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Newsletter of The Bonsai Society of Upstate New York
December 2015 Volume 44 Number 12
A fter our usual very brief business meeting Bill Valavanis will show photos from his
recent multiple trips to Japan (89th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition, Shunka-en Bonsai
Museum, Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, 35th Nippon Bonsai Taikan Exhibition, Genko Kai
Exhibition, and 2nd Japan Suiseki Exhibition), and The
Artisan’s Cup Exhibition. You will not want to miss Bill’s
great pictures and interesting information.
Come And Enjoy The Holiday Party & Auction!
Appetizer and Dessert Treats: Please bring a tasty treat to the December Holiday Party
to share with others. This will be an appetizer and dessert party. You may want to have
dinner before you join us, but save some room for the treats.
Please Label your Dish: Print a label describing what you bring to share and note if it
contains any known allergens such as peanuts, nuts, milk, eggs, etc. As always,
the society will provide liquid refreshments thanks to Rick Marriott.
Come prepared to eat and have a good time!
F ollowing the slides and treats, Harvey Carapella will
be auctioneer for our mystery auction. Each member
is asked to bring a gift or two to be auctioned for the bene-
fit of our society. It would be nice if the gift were bonsai
related. Please label your gift “BONSAI” if it is bonsai or
garden related. Some very nice gifts have been purchased
at bargain prices in the past. Some of the great items which our members
generously donated in the past include: plants, pots, calendars, soil, fertilizer,
wine, cookies, a wreath, Suiseki stones, and bonsai stands. The items are
donated with the wrappings still on, so that those bidding don’t know what is
in the package. Sounds crazy, but it’s a
lot of fun.
All proceeds from the auction go into the
society treasury so that we can continue
to bring world class speakers to our
meetings to increase our knowledge of
the art of Bonsai.
NEXT MEETING
Tuesday, December 15- 7:00 pm
Holiday Party & Auction
William N. Valavanis’ photos of travels in Asia
Brighton Town Lodge at Buckland Park. 1341 Westfall Road, Rochester, NY 14618
near corner of Westfall and Clinton.
Billboard is brought to you by:
PRESIDENT:
Harvey Carapella, [email protected]
CO-EDITORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Tom Friday & Irma Abu-Jumah [email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS:
Mark Arpag, William N. Valavanis
Be generous with your gifts
and no gag gifts please.
Mystery AuctionMystery AuctionMystery Auction
There are to be no sales tables at the Holiday Party
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November Highlights
http://www.bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org
Thank you Mark, Jim, and Harvey, for your very informative program,
and for sharing your expertise with all of us.
M ark Arpag, Jim Dolce, and Harvey Carapella offered bonsai critiques on trees brought in by the
members of the society. Over 30 members listened to recommendations about what to do with
about a dozen trees. This turned out to be an educational give-and-take about bonsai design by the
presenters. Each tree received three somewhat different approaches as to how they could be changed
and/or improved. Those who attended came away with many new ideas and tips from three of our more
experienced members. It was lots of fun, and everyone listened intently and enjoyed it. This is always
an interesting meeting.
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http://www.bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org
2016 Programs
O ver the thousands of years since Chinese plant lovers first introduced the art of bonsai,
different styles and sizes developed, from single trunk styles, with upright, weeping or
root-over rock forms, to styles with multiple trunks, to styles with multiple trees. Bonsai
enthusiasts also classify each of the styles according to size, with bonsai ranging from 1 inch
high, called thimble bonsai, to mame, or miniature bonsai,
to very large bonsai, called imperial, more than 5 feet tall.
Size No acknowledged authority exists when it comes to classifying bonsai sizes. The
sizes were first designated by how many men it took to lift a particular tree and then
became associated with specific measurements. Mame bonsai is listed as between 2
and 6 inches tall according to some authorities and between 5 to 8 inches tall
according to others. The ideal mame bonsai is no more than 4 inches tall.
Trees and Shrubs While any tree can be trained to a mame, some make the process easier than others. Mugo pine (Pinus mugo) makes a
classic mame for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 1 through 10b. But because it has very small
leaves and is very hardy, dwarf boxwood (Buxus sempervirens “Suffruiticosa”) works well for novices in USDA
plant hardiness zones 6a through 10a. Even hardier and smaller is Korean boxwood
(Buxus sinica insularis), which grows in USDA plant hardiness zones 5b through 10a.
Care All bonsai require more care than full-size plants because they are less able to get
enough water and nutrients from nature. But with smaller pots, mames need even more
watering and fertilizing than larger bonsai. In fact, most mame require almost daily care
to ensure that the trees thrive. The re-potting, root pruning and branch pruning that all
bonsai require to stay small is even more essential in
maintaining a mame.
Mame Aesthetics In the art of bonsai, growers are not simply trying to grow a miniature tree, but
striving to create the illusion of the tree itself in nature and to affect the viewer's
emotions with a vision that is beyond words. Because mame provides fewer details to
use in creating the illusion, such as fewer leaves, fewer branches and shorter trunks,
the difficulty in creating the illusion increases -- the entire process of creating an ideal
tree becomes more abstract and intensified.
What Is the Mame Bonsai?
Happy Holidays
Jan. 26: Ryan Bell, Japanese Bonsai Pottery-Part 2
Feb. 23: Harvey Carapella, Weeping Style Bonsai
Mar. 29: Bill Valavanis, Demo & Workshop on shohin Hinoki
Apr. 19: David Easterbrook (Canada), Eastern White Cedar
May 21-22: BSUNY Spring Show/Demos
June 21: BSUNY Picnic/Auction/Sale
July 26: Garden Tour—TBD
Aug. 30: Open Bonsai Workshop
By Susan Lundman
It’s that time of the Year...
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I f you have not put your bonsai away for the winter yet,
you should start. The freezing weather has arrived and
will bring the snow as usual. Winter winds can be very
hard on some varieties of trees. Bonsai will need watering
from time to time when they are not frozen, even though
they are dormant. Be sure to water until water runs through
the drainage holes. Clean snow is also good for a light
watering during winter. It might be a good idea to spray
again with a contact fungicide such as Captan.
Overwintering bonsai at the International Bonsai Arboretum.
http://www.bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org
From: Iowa Bonsai Association Newsletter, May 2013, page 7
Japanese bonsai vendor, studio
portrait, hand-tinted albumen
print, ca. 1870.
Note the deep pots then common
and the large cycad on the left
tray. From the Ryukyu Islands,
cycads had been a part of
Japanese garden planting since
the 17th century and later were
adapted into Japanese bonsai
presentation. The multiple headed
cycad form illustrated is still
considered a legitimate traditional
bonsai form for cycads, although
it seems very unbonsai. As with
gingko and a few other traditional
bonsai plants, tradition trumps
all other rules.
This is a good time to begin studying tree silhouettes
around town and in your own garden (exercise caution
when driving). Note that the overall silhouette is different
for each species. East Avenue is an excellent place to study
large mature Beech, Weeping Beech and Ginkgo. Highland
Park and Mt. Hope Cemetery are also good locations for
large Japanese Maples and Paperbark Maples.
A warmer winter project is to study books and magazines.
Work schedules often prohibit studying during the active
growing season. Keep warm and study bonsai styles in
nature and in books and tapes, because It’s that time of
the year again….
W.N.V.
Historical Bonsai Photograph By Ivan Hanthorne
