot too, as it may hide snails and other bugs that could then crawl out onto your display. So a clean pot is crucial to success with showing bonsai, and this cannot be stressed enough. The bonsai pots for a multi tree display should be of a more neutral colour and match where possible to again create a synchronicity of overall image. You can you use bolder coloured pots for accents and smaller trees, but this can detract from the image on larger trees and multi tree displays.

Step 3 The actual tree

A key feature is to ensure that the trunk and branches are clean from moss, lichens, debris, algae and the like. An example would be cork bark elms that are very prone to moss on their trunks. If you apply a vinegar and water solution with a toothbrush to the moss areas on the trunk and then allow to dry, this will make the removal of the moss easier with a dry toothbrush. Be careful not to rub too hard as the bark on cork bark elms dislodges easily. If you have the time you can also look to clean the algae off the branches on larger bonsai trees with a toothbrush as the bark stands out better and gives the tree a wow factor onvce this is done.

Once you have worked on the nebari and trunk and larger branches, take another look at the branches and tracery of the tree for winter image shows. Terry’s preference was to not show a deciduous tree in winter image with wire on, as he feels this shows a high quality finish. However, if you need to then use fishing twine as this is less conspicuous. However, use a plastic tube over the branch to run the twine through as it will cut through the bark otherwise.

Look at the crown and remove unwanted branches that flow or grow the wrong way. All extended growth should be cut back to form an even tracery and even branch / twig length. The density of the branches and twigs should be even, so no one area should be denser than another. Thin out clustered growth and any knuckles. Ensure that the branch lines are clear and the undersides are kept clean as this is an important image feature. It is about showing the whole tree off as a balanced tree that is in harmony with its display whether shown individually or as part of a wider display.

You need to prepare well to get everything right, and depending on the species of bonsai trees you are preparing for a show, will depend upon the type of preparation required. Black Pines for example tend to have long needles and one technique is to cut the needles just before the show, up to around 3 days before at most. At the same time, you must mist the tree daily and throughout the days prior to the show to reduce the browning of the cut needle tips. The action of cutting the needles causing a significant increase in the water loss from the tree, so misting helps address this. Also for conifers and pines, wire appears to be more accepted on show trees but again the wiring must be exemplar.

Terry has found that when exhibiting in the UK, the view is to assess bonsai trees looking for their faults, this differs somewhat to the Japanese approach which tends to focus more on the merits of the tree. If you exhibit late in the season, one way to ensure that your leaves remain a healthy glow, is to continue feeding nitrogen feeds heavily right up until the show. Reg and Terry have found this works well right up into late September. If you are showing trees in leaf, remove all the larger leaves that are over size to retain an even leaf size throughout the crown. Terry and Reg do this for the exhibit at Chelsea and they will also leaf strip to make the tracery of branches visible through the canopy too to add depth and present a better overall image. Also all defective leaves should be removed, leaves with blemishes, galls, spots etc should be cut off. The canopy should be even, without dense patches and should be balanced and in scale and proportion to its trunk. Clean off any pests, bugs and greenfly if present with a toothbrush or cotton bud, particularly scale insect and be sure to remove the white fluff they leave behind too.

Terry’s preference is to remove pests by hand as opposed to use chemicals to treat pests such as scale once they appear and it seems to work well doing it that way as his trees are very healthy. Lightly mist of spray the trees with water prior to judging as this helps them to glisten. If you are using labels on your display, ensure that they are spelt correctly as this will otherwise result in a loss of points and could affect your chances of winning.

Step 4 The stand

The stand needs to match the tree, it needs to be the correct size, shape and colour for the bonsai tree and if the tree forms part of a display, then the stands ideally should all match too. The tree needs to sit within the stand and not overhang it. It is all about the harmony of the tree, in the right pot on the right stand. When setting up and placing trees on stands, if they need to be repositioned, pick them up, do not slide then across the stands as this will scratch and mark the stands. If the tree is very large, you can place cloths over the stand and set the tree on the cloths and reposition the tree prior to then removing the cloths. Other methods include putting felt pads underneath the pots to reduce the potential for scratching the stands. Again the stands must be clean and use can use furniture polish to bring out the shine and colour of the wooden stands. If you use fine delicate stands, wooden stands, tables, cabinets, jittas and the like keep them in good condition as flaws in the stand will detract from the overall display.

