N E W S L ET T E R 2 8 3www.bonsai-southern-tasmania.org.au MAY 2017

NEWS FROM THE BONSAI SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN TASMANIA

E V E N T S T H I S M O N T HMEETING: Tuesday 16 May 7.30pmChris Xepapas will be demonstrating with a Tasmanian native Podcarpus lawrencei, which can make a very good bonsai specimen.Tea/Coffee provided - bring supper to share. 20 & 21 May - AABC 2017 Convention, will be held this year in Brisbane.

ADVANCED WORKSHOP Saturday 13 May at Heritage Bonsai Dysart. 9.30am - 4pm. Please book with Chris or Koula for this event as they are providing toasties for lunch. It is open to all to participate or observe, and should be a very informative and enjoyable day. If you are participating bring a tree to wire plus your tools and equipment.

WORKSHOP: Sunday 21 May at Cambridge Hall 1.pm - 4.pmWire is available to purchase at the workshops. Tea/Coffee provided - bring a snack to share.

WORKSHOP SUGGESTIONS:Conifers: Wiring, bending and pruning as they can be worked on almost anytime of the year. Deciduous: Acer, beech, ash oak and zelkova can also still be worked.Also check trees wired previously to see if wire should be removed.

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C O M I N G U P - JUNE

Tasmanian Bosai Collective Saturday 17 JuneLynne Farrell’s Nursery Launceston. Designed to increase collaboration between north, northwest and south bonsai groups this will be an exciting day of talk, demonstration and general get together.Swap & Buy Meet - so get your plants, pots, cuttings, trees, tools, ready for sale.

THE APRIL DEMONSTRATIONWITH JOE MORGAN-PAYLER

Participants and observers enjoying the first day of the workshop with Joe Morgan-Payler.

Joe chats about his experiences around Australia and in Japan while wiring a black pine at the demo on Saturday morning - photo: AS

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NEWS FROM THE BONSAI SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN TASMANIA N E W S L ET T E R 2 8 3REPORT FROM THE MEETING

Tuesday 18 April 2017 at BCAC Meeting opened by Ambrose at 7.30 pmGeneral Business: Ambrose reminded members this was the last chance to put their name down to attend the demonstration and workshops coming up this weekend with Joe Morgan-Payler and also to think about attending the special workshop with Chris Xepapas at his Dysart nursery. Raffle Draw: Tony Hewer chose the Seasol, Robyn the book, Heather Wiggers the tree, and John Dodos got the bottle of wine.Display table: This month Will brought along a rather leggy Mountain correa he had found in a corner of his nursery which needed some attention, Rob brought along his rather magnificent 20 year old ficus which he said he had nearly lost on a couple of occasions to a fungal attack, but it seemed to have recovered and was showing some healthy new growth. Diana’s had two small trident maples which she had cut back severly, but both seemed to now be shaping up well. John Dodos had brought a very handsome trident maple which he would be discussing in his talk. Cam brought a very tiny myrtle which he had just wired onto a small, flat stone. Ambrose had brought the five small larches in the moss ball which had featured in the last newsletter for people to see in the flesh, where it appeared that one of the trees had actually died. Ambrose also had his Red stemmed dogwood with deep pinky red foliage which he had photographed but just couldn’t be squeezed into the last newsletter. Will had another offering in the way of a beautiful landscape, miniature rock garden on a very shallow tray featuring a Baccia gardenia. Cam also had a very large Casurina, a work in progress which had been cut back severely and was starting to be shaped into a weathered upright. One of our new members Tom had brought an interesting stump for identification. He had found in the vicinity of Mt Anne, it was now sprouting quite healthily, and it was suggested it could be a snow gum. Chris had a gnarled old hawthorn which had been hollowed out. Stephanie had brought an interesting specimen - Boccania mylensis,

(horsetail palm) a desert tree, and Alex had a couple of small peppermint gums which had been dug up and seemed to be surviving and putting on new growth, they would however need to grow on and be clipped back for a few years to reach their full potential.

