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DISPLAY OF A BONSAI TREE
Alan Magruder

If you have found a wonderful show table that is absolutely beautiful, be careful. It could easily become the center of your display and overshadow your bonsai. This is not an uncommon mistake. Anything that takes attention away from the Bonsai tree is not good in a Bonsai show. The purpose of a show table is to make the tree look good.

1. Height

The observer should be looking directly into the tree, not down on it or up into it. This means that the show table must have the proper length of legs. Frequently the legs of our tables are much too short. This is particularly true in the United States. In order to know the proper length of your display stand you need to know what the height of the table it sits on at the show. Most tables that the displays sits on are about 30 inches tall. Use a little math and determine the proper height of your display stand so the average persons eyes are looking directly into the tree. I have been known to take two stands of different length legs to a show so that I can have the proper height for the tree being shown. The tree and stand (pictured above) are on a table that is 30 inches tall and works well in terms of height. The show table top is slightly too large, but the legs look strong enough to take the weight.

2. Complexity

A very ornate stand will draw attention away from the tree. If the tree is very complex, maybe, the stand will only match it and thus complement the tree. If the stand makes the tree and the overall display look good by all means use it.

3. Redundancy

Do not repeat something you already have. If your tree is on a slab it is not a good idea to use another slab for your accent plant.

4. Consistency

If you choose to use a scroll with your overall display, the theme of the scroll should match all other elements of your display. If the companion plant is a spring plant so should the scroll be a spring theme. If your tree is in bloom in the spring your scroll should be a spring theme. All elements of your display should be consistent.

5. Show table

The show table should fit the pot and the tree. This means that the pot should not crowd the interior portion of the stand and also not be lost in it. Most show tables have an interior to the top and a frame around that. The center portion floats inside the frame around it. Usually the pot will have about one inch between the sides of the frame and about one half an inch between the front and back of the frame. The overall canapé of the tree can overlap the sides of the table slightly and uniformly. The pot and tree should fit into the stand so there is a balance. The show table looks strong enough to hold the tree and is tall enough for this tree. The stand is somewhat complex and yet its lines are simple,

6. Color

The color of the show table should work with the color of the tree and pot. A very dark tree and pot should not have a light colored stand. All the elements of a Bonsai display should work together as a unit and make the tree the center of attention. A wonderful show table or a wonderful scroll or accent plant will not necessarily win the show.