NEWSLETTER - Redwood Empire Bonsai Society

Redwood Empire Bonsai Society
REBS
NEWSLETTER
Volume 32, Issue 11
November 2015
President's Message
Hello REBS,
REBS President Bob Shimon
Inside this issue:
President’s Message�������������1
Announcements, Calendar,
& Upcoming Events������ 2 & 3
Randall Lee Demo��������� 4 & 5
Show and Tell..........................6
Hiroshima Tree ����������������������7
Directory�����������������������������������8
Tree Care Guide����������������������9
At our last board meeting we
had a lengthy discussion regarding changes or ideas that
some of our members felt our
annual show needed. Some
of the suggestion were to start
charging admission, which
would have to be worded as
a "suggested donation," add
more tokonomas and shoji
screens, door prizes, start
changing backdrops to another color, advertise on radio, t.v.
and in the newspapers, and of
course, more member participation.
A few members agreed to research some of the ideas, but
nothing has been decided yet.
Although a board meeting
was not originally scheduled
for Nov, we will meet prior to
our Nov meeting in order to
come to decisions on some of
the suggestions. I would like
to start the meeting at 6:00 in
order to allow us enough time.
All members are welcome to
come to the board meetings
and express their thoughts.
If you can't make it but want
input, you can contact me at
707-884-4126 or
[email protected]
Bob Shimon
1
Redwood Empire Bonsai Society
Announcements and Upcoming Bonsai Events
December 5, 2015 Fresno, California
Fresno Bonsai Society: Eighth Annual Bonsai Yard Sale, from 8am till 3pm, at 736 West Browning Avenue. The
sale will offer pre-bonsai, finished trees, new and used pots, accent plants, books, stands, and stones. All are welcome to buy, trade, or sell. This event gets bigger every year and we welcome sellers of all items related to bonsai.
Join us for great bargains and old friends.
For more information, contact Peter Schaffert at [email protected].
Dec. 26, 2015 – January 3, 2016
San Marino , California
California Aiseki Kai: 26th Anniversary Exhibition of Viewing Stones Show at the Botanical Center of the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road. Hours are 10:30am to 4:30pm each day (Closed New
Year’s Day). Free parking.
For more information see our website: www.aisekikai.com and/or contact [email protected]
January 16-17, 2016 Los Angeles, California
Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai: Winter Silhouette Show, Location: Los Angeles Arboretum, 10:30am to 4:30pm Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai will be conducting its annual Winter Silhouette show were trees will be displayed in their
leafless form during Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Weekend at the Los Angeles Arboretum. There will be a benefit
dinner and auction on Saturday January 16, 2016. It is one of the oldest show running in the Southern California
region and has been a tradition for 50 plus years. For more information, contact Lindsay Shiba at (626) 806-0937
February 27 – 28, 2016
San Marino, California
Bonsai-A-Thon XX at The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road; annual fundraiser for
the GSBF Collection at The Huntington. Admission to the event is free with Bonsai-A-Thon “early bird” registration
between 8am – 9am. Event hours are 8am – 4:30pm both days. Pancake breakfast, a tour hosted by Jim Folsom
(Director of the Garden), demonstrations, lunch, bonsai exhibits, large sales area, raffle and auction. Sunday only:
a behind the scenes tour of The Huntington Bonsai Nursery with Ted Matson. For more information, contact Bill
Wawrychuk at (818)790-9415 or [email protected].
February 27 – 28, 2016
Oakland, California
GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt: The annual Mammoth Fund Raiser will be held at 666 Bellevue Ave. (Garden Center Building). Saturday: Auction preview at noon with Auction starting at 1pm. Sunday: Vendor Sales start
at 9am, Plant Sales start at 10am, and Demonstrations at 1pm. The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt will celebrate
the many bonsai clubs who have created and support the Garden by inviting Bonsai Clubs from all over Northern
California to showcase their best bonsai display and promote their club activities. Attendees will be eligible to vote
for their favorite display. Bonsai Garden will be open 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Noon to 4pm on Sunday. For
more information or to sell trees, email [email protected] and visit www.gsbf-lakemerritt.org.
