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L et’s work towards another year of mem-bership growth. I want to urge all members to come to
our November meeting and vote in our club’s election of officers for 2010 (see details, page 7). Whoever is elected, I am very excited about the momentum and energy level we have been able to maintain this year.
It takes time to put together a group of very talented people who are willing to put in the time it takes to make consistent improve-ments. I am confident that next year’s officers, committee chairs, and other board members will put their talents to work for our future growth. We have been on a consistent growth pattern and with our growing group of talented officers we will work smart to attract more devoted bonsai artists.
We started last month offering bonsai classes at our meeting room at 6:00 PM. In our first class, we discussed general information on what is appropriate pre-bonsai material. One of the most important decisions when purchas-ing a new bonsai tree is to start with a tree that has the least amount of unfix-able defects. We identified the best bonsai ma-terial and com-mon defects to avoid.
T h i s month’s class will be a work-shop, so please bring in your trees. (If small, bring more than one.) This ses-
sion will be open to any member, regardless of level of experience.
At 7:30 PM we will transition to our busi-ness meeting and the election of officers. Fol-lowing that, we will resume working on trees started in this class.
In order to be able to help as many members as possible, we will have the following people to help; David Whiteside, Ken Martin, Nat Stein, Paul Cen-teno, and Marj Branson. Based upon the material brought in, we may choose to identify one issue to discuss as a learning op-portunity.
Let’s keep up a solid effort and have fun in the process.
President’s Message
Let’s Get Out the Vote By Ken Fuentes
N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 V O L U M E 6 N U M B E R 1 1
Conejo ValleyConejo Valley Bonsai SocietyBonsai Society
A member of the Golden State Bonsai Federation
CVBS on the Web (Click on name to visit Web site.)
Conejo Valley Bonsai Society CVBS CaféPress Store CVBS Online Bonsai Gallery
Other Bonsai Groups (Click on name to visit Web site.) Golden State Bonsai Federation American Bonsai Society National Bonsai Foundation Bonsai Clubs International Bonsai Club of Santa Barbara California Aiseki Kai Descanso Bonsai Society Shohin Bonsai Society of So. Cal. San Diego Bonsai Club Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai Sansui-Kai of So. Cal.
In This Issue • President’s Message:
Let’s Get Out the Vote … 1 • CVBS Future Programs … 1 • Club Event: 6th Annual
CVBS Show … 2 – 4 • Roth Contest: Branson
Among Honorees … 5 • Refreshments … 6 • Barrett’s Bonsai Tips:
Defoliation, Watering … 6 • Bonsai Haiku … 6 • CVBS Future Meeting Notes:
November Elections and December Potluck … 7
• Elections: Four Officers To Be Elected … 7
• Membership … 7 • Coming Events … 8 • GSBF Event: 2010 Bonsai-A-
Thon Needs Volunteers … 8
Graphic by Paul Centeno © Conejo Valley Bonsai Society
© 2009 CONEJO VALLEY BONSAI SOCIETY Views expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the Conejo Valley Bonsai Society
Ken Fuentes
2009
November 19
6:00 – 7:30 PM: Class/Workshop 7:30 PM: Business Meeting: Election of 2010 Officers. Following the business meeting we will resume the workshop. BRING YOUR TREES
December 17 Holiday Potluck
2010 Sneak Preview: Bob Pressler (Feb.); Ted Matson (April); Jim Barrett (June).
CVBS Future Programs
2 CONEJO VALLEY BONSAI SOCIETY NOVEMBER 2009
Contact Us (Click on E-mail to automatically create a message.)
Officers PRESIDENT Ken Fuentes Phone (805) 495-7480 E-mail Ken VICE PRESIDENT Paul Centeno Phone (805) 648-6330 E-mail Paul CORRESPONDING SECRETARY/TREASURER Marj Branson Phone (805) 373-1330 E-mail Marj RECORDING SECRETARY Evans Thomas Phone (805) 497-0327 E-mail Evans PAST PRESIDENT/ADVISOR Nat Stein Phone (805) 374-9668 E-mail Nat
Committees NEWSLETTER EDITOR David E. Whiteside Phone (805) 647-8803 E-mail David PROGRAM CHAIR Deborah Ervin Phone (805) 495-8688 E-mail Deborah PUBLICITY CO-CHAIRS Guy & Deborah Ervin Phone (805) 495-8688 E-mail Guy & Deborah REFRESHMENTS CHAIR Bob Stradling Phone: (805) 558-5206 E-mail Bob WEBMASTER Tom McGuire E-mail Tom
Conejo Valley Bonsai Society Meeting Place Westlake Village City Hall Community Room 31200 Oakcrest Drive Westlake Village, CA 91361
Meeting Time 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM 3RD Thursday of every month
Club Event
Members’ Trees at 6th Annual CVBS Show
Catlin elm Damon Du Bois
Schefflera Bob Stradling
Procumbens nana juniper Ken Fuentes
Ficus neriifolia Ken Fuentes
San Jose juniper Nat Stein
Bougainvillea Bob Stradling
Shimpaku juniper Dorie Whittle
Editor’s Note: On October 3 – 4, the Conejo Valley Bonsai Society held its 6th Annual Exhibition at the Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks. Here are photographs of the 34 club-member trees on display. Due to space limits, only common names are used.
