SA Bonsai Society Show 2020 photos

[greg27]

I am particularly interested in the penjing section you had. Are there any more photos you could post? How did you come to take on penjing?

It's not a great shot, but here's an overview of the penjing display. I'm not sure who all of these trees belong to, but I know that Greg (not me Greg, another Greg) who runs Bonsai Ceramics has an interest in penjing, and is the owner of the ficus rock planting on the marble slab.

[LLK]

Thanks, you-Greg. There is a growing interest in penjing generally and it's good to see what's new on the Aus bonsai scene.
Best wishes to all of you in these difficult times!

Lisa

[terryb]

Thanks for the photos Greg! I really liked the presentation of the pear. I would have hoped to see some Casuarina but alas...

Yes I'd definitely like to see some more natives - one callistemon, one banksia and a handful of PJs is a good start but we need more! I think that, like the fruiting plum, seeing a tree that people see every day, like a eucalyptus, would help people relate to the trees a bit more. The cape cotton bushes are all very impressive, but nobody's ever heard of that plant so there's a bit of a disconnect there.

There generally are more natives displayed including multiple Eucalypts, Melaleuca, Leptospermum etc. We had to reduce the number of trees on display this year to ensure we could comply with covid social distancing requirements.

[LLK]

greg27 wrote:

I think that, like the fruiting plum, seeing a tree that people see every day, like a eucalyptus, would help people relate to the trees a bit more. The cape cotton bushes are all very impressive, but nobody's ever heard of that plant so there's a bit of a disconnect there.

No need to connect with the cape cotton bush, if it's a Native you are looking fot. Its scientific name is Gomphocarpus physocarpus and it's not an Australian native, but a plant similar to milkweed imported from South Africa. It has been declared a noxious weed.

May I make a suggestion? -- When the borders open again, invite one of the top artists of the Victorian Native Bonsai Society over for a weekend of demo's and workshops. That would provide a good start and lots of fun. Here is a website worth looking at:
Gallery 2019

https://www.vicnativebonsai.com.au/phot ... n-gallery/

Lisa

[Matt S]

Thanks Greg for posting your photographs, it was a great weekend and your photos are a good record of the event.

Numbers of attendees were up as were sales. In order to keep people spaced apart we cut back on a few activities and limited the amount of trees on display, but as a result we were less cluttered and I think the exhibition trees were given the space they needed.

The penjing display was an idea from one of our members and as we have a number of people interested in penjing we had enough items to fill the stage.

The low numbers of native trees wasn’t by design, it was just the way it played out this year. We usually have a good representation so hopefully the numbers will improve next year.

I’m really pleased that we were able to put on a show and that it was so well attended, and we were able to promote Bonsai and the talents of our members. I hope other clubs around the country will soon be able to do the same. My thoughts are with you.

Matt.

[Matt S]

...the Cape Cotton Bush on display is actually Eriocephalus africanus. There are so many common names that it gets confusing.

Last year we had the president of the VNBC come and run some workshops and a couple of demos for the club. Hopefully more to come!

Matt.

[LLK]

Yes, it was a great show.
My recommendation to invite someone to give demos and workshops on Australian Native Bonsai was obviously quite superfluous, please accept my apologies.
About the cape cotton bush: Matt, I found your post on AusBonsai Forum of October 16, 2016 with an article by Chris Drinkwater. Chris is also the artist whose beautiful bonsai were exhibited in this year's show, so now I know a lot more about the cape cotton bush, aka cape snow bush, wild rosemary etc.
On the Internet the cape cotton bush is definitely Gomphocarpus physocarpus and Eriocephalus africanus is never called cape cotton bush, but African wild Rosemary. However, both species have a host of other common names, so it seems to me that it doesn't matter much by which name you choose to call the bush you are familiar with.

Lisa