Page 67 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2015Q4

The following day the Kokonoe pine was loaded into
their car for the final stage of its journey. It was care-
fully driven the 450 miles back to the home of Mark
and Ritta in the UK via the Eurotunnel, the undersea
train tunnel that connects Folkestone in southern
England with Calais in northern France. The tree
was fed and nurtured during the following months
by Mark and Ritta, and then late in 2014 they decided
to apply to enter this tree into the 16th Noelanders
Trophy, be held in Belgium in February 2015. They
also applied to enter a five-tree shohin display.
Both their proposed exhibits were accepted, and
subsequently they took their trees to Belgium in
February to the show at its new and bigger venue.
A happy ending
The good news was that both their exhibits won
awards! Mark and Ritta were surprised and delighted!
Their shohin display won the First Prize for Shohin,
and their Kokonoe white pine won a prestigious
nomination award too. This was the second time in a
row that they had won the top prize for shohin at this
event, despite the high standard of the entries.
The tree is now in their care at their home in the
UK and growing well. It will be re-potted next spring
into a Gyozan pot.
Having managed the task of importing a tree to
the U.K. they have since found other trees in Japan
that they have imported via Bonsai Plaza. This great
experience to acquire a treasured possession was well
worth the effort, for the rewards were many, and the
memories are priceless.

Top; Certificate acknowledging
Kokonoe’s nomination.
Right; Mark and Ritta’s first
prize 5-tree shohin display at
Noelanders Trophy. Photo by
Willie Evenepoel, Belgium.
Bottom; Kokonoe and com-
panion plant at the Noeland-
ers Trophy, Belgium. Photo by
Willie Evenepoel.

October/November/December 2015 | BCI | 65