For flower-heavy bonsai, what's the rule of thumb for choosing pot color?

[RozendaalArts]

So I've got this beautiful Hibiscus and I wanna make a new pot for it, cuz it's in a random dark blue one at the moment, but not sure what color glaze to go with. Do you choose a pot color that's similar, or complimentary to the flower color? Or anything goes? I saw a white azalea in an off-white pot on social media a while ago and it looked so elegant, but maybe that only works for white.

 

[RJG2]

Whatever floats your boat!

To start, I normally look at the color opposite the flower color on a color wheel. The are a lot of good online tools for this.

But sometimes it's nice to be matchy matchy.

 

[RJG2]

Another thread I always link to when people start asking about pot selection:

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/pot-school.12779/

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Another thread I always link to when people start asking about pot selection:

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/pot-school.12779/

That's a good thread from "the vaults" , worth a careful read.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

So I've got this beautiful Hibiscus and I wanna make a new pot for it, cuz it's in a random dark blue one at the moment, but not sure what color glaze to go with. Do you choose a pot color that's similar, or complimentary to the flower color? Or anything goes? I saw a white azalea in an off-white pot on social media a while ago and it looked so elegant, but maybe that only works for white.

View attachment 605782

Short answer, if you know that you will be displaying the tree (at shows or club meetings) primarily while the tree is in bloom, the pot should "highlight" the best traits of the tree. In this case the lovely pink flower. A pot glazed in blue or green would be great for contrast. Blue accents the red center of the flower. Glossy glazed blue pots are fine with gaudy flowers like hibiscus.

Alternative is you can go with painted scenes like that used for azalea, though I think a solid or 2 tone pot would be best for this delightful hibiscus.

There is no single "right answer", what ever floats your boat.

Shape of the pot should help create the "image" of a tree, the pot shape should suggest a field, or meadow, it should visually stage the tree in a context or setting. Or at least give a suggestion of a setting. Otherwise we'd use generic terra cotta pots. See that linked article.

But for fun at home, it doesn't have to be too complicated. A blue glazed pot is great for big pink flowers.

 

[RozendaalArts]

Short answer, if you know that you will be displaying the tree (at shows or club meetings) primarily while the tree is in bloom, the pot should "highlight" the best traits of the tree. In this case the lovely pink flower. A pot glazed in blue or green would be great for contrast. Blue accents the red center of the flower. Glossy glazed blue pots are fine with gaudy flowers like hibiscus.

Alternative is you can go with painted scenes like that used for azalea, though I think a solid or 2 tone pot would be best for this delightful hibiscus.

There is no single "right answer", what ever floats your boat.

Shape of the pot should help create the "image" of a tree, the pot shape should suggest a field, or meadow, it should visually stage the tree in a context or setting. Or at least give a suggestion of a setting. Otherwise we'd use generic terra cotta pots. See that linked article.

But for fun at home, it doesn't have to be too complicated. A blue glazed pot is great for big pink flowers.

It's currently in a dark blue pot but I don't think it does anything for the plant, might even feel too dissonant, too many different colors together. I was originally planning to buy this €35 Houtoku, but hesitated too long and then it got sold. I don't have any such glaze and just copying this pot would feel a little cheap anyway, so now I'm thinking I'll go for a similar shape, but completely different color. I'm leaning toward emulating the flower in the pot, making it a very light pink, though slightly less bright to not distract, and maybe make a gradient with the dark red/purple from the top, or make a 5-sided lotus shape to mirror the 5 flower petals and put the dark purple in the grooves instead of as a gradient. What do you think?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Personally, matching pot color to flower color strikes me as boring and unimaginative. It is done with traditional bonsai only when flowering season is very short lived, and the tree is to be displayed out of flowering season. For example, a forsythia bonsai to be displayed in middle of August (summer), might be put in a yellow glazed pot to suggest the flower colors one missed in spring. Same forsythia displayed in bloom, in spring, best in a green or blue glazed pot. Ideally when repotting your trees, you keep in mind the show schedule you will have planned for them, choosing pots to highlight best traits at the time you are going to show the tree.

If you don't plan on public shows, best pot is for when the tree is at its best, either spring bloom or autumn colors. Whichever you like. With forsythia, flowers are yellow and autumn colors are yellow, so a green, blue, or even a brown pot would work to contrast and highlight the colors of the best traits. Other species, different colors. But you got the idea.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

It's currently in a dark blue pot but I don't think it does anything for the plant, might even feel too dissonant, too many different colors together. I was originally planning to buy this €35 Houtoku, but hesitated too long and then it got sold. I don't have any such glaze and just copying this pot would feel a little cheap anyway, so now I'm thinking I'll go for a similar shape, but completely different color. I'm leaning toward emulating the flower in the pot, making it a very light pink, though slightly less bright to not distract, and maybe make a gradient with the dark red/purple from the top, or make a 5-sided lotus shape to mirror the 5 flower petals and put the dark purple in the grooves instead of as a gradient. What do you think?

View attachment 605945

I like the green mottled glaze a lot. This is nice.