Julian Adams - The Columbus Bonsai Society

Columbus Bonsai Society
PO Box 1981
Columbus, OH 43216-1981
Questions to:
[email protected]
HTTP://Columbusbonsai.org
Regular Club meetings on
3rd Sunday of the month
Meetings Start at 2:00 pm
All are welcome to attend
CBS Board meets
1st Tuesday of the month
at 6:30 pm
Julian Adams
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR 10/19/14
FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY
9:00 AM SCOTS PINE WORKSHOP
1:00 PM AFTERNOON PROGRAM
PLEASE NOTE AFTERNOON TIME
IS AN HOUR EARLY.
October 2014 Newsletter
President
Mike Thornhill
“A Pinch of this….”
Tree Curator
Rick Wilson
Director Emeritus
José Cueto
Inside this issue:
st
1 Vice President
Program Info
3
RABBIT HOLE
4
SCOTS PINE
6
WILLI BENZ
8
FALL WORK
10
THE SCHOLAR
TREE
12
Richard Gurevitz
Secretary
Calendar of Events 14
Ken Schultz
2nd Vice President
Denny Sackett
1 year Director
Ben William
2 year Director
Jack Smith
3 year Director
Mark Passerrello
Past President
Zack Clayton
Treasurer
Sandy
Schoenfeld
Librarian
Beverlee Wilson
Web Master
Bonsai=Perseverance
Ed McCracken
Newsletter Editor
Richard Uhrick
Rich Uhrick
Education
Tom Holcomb
Mark Passerrello
See you on the 19th at
Franklin Park Conservatory
at 9 am and 1 pm.
Columbus Bonsai Society PO Box 1981 Columbus OH 43216-1981
[email protected]
www.ColumbusBonsai.org
Columbus Bonsai is a proud member of the American Bonsai Society and Bonsai Clubs International.
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3
COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
This Month’s Program— October 19 Julian Adams—Pine Bonsai
J
ulian Adams will be joining us at 9:00 AM for
the Scots Pine Workshop. Mike Thornhill has
secured trees for the workshop. Workshop
participants will draw a number and find the tree
with the same number. All club members are invited
to come to the workshop. ( If you signed up and aren't
able to attend you will still owe the workshop fee
unless you find another member to take your place.-(we do have two on a waiting list) Bring your own
tools and wire. We don't plan on repotting at this time
of year.
After a short lunch break we will reconvene to
begin the PowerPoint presentation part of the program
at 1:00 PM. NOTE: this is one hour earlier than our
normal start time. Julian will discuss the ins and outs of 2-needle bonsai pine development and
care. copies of his PowerPoint presentation will be available. This in depth presentation is scheduled for
3 hours.
The Columbus Marathon will be using E. Broad St. in the early morning. While we don't
anticipate a problem getting in to Franklin Park, you may want to plan accordingly. By midday all traffic
should return to normal....for Columbus on Sunday.
The Columbus Bonsai Society
receives meeting space and other
support and assistance from Franklin
Park Conservatory and Oakland
Nurseries
DISCLAIMER
The Columbus Bonsai Society Newsletter, is
the intellectual property of the Columbus
Bonsai Society. All Rights Reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced in any form,
or by any means —electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise —
without permission in writing from the Editor.
Rich Uhrick, Editor
[email protected]
UPCOMING PROGRAMS:
SEE PAGE 14 FOR MORE
DATES AND LISTINGS
COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT….
THE RABBIT HOLE
M
Mike
ike is hoping to see big
turnouts for both the
morning workshop and
afternoon session on
Sunday.
4
COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
5
HOW DO I CONTACT A BOARD MEMBER?
