Page 67 - BSAM 2015 Q4

e following day the Kokonoe pine was loaded into their car for the nal stage of its journey. It was care- fully driven the 450 miles back to the home of Mark and Ritta in the UK via the Eurotunnel, the undersea train tunnel that connects Folkestone in southern England with Calais in northern France. The tree was fed and nurtured during the following months by Mark and Ritta, and then late in 2014 they decided to apply to enter this tree into the 16th Noelanders Trophy, be held in Belgium in February 2015. ey also applied to enter a ve-tree shohin display.
Both their proposed exhibits were accepted, and subsequently they took their trees to Belgium in February to the show at its new and bigger venue.
A happy ending
e good news was that both their exhibits won awards! Mark and Ritta were surprised and delighted! eir shohin display won the First Prize for Shohin, and their Kokonoe white pine won a prestigious nomination award too. is was the second time in a row that they had won the top prize for shohin at this event, despite the high standard of the entries.
e tree is now in their care at their home in the UK and growing well. It will be re-potted next spring into a Gyozan pot.
Having managed the task of importing a tree to the U.K. they have since found other trees in Japan that they have imported via Bonsai Plaza. is great experience to acquire a treasured possession was well worth the e ort, for the rewards were many, and the memories are priceless.
Top; Certi cate acknowledging Kokonoe’s nomination.
Right; Mark and Ritta’s rst prize 5-tree shohin display at Noelanders Trophy. Photo by Willie Evenepoel, Belgium.
Bottom; Kokonoe and com- panion plant at the Noeland- ers Trophy, Belgium. Photo by Willie Evenepoel.
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