Golden Statements, 2010, v33, March/April

Golden Statements Vol. XXXlll No. 2 1

Golden Statements Volume XXXlll No. 2 Mar/Apr 2010 - Table of Contents

GSBF Communications3 GSBF President’s Message Bob Hilvers 4 In Memory, Linda Ferzoco Andrea Burhoe 9 GSBF Giving Campaign Lauri Feetham

42 Calendar of Events Timm Johnson

18 Bonsai Studio Peter Adams

20 Bonsai Bytes Joanie Berkwitz

22 District D Nina Ragle 24 Nisei Week Show Michael Jonas 26 One Road leads to Another Ryan Neil

Color EssaysArticles5 Seasonal Suggestions Marty Mann

6 Joshua Roth Contest Harold Johnson 10 Marina Bonsai Club Herb Eisenberg 13 Interpretively Speaking Cheryl Petty 14 Monterey Pine Don White 31 Snow Hats Scott Chadd

32 Weather Extremes Cheryl Sykora

40 The Toll of Thieves Scott Chadd

Operations

Inside

2 Golden Statements Policy 2 GSBF Officers & Trustees 4 From the Editor’s Desk 37 List of Advertisers

Peter Adams, Bonsai Studio, Page 18

John Wang’s Japanese black pine is 50 to 60 years old. Originally from Japan or Taiwan, the tree was further developed by John’s uncle in Gilroy, CA. The tree measures 25 in x 21 in with a 4 1/2 in diameter base. From the 2009 Descanso Bonsai Society Show, photo by Michael Jonas.

Front Cover

Bonsai in their “Snow Hats” Page 31

The Marina Bonsai Club has it going on. Shig Miya celebrated his 88th there. Page 10

An Interpretive poem and illustration by Cheryl Petty, Page 13

2 Golden Statements Mar/Apr, 2010

Kathleen O’Donnell, [email protected]: 916-448-6727

Marty Mann, Joanie BerkwitzCindy Peterson, [email protected]

7241 E. Rocky Ridge Drive Tucson, AZ 85750 Tel: 520-299-5952

Michael Jonas, [email protected] Tel: 818-776-0813

Timm Johnson, [email protected] Carl Morimoto, [email protected]

Blue Moon Printing, www.blumoonprinting.com Dave McCoy, [email protected]

ADVERTISING - Pricing and Policies: Send ad copy to Advertising Manager by posted deadlines. 1/8 page G 3.65x2.35 inches $30.00 add $5.00 for online color* 1/4 page G 3.65x4.90 inches $60.00 add $10.00 for online color* 1/2 page G Horizontal 7.50x4.90 inches $90.00 add $15.00 for online color* 1/2 page G Vertical 3.65x10.0 inches $90.00 add $15.00 for online color* Full page G 7.50x10.0 inches $160.00 add $20.00 for online color* Back Inside Cover C 7.50x10.0 inches $290.00 Front Inside Cover C 7.50x10.0 inches $320.00 Back Inside Cover 1/2 page C Horizontal 7.50x4.90 inches $155.00 Front Inside Cover 1/2 page C Horizontal 7.50x4.90 inches $170.00 Back Outside Cover C 6.85x5.85 inches $215.00 (G=grayscale C=color) * Display of ads in color online magazine is free with a one-year, six-issue order. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners

CALENDAR OF EVENTS listings must reach the Calendar of Events Manager by posted deadlines. Listing is free. Listing of non-GSBF member club events is on a space available basis at the discretion of the Editor. Non-GSBF clubs within the GSBF boundary may require a listing fee.ARTICLES, announcements and photographs intended for publication in Golden Statements must reach the Editor by deadline (above). Golden Statements reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication. It is assumed that any submissions made to Golden Statements may be published both on-line and in print.

TITLES such as Dr. are not used in by-lines. FOREIGN WORDS are used without dia-critic marks or macrons for Japanese. UNSIGNED ARTICLES are by the Editor.

GOLDEN STATE BONSAI FEDERATION, founded in 1978, is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to historical, scientific features and appreciation of the art of bonsai.Visit our web site at: www.gsbf-bonsai.org.

Golden Statements Mar/Apr 2010 Vol.XXXIII No. 2

Deadlines for ads, calendar of events, subscriptions, articles and photo submissions:

Jan/Feb issue deadline= Nov 20 Mar/Apr issue deadline= Jan 20 May/June issue deadline= Mar 20

July/Aug issue deadline= May 20 Sept/Oct issue deadline= July 20 Nov/Dec issue deadline= Sept 20

Editor:

Columnists: Subscription Manager: Advertising Manager: Calendar of Events Manager: Management Advisor: Printer: GS Web Designer:

“Golden State Bonsai Federation,” “GSBF,” and its logo are trademarks of Golden State Bonsai Federation. ©2009 GSBF All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, copied, or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the Editor. Contributed articles express the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSBF Executive Board or the Editor.