HERE’S HOW: BOARD MEMBER CONTACT LIST
President
Secretary
Director Emeritus
José Cueto
[email protected]
Librarian
Mike Thornhill [email protected]
st
1 Vice President
Ken Schultz
[email protected]
nd
2 Vice President
Denny Sackett [email protected]
1 year Director
Ben William
2 year Director
Jack Smith
[email protected]
[email protected]
3 year Director
Mark Passerrello
[email protected]
Sandy Schoenfeld [email protected]
Beverlee Wilson
[email protected]
Web Master
Ed McCracken [email protected]
Newsletter Editor
Richard Uhrick [email protected]
Education
Tom Holcomb [email protected]
Mark Passerrello [email protected]
Tree Curator
Rick Wilson [email protected]
Past President
Zack Clayton [email protected]
Treasurer
Richard Gurevitz [email protected]
FROM THE CBS CARE GUIDE
USDA Hardiness Zones 5-6 (5 Northern Ohio, 6 Southern Ohio)
October - Mid Autumn - 65/43
 Trees will be using much less water now that the foliage is going dormant. Do not water unless
needed.
 Try not to prune deciduous in the fall as it may force new growth that will not survive winter. Wait
until the tree is fully dormant.
 Prepare your winter storage area now, before winter sets in.
COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
6
Tree of the Month: Scots or Scotch Pine– Pinus sylvestris
S
cots Pine is a two-needle pine with
"short" 1 to three inch bluish-green
needles. These needles are reducible
in length with proper cultivation
techniques. The needles are somewhat
twisted. It is a fast growing pine, with a
mature height of 75 feet, spreading to 25 feet.
The tree has unique, easily recognized orange
bark on branches and upper trunk, darkening
somewhat with age. Usually seen as a
Christmas tree or landscape specimen, but is
also grown for lumber production.
This species is native to
Scotland and northern Europe
across to Siberia. In the Scottish
Caledonian Islands where it is
native, mature trees can be 250
years old growing straight and
tall, often used for lumber.
The Scots pine most of us
are used to are small and
crooked because of the seeds
they grew from. Those seeds
came from trees that grew in a
specific mountainous area and
were short, stunted, and crooked.
When introduced into the US
after WWI, people interested in
making a few dollars
energetically gathered bushels of
pinecones, but it was easier to collect the cones
that came from those short, crooked trees rather
than from the tall ones. So people searched out
the short, squatty ones for easy picking. Et
Voilá, America has, for the most part, that
variety of Scots pine.
Advantages: Wide hardiness range; readily
available from any of dozens of nurseries in the
Midwest; good color: deep, rich green; excellent
crusty bark even when young; reacts well to root
pruning; produces excellent buttress roots; sends
out adventitious buds after terminals are
pinched; tolerates dry as well as wet conditions
and most soils, thus will grow well in a pot.
Dwarf forms are available and excellent as well.
The tree will tolerate full sun.
Disadvantages: The Scots Pine does acquire
pine needle cast, the larvae or the European saw
fly and pine needle scale but a rose spray can
control these problems.
Keith Scott rated the tree as a 10 on a scale
of 1 to 10
Watering: Keep soil evenly moist: damp to
the touch. Be sure to pot the pine in coarse soil.
Fertilizing: Use a balanced fertilizer every week
or two during the growing season.
Over-wintering: The Scots Pine is so hardy
that it needs little protection in most Midwest
winters. (Zone 4) Zone 3 will need to protect
from wind.
Scots pine does well with
most upright styles. Informal
upright is a natural. Avoid
cascade and semi-cascade.
Look out for sawfly larvae and
do not let it dry out.
An additional reminder that is
good for many pines, Craig
Cousins had everyone working
on the Mugo pines for the
Dawes workshop and a couple
of people that brought in other
pines to work on. Trim off last
year’s needles about 1/8 inch off
the branch. This encourages
back budding in this area to help
define or further develop the
foliage pads. For trees in
development, take off all but the last four or five
sets of needles even on new growth. Wire to the
tip to form the foliage pads.
