Page 35 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2014Q2

Recognizing Show
Quality!
Now these are from private
collections. Why have
they reached this stage
of development but are
not deemed to be in the
show-class? Look more
closely—wonderful trees—
better than many of us will
ever achieve, but are they
prepared for showing? Are
they weed-free? Are they
fully trimmed and immacu-
late? Are the jins and sharis
perfectly clean and algae
free? I know you cannot
see this but do they have
wires cutting in that should
have been removed before
exhibiting? I assure you
they do. Do the layers of the
branches reveal themselves
clearly? All these are sig-
nificant points to having a
tree ready to put on a show
table and hope to receive
acclaim. And at this point I
will not even mention how
to display the tree; the cor-
rect pot, the accompanying
accent or companion stone
as well as the right stand on
which to present the tree.

by their members. The major benefit of putting bonsai of criteria or guidelines and the means of using them
into a competitive exhibition is to encourage people at ground level, i.e., in local shows, and if it is seen to
to work on developing their trees to a higher standard work and is treated with respect, then hopefully we can
and thereby enhance their collections. Thus we must move on to getting the method accepted at national or
produce some system that will give people confidence international level.
to exhibit competitively.
The answer would seem to me, to lie in producing About the Author. Kath Hughes is a bonsai enthusiast from
criteria or guidelines for judging bonsai. I hesitate to the UK and serves on the BCI Board of Directors. Kath started her
say rules because rules are incredibly restrictive, rules bonsai journey in 1977, chaired Midland bonsai society for 8 years,
then founded South Staffs Bonsai Society. She is an organiser
are inflexible, thoughts cannot blossom, creativity of events in the UK, including BCI Convention in Birmingham,
cannot flourish. However judging without some form 1991; EBA events in 1987 and 1999; Best of British Bonsai events
of rules equals chaos. Balancing rules against innova- in 2009, 2011 and 2013, producing 2 books from this event; and
tion is a pervasive problem in all of life. As ageism is administrator for Federation of British Bonsai Societies (FoBBS) for
pervasive and entrenched in our society so elitism is 10 years. She has also organized bonsai tours in Europe and Japan,
and lectures on bonsai topics to clubs. Kath is married to Malcolm
pervasive in bonsai culture. Bonsai must teach us bal- Hughes, president of FoBBS, past president of EBA, and Royal
ance, and as experience accumulates, the many excep- Horticultural Society accredited judge for bonsai.
tions and variations gradually invalidate the rules and
by the same experience, the rules become less needed.
So our challenge is to try and produce guidelines
that will be accepted and used by most. I would not
dare to suggest all. If we can provide a universal set

April/May/June 2014 | BCI | 33