GOLDEN STATEMENTS is published 6 times a year by GSBF. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATE: • Regular bulk mail within the States (US $20) • First Class- US, Canada, Mexico (US $35) • International via Air Mail (US $55)There are two ways to subscribe, take your pick:1) Use the following link to sign up and follow the prompts to pay for a subscription http://www.gsbf-bonsai.org/gsbfmag_subscribe.htmlor, 2) Provide your name, address and telephone number along with a check made out to: Golden Statement Mail to: Cindy Peterson, 7241 E. Rocky Ridge Dr., Tucson, AZ 85750 To avoid duplicate mailings, indicate “Renewal”. For an uninterrupted renewal subscriptions, your check must be received by the deadline listed above that occurs before the expiration date shown on the top line of your address label. Contact the Subscription Manager for subscription requests, address changes and corrections. Print copies of back issues are not available. There are plans to make back issues available for a fee in the future as archived pdfs.

GOLDEN STATE BONSAI FEDERATION OFFICERS

President: Bob Hilvers [email protected] 559-909-10511st Vice President: Gareth Shepherd [email protected] 831-688-96962nd Vice President: Abe Far [email protected] 619-234-3434 Corresponding Secretary: Cary S.Valentine [email protected] 760-445-2548Recording Secretary: Randi Keppeler [email protected] 650-598-0127Treasurer: Elizabeth Likes [email protected] 818-352-3064Comptroller: Mary Rowland [email protected] 707-585-2550Immediate Past Presidents: Ted Matson [email protected] 626-398-8412 Dolly Fassio [email protected] 530-295-0200 BOARD OF TRUSTEES A #1 Kirk Demarest [email protected] 530-680-8528 #2 Leo Martinez [email protected] 530-273-2628B #3 Mike Haley [email protected] 650-962-9336 #4 Linda Soliven [email protected] 925-776-2342C #5 Harold Mitchell [email protected] 559-297-8207 #6 Thomas Leonard [email protected] 831-423-6457D #7 Jack Reynolds [email protected] 760-397-8292 #8 John Van de Wouw [email protected] 310-543-2849E #9 Cary S.Valentine [email protected] 760-445-2548 #10 David Nguy [email protected] 323-223-9125MEMBERS AT LARGE: #11 Steve Valentine 760-445-2548 #12 Lonnie McCormick [email protected] 408-996-2954 #13 Mel Ikeda 714-957-3907 #14 Joe Byrd [email protected] 831-649-5934

COMMITTEES

Bonsai Basics: Steve Valentine 760-445-2548Bonsai Online Shopper: Michael Jonas 818-776-0813Circle of Sensei: Mel Ikeda 714-957-3907GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt: Gordon Deeg [email protected] 650-341-8494GSBF Collection at the Huntington: Jim Barrett 626-445-4529Convention Briefi ng: Bob Hilvers 559-732-9286Elections: Cary S. Valentine 760-445-2548Giving Campaign: Lauri Feetham 408-274-7073Editor : Kathleen O’Donnell 916-448-6727Grants & Scholarships: Al Keppler [email protected] 559-227-5689Hotline: Joe Byrd 831-649-5934Insurance: Abe Far 619-234-3434GSBF Website Liaison: Joe Byrd [email protected] 831-649-5934Kinshu Award: Membership: Timm Johnson [email protected] 916-362-8147Parliamentarian: Art Tilles [email protected] 530-472-1533Offi cial Documents: Cary S. Valentine 760-445-2548Rules: Art Tilles 530-472-1533Workshops:

BONSAI COLLECTIONS

GSBF Collection at the Huntington Huntington Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108 Phone: 626-405-2100

GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland, CA Mailing Address: P.O. Box 16176, Oakland, CA 94610-6176 Phone: 510-763-8409