REPRINTED FROM THE
JUNE 2005 ISSUE OF THE
CBS NEWSLETTER
COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
7
October 19, 2014- Presenting
“Pines are Easy (as Bonsai)
Julian R. Adams
Many of us are confused by the care needed to create
Specimen Pine Bonsai. During our regular meeting time
Julian Adams will present “Pines are Easy (as Bonsai)”. Julian has
been practicing the art of bonsai since 1970 and has been the proprietor of
Adams Bonsai in Lynchburg since 1984. Julian founded the Central Virginia Bonsai
Society in 1985. Julian studied under Valavanis, Oshima, Sasaki, Billet, Peter Adams,
Keith Scott, Kathy Shaner, Kimura, Yamagi, and others
In the morning, eight lucky participants will have the opportunity to sign up to participate in a 2
-needle pine workshop conducted by Julian Adams. The workshop fee will be $25, plus the cost of the
tree. (More on this later.) At our August meeting, Ken Schultz will have a sign up sheet for those who
wish to take the workshop.
ADAMS' BONSAI is a hobby gone berserk.
Julian R. Adams, proprietor of Adams' Bonsai,
has been active in bonsai since receiving a gift
bonsai in 1971. Beyond improving his own
bonsai skills, Julian's primary interest is to make
bonsai plants and supplies conveniently
available to bonsai enthusiasts and to spread the
word about this great art form. Adams' Bonsai
was formed in 1984 to facilitate this interest.
Julian writes extensively about bonsai via
articles for English language bonsai publications
and the Central Virginia Bonsai Society
newsletter. In addition to shipped items, he
Removing old Azalea blooms—from
offers bonsai plants, wire, and supplies for sale
www.adamsbonsai..com
at periodic bonsai gatherings. Call to arrange for
delivery at these events. As scheduling permits, Julian is available for
lectures, demonstrations, and workshops. Phone and e-mail messages are
normally returned promptly. Visitors are welcome by appointment.—From
Call for Program Ideas
Franklin Park has asked us to reserve our dates for 2015. That’s the
Board’s sign to begin planning our meetings for next year. To serve our
members we try to give you what you ask for. So what will it be in
2015? Some of this year’s meetings were well attended, some were not.
The Show looked fabulous, but I always wonder why more people don’t
show their trees. Which artists shall we invite? What shall we have them
do? Please send your ideas to [email protected] We
welcome your input. Deadline is 10/5/14.
COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
BOOK OF THE MONTH: "Bonsai, Kusamono, Suiseki, A Practical
Guide for Organizing Displays with Plants and Stones", by Willi Benz
O
riginally published in 2002 in Germany
it is now also available in an English
language edition, which we have in the
Columbus Bonsai Society Library.
This is a beautiful paperback with lots and lots of
examples of suiseki, Tokonoma, and Kusamono.
Not knowing Japanese, reading the explanation of
the term Kusamono found on page 89 both
clarifies and confuses. Part of the problem is trying
to understand a term outside of the culture and
mindset of the Japanese.
In English, we refer to the plant that we are trying
to create the illusion of ancient tree or tree
landscape as a bonsai. We refer to the traditional
area in a Japanese (well to do home) as a
Tokonoma. We refer to pieces that are stone and
remind us of nature as suiseki. Kusamono we
roughly use (if we use the term at all) as
companion pieces as ones made up of living
material. However, the term Kusamono is far more
complex than that. If you read page 89 of this
book, you can begin to see Japanese culture and
thought patterns.
This is a book that will add to your understanding
of companion pieces (inanimate such as rocks) and
living (herbs, grasses, moss, & lichens.) You will
drool over many examples of viewing stones. You
will love the countless pictures giving great
examples of the subject matter.
Athanasios Thomas Stama
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COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
9
Even Monkeys Fall Out Of Trees: John Naka’s collection of
Japanese proverbs.
T
his is a book I’ve heard mentioned but
never had the chance to read. Out of
curiosity, I was doing some online
comparison shopping; see what the
going price for John Naka’s seminal works on
bonsai, Bonsai Techniques I and II were going
for on the open market. It was a figure I can’t
even begin to afford. I own volume I but have
not read II in many years and would like to flip
through at least, so searched my local libraries.
