Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Schedule of eventsMeetings are held at the TBG (Toronto Botanical Garden), located at 777 Lawrence Avenue East (at Leslie St.), Toronto, in the studio rooms upstairs. The first meeting is free for non-members.
Bonsai 101: 7:00 Bonsai 101 is held in Studio #2 upstairs at the TBG. Beginners should read 'INTRODUCTION TO BONSAI' (click on link), posted on the TBS web site prior to attending. This class was created for beginners to bonsai; experienced members are welcome but asked not to disrupt the proceedings.
May 9:
General meeting: 7:45 – Floral hallMay 9: Japanese maples for bonsai. Workshop: 4 maples offered - $40 fee, sign up at the
membership table. Please bring in forest plantings and collected trees for critique.
June 13: Martin Schmalenberg pays us a visit. There are still spots available for the group workshop. Register at the membership table - $60 fee.
Spring show: Saturday, May 28 – Sunday, May 29TBG Floral hall 8 am: bring in your bonsai, bonsai stands, shitakusa, suiseki, and scrolls for
display. Volunteers are needed for set up and take down - contact John Hoffman. Open to public 11 am - 6 pm.
Social/Critique: Saturday evening.
Sales area: studio rooms 1, 2, 3 upstairs. Trees, bonsai soil, tools, wire, books, and other materials are available for purchase. To sign up for volunteer hours, contact Gim Retsinas.
Outside our club:May 12: Joshua Roth New Talent competition
Being held at The Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan, during the Bonsai in the Garden Learning Seminar, this competition is an annual event to recognize and promote new bonsai talent in North America. First prize is $1,000 toward an exclusive course of instruction with an approved bonsai teacher. The first stage of the competition is a judging of photographs of previously designed trees by the entrant. The second stage will be the production of a bonsai from raw material.Visit the ABS website to pre-register: Joshua Roth New Talent Competition
2
On the cover: Mike Roussel's larch (Larix laricina) forest bonsai. I created this 13 tree forest in 2008 from trees I had collected on my father's property, near Peterborough, On. It is very large - over 3 ft wide and tall. I had it planted in a forest pot initially and then moved it on a slab. It was not doing well on the slab so this year I replanted it with my apprentices into the current pot of Chinese origin, purchased from Kim's Nature. Both Marco Invernizzi and Marty Schmalenberg have worked on the forest with me, but I have not done a lot of wiring because, for this bonsai, I like the wild look. There is no doubt that I will have to start wiring it more to maintain the shape and prevent branch dieback. It is one of my favourite bonsai.
Presidents Message by Carlos Bras
April was a busy one for our club! We had a custom bonsai pot workshop, lead by Angelo, with wonderful results, and everyone had such a good time we may do again in the near future.
During our April general meeting we held a forest larch workshop and forest bonsai demo., with that composition being raffled off during the break. But we weren’t done creating bonsai; we then had a collecting trip organized by Kevin out to cow pasture with hundreds of apple trees. Over 15 members came out and enjoyed a truly beautiful Sunday, and everyone walked away with at least one future bonsai.
May will be just as busy and enjoyable! For the next club meeting we will have Japanese maple workshop and an open workshop for people wanting to get there trees ready for the show.
On May 28 and 29, the club hold its annual Spring show and sale. We ask everyone to participate by helping out with the set up, and please bring along a tree or trees to display in the show. If you plan to sell anything in the sales area, fill out the appropriate forms (available on our club website), and remember that, if you sell items, you must help out in the sales area.
On Saturday, May 28, after the show is closed to the public, we will hold a club social where drinks and snacks will served. We will also announce the winner of this year’s Derrick Morton Presidents Award, for the best in show, and we will also have a critique of trees.
In June we will continue with the high level of club activity, with a visit from Martin Schmalenberg and he will run workshops of the June 11,12 and a tree critique on June13. Some spots are still available for the workshops, so please see Kem at the May meeting to register.
June 13 will be our last general meeting, but we will be arranging summer workshops and garden visits. If you are interested in holding a garden social please speak with Kem.
Spring collecting trip - my first…ever by Sylvia LeRoy, photos by Otmar Sauer
The club sent out an email about the collecting trip a few days before April 17th. I was unsure about going, because of my lack of experience…..and lack of physical strength. So I called my two sons, expecting to be refused. They were on board, however, for now at least I had some strength. We filled out our Release of Liability forms, required by the club, to protect the owner against liability, in case we got injured while on private property, packed up the SUV with all the suggested equipment, and programmed the GPS for the collecting site.
The weather was amazing, sunny, with a mild breeze and no bugs at all! Our car trip to Rice Lake was beautiful. At the location, the terrain was surprisingly hilly, with new vistas at every turn, and the kids appeared to be enjoying themselves as well. Although they are decent kids, and their interest in horticulture is not high, I did get some questions about what we were going to do, and they asked questions about bonsai, and learned a great deal more about it than they did before the trip.
As we turned the last corner we saw a line of cars parked along the road; we had arrived. It was about 9:30 am. On the side of the road was a gate
opening to gently sloping fields, tufted with leafless shrubs as far as the eye could see. Here and there were small evergreens - pines upon closer examination. Our organizer said we could go south until we reached a fence and north until we reached another fence; we chose the north. Off we went with our shovels, our tags and bags.
3
We were soon approached by an ATV driven by the landowner who explained that we should take no soil and fill all holes after the tree has been harvested. They instructed us to leave cut branches in a pile by the holes. The owners explained that these shrubby apple trees create shade, which interferes with grass growth, which is counter to their farming activities. They encouraged us to take as many trees as we wanted, and we tried our best to comply with their wish.