John Dodos - ‘Bonsai from the ground up’ John told how he had discovered a book on bonsai 30 years ago and been facinated, deciding there and then that he wanted to master the techniques he was seeing in the pages. But life was busy at the time with young children, etc, etc... However he started to grow plants, even stealing plants from his patio pots that looked like they had potential. John talked about the horticultural imperative - keeping them alive. Growing plants on in large pots, developing a compact fibrous root system and not being in too much hurry to put them in a bonsai pot.He compared two seedlings one in a large pot with room to grow on and one in a bonsai pot where growth had slowed considerably. One of his best tips was - using pool filter baskets as pots.He suggested when selecting stock for bonsai, start at the base - with the roots, scrape back the soil and check for good root growth, with shape and potential to provide good nebari. Next consider the trunk line - for good taper. Then the branches, which can be kept compact by assiduous wiring and pruning. One of his by-words from John Naka was “not to make the tree look like a bonsai, but make the bonsai look like a tree. Another of John’s adages was ‘the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now!’ So go to it.

John Dodos discussing growth habits of a variety of trees with potential for bonsai at the April meeting at BCAC.

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NEWS FROM THE BONSAI SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN TASMANIA N E W S L ET T E R 2 8 3PICS FROM WEEKEND WORKSHOP WITH JOE MORGAN-PAYLER

Heather puts some heavy wire and a gin on her Chamaecyparis Robyn gives her forest a good thinning and some wiring to open it up.

Anita gives her Ficus a major prune and shape

Noel and Joe attempt some heavy bending on the Macrocarpa

Alex get the windswept look on her picea

Scott gives his cedar a prune, shape, wire and a gin

Thomas creates a more dynamic planting of his Swamp cypress forest.

Thomas gets advice on his Huon pine

Scott gets the angle just right on his pine

Tony’s tree awaits his attention

Herbert makes the cut on Chris’s sacrificial branch

Kevin’s tree awaiting a critique

Chris finishes wiring his black pine

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NEWS FROM THE BONSAI SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN TASMANIA N E W S L ET T E R 2 8 3

Desert ash (Fraxinous angustifolia) Age of tree 1951 Styled/trained since 1961. Donated by Janet Sabey SA. Photo: AS

TVP ANDREW WARD 15-16 JULY Andrew Ward is a regular presenter at SA Bonsai Society meetings and is particularly adept at Saikei and Rock / Mallee Settings, although is able to work on other styles and areas of bonsai.

Andrew’s favourite plants are the various Ficus, Ash, Elms and Junipers. He has travelled widely, including China in 2006 where he was able to experience Penjing first hand. He has travelled to bonsai nurseries, exhibits and private collections in WA, SA, NSW, ACT, Vic and Qld. He has attended national conventions and been influenced by other bonsai artists including Hirotoshi Saito (Japan), Michael Persiano (USA), Janet Sabey SA and other demonstrators through the AABC visiting tutor program. He was a presenter at the 2013 National Convention in Canberra. He is proactive in his participation in bonsai events – not happy to be just the observer, ever-willing to ‘take the risk’ and learn more through being a participant. Some of you already know Andrew from his previous visit in April 2014. We look forward to his visit on the weekend 15 and 16 July.If you would like to attend this workshop as a participant or observer go to our website and follow the instructions to fill in the registration form and forward your payment to the society.

The Bonsai Society received the following email from the Hobart City Council - “Celebrations were held in Hobart in February this year marking the 40th anniversary of the Yaizu-Hobart sister city relationship. It is anticipated that a delegation from Hobart led by the Lord Mayor will visit Yaizu in August to coincide with the Ara Matsuri Festival to mark the anniversary. We believe that this delegation and celebration will be greatly enriched by the presence of Hobart community members. We are therefore keen to hear whether members of your organisation would be interested in participating in this delegation in a self funded capacity. Could you please email/call myself or Michelle Hack to confirm your interest? Further details will be provided as plans are firmed up.”Kind regards,Lucy Knott, Economic Development Project Officer, T (03) 6238 2401 / M 0418 722 954 hobartcity.com.au

HOBART - YAIZU SISTER CITY RETURN VISIT

Another way to visit Japan - is on a special guided tour taking in many exciting bonsai exhibitions, bonsai nurseries and gardens. While in Canberra at the Weston Creek Exhibition I spoke to Grant Bowie and he gave me a few information sheets and some registration forms if anyone is interested in visiting Japan and bonsai venues this way.

