Scottish Bonsai Association Annual Show

The show took place at the Kibble Palace in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens.

Congratulations to all the Scottish clubs putting forward trees for the tables. The displays were well inspected by the public and lots of questions were asked. It was great to see the enthusiam of some club members explaining the trees and displays to all those who asked questions.

I found it really difficult to photograph most of the trees. The layout of the venue was great for viewing the trees in person, but didn't allow much room to step back and get a nice photo. A problem with my camera doesn't help either - I dropped it while on the Falkirk Wheel and it hasn't worked properly since - notice the blurred areas on the left hand side in most of these photos. Good news is though that I reported it to my insurance company and they've just replaced it with a new one.

A few photos of the show:









































My favourite tree in the whole show was the little Scots Pine in the centre of this photo. Everything about it was perfect for me. Pity I couldn't get a decent photo of it !

Hi Paul,

Thanks for sharing. Is the third one down an Escallonia?

Hiya Ian,

Yes, the 3rd is an Escallonia.

It's a really nice tree, the trunk is hollowed out perfectly. My photo doesn't do it any justice at all, you really have to be near it and look into the hollow to appreciate it.

Paul

Hello Paul. Some lovely trees on display. Did you have any in the show? Thanks for sharing.

Some very nice trees i see there! I like that cascade!!

Howzit Paul,

Very nice trees. Mahalo for sharing.

A Hui Hou,
-Tim

Hi Paul wished i`d known about it, my sister only lives down the road, I would have come up, looks like a great show.

Ian.

Hi All,

Will - I didn't have anything in the show, unfortunately our club didn't put forward any trees for the show. I hope to have a Larch and a Juniper for next year. I'm taking both to the Burrs event this year to hopefully get them in shape.

Ian - I dont think the show was advertised widely and is usually held earlier in the year. I dont know the venue or date for next year, but I'll post the details nearer the time.

A nice exhibition. Thanks for sharing.

Budi

Guys, I was recently told about this thread by one of my friends.
The tree in the third picture at the top of this article is indeed an escallonia, which I acquired in February 2009. I thought you might be interested in seeing some pictures of its development since that time. I bought the tree specifically to carve out the trunk and I am pleased with how quickly it has developed. Although there has been a lot of progress, I feel that it still needs a bit more growth & density on the right hand side. The tree is currently in the Broom style but some of my friends think I should wire down and open up the foliage. What do you think? All opinions would be welcome.
Regards
Peter Thorne

This is the tree as I got it in February 2009.........


After the initial carving...............


The first seasons growth in 2009.........


The tree as it is today...........


A bit of wood stain helps accentuate the hollow in the trunk........


This is a close up of the carving.........

Thanks for sharing Peter, I'm a lover of Escallonia and have been looking for more examples as bonsai. I was delighted to see yours in this thread. I like yours as a broom. Wiring down branches on an Escallonia can be problematic. Young shoots are fine but once they harden they are brittle. Clip and grow is more effective. They also need a major pruning every few years to keep the inner branches alive. I have added a photo of my one in case you're interested. Apologies if I'm stating the obvious to you.



Here's a link to a progression of the tree over 10 years if you're interested.

Escallonia Progression
http://www.nibonsai.co.uk/?page_id=594

Hi Ian, thanks for your comments. I do feel that escallonia is a good variety for use as bonsai (particularly in our part of the world) and enjoyed looking at the progression of your tree, shown on the Link to the NIBS Site. However the variety is new to me, and I would be grateful if you could provide some advice about how to get flowers.

You made a comment in your progression series about letting the tree develop new growth in order to create flower buds. I wondered if you could expand on the technique you use to get flowers on your escallonia. I had a few flowers on mine in June this year, but it was more by accident than design as I was trying to develop the foliage in one side of the tree.
Am I right in thinking that the flowers appear on the current years early season growth? Is the technique to let the early shoots grow unchecked until they have flowered and then trim to the desired shape? Is it possible to get flowers but also keep the tree in trim?

Ian Young wrote: ... .... Apologies if I'm stating the obvious to you.
... ....

Ian, make some providence for the beginners-readers like me
Very beautiful trees indeed!

Nellie,

The problem with this forum is that it's almost impossible to judge the experience or level of the other members. After they post for a while it becomes obvious. Some people are talented in the extreme, even after only a few years. Others are too modest for their own good
I'm always wary of being patronising when I am actually just happy to help with my knowledge and experiences which falls somewhere in the lower half on this forum, the best Bonsai Forum on the net.

Peter,

You are absolutely spot on. In my experience you have to let the current years growth extend to allow for flowers. This results in a rather unkempt but, if are thinking of exhibiting it in flower, you can lightly wire the longer shoots to keep them in profile, or just bend them back into the foliage mass to keep them down. Some of the flowers will appear on shorter shoots which look fine. You can remove the longer ones and keep the short but you will have less flower to show. If you have any other queries as it progresses, feel free to give me a shout. I'd be happy to share what I have learned by my own mistakes