A close-up photo shows a mature root structure of a juniper bonsai tree in Don White’s collection.

Preparation for the Santa Cruz County Fair has reached a fever pitch, and crews are busy painting, building and hauling supplies into the fairgrounds.

But much of the preparation for the annual bonsai show is far less sublime.

Those who practice the art know it takes years of precise pruning, bending, shaping and, possibly most importantly, patience. One of the bonsai trees that will be on display at the fair is more than 300 years old, and many are in their double digits.

The annual bonsai exhibit, always a popular draw at the fair, will feature more than 40 plants that have been painstakingly formed by members of the bonsai clubs of Watsonville and Santa Cruz.

Bonsai is governed by a strict set of rules that may be broken only for very good reasons.

A “number one” branch must be a certain distance from the roots on one side, there must be a back branch that gives the tree depth, the trunk cannot be straight and must convey a sense of “movement,” and the tree must lean toward the viewer.

The bonsai trees are no less than miniature works of art. Some look impossibly small, like they would be more at home in a child’s train set. Others, with their gnarled trunks and twisted branches, look like they’ve spent their lives on the wind-blasted peak of a rocky mountain.

The display will also feature bonsai demonstrations by experts, and at least two docents will be on hand to answer questions.

The Watsonville Bonsai Club, which has 36 members, began as an all-Japanese club in 1968. It is the fifth-oldest club in the state.

Don White, the vice president of the Watsonville Bonsai Club, said he enjoys every aspect of the weeklong show, but one part always stands out.

“The greatest thing is when you have kids’ day,” he said. “They can’t believe these trees are real.”

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*Photos by Tarmo Hannula*

(Published in 9/6/08 edition)

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