GOLDEN STATE BONSAI FEDERATION OFFICERS

President: Bob Hilvers [email protected] 559-909-10511st Vice President: Gareth Shepherd [email protected] 831-688-96962nd Vice President: Abe Far [email protected] 619-234-3434 Corresponding Secretary: Cary S.Valentine [email protected] 760-445-2548Recording Secretary: Randi Keppeler [email protected] 650-598-0127Treasurer: Elizabeth Likes [email protected] 818-352-3064Comptroller: Mary Rowland [email protected] 707-585-2550Immediate Past Presidents: Ted Matson [email protected] 626-398-8412 Dolly Fassio [email protected] 530-295-0200 BOARD OF TRUSTEES A #1 Kirk Demarest [email protected] 530-680-8528 #2 Leo Martinez [email protected] 530-273-2628B #3 Mike Haley [email protected] 650-962-9336 #4 Linda Soliven [email protected] 925-776-2342C #5 Harold Mitchell [email protected] 559-297-8207 #6 Thomas Leonard [email protected] 831-423-6457D #7 Jack Reynolds [email protected] 760-397-8292 #8 John Van de Wouw [email protected] 310-543-2849E #9 Cary S.Valentine [email protected] 760-445-2548 #10 David Nguy [email protected] 323-223-9125MEMBERS AT LARGE: #11 Steve Valentine 760-445-2548 #12 Lonnie McCormick [email protected] 408-996-2954 #13 Mel Ikeda 714-957-3907 #14 Joe Byrd [email protected] 831-649-5934

COMMITTEES

Bonsai Basics: Steve Valentine 760-445-2548Bonsai Online Shopper: Michael Jonas 818-776-0813Circle of Sensei: Mel Ikeda 714-957-3907GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt: Gordon Deeg [email protected] 650-341-8494GSBF Collection at the Huntington: Jim Barrett 626-445-4529Convention Briefi ng: Bob Hilvers 559-732-9286Elections: Cary S. Valentine 760-445-2548Giving Campaign: Lauri Feetham 408-274-7073Editor : Kathleen O’Donnell 916-448-6727Grants & Scholarships: Al Keppler [email protected] 559-227-5689Hotline: Joe Byrd 831-649-5934Insurance: Abe Far 619-234-3434GSBF Website Liaison: Joe Byrd [email protected] 831-649-5934Kinshu Award: Membership: Timm Johnson [email protected] 916-362-8147Parliamentarian: Art Tilles [email protected] 530-472-1533Offi cial Documents: Cary S. Valentine 760-445-2548Rules: Art Tilles 530-472-1533Workshops:

BONSAI COLLECTIONS

GSBF Collection at the Huntington Huntington Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108 Phone: 626-405-2100

GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland, CA Mailing Address: P.O. Box 16176, Oakland, CA 94610-6176 Phone: 510-763-8409


GSBF President’s Message, Bob Hilvers

This issue of Golden State-ments is usually the one that contains information regarding the past convention. It is certainly safe to say that the Convention in Riverside was one of the most enjoyable in re-

cent memory and was an unqual-ified success on every level. I can also say that plan-ning of the 2010 GSBF Convention in Santa Clara has been under way for over a year now and the Program for that convention is shaping up to offer new faces with new ideas and exciting learning experiences. However, these generalities although accurate, do come across a little like a scene from a movie where the coach gives the team a half-time pep talk. Long on rah-rah, short on specifics.

What I’d like to do is try to provide some insight into why we have conventions and how we plan and produce them. Saying that our conventions are an extremely complex and difficult undertaking is an understatement. We must design them to satisfy two completely different and often competing mis-sions. They must provide an educational experience and they must generate funds. We are a not-for-profit educational corporation. One way we fulfill our obligation to provide education is through our conventions, but conventions are not the only way. We offer grants and scholarships, support visiting teacher programs, operate public bonsai exhibits that in turn offer learning opportunities to the public and we publish a periodical that contains articles and commentary by noted bonsai artists and teachers. Our primary source of income in order to fund all of our programs, as well as our daily administrative costs (our annual budget for the last few years has been in the 20K range), are the conventions. So, our conven-tions must be educational and generate revenue.

The nature of our conventions, in comparison

to organizations our size, generate small numbers of participants, but our program requires a comparatively large event space. This presents challenges in locating a suitable venue (hotel/convention center). Our demonstrations, seminars, workshops, lectures, exhibit, vendor bazaar, banquets and benefit drawings takes an average of 20,000 sq. ft. of event space.

We need to find venues that will agree to exchange the amount of business we bring them, in the form of hotel rooms filled and meals served at our banquets, for the fee normally charged to rent the event space. How it all works is that we guarantee the venue that we will fill a certain number of hotel rooms per night (room nights, somewhere between 300 and 450) and purchase a certain dollar amount in food and beverage service (F&B), usually somewhere in the 20 to 30 thousand dollar range, in exchange for giving us the event space we need for our program without charge.

