landscape or not?

Quick debate people. Someone today said they would consider this - my Dan Barton Buxus - to be a landscape. I disagreed but they were adamant on the basis that it's not in a pot and the greenery is crucially important to the overall effect.

Opinions?

Fantastic either way!

I think so . . . .

All trees, whether in a pot or on a slab, should evoke an image of its surrounding landscape. Your Box does this perfectly. I wouldn't consider this Saikei though.

Howzit Fiona,

I'm with Will... It's perfect as it is. I love the movement of the tree.

A Hui Hou,
-Tim

G'Day Fiona...

A wonderful bonsai it is...and impressively displayed atop it's very own knoll.

As Will said "...I wouldn't consider this Saikei though...".

For whatever it's worth, John Naka, in his discussion of Containers (pots) says "...another kind (of container) is the slab form,,,". Bonsai Techniques II.

Containers (pots), or Pots (containers)...works for me...

Pat

Fiona, I don't think there aren't enough elements in this to be considered saikei. Pensai perhaps, bonsai criteria are well met, but not saikei. The tree reminds me of a dragon on a knoll or tundra. Your tree definately transports me to another tranquill place, somewhere remote and windy. Well done.

Isn't this a bit of a pointless discussion? What (on earth) is a landscape? Is it a single tree out on a field (in a pot/slab)? Is it a forest? Is it a tree and a rock? Is it a tree, a rock, a mudman, a building, a boat sitting in the gravel water? Is it on a slab, or one of those oh-so-artificial (and somewhat ugly) marble platforms that suddenly are so popular?

As I answered earlier: YES.

Humans have this rather unfortunate need to classify and pigeonhole everything. We have to name things (maybe that goes back to genesis, I dunno). It is your composition. Call it what YOU think it is.

It is a very nice one, though.

I know, "killjoy."

JimLewis wrote: Humans have this rather unfortunate need to classify and pigeonhole everything. We have to name things (maybe that goes back to genesis, I dunno). It is your composition. Call it what YOU think it is.... I know, "killjoy."

Ha ha. I'm going to send you a tee-shirt with that famous cartoon but with the words "Killjoy was here!" on it. Or am I showing my age there?

You mention classifying and pigeonholing as a basic human need and nothing could be truer in the reason why I posted this question. We are currently setting up for our club display at the Ayr Flower Show and as part of the event, there are "competitive classes". The show organisers have restricted each entrant to only one exhibit per "class" and I had to make a call between an Elm and my Buxus in the Chuhin category. It was at this point that someone said the Buxus could go on the group, forest and landscape category instead. It's all been rather amusing to hear the different opinions on what should go in which class. There are so many trees that dont readilyfit into any of the categories to the extent that it's all become a bit Voltairean - if your class doesn't exist, it will be necessary to invent one.

That's two parodies in one post - quite enough for one night. I'm away to think up an over-arching classification for our wee trees. I know: we'll call it "bonsai".

btw - I decided against entering it as a landscape. I have entered under the name of Buddy Wallace instead.

Hi Fiona,

I'm with Jim on this one, I dont care what anyone wants to call it, I've just sat staring at it for the last twenty minutes!
I think it needs to be displayed the way you have done, I think it would loose a lot of its feel if you displayed it in a pot.

I like the groundcover more on your first image than the second one, but I can't fault the tree or the image and feeling it creates.

Really, really nice.

paul burke wrote: I like the groundcover more on your first image than the second one, but I can't fault the tree or the image and feeling it creates.

I agree. Damn blackbirds mounted a commando raid (wirecutters and everything no doubt) and managed to infiltrate the chicken-wire overcoat the tree was wearing a week or so before Joy of Bonsai and stole all the existing moss. The more hillocky effect of the second photo was a classic case of needs must...