All photos by Shig Hayashi.
Ficus neriifolia Ken Fuentes
Cotoneaster Jill Peters
NOVEMBER 2009 CONEJO VALLEY BONSAI SOCIETY 3
European olive Ken Fuentes
European olive Ken Fuentes
San Jose juniper Nat Stein
Shimpaku juniper Grace Sy
New Zealand tea tree Grace Sy
Schefflera Gerald Shane
Ficus microcarpa Larry Kimmelman
Crapemyrtle Gerald Shane
Prostrata juniper Dorie Whittle
San Jose juniper Marj Branson
San Jose juniper Marj Branson
Prostrata juniper Marj Branson
Fukien tea Bob Stradling
4
Ginkgo biloba Nat Stein
Chinese elm Nat Stein
Chinese elm Nat Stein
Shimpaku juniper Nat Stein
Procumbens nana juniper Damon Du Bois
Coast live oak Kevin Kiely
Fukien tea Kevin Kiely
San Jose juniper Robert Mora
Hibiscus acetosella Paul Centeno
Ficus microphyllia Paul Centeno
Black pine Robert Mora
Ficus benjamina Paul Centeno
NOVEMBER 2009 CONEJO VALLEY BONSAI SOCIETY 5
Joshua Roth New Talent Competition
Branson Among Seven Roth Honorees By David E. Whiteside
T he Joshua Roth New Talent Competition—sponsored by the bonsai tool maker of that name—is an annual
event normally hosted by the American Bonsai Society. But when ABS was forced to cancel its 2009 national convention
earlier this year, they asked the Golden State Bonsai Federation to host it in their place. It was one of the highlights
of the GSBF convention in Riverside earlier this month. Everyone from Conejo Valley who attended the conven-
tion took a spe-cial interest in this contest. Not only was it a rare opportu-nity to witness the event, but our own Marj Branson was one of seven bonsai artists with less than 10 years experi-ence selected by
the
ABS to participate. Just getting to this stage of this competi-tion is in itself a big honor, so we were all cheering Marj on.
At 8:00 AM on the contest day, the participants were given pre-bonsai procumbens junipers that they had never seen before. They had until 5:00 PM to finish styling their trees, which were assigned by lot. Lunch was optional. In the end, Marj did not win, but there’s no shame in that—especially since the winner is al-ready a bonsai professional, albeit a young one. Here in photographs (Ken Fuentes, Shig Hayashi, and I all took some) is the story of Marj’s effort. She was able to purchase her tree at cost, so we’ll surely see more of it in the future.
Before the contest, the raw material is lined up (above). Marj’s assigned material (right) has some potential.
Under the pressure of limited time, Marj remained intensely focused on her tree (top and bottom left) for a solid eight hours, leading to very sore hands and mental fatigue. Part of the solution for her material included several jins (middle left). And her final result was on display during the GSBF annual convention banquet (bottom right).
6 CONEJO VALLEY BONSAI SOCIETY NOVEMBER 2009
H i everyone. Hope you all are e n j o y i n g o u r f a n t a s t i c
weather. Ain’t we lucky! This month’s refreshments will
be provided by Marj Branson (cold drinks) and Dorie Whittle (cookies/pastries). I will call you both a day or two before the meeting as a re-minder. Please get in touch with me if you are unable to attend.
Coffee is still an unsure thing, so maybe bring your own if you would like some. Below is the existing schedule for future meetings.
As you can see, we need another volunteer in January and then we’re covered until May.
To volunteer for May and be-yond in 2010, please see me, Bob Stradling, at the next meeting or con-tact me at [email protected] or phone me at (805) 558-5206.
Early 2010 and Beyond … By Bob Stradling
Refreshments
Early 2010 and Beyond … By Bob Stradling
Cold Drinks
Cookies/ Pastries
Nov. Marj Branson
Dorie Whittle
Dec. Annual Holiday Potluck
2010
Jan. Volunteer Needed
Damon Du Bois
Feb. Shar Lugo
Shirley Jorgensen
Mar. Jill Peters
Tony Castagna
Apr. Bob Stradling
Larry Kimmelman
May Volunteer Needed
Volunteer Needed
Barrett’s Bonsai Tips
Defoliation Choices, Watering Changes To Be Made By Jim Barrett
B oy! Last month was more like Au-gust than October. Most of my deciduous bonsai took
a real beating from the heat and their natural slowing down for the fall/winter dormancy. Consequently the leaves on the maples, hornbeam, and plum are pretty far gone. I do not expect new growth to replace them.