If we fail to fill the number of rooms or don’t purchase the amount of food and beverage we agreed to in our contract, we become subject to liquidated damages and the financial success of the convention is placed at risk. We must also do the best we can to keep hotel room rate in the $100 range, or below if possible, so that our participants can afford to stay in the hotel. We’ve learned over the years that for every $10 of room rate over $100 we tend to lose ten con-vention participants. As stated, if we fail to supply the contracted room nights or F&B, we default on the contract and become subject to liquidated dam-ages. Due to this potential risk we must as accurately as possible project (guess) how many participants will attend a given convention. The past few conventions have averaged 150 Full Registrations. Riverside did about 180.

The development of the Convention Program, demos, workshops, seminars and the like must provide interesting educational opportunities, but at a cost that is affordable. What the Full Registration Fee at a given convention will be is determined by dividing the cost of production for the convention (the F&B plus the cost for the Program such as head-liners, plant materials, goodie bags, promotion, etc.) by the number of participants we project to attend. This usually works out to around the $250 range, less if we can. If we meet our projected attendance figures, our costs are recovered and we break even. If we fail to meet projected attendance we start to lose money. If we exceed our attendance projections we start to make a very small amount of money. So, how do we actually generate the large revenues at conventions to support our annual budget if it’s not from Registration Fees? …That is for the next issue of Golden Statements.

photo credit: Michael Jonas


Editor’s Desk by Kathleen O’Donnell

Let me begin with an apology and end with an invitation. The 2009 GSBF District Styling Competition was won by District B, not E, as I reported in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue. John Thompson (JT) headed the winning team, joined by Gerry Fields and Peter Tea.

There was a popular vote winner (audience reaction) and a pocketbook vote of “putting-your-money-where-your-mouth-is”. Ted Matson explained that the tree receiving the highest bid determined the winner. In November, that distinction went to District B who hopes to proudly display the winning boxwood at the GSBF Bonsai Collection at Lake Merritt.

Next, if you are confused as to when your subscription will lapse, you aren’t alone. Just check the top of your mailing label. You’ll notice a number next to your name. Mine says 2010-11. It means the last magazine I will receive without renewing is the November, 2010 issue.

To assure my subscription doesn’t lapse, and that I get the Jan/Feb 2011 issue, I’ll need to have renewed by November 1, 2010. We have a 7 to 8 week production cycle and order magazines based on the number of subscribers we have at the time we go to press. If you have any questions, you may always check with Subscription Manager, Cindy Peterson at: [email protected]

Speaking of subscriptions, this January, Golden Statements was placed on newsstands in a few test locations. We hope the outreach will result in more readers, as subscription forms were inserted in each newsstand edition. We’ll keep you posted.

Before closing I’d like to mention that a special lapel pin honored the 25 recipients who submitted at least 3 articles or staffed the magazine in 2009.

Now comes the invitation. Similar pins will be awarded to anyone who submits 3 articles in 2010. To partici-pate, email submissions or questions to: [email protected]

District B’s Team: JT, Gerry, and Peter

In Memoriam - Linda Ferzoco, by Andrea Burhoe

Linda Ferzoco, 68, died January 3, 2010, at home in Pacifica, surrounded by family and close friends. The memorial service was held January 23rd at the Pedro Point Firehouse in Pacifica, CA.

Linda was born October 3, 1941 in Boston where her parents both worked in the garment industry. She graduated from Regis College and started her science career at Massachusetts General Hospital. She moved to Cleveland, OH and Los Alamos, NM before joining a then biotech startup called Genentech in 1980.

Linda came to bonsai in 2002 joining Bonsai Society of San Francisco and a monthly bonsai work-study group. She later joined Sei Boku Bonsai Kai of San Mateo. As she did with any of her interests, she joined in wholeheartedly, delving into all aspects of the art: trees, pot and scrolls.

Linda participated eagerly in supporting the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt as a Board member and as a volunteer, setting up Sunday education programs for the public, and participating in the tree foster care program. She also helped keep records, and recruit others while keeping the public informed. For ex-ample, Linda forged new frontiers for the Garden by engineering and maintaining the Garden website for several years as well as providing publicity for Garden events. Linda also worked tirelessly for the Mammoth Fundraiser.

In posterity, Linda generously donated several trees and innumerable pots from her personal collection to the GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt. She was a fervent supporter of GSBF, for which she became a Trustee for District B in 2008, until she had to resign for health reasons.

Her enthusiasm and determination to travel to see bonsai in Japan and to support bonsai in California were an inspiration to those around her as she strug-gled to keep up her activity as long as she could.

Linda is survived by her brother, Paul Ferzoco, nephews Jeff and Ryan and nieces Amy and Dani. Her brother Peter passed away previously.

Donations may be sent to the Pacifica Resource Center or your local food bank.