Imagine that –a highly specialized
book that has been out of print for
at least a decade-they didn’t have
it. It wasn’t even available
through interlibrary loan!
What was available from a
few places was this little volume.
Collected in one place are all the
proverbs and bits of wisdom that
Naka used so often in life and in
teaching and just talking about
bonsai. As author Nina Shire
Ragle makes plain, life and bonsai
were pretty much one the same for
Naka.
Ragle uses a typical Naka
incident to begin the book: Naka is
on stage in front of a large crowd, 600 people
crowded into a darkened auditorium, all eyes on
the master as he considers how best to shape the
tree he is working on. He takes wire and wraps
it around a branch, all the while narrating into a
microphone hanging around his neck. He gives
the wired branch a few pushes and shoves, then
steps back for a better view. Deciding just what
adjustment needed made, he grasped the branch
again and applied pressure…, and the microphone sent the resulting loud “snap!” as the
branch separates from the tree. The audience sits
in stunned silence, and Naka says “Saru mo ki
kara ochiru” Even monkeys fall out of trees!
The realization-and explanation that
even the most knowledgeable person can make a
mistake is indicative of the humble and selfeffacing spirit that Naka would present throughout life. Ragle repeats a descriptive phrase that
Naka used in reference to himself-a teacher and
student of bonsai. Naka considered that he was
always improving his knowledge, and that the
learning could come from any place or source.
This was a man who never discouraged his
grandchildren from playing among his trees,
saying that any damage that might occur from
youthful accident would be an improvement on
the design.
Naka was born in the US, spent his boyhood in his ancestral homeland-where he
learned bonsai first hand from his
grandfather-and then returned to the
US as a young man ( his family
essentially exiled him to avoid conscription into the Imperial military
forces). Fluent in Japanese and
English, fluent in American and
Japanese culture, there could be no
more effective bridge between the
two lands and a sure and able
teacher of the bonsai art
Bits of wisdom repeated over and
over say something about the culture that creates them, and the individual that uses them. A few samples of the wise words:
Raise grain instead of writing poetry
A fish’s mind is water’ mind
Better to walk in front of the hen than
behind the ox.
If a student wanted to do something foolish-or impossible, Naka’s response was usually
“That’s trying to graft bamboo to tree” in other
words, impossible. A related phrase that describes wasted effort-like wiring spruce was
“pounding a nail in a cup of rice”.
Better the head of a chicken than the tail
of a tiger-better to be the best humble thing than
a second rate great thing. Naka used this phrase
often to describe what he called chicken bonsaiElm, Maple or other deciduous tree and tiger
bonsai Juniper, Black pine or other conifers.
Mark Passerrello
COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
10
FALL …A TIME TO WORK ON YOUR BONSAI TREES.
O
ne of the tasks that I do in the fall is to prune and wire my deciduous trees. I also put pooballs on all my conifers and either unwire or wire; depending on whether they have wire on
or not. It is safer to wire when the buds are dormant, as they aren’t as easy to damage as
they will be in the spring when they begin to grow. I don’t like to leave wire on that has
been on since mid-summer. When spring arrives and the sap causes the bark to swell, wire that was on
since mid summer will cut in. The poo-balls feed your conifers whenever the temperatures are above 38
degrees.
As I handle my trees to get them ready for winter storage, I look at them closely with my scissors
in hand. Many of them have been growing, unnoticed on their benches. Once their leaves stop
photosynthesizing its OK to cut them off (and its OK to leave the petioles on). By cutting your deciduous
trees back to a good solid shape, you encourage ramification and growth in a planned direction. During
the growing season your tree may have sprouted new growth from the trunk. Some of these sprouts
maybe useful, but if they don’t fit into your planned bonsai structure, remove them. If there are more than
two branches coming from a single location, remove the extra ones. I noticed that some of my trees have
a tendency to have three or more benches coming from a single point.