Although it seems early, I’m rec-ommending that you defoliate Japanese maples and any deciduous tree whose leaves are shriveled and damaged from the hot dry Santa Ana weather we had last month.
Remove old leaves from the soil and scrub the bark on smooth-bark trees with a mild detergent or Safer’s Insecticidal Soap. An early dormant spray treatment would then be a prudent thing to do.
I wouldn’t defoli-ate elms, pomegran-ate, or other deciduous trees if their foliage is still healthy and strong.
Repotting quince this month is rec-ommended by many of our Japanese experts. Waiting until spring tends to cause heavy thick roots and to stunt the tree’s growth.
Q u i n c e should be given as much sun as you can pro-vide.
No high n i t r o g e n fertilizers for the rest of this year.
P l a n t s are not tak-ing up water as fast now, so modify your watering schedule accordingly. Pale green or chartreuse foliage on pines and junipers may indicate their
soil is staying too wet. Hold back on the water and try keeping the soil on the dry side (not bone dry). Black pine and more juniper bon-sai can still be re-
potted now. The trees that have dropped their
leaves and the ones you have defoliated can be pruned and wired for detail. It’s easier with the foliage gone. Also, re-move old wire that appears to have done its job.
Jim Barrett
Pruning my bonsai which to keep, which to lop ... (sigh) can't decide —Dave Burke, Plymouth, Indiana. He comments: “One of the challenges of bonsai for many of us is work-ing out design strategy. Faced with the irreversibility of pruning cuts, we struggle with indecision.”
© Copyright 2009 Mid-America Bonsai Alliance & Dave Burke. Reprinted by permission. Photo: Verna Murrell of Steve Valentine during 2009 Bonsai-A-Thon.
Bonsai Haiku
… defoliate Japanese maples and any deciduous tree whose leaves are shriveled and dam-aged from the hot, dry Santa
Ana weather we had last month.
NOVEMBER 2009 CONEJO VALLEY BONSAI SOCIETY 7
T he Nominations Committee of the Conejo Valley Bonsai Society has assembled the following slate of officer candidates for 2010: • President: Ken Fuentes • Vice President: Kevin Kiely • Corresponding Secretary/Treasurer: Marj Branson • Recording Secretary: Ken Martin CVBS had planned to have two vice presidents starting in 2010, but Paul Centeno
has declined to run again; instead, Paul has agreed to continue serving our club as an advisor. We will continue our past practice of one vice president. This officer is ex-pected to become a future candidate for the presidency.
Nominations remain open until we hold the election during the business portion of the CVBS November meeting. Nominations can be sent to me in advance or made from the floor.
If you wish to nominate someone, you must obtain that person’s agreement to stand for election and serve for the one-year term. Self nominations also are ac-cepted.
—David E. Whiteside, Chair–Nominations Committee
A s previously announced, during the business portion of our November meeting we will elect new Conejo Valley
Bonsai Society officers for 2010. The Nominations Committee has produced a slate of one candidate for each of four Conejo Valley Bonsai Society officers: president, vice president, corre-sponding secretary/treasurer, and recording secretary.
This lineup reflects a change from our original plan to have two vice presidents, returning to the club’s long-standing prac-tice of having one vice president (see story below for details). These four officers will serve a one-year term from January through December 2010.
Additional nominations for any of the four officer positions are encouraged. Any CVBS member in good standing may nominate a candidate; self nominations are welcome. Candi-
dates also must be CVBS members in good standing. If you wish to nominate someone other than yourself, you must get their prior agreement to run and serve. These nomi-nations may be sent in advance to the Nomi-nations Committee
chair, David Whiteside, at [email protected]. Nomina-tions also may be made from the floor during the November business meeting.
In January we will recognize the outgoing officers and in-stall the incoming officers. The new officers will appoint the chairs of the standing committees: Newsletter (editor), Web (master), Program, Publicity, and Refreshments (chairs). The officers also may create new committees and appoint those chairs. The officers, committee chairs, and club advisors consti-tute the CVBS board.
Please give serious consideration to working on one of our standing committees in 2010. Even if all the current chairs con-tinue in 2010, every committee needs help. The newsletter, for example, is always looking for additional help reporting on bon-sai events, both our own and those sponsored by other groups. The Web master is hungry for members to post blogs about their bonsai activities. And publicity can always use added help getting the word out—to name just a few needs. Reminder: Holiday Potluck December 17
Put it on your calendar and set aside the date for our Holiday Potluck Dinner. The evening includes our annual raffle and auction, so come prepared—bring cash and/or checkbook. (Please note: While the raffle is open to members and their guests/partners, the auction is open only to CVBS members in good standing.) Mark the date down!