The newly potted District B Tree. Photo: Mike Page


Seasonal Suggestions: Spring’s 3 R’s:

Repotting-Refinement-Revivalby Marty Mann

No. 122 - March/April, 2010

March is the month of renewal. The time for reflection and study of your trees is never over. Once the dormant period passes, it is important to begin the repotting activities of early spring. March and April is the time, just as the buds begin to move with the warmth of the season. Start with your evergreen trees and conifers in March since they tend to be stronger during the winter months and can handle the shock of transplanting and severe root disturbance. It is generally better to work on deciduous trees later in April when their activities come to life.

When repotting, remember to remove some por-tion of the foliage as you remove old or new rootage. Deciduous trees such as maples, elms, and liquid ambers can be trimmed to reestablish their shape and form.

Various fruit or flowering trees such as bougain-villea, pomegranates, plum and quince should not be trimmed too drastically until after they bloom. Early trimming, as you repot, destroys the flower buds that formed last year. If you have waited too long, or if warm weather set in too early, the growth may have accelerated to a point that would be prudent to let this new greenery harden-off and become more ligni-fied (woody).

You may delay your pruning until May or June. Control of this new growth can be maintained by pinching and nipping the terminal buds on each branch to force side branches to grow and create a more dense foliage mass and keep the internodes of the branches shorter. Watch for the development of bar branches on maples and other trees that normally grow opposite leaf/branch groupings. Leave the buds at any point in that the direction of growth is desired. Pay particular attention to the underside of a branch for downward growth as well as unnecessary upward branches to allow better light penetration into the heart of the tree.

New candles that have formed on older pines can be cut back in late April but wait another month or two before you work on younger trees. New candles

generally form twice a year, in April and August. They form clusters of from 2 to 5 candles. Usually one will dominate. Retain only two - one as a leader, and another to form the side branch. Always remove the largest candle but do not cut the existing candles until needles just begin to open and expand. This timing prevents excessively long internodes between last year’s branch tips and the new needle growth. Reduce your watering to slow down the new growth but do not allow the fine rootage to become dry. Keep your pine needles short and strong

The process of potting and repotting is very important at this time. Your best guideline is not just the question of the recommended time to repot, but more so, the need to repot based upon the condition of the trees. Depending upon the particular weather conditions in your area during recent weeks, signs of growing activity may have already begun. It is best to repot before any significant signs of bud swelling has started. This is especially true of fruiting and flower-ing varieties. Most of these, as well as deciduous trees will benefit from annual or frequent repotting. Don’t overlook the smaller Shohin pieces. It is even more important to be watchful of this class of bonsai since they will quickly reflect your neglect.

Bone meal is high in phosphoric acid and will neu-tralize soil salts. In March you may resume a regular schedule of feeding with the addition of cottonseed meal that provides the necessary source of potash and improves the acidity. Each of the elements in your fertilizer mix will encourage growth and produce microorganisms to nurture the trees and keep them green and healthy.

This article has been extracted from a recently published book called ‘Bonsai Ideas’©. By Marty Mann. Material is not to be copied without publisher or author’s permission.

BonsaiPre-bonsai

ToolsBooks

Japanese Pots& Accessories

Chikugo-En Bonsai Nursery18110 S. Western Ave. Gardena, CA 90248 tel/fax: 310.323.4011

email: [email protected]


The 2009 Joshua Roth New Talent Bonsai Competitionby Harold Johnson, Competition Coordinator photos by Michael Jonas unless indicated otherwise

The winner of the 2009 Joshua Roth New Talent Bonsai Competition was decided at the Golden State Bonsai Federation Convention in Riverside, Califor-nia. Named the Best New Bonsai Talent of 2009 was Peter Tea of San Jose, California.

The Competition has been held as part of an American Bonsai Society event in the past, but in the absence of a 2009 ABS Learning Symposium the folks of the Golden State Bonsai Federation hosted the day-long design and styling session. The competition was held in the covered, outdoor pavilion adjacent to the convention center, home of convention activities. From the 8:00 AM beginning until the close of activi-ties at 5:00 PM, convention attendees stopped and viewed the competitors, who sized up the untrained junipers and began the process of designing then pruning and wiring to make their design a reality. To continue to be able to judge this year’s talent com-pared to past years, the junipers were again purchased from Steve Cratty, Plant City Bonsai, Claremont, GA.

Four of the seven competitors were women and contestants represented both the East and West Coasts.

Aarin Packard lives in Washington, DC; another finalist, Greg Frech, is from Virginia Beach, VA,

both coinciden-tally originated in CA. While a qualification for entering the Joshua Roth con-test is to have been a student

of bonsai for less than 10 years, one entrant, Elaine Jeche, La Puente, CA, had only slightly more than one year of experience. The two other finalists, Marj Branson and Elissa Hoxie from Westlake Village, CA and Palos Verdes, CA respectively, were only slightly more experienced.

