Getting Ready for the National Exhibition

Joe Hatfield wrote:Very Exciting indeed! I will not be going due to Heather's possible birthing Soooo... make sure to take lots of pics of everything...Please!!!!!!


-Joe

Wooah, good luck to you and your wife with the imminent birthing!!

As for photos, taking them is not allowed of the trees to encourage buying the exhibition album. Might be able to get some people shots.

Rob Kempinski wrote:Here is the tree in its garden setting.



I'm glad too see my larger Black Olive (Bucida spinosa) (first tree on the left) has bounced back from really bleak days this winter. I guess with the temperature we had it was almost deciduous. Usually not a good sign when a tropical tree loses most of its leaves.


The bamboo this year is really shedding - see all the ground cover. Might need to actually rake it up. I guess that is a by-product of the really cold winter. Might even cut down much of it - it grows so fast anyway.

Here is a different view of another portion of the garden. Most everything is real green now.

Rob, is that a long leaf pine in your display? ... the shaggy one behind the Olive ...looks like "Cousin IT". Very interesting! Salut, Todd

[quote="Todd Ellis"]

Rob Kempinski wrote:Here is the tree in its garden setting.



Here is a different view of another portion of the garden. Most everything is real green now.

Rob, is that a long leaf pine in your display? ... the shaggy one behind the Olive ...looks like "Cousin IT". Very interesting! Salut, Todd

Todd,
It is a Slash Pine, needles not quite as long as the Long Leaf pine but still very long. I grow it mostly for its great bark and style it as a weeping style. Thanks for the new name "Cousin It."

I placed in a show last year at the BSF convention. Here's a photo from my blog.
http://blogs.knowledgeofbonsai.org/rob_kempinski/2009/03/25/bonsai-societies-of-florida-convention/

[quote="Rob Kempinski"]

Todd Ellis wrote:

Rob Kempinski wrote:Here is the tree in its garden setting.



Here is a different view of another portion of the garden. Most everything is real green now.

Rob, is that a long leaf pine in your display? ... the shaggy one behind the Olive ...looks like "Cousin IT". Very interesting! Salut, Todd

Todd,
It is a Slash Pine, needles not quite as long as the Long Leaf pine but still very long. I grow it mostly for its great bark and style it as a weeping style. Thanks for the new name "Cousin It."

I placed in a show last year at the BSF convention. Here's a photo from my blog.

Rob, your blog is great! Your trees are beautiful! Thanks for the link. Please say hi to the "Cuz"! I bought two long leaf pine seedlings last week because of the "weep". I will just grown them and see how they grow. I'm not sure about pinching their extra large candles though. I will look into Slash pines. Salut, Todd
http://blogs.knowledgeofbonsai.org/rob_kempinski/2009/03/25/bonsai-societies-of-florida-convention/

Nice trees Rob.
Good luck.
See you at this weekend.

Xuan

Terry, my spouse, and my copilot, Richard Turner can't believe we fit one large Japanese black pine, two buttonwoods, one large portulacari afra, one large gardenia, a large ficus too little and a willow leaf ficus along with 6 shohin and assorted accents and stands into a rental Chrysler minivan. No wonder they look happy.


Note the 5 point shohin stand suspended from the ceiling.
That was Richard's idea - we shall see.

Rob,
Have a safe trip and enjoy the convention

Can't wait to see these beauties on display!

Rob

Rob,
Have a safe trip and enjoy the convention

Can't wait to see these beauties on display!

Rob

Spent many years raising

We arrived at the US national show relatively unscathed and let me say, the exhibition is going to be exceptional.
So many high quality trees. I managed to get a few photos of the trees I brought from Florida and will try to post them in a few days when I get my camera home to my Mac.
If you can get to Rochester this weekend, I would highly recommend it. You would be proud of the US trees on display.

OK... now I am officially envious and can't believe I didn't go. argh. lol (methinks I need to request the addition of an emoticon smacking itself on the head)

Best of luck to you... not that you need it... you've taken some wonderful trees.

Kindest regards,

Victrinia

Victrinia Ridgeway wrote:OK... now I am officially envious and can't believe I didn't go. argh. lol (methinks I need to request the addition of an emoticon smacking itself on the head)

Best of luck to you... not that you need it... you've taken some wonderful trees.

Kindest regards,

Victrinia

Victrina,

I got a quick glimpse at your tree - the whole package looked great. It is even showing some blooms and more are ready to pop. I thought you had said it already bloomed this year.

Dennis Votilla and Don Guillams looked tired but happy to have made it in one piece. Their truck didn't have a CD palyer. ugh.

Jim Gremel drove by himself from California and had a long slog to make it to Rochester on time. Unbelievable.

