Been in to bonsai for past 4 years or so but finally getting more into taking care of my own over the past year, and everything that goes with that like wanting to eventually display them.
That got me thinking where is the best places to get scrolls to fit in the tradiontal showing of the 3 point display?
I have been to a couple small shows near me and there are vendors for trees and pots but nothing really for the scroll. And with my couple searches on line I can find a couple things here and there but not a wide variety that I was hoping for or they are just in a more cartoonish art style.
I have found several at flee markets, second hand stores, and antique malls. Watch for round tubes and long boxes… (Thats how I found my Japanese shortsword and Ikabana tool kits…)
We do have several Japanese and Chinese enclaves near here that are good sources.
Dont overpay; unless they are real and old… Especially if they have their own wood boxes… If you are collecting, buy only older signed / chopped scrolls! Ive never gone over $100, usually $30. Stains and tears dont work…
They ARE available on Ebay; however I avoid those, becsuse you cant tell quality and if they are BRAND new or older…
Buy what UpYOU like! Dont buy everything you see.
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Watch for seasional motifs and complimentry designs (to YOUR bonsai) as you buy. Spring / summer flowers / colors… Mountains and rivers. Animals… fish… insects…? ; to compliment YOUR bonsai in a display.
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That being said, I have as yet never used a scroll as a backdrop in a show… Probably will only use them in a private display. You WILL have to plan ahead on some way to hang/ elevate them at a local show.
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NOW, lets talk companion plants in a display…
Bonsai On!
Yea right now I am more interested in private display but that still probably a year or 2 out for when I have a house for room, and same goes with the compaion plant for them waiting to have more room to keep them since they are harder to over winter them here in Michigan.
I just wamted to get a feel of whats best way to go about it so thank you for the help.
Welcome to the world of bonsai. Bet you can’t eat only one…
I’m nowhere near an expert on the subjects, just a longtime confused hobyist. Bonsai gets deap fast…
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Ryan did a in-depth teaching video on the current show 3 point display model. Tree, stand, companion display / stand. The conceps and traditions are crazy deap. Querry the subject in the Mirai live section (above superscript clickers…).
Earth, sky, man. Something like that.
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The compaion concept is left open to other things; like a suiseki rock (another long-winded item), a figurine or sculpture, or another very small bonsai-- on a stand, etc. All of which relates / accents the main bonsai in some way. Overall display angles (the way the main tree leans) , height, color, texture , season…
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Ryan did several videos on plants and Kusamona (complicated mixed plant tray designs…).
I only try to do companion plants that will happily survive in my N. E. Washington winters. Pretty brutal…
I have local wild annual short sedge (seed self sows, easy transplant, and are crazy cute green medium height grass-like. ), mini hens and chicks (Sempervivum, winter hardy, easy transplant, reproduces yearly, crazy cool colors and flowers…), wield violets, domestic mini violas, several smaller leafed domestic ferns (from Lowes.), one rabbit’s foot fern!—, etc. ALL very small outside plants. I tried chives…, mini yellow and red rose bushes, short pinks and paints flowers…, etc. Oddley, I have killed several cactus…(would work for desert pines…) I couldnt keep the huckleberry plants alive…too warm in summer here.
Im also trying to grow smaller wild plants collected with my recenly acquired (very young) yamadori pines. Dont have a clue what they are yet. Mountain weeds? It was recently explained----these may help the pine survive; microbiom, anyone? (Another crazy interesting long winded set of blog posts…)
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It will take more than one setting to get this all straight.
I realize this post is long, hope this helps!
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Bonsai On!
Yea the 3 point display video is on my list that I need to watch. I slowly been trying to get through the primer beginner videos and tree specific for trees I have.
Also thankfully my fiancee is more into succulents and catcus (she does also have a couple trees) and we have those hens and chicks since they can be outdoors year round and a couple other indoors ones. So those might become multi purpose at some point.
