founded january, 1964 journal - toronto bonsai...
TRANSCRIPT
Founded January, 1964
JOURNAL
May 2012www.torontobonsai.org
Schedule of eventsMeetings are held at the TBG (Toronto Botanical Gardens), at 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, in the Garden Hall, (lower auditorium on the west side of building), unless otherwise noted. The first meeting is free for non-members.
Beginner sessions: 6:30 – 7:20
The beginner sessions are held in Studio #2 upstairs, at the TBG. Beginners should read the articles in the BEGINNERS section, under ARCHIVES, at the TBS web site.
May: To maximize our time with Marco this month, there will be no Beginner session in May.
General meetings: 7:30 – 10:00
May 7: Marco Invernizzi Visit. Start time is 7:00. Marco will lead a demonstration during our general meeting. There will also be an opportunity to participate in a Bring Your Own Material workshop, during Marco's visit to the Toronto area. Cost: $100/member. Contact Cheryl Johnson and Linda Chevrier to register (see last page for contact details).
June 11: Juniper Slab planting workshop. Contact Cheryl Johnson and Linda Chevrier to register (see last page for contact details).
Events:
May 5: Connon's Nursery Crawl. This is an outstanding opportunity to purchase material from a producer that is normally not open to the public, and also to see the incredible scale of their operation. Connon's has several million plants in their inventory, so needless to say this is not your average nursery crawl! Many rare and unusual cultivar including an absolutely stunning selection of dwarf conifers. The majority of their stock is grafted, but much of it is aesthetically suitable for bonsai. Many of the species we are only accustomed to seeing in Japanese bonsai magazines (Red Pine, Black pine, White Pine) and are available in all shapes and sizes at Connon's. There are also many varieties that are rarely seen at nurseries around here (Atlas Cedar, Ponderosa Pine, Bald Cypress, European/Japanese Larch, the list goes on!). Sign-up will begin during the April 16th general meeting, and continue on via email ([email protected]). We are limited to 15 participants, so sign up early! Cost: based on the material you select. Please see TBS website for further details.
May 19, 20: Toronto Bonsai Society, Spring Show. This years spring show will be held at the Japaneses Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) in the Shokokai Court, located at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, Ontario. Show hours will be from noon – 5pm (Saturday) 10am – 5pm (Sunday). Bring in your bonsai, shitakusa, suiseki, and scrolls for display. Volunteers needed, please contact any member of the Executive team (see last page for contact details).
2
On the cover: John Biel's bonsai American Larch (Larix laricina). Picture taken May 2008.
Events (con't):
June, July and August: Backyard workshops and garden visits. Contact Cheryl Johnson and Linda Chevrier (see last page for contact details), to have the club over!
Outside the club:
June 9, 10: 3rd US National Bonsai Exhibiton: Rochester, New York.
June 21-24: Rocky Mountain Bonsai ABS/BCI Convention 2012: Denver, Colorado.
President's Message: A Spring Show To Remember
By Keith Oliver
May is upon us and so is our Annual Spring Bonsai Show and Sale. For some of us this is an exciting time, for others maybe not so much. For those that enjoy it, our shows are where we get to put our prized bonsai on display for others to enjoy. They are works of art that we immerse ourselves into over hours, months, years, and maybe even decades of hard and sometimes tedious work. This is the pay off, this is our reward. For others, it may be a time when we think that our trees aren't good enough to show, or aren't quite ready, and that in a couple more years they'll be prefect. I say, show them, show them now. If you've poured your heart into a tree, you should be proud of it. And, therefore you should show it off, even if it has wire on it, or is in a plastic pot. There is always a place in our show for a tree that is still under development, or not perfectly styled. Imperfections are beautiful too. In fact, nothing is perfect, and no tree is really ever finished. They will continue to grow and change, albeit slowly, until the day they decide to stop growing altogether. So, this Spring it would be great to see those trees that you have been toiling over forever, and the ones you may have only been working on for a short time.
