I think this forest planting is my favorite for today. Maybe it's just the moss and leaves that make it stand out, or the fine filagreed ramification (something you almost always see in the best Japanese bonsai, but not as much in the West). But there's more of course, including its inviting almost delicate natural beauty. (Note: after I wrote this and most of the text below, I discovered that It belongs to Luis Vallejo as do all three bonsai in today's post. And though I don't know for sure if this one originally came from Japan, I'd bet my estate -such as it is- that it did) 

Before you start, all the writing in plain text occurred before I realized that all three trees I chose for this post belong to Luis Vallejo and all three are originally from Japan (again, I'd bet on the one above). This and the other text in italics was written after this discovery

I just spent some time going through dozens of photos on Bonsai Empire's timeline from the 2020 Trophy exhibition in Genk, Belgium. Most were taken by Panos Koutantzis, though there were some by others. I'll just show you three of my favorites today and later we'll look at some more

Most of the trees are great. Of these, a few were traditional style bonsai, heavily influenced by the Japanese tradition (this was written before my enlightenment) and most of the rest were somewhere between traditional and something a little newer with a more experimental bent. We'll feature some of these in the next edition of our FREE Newsletter. You can sign up at the bottom of this page or in the column to the right
Continued below...

This Stewartia belongs to Luis Vallejo (we featured it last year in a post of Luis' trees) and has Japan written all over it (it was imported from Japan to Spain). This is especially noticeable when you look at the fine ramification, a common feature of Japanese bonsai and the nebari (ditto). And of course, Stewartia are native to Japan (and Korea)

None of the trees shown here and in the upcoming edition of our Free Newsletter were attributed or identified, which is usually the case with photos from shows. There are just too many trees and not enough time for the photographers to do the research

Now that I've realized my Japanese bonsai bias (this isn't first time), it's no surprise that I chose this Juniper root-on-rock as well as the other two. It originally belong to the Masahiko Kimura (The Magician) and was imported to Spain by Luis Vallejo

More evidence. All three of Luis Vallejo's imported trees are displayed together. Btw, the fact that these trees are imported takes nothing away from Luis' expertise or skill. He or someone under his guidance cares for all his imports, and if you visit his Museo Bonsai de Alcobendas you can see for yourself just how well his trees are maintained over time

For more photos from The Trophy here's your link to Bonsai Empire

You can also see more in our FREE Newsletter (you can sign up below or to the right)

If you've read this far, email me and let me know <wayne@stonelantern.com> and we'll send you a Free 5.00 coupon for a future order