Thanks for all comments. Some comments of my own in no particular order.
The trident in the shallow pot is a barn burner. I prune the roots each year to within a half inch of the trunk. It just keeps getting stronger and stronger. The tree is planted in 100% akadama, my soil of choice. I will plant in no other. The tree is all the proof I need.
Yes it would be lots better if amateur shows such as this one would do it right. I have lots of ideas on how to improve the presentation and I would do it if the whole club were in agreement. Those things cost money and need to be percieved by everyone as a needed item. It would be nice if a club would try a few tables like Mike Page's club. Just a few tables set up as a focal point. A display such as that could have a solid background, and the chosen displayer would be allowed to dress that table as they saw fit. I would love to have a chance at that sort of display.Things to work on in the future.
Scrolls, This is a subject in which I have done some real investigating. It is an area that The US as a whole does a terrible job of at importing. For whatever reason, scrolls are far and few between. There are numerous inexpensive scroll card types that I have seen and in my opinion they detract more than they improve. There is a picture of a tree in Mike Page's recent club showing from San Mateo that had a really fine larger semi carved tree shown with this really small hanging scroll card. The scroll looks dwarfed with the tree. I would find the display more appealing without the scroll. I have purchased some scrolls and will be useing them if a few display later this summer. I have some work to do on a few plants to get them ready for display.
Plastic table covers
Need I say more!
Final thoughts, displays such as this while nice to look at, have nothing on seeing them in real life. The image of the trident and bird depicted in the scroll are very good together in real life and do not seem to cancel each other out as in the photo. There is just something about a photo that can starve a look.
I will look for supporting photo's of the shohin rack system. Part of the problem with the shohin rack as I have it displayed is the trident forest. It was not slated to be grouped in this composition. I have a smaller single shohin trident maple that was to go in that place, but changed out the plant at the last weekend due to the smaller plant leafing out so late. I did not like the look of the tree, we were experiancing bad wheather during this time with periods of record rain, late spring and no sun. This forest is rather large for tables of this size. While the planting is at the upper limit for shohin, it is too large for this grouping. It acts as a focal point. Once again I feel this display if given the proper room would seem better. I feel this display needs at least six feet of table to be shown adaquately.
Best regards, Al