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Green Country Bonsai November 2007 Newsletter Volume 27, Issue 11 |
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Officers: Marcus Bush, President Charles Sitter, Vice President Bill Watkins, Treasurer Lisa Martin, Secretary
Board Members:
Michelle Gray, Ex Officio
November Meeting:
November Program:
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October Meeting Notes by Lisa Martin President Bush opened the meeting noting there were no visitors, and proceeding with a mention of the evening’s program on clay tray construction and pinch pots facilitated by Mike Flanagan. Marcus also wanted to recognize Mike Raska for the great program he gave at the September meeting. October 6 and 7 is the Bonsai Master Work Shop. If you have not signed up for the work shop you still can show up with tree and tools and join in if there are spots still available. Members who do not want to participate can still come as a silent observer. If you have not already done so, now is the time to ready your entries for the fall show. Entering a Bonsai in the show will give you some good practice in displaying bonsai. Even if you do not think you have a bonsai worthy of putting in the show you still should pick your best one and show it. This is a beneficial practice for the eventuality of a good show specimen. Displaying show bonsai can be an art in itself, using mats and stones, even accent plants. Mike Blake suggested that the club participate in Springfest as a fundraiser for the club. The event is in April. Tropicals were suggested as a good seller. If anyone would like to donate for this let Mike know. Mike Flanagan brought some nice show and tell: a Japanese chrysanthemum in an unusually shaped green pot along with a winged sumac, displaying fall color. After some instructions on how to form a pinch pot members started working with the lump of clay that was put before them. As each person's personality and creativity started to come out so did their pots. The pots made were like snow flakes; no two were just alike.
Master Bonsai Workshop
Lindsay Shiba conducted an energetic and educational workshop over the October 6 -7 weekend. I always benefit from the expertise that Lindsay shares. We rewired and initiated the next stage of training on the juniper he worked on last year. I also brought all of my purchases from the Sherrod’s sale: a small pine previously unidentified, a bougainvillea, and a red maple. He immediately identified the pine as a Japanese white pine, probably on black pine root stock. I want to develop it in the literati style, but it needs more growth; plant it out and let it grow. The red maple is a landscape tree; I now have a nice new pot and a shade tree in the offing. The bougainvillea was transformed into a twin-trunk style that shows great promise. Lindsay also gave fertilizing tips on increasing bloom, advice on developing roots (nebari), and insights on the philosophy behind the style. Don’t you wish you had been there? |
