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CBS Newsletter June 2008: Full Image Version

"A Pinch of this...."

Shows are busting out all over

Term of the month: LIGNIFICATION

If you ever wondered what makes bonsai woody on its branches and trunks, then lignification is the answer.
This factor allows the miniature trees to grow with a brown and rough surface; however this may vary according to the variety of tree.

Well here, we are in June and once again, it seems like everywhere you turn there is an ad for yet another bonsai show or conference. There is Dawes Arboretum, MABA in Indianapolis, ABS in San Antonio, Bonsai Societies of Florida’s Si-Diao, Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society in Colorado, Four Seasons Bonsai in Michigan; not to mention our own One-Day Bonsai Show on June 21. (See our ad on Page 7) This will be in place of our monthly meeting. Of course, this is just a bit of a shakedown cruise for our upcoming Ohio Bonsai Exhibition in October. We will set up at 8am, and the doors will open to the public at 10am. To help us all look to getting our trees ready we are including a few articles on getting your trees ready and accent plants. So, get out there and get those trees ready, then bring them out to the one-day show. Think of it as a pre-judging of what needs to happen before your tree is truly ready for the exhibition in the fall. Please also check out the “mascot” tree that is a donation of Keith Scott (page 5)
Rich Uhrick

Saving Junipers from destruction
This past Memorial Day weekend, unfortunately on rather short notice, Ken Schultz obtained permission for our Society to dig up the Junipers in the AMPCO parking lot southwest of the old Lazarus building. The sad part is that we got the permission on Wednesday May 21, but only until the morning of the 27th. This did not allow us to put together a more organized ‘dig.’ The junipers turned out to be Juniperis sabina “Broadmoor” according to the faded but still readable nursery tags still attached to them. At different times, Zack Clayton and Rich Uhrick spent a grand total of about 45 minutes and collected at least two plants. However, the final yield is well over 30 pre- and bonsai ready trees, since so many of the branches were ground layered and already had their own root systems. All of this material is already well over 25 years old at least.

President’s Message- Mark Passerrello
Hello Bonsai Fans!
This is a reminder that our meeting schedule is slightly different this month. We will NOT have a meeting on our usual Third Sunday date, June 15th, but 6 days later on the 21st. Our meeting is our annual summer show, this year held on only one day. I have been referring to this event as the Bonsai Block Party, because it will be a less structured, more informal and hopefully even more fun type of event that lets the public see what we are up to and give CBS members a chance to show off their trees and socialize in a bonsai setting. Please plan to attend the show, which will run from 10:00AM until 5:00pm. Even though the show is shorter by one day there is still a good bit of preparation and set up to be done.
SET UP : Friday the 20th, from 4:30 until its done-likely about 90 minutes if we have a good turn out. This will be placing tables and table skirts. NO trees will be accepted during this time.
FINAL SET UP and TREE PLACEMENT: 8:00 AM -9:30AM Saturday. Trees will only be accepted between these times, members are asked to bring between one and three trees, something you have not shown before preferred but look for items that look good and demonstrate what you feel is your best work or makes a statement about what bonsai is all about for you. No Limit on accent plants!
SHOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 10:00-5:00 Be on hand to hang out and shoot the breeze with other CBS members and assorted bonsai folk, and to interact and assist members of the public as they visit. Don’t forget to wear club name tags and club garments if you have them. If you have plants at home that need work trimming, repotting, etc, bring them and do an ad hoc demo at the Club Table. We will also be having our usual hospitality room for club members and vendors, so bring a covered dish or snack items!
TEAR DOWN: Begins at 5:00, and as they say many hands make light work, so plant to stay after the show and we can get every thing packed up and taken care of in short order.
AFTER SHOW LIBATIONS: The Rusty Bucket Tavern, just around the corner on Main Street awaits!
If you have questions or need more in formation, please let me know [mailto:(mpasserr@columbus.rr.com (mpasserr@columbus.rr.com]) or get in touch with show chair Ken Schultz (KASCEPPSM@aol.com) See you there!
Mark