Look for growth that is growing in the wrong direction and cut it off, or back to a useful bud. In
general, downward growing buds should be removed. Ideally ramification or branching happens where
each new internode has grown. To prevent bleeding or desiccation from your cuts, use cut paste. This is
especially true for maples. To make sure that the buds I want don’t die, I usually leave some stem, which
I remove after it dries out. Without the leaves, you may notice stubs of branches that you removed earlier
in the year, now is the time to clean them off.
When you inspect your branches decide if some near the top are too thick. If you’re lucky you
may find a new twig that will make a suitable replacement. Remember that the higher on the tree, the
thinner the branch. Almost all trees are apically dominant. This means that growth at the top was
strongest throughout the summer. If there is no bud where you need to cut, wait until spring when backbudding is more likely to occur.
On trees which have buds occurring in opposite pairs, like maples, inspect and if appropriate
remove one of the two branches to control the direction of growth or choose the weaker, thinner branch to
avoid thick branches from developing where they won’t look good. If you create a large wound on the
trunk, make it flush and smooth. Use cut paste. On an older tree it will still take more than two years to
callus over.
Ken Schultz
COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
President
Mike Thornhill
Director Emeritus
José Cueto
1stVice President
Zack Clayton
2ndVice President
Denny Sackett
3year Director
Ben William
1 year Director
Jack Smith
2 year Director
Mark Passerrello
Treasurer
Richard Gurevitz
OCTOBER 2014
Secretary
Sandy Schoenfeld
Librarian
Beverlee Wilson
Tree Curator
Rick Wilson
Web Master
OPEN
Newsletter Editor
Richard Uhrick
Education
Tom Holcomb
SLATE OF OFFICERS
11
COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
ANOTHER
TOKONOMA FROM
PAGE 8
AND ANOTHER
ILLUSTRATION
FROM “MONKEYS”
PAGE 9
12
COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
From the Circulation Desk of the C.B.S. Library
The CBS Library Materials List is now available in spreadsheet format on our CBS website's
Library Tab.
Users can Sort, Filter and Search the list. There are a few little buttons at the bottom of the
embedded spreadsheet that allow you to download the spreadsheet, or open a full page version in a
new window. Users can then email the librarian at [email protected] to request materials.
Another new feature is a column indicating if the Book has been reviewed and the information to
access the review. For instance “NL Feb. 2011 (Schultz)” would indicate that the review is in the
Newsletter, Feb 2011 issue, and Ken Schultz authored the review.
We hope this will make the collection more available to the membership. Let us know your
thoughts.
We have completed the Accession Process for all the Books in the Club’s Collection. All have a
Card and Pocket for ease of Check Out.
Beverlee Wilson, Librarian
John Young, Asst. Librarian
[email protected]
Memberships may be paid for more than one year at a time.
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COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2014
14
Bonsai Here and Beyond the Outer belt
Unless otherwise noted, The Columbus Bonsai Society meets the third Sunday of every month at 2:00 pm .
Board Meetings are the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm. The board meetings are open to members.
OCT 19
NOV 16
DEC 14
2014
PINE WORKSHOP WITH JULIAN ADAMS—FPC
BRANCH STRUCTURE AND ELECTIONS—FPC
HOLIDAY DINNER—SIAM RESTAURANT
2015
[In the planning Stages—Watch for updates]
JAN 18
FEB 15
MAR 15
APR 19
MAY 17
JUN TBD
JUL 18-19
AUG 16
SEP 20
OCT 18
NOV 15
DEC
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
ANNUAL BONSAI SHOW —CBS 2015—FPC
TBD
ANNUAL PICNIC AND MEMBER SALE
TBD
TBD
ANNUAL HOLIDAY DINNER
FPC= FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY
OAKLAND= OAKLAND NURSERY, COLUMBUS LOCATION