2
Volume 32 · Issue 11
Holiday
Dinner
Our annual holiday dinner
will be held once again at the
China Chef located at 7991
Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati
94931 on Tues, Dec 8.
Social will start at 6:30 and
dinner at 7:00. Peter always
puts out 6 to 7 dishes prepared specially for our group.
I talked to Lisa, and she said
that they would include sea
bass and Peking duck for sure.
Cost is $30 and includes tax
and tip.
You can sign up and pay at
the Oct or Nov meeting or
contact Mike Treinen to RSVP
at [email protected] or 5260872.
Calendar Of Events
November 2015
19th Intermediate I Workshop, Thursday, Santa Rosa Senior
Center, 704 Bennett Valley Rd., Room 17, Santa Rosa, with
Richard Hoskins and Ivan Lukrich.
24thREBS General Meeting and Demonstration, 4th
Tuesday, 7:30-10:00 p.m., Luther Burbank Art & Garden
Center, 2050 Yulupa Avenue · Santa Rosa · CA · 95405.
**Special Show Meeting starting at 6:00**
*All are encouraged to attend*
***Kathy Shaner will do the demo***
Calendar Of Events
December 2015
6th Kathy Shaner Advanced Workshop, Sunday. (6.3)
7th Kathy Shaner Advanced Workshop, Monday. (6.1 & 6.2)
8th Holiday Dinner (Replaces monthly meeting)
***No General Meeting***
Mendocino Coast Bonsai
~ Largest selection of collected Coast Redwood trees
~ Pots and stands
~ Retail, wholesale and mail order
Bob & Zack Shimon
Box 317, Point Arena, CA 95468
phone/fax (707) 884-4126
email: [email protected]
www.mcbonsai.com
I have a new shipment of soil in, and besides the akadama, I have the
mixed soil from Japan, and 5/16" minus black lava rock. Price for akadama is the same as last year, $28 plus tax. The mixed soil is a larger
bag than the akadama and is $38 plus tax. The black lava is a 30 lbs
bag and is $20 plus tax. I can bring down what you need to the meetings, or we can arrange
delivery when I come to Santa Rosa area which is usually once or twice
a month.
Contact Bob Shimon at 707-884-4126 or [email protected]
3
Redwood Empire Bonsai Society
27th October 2015
—Photos and story by Candace Key
Randall Lee Demo
Demonstration on Hinoki Cypress - chamaecyparis obtusa
Randall Lee was a last minute substitute for the planned program with
Bill Castellan this month, but you would not have known it from his
presentation which didn’t miss a beat. Randall came with numerous
examples of Hinoki cypress, both developed and nursery/pre-bonsai
stock to illustrate the many stages of development with these beautiful,
graceful trees. He informed and entertained his audience throughout his
presentation.
As Randall noted, we don’t see many good Hinoki bonsai because they are
somewhat tricky to develop. Inside branches and foliage have a tendency
to die off and produce long branches with tufts of foliage on the ends,
leaving the tree looking gangly. This doesn’t have to be the case, and
Randall offered many tips on developing nicely proportioned and well
developed trees with good branch ramification. In somewhat random
order, here is what this reviewer learned from Randall:
Selection of Hinoki cypress
material brought for illustration.
~ Respectable material for bonsai can be found in some nurseries. Randall
constantly checks his favorite nurseries looking for good size trunks
with taper, and decent branches to work with. One of the varieties he
finds particularly suitable is “Wells Special”, which was the variety of the
demonstration tree he worked on. Differences in cultivars will show varying
fineness of foliage. Some of his favorites are, “Nana” “Gracilis nana” and
“Torulosa”.
~ Hinoki cypress are characterized by their deep green color, and soft scalelike leaf which has a white stomatal band at the base.
Randall beheads his
demo tree . . .
