Pot selection – exposed root black pine – Bonsai Tonight

One of my favorite activities relating to bonsai display is pot selection. I’ll be showing a young black pine at tomorrow’s Bay Island Bonsai exhibit and the pot used for the past year isn’t exactly show quality.

13 year-old black pine in colander

Here are 11 options for the tree. Some look great to me, others less so. A couple of my favorites are either a bit too small or a bit too large. Any favorite combinations?

Pot 1 – scalloped sides

Pot 2 – Chinese antique

Pot 3 – nanban style

Pot 4a – Reiho

Pot 4b – same pot from the other side

Pot 5 – drum pot

Pot 6 – shallow dish

Pot 7 – nanban

Pot 8 – flower-shaped pot

Pot 9 – square pot

Pot 10 – Bunzan

Pot 11 – square pot

To see the final selection, come to Bay Island Bonsai’s 17th annual exhibit this weekend or stay tuned for upcoming posts from the exhibit.