Last Saturday, we drove over to the Charlotte area to a) shop at IKEA and b) visit the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Show. The deciduous trees looked especially good because they were naked, displaying their beautiful–or sometimes grotesque–forms without a screen of leaves.
I know almost nothing about bonsai, so I can’t claim that these are the six best trees in the show. But they are six of my favorites. I don’t think they need much description; these trees speak for themselves.
1. Acer buergerianum (trident maple)
This maple reminds me of the sycamores that grow on the banks of the Eno river, with their roots exposed by erosion, and their trunks sometimes leaning or horizontal where floods have washed out their support.
2. Ligustrum sp. (Privet) Carpinus sp. (hornbeam)
Update: I have been informed that this is a Ligustrum exhibited by Bonsai West. That will teach me not to post when I’m not sure.
I forgot to record the name of this tree. I’m fairly sure it’s a hornbeam, but there were four or five different species on display.
3. Crataegus phaenopyrum (Washington Hawthorn)
4. Fagus grandiflora (American beech)
5. Ilex serrata (winterberry holly) growing on a rock
6. Ulmus davidiana (Japanese elm)
The propagator is the host of Six on Saturday. Head over there to see his Six and find links to the blogs of other participants.
Update 12/15/2019: Here is a bonsai blog with many more photos from the show.
Sweetgum and Pines 