CVBS Memberships
CVBS—A Bonsai Club for Everyone! By Marj Branson
I f you are new to the Conejo Valley Bonsai Society—as a
visitor to our Web site, reader of our newsletter, a guest at a meet-ing, or already decided to join the club—there are virtually no barri-ers to entry. Our annual dues are only $20.00 for a single person, $25.00 for couples.
P l e a s e we l come new members Shar Lugo and Shirley Jorgensen. The mother/daughter team joined in October.
We meet on the third Thurs-day of each month, starting at 7:30 PM, in the Westlake Village City Hall at 31200 Oakcrest Drive, Westlake Village, CA 91361. You can bring your check to the next meeting, or mail it to me at 1169 Triunfo Canyon Road, Westlake Village, CA 91361. Please make the check payable to Conejo Valley Bonsai Society.
CVBS Future Meeting Notes
November: Elect 2010 Officers December: Holiday Potluck By Marj Branson
Elections
Four Officers To Be Elected
8 CONEJO VALLEY BONSAI SOCIETY NOVEMBER 2009
Coming Events November 2009
November 13 – 14 / Ross, California Marin Bonsai Club: Fall show at the Marin Art and Garden Center, Livermore Room, 50 Sir Frances Drake Blvd. Hours are Friday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM, dinner, demonstration, and raffle (TBA) and Saturday,10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. For more information call Craig Thompson: (415) 472-6685. December 2009
December 2 / Encino, California Sansui-Kai of Southern California presents the appearance of European Bonsai Master Walter Pall, at the Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa Blvd., from 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM. Walter Pall will offer an assessment/critique of trees from personal collections. Materials may be anything from raw stock to show-ready bonsai. Don’t miss this rare opportunity with an internationally renowned bonsai master. Admission is free for Sansui-Kai members plus $5 per tree critique, and a $7 entry for non-members plus $10 per tree critique. For more information visit www.Sansui-Kai.com or www.walter-pall.de.
December 26, 2009 – January 2, 2010 / San Marino, California California Aiseki Kai: 20th Anniversary Exhibition of Viewing Stones Show in Friends Hall at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road. Hours are 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM. (Closed on January 1st.) Daily slide shows repeated each hour, December 26 – 30, 2009. Free parking and free entry to our exhibit. For more information see our Web site: www.aisekikai.com or contact [email protected] January 2010
January 16 – 17 / Pleasanton, California Bay Island Bonsai Annual Bonsai Exhibit. New location. Bigger facility. Hall of Commerce, Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Avenue, Pleasanton, 94566. Admission $5.00. Free Parking. Same great auction on Saturday, with preview at noon and auction at 1:00 PM. Guided tours of the exhibit both Saturday and Sunday. Bonsai sale and vendors both days. Hours: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Saturday and Sunday. For more information: (510) 865-1008 or www.bayislandbonsai.com. February 2010
February 27 – 28 / San Marino, California Golden State Bonsai Federation: Collection at the Huntington Bonsai-A-Thon XIV fundraiser will be held at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road. Hours are 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM each day. Many vendors of trees, pots, tools, and books will be on hand. Ongoing demonstrations each day and the finished trees and other items will be auctioned each afternoon. Breakfast, lunch, raffles, and novice workshops will be offered. For more information contact Elissa Hoxie: (310) 373-2840 or (310) 977-7966. E-mail [email protected].
February 27 – 28 / Oakland, California Golden State Bonsai Federation Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt: Mammoth Fundraiser 2010 at the Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Avenue. , Oakland. Saturday (February 27): Auction of fabulous bonsai 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM with preview at 12:00 Noon. Sunday (February 28): Mammoth Fundraiser and Bazaar, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Demonstration at 1:30 PM by Collection Curator Kathy Shaner. Silent auction, vendors, benefit drawings, raffles, and a large consignment sale of bonsai and bonsai-related items. For general information: http://www.gsbf-bonsai.org/lake-merritt/ or Linda Soliven: (925) 776-2342.
T he Golden State Bonsai Federation’s annual Bonsai-A-Thon is slated for the Huntington Botanical Gardens on February 27 – 28, 2010. This
event raises funds to support the GSBF collection at the Huntington. Our friends at the Descanso Bonsai Society shoulder the chore of orga-
nizing this two-day bonsai extravaganza every year and, as always, they need our help. To volunteer, please contact our own Corresponding Secretary/Treasurer Marj Branson: Phone (805) 373-1330 or e-mail her at [email protected].
GSBF Event
2010 Bonsai-A-Thon Needs Volunteers
