Winter Silhouette Expo, 2016

I think I have enough pics to to write at least three posts on the Winter Silhouette Expo but I’m not sure if I will. I could do one on show prep, one on the demos and extracurricular adventures and, of course this one, on the exhibit. Not sure if I want to though. We will see what the response is. Anyway,  there are a lot of pics coming up so I’ll be brief as to the descriptions. This year there were something like 74 trees and I think I got them all but, if I missed any, and you have pics, I’ll add them in, send them to adamaskwhy@att.net. 

Also, here is a Link to a live Facebook feed I did, for those so interested. 

Here we go, in no particular order but with (as always) my commentary. I’ll start with my trees, get them out of the way. 

The main tree is buxus microphylla, a Japanese boxwood. The companion is a nandina domestica, heavenly bamboo. It was loaned to me by the Knowlton’s, the Mr. and Mrs. Presidente of BSF. 

My shohin display: from top, clockwise, ilex vomitoria “schillings”, portulacaria afra, defoliated for the show, ficus salicaria, and ulmus parvifolia. 

The next tree is a Japanese maple. Unfortunately I don’t have the cheat sheet they passed out so I’m not sure which variety. There were probably at least 4 or 5. I think it was a stroke of genius keeping the leaves on it. 

Another Japanese maple (acer palmatum, for your files) 

A great kusomono display. Very topical with the berries. 

Love the next tree, a chrysanthemum grown by Bill Valvanis. 

He had printed up a full history of the tree. 

At the end of the show he pruned off all the leaves and flowers. 

A juniperis sargentii. Shimpaku I guess. 

This is a Japanese maple called shishigashira. 

A Japanese winterhazel I think. 

A big bougainvillea from Florida. 

Japanese maple. 

Planted on a rock in a bronze suiban

Chuhin sized Japanese maple. 

This shimpaku won best conifer. Very deservedly. 

I apologize for the bad pic, it’s a screen shot from the live video, but it shows the bronzed foliage that is typical of a winter look to a juniper. It is a winter show after all and it was the only wintery looking conifer in the exhibit. 

This one is cool, it’s a ficus salicaria, defoliated to mimic a winter silhouette. 

This bougie was misunderstood. Everyone was amazed that it was blooming at this time. If you come to Florida, we are exploding in color from all the bougies blooming now. Winter is one of the natural times of year for them to bloom. 

A shohin display with ficus microcarpa on top and….……willow leaf ficus on bottom. 

I love this tree. The scale is near perfect. 

And this willow leaf has the best ramification, for the size, I’ve ever seen. 

Again, as I’ve said, I don’t have a cheat sheet, but I’m guessing some type of beech. 

This was a giant display of kingsville boxwood. Very well put together. 

Ficus microcarpa belonging to my bud Dustin. 

And his bougainvillea “pink pixie”, defoliated of course. 

I might guess a trident maple or zelkova 

Japanese maple

Japanese white pine 

The next three pics are a juniper procumbens nana. The brown things are cones

Nicely done deadwood

And the whole tree. 

This is where the winter season should really be shown in an exhibit, on the companion plants. 

Ficus salicaria, the willow leafed fig. 

Root over rock trident maple

Two mixed plantings representing deadfall and reforestation

This next pic is a screenshot from the live feed. I just missed a few trees I guess. I apologize for the bad quality. 

Another screen grab. I can’t believe I didn’t get a pic of this tree, it’s a masterfully done winged elm clump. Nice. One of my favorite. 

A maple 

Rocky Mountain juniper. 

This tree won best in show. My favorite too, a Japanese beech forest. 

People didn’t like the stand, it being made of plexiglass,  but most people didn’t see this, I don’t know if it was serendipity or planned but, look under it, at the trees shadow. 

The next tree, a juniper, had very nice deadwood and twisting live vein. But…..(and I apologize to the artist/owner) You couldn’t see it from the front. It looked like a bush. Were it my tree I would have that twisting, tortured deadwood as the focal point. 

View from the 2nd floor down the venue was beautiful. 

Another screen grab. Again I apologize. I think it was a kingsville boxwood. 

Japanese black pine. Really well done. 

Here is Rob Kempinskis ficus microcarpa. It went into the show and on Saturday it was in leaf. But that night we defoliated it and Sunday it was naked. It surprised many attendees. I think it’s what made it win the best tropical award. 

Next, Rodney Clemmons awesome kingsville boxwood grove.  

The pot is more than three feet across. 

This winged elm belonged to Rodney as well. I would have chosen it as best deciduous. 

A scroll by Stacy Allen Muse. He’s a phenomenal artist. 

Buttonwood 

A sea grape by my friend Barb Hiser. Amazing ramification and it’s in a Jim Smith pot. 

A wonderfully fat acer palmatum

A shimpaku juniper 

Not sure on this tree. 

Another shimpaku
This was my favorite kusomono. That trailing, dead stalk is brilliant. 

I kinda enjoyed this JBP exposed root too. 

And I loved this zelkova. It was a part of this display. The root stand on the left was carved by Sean Smith. 

That pine is great. And Another Stacy Allen Muse scroll. The shohin companion is a trident maple. 

This “scroll” had watercolor representations of the birds that eat the holly berries for the next tree…..….a native deciduous holly. It won best fruiting tree. 

Another Japanese maple
This display was well thought out. I’ll probably steal the idea. Those verticals pieces are cold rolled round metal stock. They are supposed to represent a deciduous forest in the far background. 

The tree is a hinoki cypress. It is, believe it or not, only 14 months from its first styling. 

A Chinese elm 
And another favorite of mine, a larch. Serious zone envy. 

This next display was by Arthur Joura from the Asheville arboretum. A Japanese maple. 

A native planting, can’t recall the species. 

The whole display. Arthur painted the piece behind, a mixed media collage. I think it all works together. 

Another great scroll by Stacy. 
And that’s all I have. I’m pretty sure I missed at least two or three. Send me those pics! 

Like I said, I could write a few more posts on the show. Maybe.

 In the meantime, the parting shot, that awesome beech forest planting. 

Look for a new video next over at the adamaskwhy YouTube channel. 

See ya’!