Setting up your display

This is important, and all elements must bring your eye back into the display. So a tree on the left must flow to the right and a tree placed on the right must flow to the left. If your display area has a screen backdrop with visible pillars, avoid placing a tree in front of a pillar. The center piece tree is normally an upright tree and if you are displaying root over rock styles, they should not be placed directly next to one another and should be ideally of different species too on the same display. The outline shape that works well for a display is a rainbow outline. Do not over lap trees on the display either as this detracts from the larger trees by placing smaller trees in front of them. You need enough space around each tree to view it in its own right. If you have a large enough table space, you can place smaller trees between larger trees. An example Terry used at Crawley Bonsai World event worked well where he used a jitta with a small tree and accent which became a display in its own right amongst larger trees on display. If you do add other trees between larger trees, they still need to follow the correct flow of the display and point to the center or inwards. If you use accents, these should be smaller then the largest trees stand height to be in keeping with the scale of the whole display.

Clothing up

Your show cloths must to pristine, clean and neat. They should be feel from stains, dirt, frays, fold marks and sit well. One method is to add weights to the ends of the cloths so they hang well just touching the ground. The corners should be folder and taped down, and the top cloth should leave a slight gap between the table edge. The easiest way to keep your cloth looking good is to store it rolled up and not folded and in a plastic cover or bag. Be meticulous with your cloth as this will enhance the over effect and display quality.

Transporting stuff

There is a large amount of kit needed to setting up your bonsai display, and this should be stored well and packed well for transportation to avoid any unnecessary damage in transit.

So if you are still keen to set up a display, take time to look at existing displays and work out what works and why. Analyze how they have set the display up and check whether it is all in balance and harmony and not over crowded. When setting out the trees for the display, you may need to add tiers to get the overall effect to work, raising or lowering in trees using a range of stands, even bamboo mats can work well, particularly for accents. Once you have set up your display and gone through a whole process of deliberation and discussion, leave your display for a short while and come back to look upon with fresh eyes, this will help you to see in a flash if it works on your second look.

And finally, try to keep your display simple, as this tends be present a more effective and higher quality display.

Bob Bailey then took to the front to run through setting up a Shohin and Mame display which originates from the traditional Japanese display method known as a Tokonoma. The most important element of this form of display is that of the scroll and depending on the season, the design of the scroll will vary. The key is to set up the ‘Golden Triangle’ or scalene triangle where the elements within the display form a triangle with the central focus being that of the scroll.

This month there were six entries for tree of the month including Korean Hornbeams, Deshojo maple, Chinese Elm, Siberian Elm and a Forsythia.  The winning tree was a mame Korean Hornbeam, followed in second place by a Chinese Elm and in third place a Forsythia.

AGM agenda 2012

This was our sixth visit to HOKA-EN Bonsai studio also known as Lodders in Holland and once again we were stunned at the superb quality and choice of Bonsai trees for sale. It takes considerable time just to assess the range of Bonsai trees on offer and to pick out a favourite when they are all so beautiful and of a very high quality.

We appreciate the wonderful hospitality from Gerrit Lodder and all his staff who make us feel very welcome. This year the bonsai tree species range was even more extensive and I loved the fact that they had a fabulous selection of Ginkgo in for me to choose from.

The range of tropical bonsai trees was also excellent with Syzygiums, Tamarinds, Serrisas, Carmonas and Ficus of various varieties to name but a few.

We were fortunate to be there as a new shipment of Japanese Garden trees (Niwaki) arrived and had the first choice on these and they are fantastic trees too.

We also took time to puruse the Bonsai pots as their range is enormous and they are very good quality and value for money. It is like a one stop shop for Bonsai trees and Japanese Gardens.

Lee Verhorevoort Bonsai will be a trader at our 2012 Winter Image Show on Sunday 19th February and Lee will be selling a wide range of Bonsai trees and some really unusual and unique tree species. Lee also runs workshops and only recently spent the day at Swindon for an all day workshop and for those who attended it was a great day and we all learnt a great deal.

He has kindly donated a shohin Korean Hornbeam to our raffle, so another great prize to potentially go to a lucky winner.