Tree of the Month

Crabapples-genus Malus

There are over 30 varieties of crabapples. There are species of this deciduous tree from North America, Europe and Asia. They range in size from 40 feet down to about medium sized shrubs.
Some are prone to Apple Scab and others are susceptible to Fire Blight. Many times a good nursery will tell you whether the plant you are considering is resistant to these. Dawes Arboretum has a beautiful collection of Crabapples, Linda and I have made the trip to see them, when gasoline was a bit cheaper. Dawes also has a list of varieties resistant to scab and blight. Varieties used for bonsai include Halls- pink flowers, purple apples; Sargent’s- a dwarf with white flowers and red fruit; Sylvestris- whitish flowers, yellow-red apples 2 mm in diameter; Nagasaki-white flowers, red apples; Toringo- creamy white flowers with yellow fruit; Snowdrift- pinkish white flowers, orange-red fruit; and Zumi- red flowers and red fruit. Leaves can be a bit large, on some, up to 4” long, some are lobed, but most have a serrated edge. There are some double flowered varieties for the yard, but as of yet, I have not seen them offered by bonsai nurseries. Hardiness varies from zone 4 to 8, so try to buy varieties that you see at the local nurseries, or at Dawes.
Regardless of which variety you select, enjoy the flowers and fruit. Give them full sun. Keep them thinned out like a real apple tree to prevent mildew problems. One reference cautions against getting the foliage wet when watering as it may promote mildew. Apple trees go through a leaf drop- fruit drop period
when summer heats up and dries a bit. Your bonsai may do the same, at this point you might want to reduce the amount of sun it receives. Recall, that they are related to apple trees too when it comes to preventive spaying. I had mentioned before that I spray with Orchard Spray about every two weeks. Deformed foliage at the branch tips is a giveaway that aphids are sucking the juice out of them, as is sticky honey dew on the leaves or beneath a badly infected tree. Also, if it is not impossible, pre-emergent oil spry might prevent scale.
Fertilizing is a tough call, too much--results in big leaves, not enough cuts down flower and fruit production. Feed them every week or two weeks until the fruit are well developed. (One author says not to fertilize them while they are in bloom.) Watch branch growth, this fertilization will cause rapid growth. You
may need to trim them every week. Cut branches back to 2 to 3 leaves when they have 5-7 leaves. Look at the direction of the bud below where you plan to cut, the direction of the bud is the direction that the branch will grow afterwards. Since the leaves are alternate, each leaf node will have a different direction. If you have a small tree, and you want it to be larger, wait until August to prune. This will also let flower buds to develop for the following year. Use bone meal in the fall to encourage flowering the following year.
Crab apples may have to have their roots protected during the winter. This is especially true if your tree is in a shallow pot. As with most other deciduous trees re-potting needs to happen before it leafs out. Re-pot every year or two. I have seen Crabapples in almost every style from single-trunk specimens to clump
Regardless of which variety you select, enjoy the flowers and fruit. Give them
full sun. Keep them thinned out like a real apple tree to prevent mildew
problems. style, to cascade. When you re-pot, my references say they are not too fussy as long as the soil is well drained and slightly alkaline. Branches can be wired and pruned.
One way to start your crabapple bonsai is to start one of the suckers that come up at the base of a tree in your yard. I have also seen small trees sprouting in my flower beds. Cuttings can also be rooted if they are taken in the early spring. Use a rooting hormone for better success. Use cuttings with three or more leaf nodes.

References include; Gordon Owen, Simon and Schuster, Harry Tomlinson and me, Ken Schultz
Ken Schultz

Kusamono and accent plants
How can I not be attracted to something whose literal translation from Japanese is “Grass Thing”? I had intended to submit an article on accent plants and Kusamono for the CBS newsletter several months ago but inertia took over. Then Bonsai Focus (Mar.- Apr. 08) published a beautiful piece “Not Just Plants”. But I am undaunted and will blunder ahead. Somewhere in research for who knows why I ran across the word Kusamono. A bit of “Googling” made me realize that, this is serious stuff. After hundreds of hits in a U.N. of languages, I found that many clubs and shows have done workshops. Then again, some playfulness creeps in. I will regale you with a bit of info and insight and provide some website links and other resources if you care to pursue and peruse. I would love to see what others find of interest.
I have seen many members of our club, folks at Dawes etc. display beautiful accent plants. I have enjoyed playing with potting various ferns, grasses, and flowering plants in some of my small pots and to my delight folks have bought what we have had for sale. Sandy Schoenfeld, at our March meeting, brought up what may be obvious - this is a great way to utilize those “cute” little pots that we have all collected thinking that we could grow trees in them. We use the terms accent or companion plant to describe material displayed with a bonsai. The Japanese term is Shitakusa (brings out my inner 9 year old). Shitakusa pronounced (Sha’tak’sa) translates Shita-under or below and kusa - grass. A Shitakusa is used to complement a display. Not in any way should it be a focal point.
The concept, as I grasp it, is that the Shitakusa is a minor part of the whole impression. It helps create the setting or mood. In a formal display, an accent plant may be viewed in a Tokonoma along with a bonsai or suiseki in the discipline known as Kei Do. The literature states that an accent plant is used to evoke a season, time of day, mood, etc.
The term Kusamono-Bonsai is used in many articles. This is a bit bothersome to me. Possibly, it is meant to indicate that the Kusamono can be viewed as a stand alone in an exhibit. The Kusamono is the primary feature and may have a scroll, figurine, etc. to complement the presentation. A Kusamono may be an individually planted specimen or a combination of materials such as grasses, wildflowers, dwarf bamboo, herbs, mosses, and even seedling trees. I find Kusamono especially appealing because plants sold for rock gardens or labeled alpine plants are almost irresistible to me.
Over the past 20 years or so Kusamono has become very popular and increasingly refined in Japan and Europe. Naoko Esaka in Bonsai Focus compares Kusamono with ikebana except that the former have roots. As in the three level constructions often seen in an Ikebana, a Kusamono may have a taller grass in the back, a shorter flower forward and moss in front. She cautions that plantings should not mix plants from different environs, i.e. marsh and alpine, shade and sun. In one of my favorite books, Four Seasons Of Bonsai, Kyuzo Murata displays plants (no reference to Kusamono) in prime seasonal growth. I am sure these beauties would be unspectacular at other times of year. His photos of emerging fern fiddleheads or equisedum compare with the spring display of the azalea, the summer fruit of the oleaster, and autumn berries of the chokeberry. It is this idea of featuring the seasonal changes that is the appeal of Kusamono.
Another area using non-trees that you may encounter is under planting. This is adding plant material in the same pot as the bonsai. (Please no Sagina subulata [Irish moss-Ed.]) Maybe we cannot all dig great trees in the wild but we may collect material that can remind us of vacations, picnics at the park, or even nursery field trips. Collect wisely and legally.