~ Many Hinoki cypress are grafted onto other stock and might not have a
good flare in the trunk where it meets the ground. Hinoki that are grown
from cuttings on their own roots tend to have better nebari.
~ Hinoki cypress are slow growing, which could be good if you are a fan of
the ‘benign neglect’ style of bonsai development, however, if you want to
accelerate the growth so you have have more fun of making it into a bonsai
sooner, it helps to grow the tree in the ground for a couple of years.
~ A healthy Hinoki cypress will likely be very dense with foliage when
you first encounter it, and it is important to do some work on the tree
immediately to open up the interior so light can reach the inner branches.
Without this exposure, many branches will surely die off leaving you with
the pom-pom effect mentioned earlier. Once the tree has been gently
thinned, it can be left to grow in the ground or a large pot to gain girth and
strength.
4
. . and strangely finds this very
amusing
Continued on p. 5
Volume 32 · Issue 11
Lee Demo
November 2015
~ Randall does keep up a regular fertilizing regimen for his trees and
recommends Phyto-Grow as a fertilizer, and has also heard good things about a
brand called ‘Romeo’. He uses a mix of organic and inorganic.
~ Hinoki cypress are forest trees native to Central Japan. They like a bit of shade
and will do best with some sort of protection from the heat, either from shade
cloth or by managing sun exposure to prevent burning the foliage. They like a
moist soil mixture and Randall recommends a 50% akadama mix.
~ Repot Hinoki cypress cautiously. Randall says it usually takes him two repotting
to move a tree from a 2 or 5 gallon nursery container to a bonsai training pot about 3 years before you can think about a final bonsai pot.
Randall set to work on the demonstration tree and immediately cut off
almost half the tree and wired a new leader. He felt the tree was perfect for
development as shohin and his cut was in keeping with shohin proportions.
Beyond that first dramatic cut Randall did very little pruning, explaining that
there was a risk to the tree with doing too much work at one time. This is a good
rule to use going forward. He also will not repot the tree this year, preferring to
let it settle into it’s new shape before another stressful operation is performed.
Next fall the root ball could be reduced by half to continue development. The
roots of Hinoki cypress are very sensitive and should be handled carefully. They
should not be bare-rooted.
Beautiful, mature Hinoki cypress
showing aged bark and excellent
branch development.
Going forward Randall emphasized cutting branches and foliage rather than
pinching which is not as precise and can damage the tree. He works the foliage
back into the center of the tree slowly, letting each year’s new growth show
real vigor before cutting back to another side branch with a strong runner. The
foliage and ramification will get tighter with each pruning. He suggested that
the tree could be pruned a bit next Spring if it shows strong growth.
Randall finished with a little judicious wiring, being careful not to break off the
tips of branches as he did. He also steered clear of wiring all the way to the tips
of the branches at this time since it can add to the stress on the tree.
Randall’s masterpiece.
Overall it is best to take the development of Hinoki cypress slowly to prevent die
back of foliage and branches. These handsome trees will reward your patience
with an elegant form and intense green foliage if proper attention is paid to their
development and care. With some luck and discipline, and a bit of talent, you too
may grow Hinoki cypress bonsai to be as beautiful as Randall Lee’s.
Thank you Randall for stepping in a the last minute and making the long drive to
present such an enlightening and thoughtful program.
You’ll never guess who won the
demo.
5
Redwood Empire Bonsai Society
October Show & Tell
Crepe Myrtle
by Craig Thompson
November 2015
A close up of the base of Craigs
Crepe Myrtle. It almost has the
appearance of a stone.
Very impressive.
Crab Apple
by Craig Thompson.
Monthly
Show
and
Tell
Photos by Bob Shimon
A close up of Craigs Crab Apples
trunk. This type of feature always
amazes me. The tree looks like it
is too damgaed to be alive but of
course it's fine.
6
Chinese Elm
by Michael Murtaugh.