Our Spring Bonsai Show and Sale will be held on Saturday May 19th, and Sunday May 20th in the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. The address is 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5. The doors will open at 8:30 am for set up on Saturday morning, and the show will commence at 12:00pm. So be sure to have your trees there early, and also to lend a hand setting up tables, screens and all the other accoutrements. It would be greatly appreciated if a few people would volunteer to help load the screens at Edwards Gardens. Please contact me (see last page for contact details) if you are willing to help. The show will close at 5pm on Sunday and as usual the take down will occur promptly upon shutting the doors. We will also need a few hands to help ensure the screens make it back to Edwards Gardens after the show. Lets make this a great show!
Crabapple Workshop
By Jeeto Butalia
It's Tuesday as I scan my email for the first time this evening – ding goes my email client, 5 emails on bonsai. Yeah, I'm excited! One email includes pictures of the Seibold crabapple which Otmar, Jorge and I collaborated on, for its initial styling. Last night having attended the April TBS general meeting – with the warmer than normal weather this spring, bonsai fever is on us, full on.
For those who took part in the workshop, or anyone who is looking for care directions with respect this hard to come by species, a reprint of the hand out if offered here:
Crabapple Siebold, Malus sieboldiiCare:
• Repot at bud burst; repot every 1-2 years• Crabapples need root space; a deeper pot should be used
• Prune when repotting; prune tips throughout growing season to two buds
• Pruning of sub-branches in mid-August
• Wiring in spring to fall; protect bark when wiring
• After repotting wait for a few months for wiring
• Add some horticultural lime to soil mix
• Likes full Sun; provide good air circulation to prevent mildew problems
• Do not let soil dry out completely; do not mist
3
Here are pictures of some trees that were styled during the meeting.
Then as we shift in to late April, in the GTA area we just experienced a cold spell, or a more seasonal few days of weather. Quite the contrast to the warm days that rung April in for us, and provided many of our trees an early start. I hope you are surveying your trees daily now, as am I. And are taking precaution to protect any tender buds, leaves or growth that may have begun earlier this month.
Your Bonsai In May, Zones 5-6
by Dierk Neugebauer
Many publications in our library deal with various growing, styling and maintenance tips, but are not usually directed to our calendar or growing climate. I would like this column to be a little more practical for our members, as well as a little more personal. Naturally, I would like someone more experienced than myself to take over the monthly content of this column. You might think of this as a beginning.
In General...
As you receive this Journal you'll no doubt have spent considerable time already bringing your trees out of hibernation and repotting those in need.
A few things to keep in mind:
Newly repotted trees require protection from wind and sun, at
Image 1: Raw or pre bonsai tree prior to styling. Image 2: Tree from Image 1, after styling.
Image 3: Another tree after it has received styling.
least for a couple of weeks.
Make a special effort to water these trees regularly and don't ever let them dry out completely - new roots require ample moisture so that they can establish themselves.
Don't fertilize. Your soil will have some nutrients available. New roots do not take kindly to artificial fertilizers, especially, and can be easily burned, thus setting your tree back considerably, or even destroying it.
Trees coming out of greenhouses or out of your home need special protection from sun and wind, more so than those that spent the winter outside. Keep these trees in the shade and gradually over a 2 - 4 week period acclimatize them to the great outdoors.
Hardy Evergreens And Deciduous Plants
If repotting and pruning and styling did not get finished in April, there is still ample time to complete these tasks in May. if these activities are particularly harsh on your tree, give it extra protection from sun and wind to help it recover, and don't be stingy with the water! Gradually move the tree into its permanent summer location - don't rush it.
Tropicals
I have spent a fair bit of time over the winter months discussing the need for vigilance with your tropicals, especially when it comes to pests such as aphids and white fly. Once you move your trees outside, natural predators will generally help you to control these pests so that spraying should not be such an issue.