The styled trees were displayed for all convention attendees to view, critique, photograph and vote for the tree that best displayed use of design and techni-cal skills. Over 80 % of the registered convention goers cast a vote in a very close competition. Receiv-ing the most votes as the People’s Choice was the tree by Michelle Dougherty of Escondido, CA. When the votes from those attending the convention were combined with the votes of four highly regarded bon-sai teachers, Peter Tea was declared the winner, and Michelle Dougherty was runner-up.

At the Saturday night banquet, selected comments from the four teachers were shared with the audience to help them learn, as well as the competitors. Fol-lowing the convention each competitor received a written summary of the teachers’ comments so if the participant purchased his or her competition tree, the advice could be applied as the tree is developed.

The winner, Peter Tea, will use his first prize of a private course of study with a respected bonsai teacher, to continue to learn from Boon Manakitiv-ipart, whom he credits with having the most influence on developing his bonsai knowledge and skills. Peter admits to making all the beginner mistakes when he tried to learn bonsai by reading a book and applying what he thought it meant. Joining the Midori Bonsai Club and studying with Boon developed his skills.

Each of the finalists received a certificate of rec-ognition from Joshua Roth and a discount on Joshua Roth tools. Michelle Dougherty, the competition runner-up, received her choice of a Joshua Roth tool.

The 2010 competition will be held as part of the MidAtlantic Bonsai Societies Spring Festival. For entry information and forms, consult the American Bonsai Society website www.absbonsai.org or the MABS website http://midatlanticbonsai.freeservers.com/.

Thank you to Ken Carlson of Joshua Roth for again sponsoring North America’s bonsai new talent competition.

Greg Frech photo: Fran Popadak

Elaine Jeche

Elissa Hoxie


left-Harold Johnson congratulates Michelle Dougherty

right- Joshua Roth Dealer, Everett Bassin presents

Peter Tea with the winner’s certificate

Tree one: Elissa Hoxie

Joshua Roth Competition continued

Tree four: Michelle Dougherty Tree five: Aarin Packard

Tree two: Peter Tea Tree three: Marj Branson

Tree seven: Elaine Jeche

Tree six: Greg Frech



Silver $1,000 - $2,499

Kathy Shaner

Bronze $500 -$999

Gary M. Tom

Black Pine $250 - $499

Susanne Barrymore

David Garvin

Don Loughry

Lonnie McCormick

Glen Nakano

James Ransohoff

Mary C. Rowland

In spite of the financial difficulties of 2009, the following supporters provided significant monies to help fund GSBF programs such as: grants to assist member clubs with programs, bonsai scholarships, an internship program, workshops and demonstrations by visiting bonsai masters, a lending library, permanent bonsai collections at the Huntington Gardens in San Marino and the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt in Oakland, and an endowment fund to support the ongoing care and maintenance of the trees. Please consider joining the ranks of GSBF supporters. GSBF is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit educational corporation and all donations are tax deductible.

Thank you to the Giving Campaign Donors for 2009

Juniper $100 - $249

Walt Brainerd

Warren D. Clark

Thomas Colby

Charlene Fisher

Robert P. Gould

Tomoko Kashiwagi

P.C. Kumar

Gary G. B. Lai

Diana Lum

Lonnie McCormick

Jim Norton

Vince & Kathy Owyoung

Mike Page

Harlan Price

Ken & Carol Roberts

Tadashi Sakuma

Carmen Scott

W. David Stern

Joseph Stumpf

American Bonsai Association of Sacramento

Midori Bonsai Club

San Diego Bonsai Club

Maple $50 - $99

Roy & Pearl Carter

Lucky Fung

Lauri Feetham

Ann Hultgren

Timothy Johnson

Jolene Lema

Larry Leone

Mike Mello

Al Nelson

John O’Brien

C. Osterholm

John H. Pittenger

Andy Profit

Eric Rogger

Gerald Rossen

George Saul

Paul & Susan Sebata

Elizabeth M. Short, MD

Bill K. Tsuchida

Dan Turley

James Urhausen

Frank Ventruella

Ginkgo $25 - $49

Lee Agnew

Winifred Bearse

Pamela Bills

Clinton Cummins

Geraldine Duarte

Lauri Feetham

Loren Freburg

Edgar Fukutaki

Lou Fulks

Tom Hall

Andrew Hunt

Gene Lynch

Lito Micheli

Frederick H. Near

Mike & Lorraine Reynolds

Alexander Schneider

‘Lyn Stevenson

Curtis Thames

Warren M. Yamamoto

Supporter $24 & under

Betty Racicot

Golden State Bonsai Federation, Inc. Founded in 1978

Name(Print):__________________________________________Phone:______________________