North American Bonsai Federation newsletter article http://www.bonsai-wbff.org/nabf/newsletter9/F4.htm

A UK Kusamono Club http://www.kusamono.co.uk/index.html

Bonsai Kusamono Suiseki: A Practical Guide for Organizing Displays with Plants and Stones
By Willi Benz

More info on Kusamono and Shitakusa.

http://www.snowcrest.net/windowboxnursery/bonsai/kora.htm
National Bonsai Foundation Exhibit 2007 http://www.bonsai-nbf.org/site/exh-kusamono.html
I Believe a Czech “klub”
http://www.bonsaiklub.cz/photo/en/?kategorie=6
http://www.bonsaiklub.cz/photo/en/?kategorie=6]
C. Tom Holcomb

Showing off your trees
I hope that you have evaluated your bonsai collection and identified some trees that you want to show. While this year’s “main event” is in October; our one day show on June 21 needs about 60-80 trees to fill our tables. Here are some tips for preparing your trees for any show.
* Clean the pot. Remove mud, and salt stains from its surface.
* Pull weeds. Erinaria and chickweed are not accent plants.
* Top dressing. Soil should be smooth and moss should not be lumpy or growing up the trunk of your tree.
* Groom your tree. This means that growth should be checked so that branches are not growing outside the silhouette of the style your tree is supposed to be.
* Check the positions of the branches. It is OK for them to be wired as long as you have done a neat job and all “non-essential” wire has been removed.

If your favorite tree will not be ready now, then it is never too early to get it ready for this fall. So water and fertilize knowing that a healthy plant makes a better impression. Also make sure your tree is “passenger free” before you bring it to the show, your fellow club-mates will appreciate knowing that nothing will be jumping or flying from your tree to theirs.

Ken Schultz

A NEW CLUB “LOGO” TREE IS DONATED BY KEITH SCOTT

As many of you know our previous club tree, the one in our logo, went to the big compost pile in the sky this year. Fortunately, one of our newest and most renowned members, Keith Scott has come to our rescue. He has offered to donate
this Ponderosa Pine once he has completed a little more work on it. While this does not mean that the logo will be revised it will provide us with a “mascot” of sorts.

Thanks again Keith it is we who are humbled by your generous offer.

In May we were joined by Tom McCormack....

Tom McCormack, recently elected President of the Greater Cincinnati Bonsai Society and regular contributor to BONSAI the journal of the ABS, regaled us with his experience and knowledge about Azaleas. Since we were unable to acquire suitable stock for a workshop, we simply asked members to bring in their own Azaleas (or other trees) for advice from Mr. McCormack.

Tom also brought two of his own Azaleas as examples. He said that although many advise that you only allow azaleas to bloom once every 3 years, or so, he has always allowed his to bloom every year with little or no ill effects.

Thanks Tom and we certainly hope to see you again soon.

Bonsai Here and Beyond the Outerbelt

Unless otherwise noted, The Columbus Bonsai Society meets the third Sunday of every month at 1:45 pm
at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Board Meetings are the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm in the Franklin
Park Conservatory. The meetings are open to members.

June 21, 2008 ONE DAY BONSAI SHOW AT FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY

June 14-15, 2008 Dawes Arboretum Annual Bonsai Show [http://www.dawesarb.org/ www.dawesarb.org]

June 12-18, 2008 MABA Conference, Indianapolis, IN www.MABA2008.org

June 19-22, 2008 American Bonsai Society Learning Seminar 2008?San Antonio, TX http://absbonsai.org/seminars/ABS2008/main2008.html

June 28-29, 2008 Wildwood Gardens? annual BBQ www.wildwoodgardens.com/wildwood/

July 20, 2008 Trees from the stock of Martha Meehan www.meehansminiatures.com

August 17, 2008 Bring Your Own Tropicals workshop

Sept. 14, 2008 Potluck at FPC and getting trees ready for October

Oct. 11-12, 2008 National Bonsai Exhibition, Rochester, NY [http://www.internationalbonsai.com/nbe08 www.internationalbonsai.com/nbe08]

Oct. 11-12, 2008 Carolina Bonsai Expo, Ashville, NC http://www.ncarboretum.org/ www.ncarboretum.org

Oct. 25-6, 2008 Ohio Bonsai Exposition at Franklin Park Conservatory? New Date

Nov. 16, 2008 TBA

Dec., 2008 Holiday Dinner

June, 2011 /BCI LEARNING SEMINAR IN LOUISVILLE, KY