The base of the Chinese Elm is
enhanced by not only the green
coverage, but also by the mix of
colors. Making it easy to appreciate the aged look of the bark.
Volume 32 · Issue 11
Article of Interest
November 2015
This Bonsai Survived Hiroshima But Its Story Was Nearly Lost
The Japanese white pine weathered four centuries of history, including the atomic bomb.
By Rachel A. Becker, National Geographic
PUBLISHED August 05, 2015
A centuries-old bonsai that survived the bombing of Hiroshima is making worldwide headlines,
but its caretakers wish the attention were focused
more on the tree's role in peace than in war.
The Japanese white pine, which was potted 390
years ago, belonged to a family that lived within
two miles of where American forces dropped the
atomic bomb 70 years ago this week. The family
had cared for the tree for five generations before
giving it the United States in 1975.
As the anniversary of the bombing approaches,
the tree's story has gone viral.
But the bonsai “was not given because of Hiroshima,” says Kathleen Emerson-Dell, who helps
care for the tree at the U.S. National Arboretum
in Washington, D.C. “It was a gift of friendship,
and connection—the connection of two different
cultures.”
In fact, the Arboretum wasn't aware of the Hiroshima connection until 2001, when two grandchildren of bonsai master
Masaru Yamaki visited the arboretum’s National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, looking for their grandfather's tree. Yamaki
had given the tree to the United States in advance of the country's bicentennial.
Since then, the arboretum hasn't kept the tree's survival of World War II a secret, but "we just don’t shout it from the
rooftops,” Emerson-Dell says.
The bombing of Hiroshima was one of two atomic bomb attacks that led to the end of World War II, killing around
140,000 people and destroying the city. Yamaki’s perfectly crafted trees, including the white pine, were protected in a
walled nursery.
Today, the white pine stands only a few feet tall, with a thick trunk and stubby green and yellowed needles. Wires keep
the branches from reaching up toward the sun. “Wrinkles, and crud, and crookedness, all this stuff—it’s what gives it
character,” says Emerson-Dell. “It's like Katharine Hepburn—it’s like, the beauty in age.”
Now, Dell hopes that people see the tree as a celebration of survival. “There’s some connection with a living being that
has survived on this earth through who knows what,” she says. “I’m in its presence, and it was in the presence of other
people from long ago.”
Reaching out to touch the pot, she says, “It’s like touching history.”
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/1508050-japanese-bonsai-survived-hiroshima-bombing/
Thank you to Garth Gordon for suggesting this article.
7
Redwood Empire Bonsai Society
Directory
November 2015
Directory 2015
Bob Shimon
President
David Dierking
Vice President
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Volume 32 · Issue 11
Tree Care
November 2015
Dwarf Hinoki Cypress bonsai Care
General Background:
Native to Southern Japan, the
elegant Dwarf Hinoki Cypress, or
Chamaecyparis obtuse grows into
a distinctive, handsome tree. With
distinct care needs, this bonsai is rather
particular and will usually not thrive
unless its caregiver is vigilant, which
is not meant to deter the beginning
bonsai enthusiast, rather, it is meant
as encouragement for success. This
particular type of false cypress tree
is much heartier than other varieties
of its species, and is more prone to
survive because of that feature.
expected to survive. However, excess
water is the number on e cause for
root rot development, and ultimately
the demise of the tree. The lack of
humidity during drying winds of
summer or winter can cause foliage
Trees Features:
The broad, sweeping, form of this
conical-shaped evergreen has graceful,
flattened, fern-like branches that
droop gently at its branch tips. It
showcases dark green foliage, and
attractive, shredding, reddish-brown
bark that peels off in long narrow strips
developing a striking texture with age.
