Page 41 - Demo

We have here 3 trees, a Crataegus, an Ulmus parvifolia and a Juniperus chi- nensis that I dismissed on my first stage of selection.
Apart a lack of a complete lack of styling to the branches, the Crataegus was dismissed immediately on the condition of presentation; algae on both trunk and pot, heavy overgrowth of moss, possibly trying to mask the extraordinary over- hanging root. Take it home, do a lot of work and you could have a nice tree.
The Ulmus is far too immature for show-
ing. The branch structure has yet to develop, the branches all starting from the same point are all of equal thickness and choices need to be made on how many you require. A nice pot, a healthy tree but it needs time and development
Oh dear, what happened to the apex on the Chinese juniper? You refined all the lower branches quite successfully but did you get tired before you reached the top. Take it home and thin out and shape the apex and then we will look again.
The adjacent images are of the same Juniperus chinen- sis. Left; Initially, the tree was rejected for award winning at exhibition as the foliage mass needed to be opened more and refined.
Right; A few years later, the whole image was clearer, the foliage pads were better defined and tidier resulting in an award for its quality.
Pinus pentaphylla: Height - 58 cms.
Left; A superb example of a semi-cascade style with a well developed trunk, neatly positioned branches and well developed foliage pads. Good healthy color of the needles. The whole image is of a tree, groomed and superbly styled, complimented by a rugged pot which reflects the contours of the tree. Needless to say, this specimen was one of the top award winning trees in a recent British bonsai exhibition.
Clearly, there is always the subjective element that could have impact on your decision making. You look at one particular tree that immediately evokes the thought “I really like that, it’s superb, it has got to be the best!” But then you have to ask why? What has given us the impression that one bonsai (or even a handful of bonsai) stand out above all the others?
In the end there is very little likelihood that when the judging decisions have been made and awards have been presented, that there will be a 100% con- sensus that the decisions were the right ones. Every- one has their own perception of what is good or not so good. But as long as our judgements are based on a comprehensive knowledge and appreciation of the factors that constitute the criteria of assessing bonsai, you can justify your decision and allow for people’s differences of opinion.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, our hobby is an art form and not an exact science; hence opinion will always be an important part of decision making and judgement. Would we truly want it any other way? Can you imagine a world where every bonsai was an exact replica of another and there was no scope for artistry and personal flair? Preferably not!
October/November/December 2014 | BCI | 39