Including the trees in the van I rented I counted nearly 20 trees from Florida on display.
Great participation considering Florida is 1200 miles away.

Ack... I think my heart might just burst. If I wasn't having a marvelous day I might actually be depressed...lol

It was warm and relatively dry all winter... had temps in the 50s in Feb. It actually started blooming in APRIL... kid you not. Then the weather suddenedly bounced down to cold and wet and dragged it all to a crawl for all of May and the begining of June. I was able to salvage a few blossoms to be on there when it went, and only hoped and prayed that they would arrive in some good condition.

I can't wait to see a photo of it. I can't wait to see the photos of yours... I can't wait... I can't I tell you....lol oh god... someone slap me.

Yours in envy and amusement,

Victrinia

And the kicker is one of my best friends (jersanct) is also there... what was I thinking.... *moan*

V

Rob wrote in an earlier post:
"Jim Gremel drove by himself from California and had a long slog to make it to Rochester on time. Unbelievable."

I am amazed!!! Jim ain't no spring chicken no more!

I remember doing that a few times, but I was in my 20's or early 30's. I even hitchhiked once from San Francisco to Buffalo in 1955 when I was in the Air Force. Made it in 4 days plus a few hours. That was an amazing trip.

Mike

PS. Ms. Vic, you should have gone. It's a great experience.

mike page wrote:Rob wrote in an earlier post:
"Jim Gremel drove by himself from California and had a long slog to make it to Rochester on time. Unbelievable."

I am amazed!!! Jim ain't no spring chicken no more!

I remember doing that a few times, but I was in my 20's or early 30's. I even hitchhiked once from San Francisco to Buffalo in 1955 when I was in the Air Force. Made it in 4 days plus a few hours. That was an amazing trip.

Mike

PS. Ms. Vic, you should have gone. It's a great experience.

Mike - the show has been fantastic. The quality of the trees has exceeded the last event. It is amazing the amount of refinement visible in the trees. The lack of wire on most of the trees is astounding - shows many years of styling and care.
The judges have had a temendously difficult job. They really have had to make some hyper critical distinctions to pick the award winners.

Rob, I wish you the best ol luck. I'll be very interested in the results of the judging.

Mike

mike page wrote:Rob, I wish you the best ol luck. I'll be very interested in the results of the judging.

Mike

Banquet is over.

Great news - Best Tropical went to my co-pilot, Richard Turner's Portulacari afra, Elephant Bush.

Best conifer was a Pondarosa Pine by Scott Elser (Scott won the same award at the last show.)

Best decidious was a Japanese Maple by Harvey Carapella.

Best shohin went to a very creative display by Pedro Morales of Puerto Rico with amazing small trees. Pictures won't do it justice.

Best tree went to a Japanese White Pine by Suthin Sukosolvisit.

The Yoshimura spirit award went to another bunjin pine similar to your tree Mike but I forgot the owner's name.


There were a few other minor awards. The judges must of had a hard time as the trees were consistenly special.

Hi Rob,
that bunjin red pine was from Will Hebert. It was one of my favorites and, in subtle ways, quite different from Mike's tree last year. see you a little later today

John Romano

Rob Kempinski wrote:

Banquet is over.

Great news - Best Tropical went to my co-pilot, Richard Turner's Portulacari afra, Elephant Bush.

Best conifer was a Pondarosa Pine by Scott Elser (Scott won the same award at the last show.)

Best decidious was a Japanese Maple by Harvey Carapella.

Best shohin went to a very creative display by Pedro Morales of Puerto Rico with amazing small trees. Pictures won't do it justice.

Best tree went to a Japanese White Pine by Suthin Sukosolvisit.

The Yoshimura spirit award went to another bunjin pine similar to your tree Mike but I forgot the owner's name.


There were a few other minor awards. The judges must of had a hard time as the trees were consistenly special.

Rob,

Who and what kind of tree won the Best American Native tree? I'm very curious on the genus and species.

Thanks Rob,
Randy

Mark Arpag for an Eastern White Cedar that he collected about 20+ years ago.
John Romano

John Romano wrote:Mark Arpag for an Eastern White Cedar that he collected about 20+ years ago.
John Romano

Thanks John,

Sure hope some of you that attended will be posting pic's of the trees and event! Would love to see them all.

Randy

My friend Chris was there... and I got photos of him coming up to the door of it... along with a text of "and that's all folks"... because you are not allowed to take any photos in the exhibition.

However there is a splendid annual for the exhibition that Bill is already taking pre-orders for... I'll be getting one.

Kindest regards,

Victrinia

Here is a photo or Richard Turner and I next to his award winning Portulacari afra.
Very impressive specimen. Sorry for the blurry iPhone photo.


Marco and I had fun in the vendor area. Marco is holding a copy of my book and I'm wearing an Ichiban hat.