The five judges for the bonsai exhibition met at 8am in the hotel, along with a team of organizers, to review the judging procedures, a very complicated process. Three of the judges were from Taiwan, Shinichi Nakajima from Japan and me from the United States.

The exhibition was split into two divisions, Phempis and non- Pemphis. The Pemphis is a unique species native to the Philippines and grows near the salt water. Actually, they look similar to the Buttonwoods of Florida, but have smaller foliage with tiny flowers and hard dense wood. All the specimens are collected and are difficult to grow outside their native habitat. Even in the Philippines they are often sprayed with salt water. I found it interesting that some specimens had silvery foliage while others were bright green. After inquiring, I was informed that the silvery foliage is normal because of the salt water spray, while…