Page 69 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2013Q3

Top left; Cedrus atlantica, do-
nated to the National Bonsai
& Penjing Museum by Fred
and Ernesta Ballard of Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania.
Top right; In 1965 a drawing
of the bonsai was featured on
the cover of the Pennsylvania
Bonsai Society Bulletin.

A New Container selecting one container easy! I started with a general
for the Blue Atlas Cedar idea of the desirable qualities the container should
have. The blue Atlas cedar reminds me of a Japanese
white pine in the sense that it has short needles and
By Jack Sustic, Curator, National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, U.S.
National Arboretum both species have a similar soft appearance to them.
Taking the foliage texture into consideration, it has a
In 1990 this blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica, softer feel overall when compared to a rugged juniper
Glauca Group) was donated to the National Bonsai or pine. The lines of the trunk and branches are sinu-
& Penjing Museum by Fred and Ernesta Ballard of ous with minimal sharp or abrupt changes in direc-
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Top left). Fred was a tion.
founding member of the Pennsylvania Bonsai So- Because of these elements, the tree needed a container
ciety and served as president of the National Bonsai that was both visually soft, yet strong enough to sup-
Foundation from 1990 to 1996. This bonsai has been port and complement the overall composition. When
in training for 52 years and was purchased as a whip deciding on which container to select, I was reminded
from Monrovia Nursery in 1960. While visiting the of an article that Mr. Ballard wrote in 1975. In it he
Ballard’s home in the early 1960s, Yuji Yoshimura wrote, “Perhaps the only way to learn how to choose
did the initial styling by dramatically turning the up- a container is to have a friend tell you that you have
right whip into a cascade. Later, during a visit to their chosen the wrong one.” Bottom; Sara Rayner in action
home, John Naka suggested that an apex be devel-
oped, so the topmost branch was turned up to create Beyond the ability of the container to support
one. In 1965 a drawing of the bonsai was featured on a healthy bonsai, pot selection for bonsai is
the cover of the Pennsylvania Bonsai Society Bul- based on solid aesthetic principles coupled
letin. (Top right). with a certain amount of informed subjec-
For many years I’ve felt this tree deserved a better tivity; what one person likes the next person
may not. So armed with some experience I
container, but finding the right one proved a chal- set about selecting the best container.
lenge. As a result, a Bonsai Container Purchase
Award Competition was sponsored by the Nation- I finally selected a container submitted by
al Bonsai Foundation in 2011 with the purpose of Sara Rayner. Sara has been working as a
commissioning an American-made container for the self taught potter for 37 years. For the last
tree. Specifications and parameters for the container 22 years she has worked solely on creating
were provided to artists entering the competition. bonsai containers. Working out of an old car-
riage house in her home town of Red Wing,
Each artist was allowed to submit up to three drawings Minnesota, she originally became interested
with their design proposals. Three potters entered the in bonsai 24 years ago when she attended a
competition. Since I was the person to select the win- bonsai convention in Minneapolis. The rest,
ner, the names of the potters were not disclosed to me. as they say, is history. Sara’s distinctive work
I could tell that all the entries were carefully thought is highly respected and her containers are a
out; as each entrant’s attention to detail, design and prized possession in any collection. I asked
experience was obvious. They didn’t make my job of Sara to share some thoughts on the winning

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