Mailing address:_________________________________________________________________________

Email:________________________________Main Club Affiliation:_________________________________

Amount of Donation: $ __________

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Expiration Date: _____________ Please sign if you are using a credit card: ____________________________________________________________

(If you choose to make payment by credit card, your name above must match name on credit card)

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Make your check payable to GSBF unless making a payment by credit card. Your donation is tax deductible – GSBF, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. A receipt will be sent. Mail payment with this form to: GSBF, c/o Lauri Feetham, 3284 Charmes Ct., San Jose, CA 95135-1100. We appreciate the use of your stationery and postage.


Marina Bonsai ClubArticle & photos by Herb Eisenberg

Southern California has a rich bonsai tradition with many great clubs, nurseries and teachers. GSBF District D, which includes most of the Los Angeles basin, is home to twelve clubs that focus on various bonsai interests from shohin to suiseki.

One of the real treasures of District D is the Marina Bonsai Club, which is not really a club in the traditional sense. It is actually a bonsai class. Whereas many classes are organized into levels for beginners, intermediate and expert students, Marina is more like a one room school-house where all levels of bonsai artists learn together. The current teachers are: Ben Oki, Frank Goya, Shig Miya and Leila Kusumi. This distinguished roster of sen-seis makes the Marina Bonsai Club unique. It is a place where in two hours you could have four bonsai masters offer different, but never contradictory, advice on the same tree!

Collectively, these teachers have received numerous awards, including: the Agricultural Society of Japan’s Green and White Medal and the GSBF’s Circle of Senseis recognition. The founding instructors have all donated trees to the GSBF Collection at the Huntington Gardens. Leila Kusumi is also the founder or co-founder of two bonsai clubs in District D: Dai

Ichi Bonsai Kai and the Ko Yu Kai Shohin Bonsai club. Larry Ragle, President of the California Bonsai Society, recently referenced the term “time honored” used by Uhaku Sudo while discussing bonsai trees. Larry did not use the term to refer to trees but rather to people. In particular, when referring to: Ben Oki, Frank Goya and Shig Miya among a few others he said, “These men, trained by John Naka, are ‘time-honored’ and we are so fortunate to have them as teachers and friends.” Marina meets at the Venice Japanese Community Center (VJCC). Today it is a vibrant facility hosting a diverse collection of Japanese cultural activities from Judo and Ikebana to Karaoke and Calligraphy. The center was founded in 1921, to aid and support the local Japanese farming community. After World War II, this site served as a relocation center for the Japanese Americans returning from internment camps. The bonsai club is an off-shoot of the Marina Gardeners Association. The members of the club wanted to learn how to shape trees for their customers and so the Bonsai Club was formed over forty years ago. Mr. John Naka taught the first members, some of whom then became instructors. They included: Mas Moriguchi, Shig Miya, Frank Goya and Ben Oki. They were then joined by Tsuro Takata and Leila Kusumi. Shigeko Iwasaki is the long-time club administrator.

Experience levels of the attendees vary from absolute beginner, to half a dozen members of the honorary California Bonsai Society. Students come from all over Los Angeles and each student is treated with the same care and respect. They include someone who may have just purchased a one gallon juniper at a nursery to owners of the legendary West L.A. Yamaguchi Bonsai nursery, Marianne and Mrs. Kay Yamaguchi. The sensei pay careful attention to each tree but you know you may have a problem tree if Shig says “ask Frank” or Leila says “ask Ben.”

In addition to the bi-monthly classes, two special events at Marina are the annual bonsai show each June, which coincides with the VJCC mid-year festival, and the Holiday Party. The festival is a weekend tradition that involves the whole neighborhood with all of the VJCC clubs and organizations participating. The bonsai club shares a room with the Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) club. The

Ben Oki Frank Goya

Shig Miya Leila Kusumi

Frank Goya’s CA juniper

Special from District D


entire room is covered in white paper, scrolls are hung on the walls and then the bonsai are placed on tables below them. Every student is expected to bring a tree. No trees are rejected, no matter how new the student. The students can often be seen beaming with pride as they show family and friends their tree next to that of a recognized bonsai master.

The final club event of the year is the annual Holiday Party which provides members the chance to introduce their families to their teachers. After an enor-mous Japanese dinner, and perhaps a little sake, the real fun begins as the senseis lead off the karaoke entertainment. Mr. Mas Moriguchi now 93 was one of the original club senseis. He no longer teaches at Marina but still provides a wonderful karaoke serenade.

