Rhododendron ‘Shanghai Rosie’

Another item I picked up from Guy Guidry at Bonsai Northshore was a Rhododendron ‘Shanghai Rosie’.  I liked the shape of it and because my fiance seemed to love the smaller shohin and mame bonsai, I have begun to appreciate them more as well.  Some would probably say it has a stick in a pot feel, but standing in front of it, it just gives me the impression of a middle-aged broom style tree.  Watering in the summer is probably going to be tough, but we’ll see what happens.  I hope to repot this one soon in something slightly bigger so it can have some growing room, and it needs a soil change to something I’m more used to like a Turface mix.  Azalea’s are very popular in the south and are a part of almost any Southern garden.  I hope this one stays in my bonsai collection a long time.

Louisiana Day of Bonsai Hosted by Bonsai Northshore

This was really one of my first real visits to a local bonsai show and I must say it was excellent.  I really enjoyed talking to the people and seeing all the great trees at the show.  Guy Guidry is a great artist, but more importantly, he’s a hospitable person.  He welcomed everyone into his backyard and asked them to stay as long as they wished.  There were several bonsai workshops, including one working on a monstrous bald cypress where his nephew and son were wiring for a few hours.  I managed to take some pictures, but unfortunately, my camera died really early in the day.  I did get some video of the bonsai competitions, but I haven’t been able to edit it yet.  His nursery was really spectacular and I thought the prices were reasonable. Here’s a gallery of the bonsai trees that I did manage to get.  These were on display for judging by everyone that attended.  The kingsville boxwood won.