Grant, founding curator of the National Bonsai and Penjimg Collection at the Arboretum, is leading a tour with tour guide Shuji Yamazaki from 3-17 February 2018. A fully guided small group will visit The Kokufu Bonsai-ten Exhibition 2018, Masahiko Kimura’s Garden, Kunio Kibayashi’s Garden, Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Kinashi Bonsai Village, Ritsurin Koen and Korakuen Garden, shop in Tokoname Pottery Village & visit working kilns. The information will be available at future meetings and workshops.

VISIT JAPAN WITH GRANT BOWIE

More from the National Bonsai and Penjing collection

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NEWS FROM THE BONSAI SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN TASMANIA N E W S L ET T E R 2 8 3

Open by appointment Ph 0418 342 046

Tasmanian native plants as bonsai

President: Ambrose Canning – Mob: 0409 165 446 Email: ambrose.canning@internode.on.net Vice Pres: Chris Xepapas – Mob: 0439 383 365 Email: cxepapas@gmail.com Secretary: Anita Shanahan – Ph: 6228 1281 Email: anita_shanahan@yahoo.com.au 6 Claude St New Town 7008 Treasurer: Rob White – Ph: 6223 2069 Email: rwgw100@gmail.com Committee: Tony Hewer – Mob: 0419 329 915 Email: tonyhewer13@gmail.com Committee: Evelyn Black – Ph: 6229 5741 Email: e.black@bigpond.com.au Editor: Alex Sutherland – Ph: 6239 6254 Mob: 0419 552 269 Email: alexsuth52@gmail.com PO Box 497, Kingston 7051

Committee Members contact details

OPEN BY APPOINTMENTTelephone: 0439 383 365

Email: cxepapas@gmail.com

MUSINGS FROM THE EDITOR

2017 LOOKING AHEADSat 13 May – Ad. Workshop, Heritage BonsaiTue 16 May– BSST Meeting, BCACSat & Sun 20-21 May – 2017 AABC Conv BrisbaneSun 21 May – BSST Workshop, CCHSat 3 Jun – Ad. Workshop, Heritage BonsaiSat 17 Jun – Tasmanian Bonsai Collective, L’tonTue 20 Jun – BSST Meeting BCACSat 24 Jun – BSST Workshop CCHSat & Sun15-16 Jul – VTP Andrew Ward, CCHTue 18 Jul – BSST Meeting BCACSun 23 Jul – BSST Workshop CCH

BCAC – Bellerive Community Arts Centre CCH – Cambridge Community Hall

More from the National Bonsai and Penjing collection

I can’t believe how fast this year is disappearing, it must have something to do with age as each year seems to go faster than the last. We have had our first very successful VTP and are now looking forward to the next one in July with Andrew Ward. Andrew had been to us before and is always interesting so if you didnt manage to get to the Joe Morgan-Payler workshop, I urge you to come to this one if not as a participant as an observer. In fact I would almost go as far a saying it is just as beneficial to come as an observer because you get to see so much more and you learn so much watching all the different trees being worked on. The same goes for our own club workshops. If you havent time to come for the whole afternoon you can just drop in for afternoon tea and have a look at what everyone is up to.Ed.

West Indian lantana (Lantana camara) Age of tree 1999 styled since 2004 Donated by Jonas Cabarius NSW. Photo: Alex Sutherland

Prostrate Nepal Juniper(Lantana squamata prostrata) Age of tree 1992 styled since 2002 Donated by Leigh Taate ACT. Photo: AS

I just happend to see a repeat of a Landline program recently which had a segment about the Arboretum in Canberra. Leigh Taate was featured organising volunteers.