The collecting field was a cow pasture, but had not been recently visited, as the cow patties were dry and odorless; so the walking was quite pleasant. The trees were extremely plentiful, and we had a difficult time deciding which to take. By now, each of my sons wanted a tree of their own, for their very own bonsai. I chose one that had been trampled. The trunk shape made me imagine that the wind had shaped it, or I could cascade it for styling. In all, we chose three subjects. We wrapped what roots we could get carefully in plastic to preserve any moisture we could. Happy with our choices, we packed them, our tools, and ourselves, and set out for home around noon.
When we arrived home, I pruned them quite severely. All the literature recommended that you should balance the volume of branches on top with the volume of roots on the bottom. I then potted the trees in a regular type soil which has been kept moist. The rest is up to the tree and Nature.
This collecting trip was very encouraging for me: my helpers and I had a great time, my understanding of bonsai in general increased, the kids now understand a bit more about bonsai culture, they had some fun, and will probably go again. The experience was so positive, I am more confident about the whole practice of collecting.It has got to be the best way to build a bonsai collection - count me in the next time!
AnnouncementsWorkshopsWe hold workshops during our monthly Monday night meetings, on weekends, and in backyards on Saturdays during the summer. To register, check in at the membership desk at 7 p.m., before our monthly meetings.
Bonsai tools?You need bonsai tools; we sell bonsai tools, among other paraphernalia. Contact Gim Retsinas (see back cover) to order. He is currently putting together an order with J-bonsai (http://www.j-bonsai.com/).
TBS websiteDierk Neugebauer recently completed part 2 of his root-over-rock salvage operation, entitled With Some Second Thoughts About The Process (click on link to read this voluminous article) on our club website this month.
FormsThe membership form, introduction to bonsai, bonsai record form, and the sales sheet form, are located under 'Documents' (at the top right of the screen) on the TBS website: http://torontobonsai.org/documents/
TBS on FacebookThe TBS is on F acebook. (Click and like us today.)
4
Announcements (cont.)LibraryOur TBS library has instructional DVDs for club members' use. Borrow them to develop your skill in bonsai.
Bonsai Penjing CanadaBonsai Penjing Canada recently promoted the Peterborough garden show, which featured Joan Greenway, our local BCI representative, who gave a presentation on bonsai basics.
Publishing deadlineThe publishing deadline for the June Journal is May 30. Please forward all photos, articles, notifications and materials to [email protected] before then.
Ficus bonsai in need of careThis picture does not do justice to the size and beauty of this ficus bonsai, (Ficus retusa). It belonged to Dave Nichol, who contracted our Arthur Skolnik for shaping and service, as required.
Both Dave and Arthur are now passed away. Dave's wife contacted me through a mutual friend, and since this picture, I have trimmed and lightly pruned the bonsai. I was greatly impressed by it's magnificence. The top at 40" tall, 36" wide, trunk 12" wide, with an amazing root spread.
The owner would like to have a TBS bonsai person check it, and keep it shaped. She is willing to pay a fee.
- Norman Haddrick
Links to local bonsai clubsBonsai society at the RBG: http://www.BonsaiSocietyatRBG.com
Matsuyama bonsai society: http://www.informdurham.com/record/OSH1103
Misseto bonsai club: http://www.missetobonsai.org/
Kitchener-Waterloo bonsai society: http://www.kwbonsai.com
Buffalo bonsai society: http://www.buffalobonsaisociety.com/
Ottawa bonsai society: http:// www.ottawabonsai.org
Societe de bonsai et de penjing de Montreal: http://bonsaimontreal.com/#&panel1-5
Bonsai Society of Upstate New York: http://www.bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org/
5
Regular TBS meetingsMeetings take place on the second Monday of every month, except July and August, at the TBG (Toronto Botanical Gardens), located at 777 Lawrence Avenue East, at Leslie Street, in the studio rooms upstairs at 7:45 pm. The general meetings frequently include demonstrations of bonsai techniques, critiques of bonsai trees, and workshops, in which each participant styles a tree with the help of an experienced member. These meetings are preceded at 7:00 p.m. by the the Bonsai 101 beginner sessions.
A small fee is charged for workshops; a tree, wire and an instructor are provided. To participate in workshops it is necessary to register in advance of the meeting so that materials can be provided.
Members are encouraged to bring in bonsai to show and work on during the meetings. Wire is provided at no charge. Non-members may attend a meeting at no charge to see if the club is of interest to them.
Library hours and policyThe library is open to members at the beginning of our regular meetings. Members may borrow books free of charge for one month. Late returns cost $2 per month with a minimum charge of $2. Please return all materials during the next meeting, and especially before the summer break.
Membership deskThe membership desk will be open at all meetings. The opening time may be extended for the first fall meeting to assist with renewals. You may also register for workshops there.
Tools & suppliesTools and supplies are sold by the club at most meetings. It is a good idea to contact the 'Tools & Supplies' executive member in advance of the meeting for specific tools and supplies.
TBS executive PresidentCarlos [email protected]
Vice-President- please talk to Carlos Bras
TreasurerJohn [email protected]
Recording SecretaryKelvin [email protected]
WebmasterAngelo [email protected]
JournalGreg [email protected]
Membership Secretary Jean Charing [email protected]
New Member secretaryKem [email protected]
Bonsai 101 coordinatorKaren [email protected]
Tools & SuppliesGim [email protected]
LibrarianNathalie [email protected]
Members at largeSylvia Le [email protected]
Otmar [email protected]
6
The Journal was founded in January 1964, is published
monthly, and exists to further the study, practice,
promulgation, and fellowship of bonsai.
Visit the Toronto Bonsai Society's web site, at:
www.torontobonsai.org
Toronto Bonsai Society c/o Kem Shaw
67 Empringham Cres.
Markham, ON.
L3R 3E9