Hinoki cypress foliage turns reddish in
the winter
die-back. The best strategy for health
is to use very fast-draining soil, water
moderately in the morning to ensure
it never stands overnight in water, and
allow it to dry somewhat between
Temperature:
watering. Supplement humidity needs
frequent misting and a humidity
Most Chamaecyparis species are hardy with
to -10F, but under such cold conditions try filled with stones.
are constantly in danger of die-back
Fertilizing:
from cold, drying winds which is why
some degree of frost/wind protection Fertilize this bonsai every two weeks,
is advised when kept as an outdoor
from early spring to mid-autumn.
bonsai. This bonsai can also be grown Chamaecyparis is a lime-hater and will
indoors during the winter months,
prefer an acid loving fertilizer.
as long as it is kept in a bright, airy
location away from any heat sources.
Pruning / Training:
Lighting:
The major styling challenge for
false cypress is the combination of
Providing ample access to full sun, in
rapid growth, die-back from lack
all but the hottest climates, is essential of light, and refusal to bud on old
for survival. Without proper lighting,
wood. If Chamaecyparis isn't pruned
lower and inner branches will turn
constantly, inside and lower branches
brown and die, which is a serious
will die and never grow back, making
problem because Chamaecyparis will
bonsai maintenance a little difficult.
not bud back on old wood.
The tree is best shaped through
constant pinching of new foliage and
Watering:
it is important to remember to never
use scissors to prune this bonsai, as
This plant is considered to be quite
the foliage always browns where cut.
touchy about its moisture levels. The
cypress also tends to form
false-cypresses in general tend to drink Hinoki
awkward
whorls of foliage if not
a lot of water, especially when in an
properly pruned. Most false cypresses
active growth phase and can never
are easy to wire, however the branches
be allowed to dry out completely if
may take a while to set and may need
to be re-wired several times to avoid
any bark damage from occurring. It
can be wired at any time of year, but as
wiring is stressful for this type of bonsai,
it is best to wait three months after
repotting before attempting to wire.
Insects / Pests:
Providing your bonsai with the ideal
conditions will go a long way in
preventing pests and diseases from
occurring in your plant. Root rot
is prevented with proper watering
conditions, leaf burn is prevented with
protection from scorching sun drying
cold and moisture depleting winds and
preventing stress in your plant will be
the best defense against bugs. That
being said, sometimes scale insects will
invade this type of bonsai. They can be
controlled manually by simply scraping
them off with a sharp knife taking care
not to injure the bark. Apply rubbing
alcohol to the shell of the scale and
insure that all shells are removed as the
eggs are protected by that hard covering
and are more than happy to infest your
plant with vigor.
Propagation:
Cuttings can be most easily taken from
young wood in July or August and will
root readily in any growing medium.
Repotting:
Repot every two to four years in early to
mid spring when the bonsai is young,
every three to five years after the age
of 10. Your soil mix will depend on your
conditions: fast-draining is the best idea
for most environments to prevent root
rot, but a richer mix might be preferable
in extremely hot areas to keep the roots
from drying completely. Hinoki cypress
has vigorous roots, and may need to be
repotted every second year, removing
as much as 1/3 to 1/2 of the root mass.
Be sure to avoid using pots that are too
large, as this keeps them too wet.
Additional Comments:
Be sure to keep the foliage of your tree
free from dust to ensure proper cell
development. As a side note of interest,
Hinoki means "fire tree"; it was used
to make fire by friction, a practice still
employed at Shinto shrines.
http://care.bonsaioutlet.com/
9
Official REBS Newsletter is published monthly.
Redwood Empire Bonsai Society
REBS was founded in 1981 for bonsai enthusiasts. Our club meets every
fourth Tuesday of the month (except in July and December). The monthly
meeting and demonstration are held at the Luther Burbank Art and Garden
Center, 2050 Yulupa Avenue, Santa Rosa, 95405. Meetings are open to the
public. Please refer to our calendar of events for specific time, date and
guest demonstrator.
Luther Burbank Art & Garden Center,
Santa Rosa, California
Redwood Empire Bonsai Society
PO Box 2872
Santa Rosa CA 95405-2872
We’re on the web:
www.rebsbonsai.org
Address Correction Requested
Please Forward