Annual Bonsai Show

This year’s show will be member judged as we have done for the past few years.  Reach out to an experienced club member if you need assistance preparing your tree for the show! 

This year we will feature a special exhibit in memory of Dennis McHugh consisting of several of his trees.  If you own one of Dennis’ tree’s please reach out to the show organizers via email bcurrey@curreyco.com We’d like to have as many of his trees as possible on display.

We will also feature a special Ikebana centerpiece provided by the members of the Ikenobo School of flower arranging.  You can learn more about their local chapter here:  https://www.facebook.com/hananoiyoriatlanta/

This year the club will feature Jonas Dupich of https://bonsaitonight.com/ as our visiting Artist.  Jonas will offer a critique of the show on Saturday and Sunday mornings, a presentation on techniques for bonsai propagation on Saturday afternoon and a “bring your own tree” workshop on Sunday afternoon.

We’ve got a full slate of vendors already signed up for this year.  We’ll have past vendors returning and several new sellers this Spring!

Saturday March the 15^th 

9:00am the show opens at Day Hall

10:00am Critique

 2:00pm:  Lecture on Propagation for Bonsai

 3:00pm Member Guided Tour

 6:00pm Show closes for the Day

 7:30pm Informal Banquet at Dim Sum Heaven

            Sunday March 16^th: 

9:00am the show opens at Day Hall

10:00am Critique

1:00pm Workshop “Bring Your Own Tree”

 2:00pm Member Guided Tour

 5:00pm Show Closes and Breakdown

Member & Exhibitor Details

Exhibiting and attending the show is open to all club members, and everyone is encouraged to exhibit, especially if you have never displayed a tree before.  Your ATL Bonsai Society membership will give you admission to the gardens on the weekend of the show.

Details

Member Setup & Tree Dropoff: March 14th

• Set up is Friday March the 14^th 1:00pm at Day Hall at the Atlanta Botanic Gardens
• Tree Drop off is Friday March the 14^th 5:00pm at Day Hall at the Atlanta Botanic Gardens
• Volunteers can signup on our signup genius
• Signup to Exhibit (not required, but nice to have)
• Info on preparing bonsai for exhibition is here
• More Vendor Load-In Info
• Vendor and Exhibitor Dashboard Sign

The yellow area on the map below shows where to go to drop off trees and exhibition materials.

Judging Guidelines

This spring’s exhibition will be member judged. All club members are encouraged to attend the spring show and cast their votes for the awards. We are making this change to allow greater participation in the event and to present a learning opportunity for all our members. This is a great moment to learn more about what makes a great bonsai and to study multiple trees up close.
Judging officially takes place Saturday March 16th from 9:30am – 5:00pm. A paper ballot will be printed and distributed to all interested members. The ballot will be marked with the categories for judging. More detail may be found below about each of the categories. If you are dropping by Friday to bring in an exhibit, you are more than welcome to preview the show on Friday evening as evening as well.
Trees will all have a printed name card labeled with: scientific name, common name, years in training, novice, intermediate or experienced category and a tree number. Member’s names will not be on the place cards.
We ask that each member independently review the show and make your selections, scoring the trees by number. When you have completed your judging, please submit your ballot at the club table. At the end of the day on Saturday, the ballots will be tallied, and the winners announced. In the case of a tie, the guest artist will make the final decision as to the winner for each category.
People’s Choice will be voted on during the day Saturday and through noon on Saturday, at which time the votes will be counted, and the prize awarded to the winning tree.
The show is divided into three categories of entries: Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. Each member is welcome to determine which category they are most comfortable showing in. Advanced and Intermediate entries must be shown with an accompanying Japanese style stand and an accent plant or item. If you need help with a stand or an accent, ask one of our experienced club members for some assistance. Many of us will be glad to help. Novice entries do not require a stand or an accent, but we do encourage all trees to have moss covering the soil area and the pot to be freshly cleaned. All entries must be free of disease or pests.
2025 Categories:
• Best In Show (the strongest overall tree in the exhibition)
• People’s Choice (taken by popular vote, including casual visitors to the show)
• Best Shohin Bonsai Display (the strongest, most detailed, properly presented, formal shohin display)
• Best Conifer Bonsai (the best developed and most aged in appearance conifer, including broadleaf evergreens)
• Best Deciduous Bonsai (the best developed and most aged in appearance deciduous tree)
• Novice 1st Place (the best developed novice tree with the most potential)
• Novice Honorable Mention
• Intermediate First Place (the best developed intermediate tree with the most potential)
• Intermediate Honorable Mention
• Best Suiseki Display (the most evocative and thoughtful suiseki display)

Judging Guidelines are courtesy of Boon Manakitivipart and Bay Island Bonsai. Our thanks and appreciation for sharing this valuable information with us.

These guidelines are not only to be used for evaluating the quality of trees in an exhibition, but also provide guidelines on how to evaluate the trees in your own bonsai collection. These guidelines are not an exhaustive list of qualities to consider, but instead provide a good starting point when it comes to evaluating bonsai.

TRUNK (1-10 points)
Understanding the characteristics of a bonsai’s trunk are crucial. The soul of a bonsai is found in the trunk.
Ideal trunk shapes are dependent on style and species. Nature informs us about desired shapes and forms. When evaluating trunk curves, taper, jin, shari, bark quality and color, should refer to the idealized forms in nature. (Examples: A Cryptomeria’s trunk line should be ramrod straight. A juniper’s trunk line should have strong curves and good lifelines. An informal maple or pine should have a good taper. A Japanese beech’s bark should be as white as possible.)

