What a fascinating range of trees and styles once again on show at the club’s 2023 Exhibition of Australian native species as Bonsai.
This year, club members presented 61 trees on display, providing the steady stream of visitors with quite a diversity of species, styles and ages to contemplate and admire. A number of comments from first-time visitors were along the lines of “Wow, I never could have imagined Australian native trees and shrubs looking as beautiful as these as bonsai”.
Voting was held over the two days for visitors to nominate their favourite tree for the Public’s Choice Award, and this year, the winning tree for this prize was a magnificent Coastal Tea Tree, Leptospermum laevigatum, with a Mountain Burgan, Kunzea peduncularis, in second place.
Mountain Burgan, Kunzea peduncularis
This year again, we had representatives of Eucalypt Australia judging for the Best Eucalypt in Show as part of our celebration of National Eucalypt Day on 23rd March. From their very detailed inspections of the range of Eucalypts presented in the exhibition, the trophy was awarded for a Smithton Peppermint, Eucalyptus nitida, just edging out a River Red Gum, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, into second place.
As always, the sales area was very popular amongst visitors, with quite a few people taking away plants and pots (with plenty of advice) to establish their first bonsai tree.
Congratulations and thanks are due to all members who participated through putting bonsai on display, setting up and dismantling the exhibition, and actively working in the running of the two days, in helping make this show a success.
A full set of images of all of the bonsai on display at the exhibition has been added to our photo gallery.