If, like myself, you bemoaned the fact that pure soap flakes are no longer available for use as pesticides, relax. I have found a source of the same in Canada on the internet. Try searching for such things as "natural cleaning agents." You should come up with a source or two. If not, send me an email and I will avail you of my source in Ottawa.
As you move your tropicals outdoors for the summer, and it really is a good idea to do so rather than to keep them indoors all year long, you must be more careful than with your temperate trees that you overwintered outdoors or in a cold space. The latter will have swelling buds, but not open leaves, such as your tropicals do. Therefore, it is critical that these trees be placed in fairly heavy shade when being moved outdoors, and gradually over a 2 - 4 week period, being acclimatized to their new summer home. Failure to do this gradually, will lead to severe leaf burn. By the way, most house plants also benefit greatly from spending the summer outdoors - there are, however, some exceptions to this rule, such as all plants that are beloved of slugs.
If your tropicals have particularly leathery leaves that take forever to adjust to the sun without burning first, try leaf pruning. I do this annually with a fiddle leaf fig (granted with its one foot or greater leaves, it's not what we call a good candidate for bonsai,) and have found that the benefit is twofold: I get new unburned leaves and the new growth is used to the sun and does not burn.
Sales And Selling At The Spring Show
The doors to the JCC building will open at 8:30 a.m. All items must be at the show by 9:00 a.m., and registered with one of the people in the sales area. Anything Bonsai related, such as trees, pots, stands, tools, fertilizer, soil, etc., is acceptable. When the show is over, all items not sold must be picked up and checked out with one of the sales people. We are not responsible for items not picked up. Items for sale will not be accepted during the day, or at the Social on Saturday evening. Items will be accepted on Sunday morning, but they must be there by 9:00 a.m.
Code your items. If your name is John Jones, you would put JJ#1 on a tag attached to the item. If you have room on the tag, you could identify the item. Please check with me as to the code you will be using, so you don’t use the same code as someone else.
On the sales sheet, which is available on the website, you would use the code JJ#1 and some information on the item, i.e., type of tree, age, years in training, tropical or hardy, as well as the sale price. If you are willing to give a discount, please note it on the sales sheet.
Please price and code each item that you are selling. Do not bring in a group of items, all costing $1.00, and give them one code number. Price for items should be listed in even dollars.
Michel Villeneuve of World of Burls, www.worldofburls.com, will be a vendor at the show. He was here during the October 2011 workshop series with David Easterbrook.
Proceeds from the sale may not be ready at the end of the show. If not, they will be given out at the next meeting. We only deal in cash.
All people participating in the sale are expected to spend some time in the sales area selling the items.
10% OF ALL SALES WILL GO TO THE CLUB
5
TBS announcements
Magazines for saleOur club president, Keith, has has a collection of Bonsai Today numbers 1 thru 50 for sale.
Links to other clubs:
Bonsai 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/Welcome.html
Regular TBS meetings
Meetings 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 auditorium on the west side of the building at 7:30 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 6:30 pm. by the Beginner sessions, held upstairs.
A small fee is charged for workshops, and a tree, wire and 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 the next month, and before summer.
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 Carlos Bras (see last page for contact details) in advance of the meeting for specific tools and supplies.
Do you have the right tools and supplies to get through the summer? We have what you need, just ask Carlos!
6
TBS Executive:
President:Keith Oliver
Vice-President:Lilly Tsirulnikov
Web-Master:Jorge Pereira
Treasurer:Jean Charing
Editor/Publisher: Jeeto Butalia
Tools & Supplies:Carlos Bras
Membership Secretary:Linda Chevrier, Cheryl Johnson
New Member Host:Karen Brankley
Recording Secretary:Sylvia Le Roy
Past-President:Mike Roussel
Librarian:Margrit Frederickson
Member at Large:Otmar Sauer
7
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
P.O. Box 155,
Don Mills, Ontario
M3C 2S2