A high quality Japanese black pine always has “good” bark this is one of the first considerations. The best black pines have thick plates that run vertically or are formed as diamond shaped plates called turtleback plate. Formal upright and informal upright pine styles should have good taper and be free of large “knuckles” on the trunk. Taper can be either “fast” (masculine) or more “slender” (feminine). Slender trees should have more curves. Natural jin and shari could be a plus, but they do not last long on black pine.

Japanese white pine or 5-needle pine is considered a more feminine tree than black pine. Flaky bark from the base up is desirable and requires thirty years or more to develop. Older grafted white pines are examined to determine if the bark matches at the grafting point. Grafted white pine must have good taper and mature bark from grafting point to be considered a high-quality tree. Jin and shari last longer on white pine and are often included in the overall design.

Scale junipers including Shimpaku juniper, California juniper, and Sierra juniper are not always judged by a “fast” taper. Exciting curves and twists in the trunk are important in judging scale junipers. Interesting, natural jin and shari are important qualities. A prominent live vein, contrasting deadwood on the trunk is another desirable characteristic. Formal upright styles are not generally suitable for junipers.

Needle junipers, procumbens, or San Jose junipers may have a “fast” taper. Curves and twists in the trunk are also desirable. Again, jin and shari, as well as a defined live vein are notable attributes to look for. Formal upright style is more commonly acceptable with these species.

Japanese maples must have aged, gray trunks to receive high judging
marks. Young trunks are green and should be judged as a young tree. Gentle movements and “smooth” bark without large scars are what you are looking for in a Japanese maple trunk. Large open wounds, jins and shari are not a desire quality for this tree.

Trident Maples have more of a rough masculine feeling in the trunk.
“Fast” taper is one of the qualities to look for. They may have a massive trunk base. Well established trident maples will have more indentations – and a gnarled feeling, while still being covered in smooth bark. Large open wounds are undesirable.

Japanese beeches should have a smooth and light-colored bark, and a well tapered trunk to be viewed as a quality Japanese beech.

BRANCHES (1-5 points)
A tree’s branches should have the same overall feel and appearance as the trunk. The tree with a “fast” tapered trunk should have “fast” tapered branches. The tree with a slender delicate trunk should have slender branches. Ideally branches should not be thicker than 1/3 the size of the trunk, where they emerge. Deciduous trees with good movement in the branches are the exception, in some cases. Trees with fewer curves in the trunk, should also have fewer curves in the branches. A high-quality tree always has good ramification, defined by the transition from coarse to fine branching.

ROOTAGE (1-5 points)
Roots should flare out from the base in all directions anchoring the tree to the soil. This is a characteristic of mature, established, quality bonsai. Rootage or nebari gives stability to the tree. Old trees in nature with a large root-base look like they have a solid hold onto the earth. Fused roots around the base of the deciduous tree make the bonsai look older. In collected junipers and some bunjin styles, the rootage is not as important for judging purposes.

POT SELECTION (1-5 points)
These guidelines are the most general of rules. It takes a lifetime of practice and study to pick the best color and shape of a pot for a tree. As trees age, their feeling changes, often requiring a different pot at different times in a tree’s life.
Size -The length of a pot should generally be about 2/3 the height of the
tree. The height of the pot should be about the diameter of the trunk. The width of a pot must allow adequate space soil and cultivation, without overwhelming the tree.
Pot Shape – round shallow pots are suitable for slender, tall trees. Oval pots are for trees with curves or forest plantings. Rectangular pots are suitable for multiple styles, as long as there is a feeling of masculinity in the tree. Sometimes, a short fat tree is potted in a very deep pot – to add to the overall feeling of strength.
Color of pot – Unglazed brown, grey or purple clay pots are primarily used for conifers. Glazed colored pots are for deciduous trees, flowering and fruiting trees, and broad-leafed evergreen trees.
Patina – or the visible appearance of age on a pot is highly desirable. The visible age of the tree and the pot should complement one another.

AESTHETIC QUALITES OF BONSAI (1-5 points)
These 5 points are the most challenging and contemplative to award. By viewing good trees over time you will develop a sense of the aesthetics important to bonsai. These points are awarded for such things as balance, unity and harmony in a trees design. The ability to create a strong feeling or emotion on the part of the viewer is a real factor. The feeling of age is paramount to this category. A great bonsai should evoke the representation of nature and a strong response from the viewer.

AESTHETIC QUALITY OF OVERALL DISPLAY (1-5 points)
Judging this category is based on the relationship between the bonsai, bonsai pot, stand, accent plant, and/or scroll. Does this display make a unified artistic statement? Are the elements of the display in harmony with each other? Do the components of the display make a statement that is “more than the sum of the parts”, this is the essence of a successful display.

GENERAL GUIDELINES ON AWARDING POINTS
For the generally good, give a median score, for example 5 for trunk and 3 for the remaining categories. In general, good trees should receive marks around 20 points. To give a maximum of 10 points for the trunk, or 5 points in the other categories, that bonsai should be outstanding. It would probably be one the best you have seen in the exhibit. Only exceptional quality trees should receive full points. If you see real flaws on a tree or display, be willing to give a low mark.

A FINAL WORD ON, FLAWS
When you see a flaw, ask yourself if it is a major or minor flaw and judge
accordingly. Is the flaw easily fixed? Do you forgive the flaw because of the age
of the tree or it’s wild nature? Is the flaw in the process of being corrected? Is it a flaw that is acceptable in one species and not in another?