The Marina Bonsai Club meets on the second Friday and fourth Tuesday of every month at 7:30 PM. Every-one is welcome to join or just stop by and observe. Not only do students receive world class instruction, but it is provided for less than five dollars a class. For more infor-mation visit: http://www.vjcc.com/inside_03-03.htm

Ben Oki’s Chinese elm

Ben Oki ‘s karaoke serenade Mas Moriguchi

Shig Miya, Frank Goya, and Ben Oki at the holiday party


Telperion Farms Dedicated to growing trees specially for bonsai

Featuring field-grown material:

• Japanese Black Pine • Scots Pine

• Shimpaku • Japanese Larch

• Maples • Chinese Elms

• Crabapples • Quince

• Imported Specimen Satsuki and 90 varieties of satsuki whips in development

Over 50 other species of trees available

We are a full-service bonsai resource offering pots, tools, soils & wire. Kanuma, aksdama, yamagoke, black lava rock.

Open to the public by appointment only

(503) 859-3697 (503) 881-1147

www.telperionfarms.com [email protected]

Marco Invernizzi’s new “Ichiban” bonsai tool made it’s GSBF convention debut at Riverside, with both headliner Roy Nagatoshi and

conventioneer Jeff Moths from Milwaukee, WI, putting it to good use.

The convention also featured the Ichiban logo on the convention goodie bags, (at right) which were generously donated by Marco.

Ichiban

Roy Nagatoshi using the Ichiban. Photo: Michael Jonas Jeff Moths used his new Ichiban at convention. Photo: Al Keppler

Photo: Michael Jonas

West America Import and Export, Inc.

Japanese, Chinese and Korean bonsai pots.Japanese bonsai tools.

Display stands Akadama and black scoria

David and June Nguy 323-223-9102 email: [email protected]

1653 N. Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90012


Interpretively Speaking:

Horned Dragon Style

Sprayed me with chiSound of wind in conifersFeel at home hereHorned Dragon CorylisLeaves me breathlessOnce the wire is woundOur chi blended wood with metal

Illustration & Poem by Cheryl Petty

Make Golden Statements an interactive experiment, become a contributor. We take articles, poems, illustrations video and photo submissions any time, but deadlines for specific issues are:

• Jan/Feb issue = Nov. 20th • July/Aug issue = May 20th • Mar/Apr issue = Jan. 20th • Sept/Oct issue = July 20th• May/June issue = Mar. 20th • Nov/Dec issue = Sept 20th These same deadlines also apply to: advertising, placing club information in the free calendar of events sec-tion, subscriptions and renewals. Submissions are subject to edit and may or may not result in publication.

Get published & Qualify for a Golden Statements contributor pin.


THE MONTEREY PINE: A Dissertation by Don White If you are lucky enough to live or travel the Pacific Coast roadways from Santa Cruz to Monterey, you will be in the haven of two species of beautiful trees that can be made into beautiful bonsai. They are the Monterey Cypress and the Monterey Pine. The Monterey cypress, (Cupressus macrocarpa), with its haunted, twisted, agonized-look structure, gets the most publicity from its iconic association with Pebble Beach. Yet, in the same area and with a similar dramatic look, the Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) lives in more plentiful quantities and is the focus of this essay.

Background The great Scottish plant explorer, David Douglas, came to the Monterey Bay area around 1833 and is given credit for discovering the immense forests of pine and cypress. Although Douglas is given credit for the discovery of the Monterey pine, it is not too clear if he is responsible for spreading the seed of this prolific tree to other parts of the world. The tree can be found in specific parts of Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Chile and South Africa that have the conditions of a foggy, moderate coastal climate, like ours here in the Monterey Bay area. The Monterey pine, is member of the (Pinaceae) fam-ily of trees, and is a coniferous evergreen. It’s natural habitat in California is on the slopes of Carmel near Monterey. To the south they dot the coastline beyond Cambria, and exist on Guadalupe Island off the coast of Baja California. To the north of Monterey they are located in coastal regions of Santa Cruz County, with small stands north of San Francisco. There is fossil

evidence that the Monterey pine’s ancestor, Pinus masonii (now extinct), goes back to the Pleistocene period, over a million years ago. Fossils found in the Point Reyes region of Millerton Point, north of San Francisco indicates that the Monterey pine grew naturally there, and was thought to be more widespread in California than it is now.

The Monterey pine is also known as Insignias pine and Cambria pine.

The Monterey pine is related to the Bishop pine (Pinus muricata) and the Beach pine (Pinus contorta), and are in the category of pyrophyte trees which means that because the cones of the tree are solidly closed and they are opened by exposure to heat. Whether on the ground, or remaining in the tree, when the cone opens the seeds are released, and one of the many thousands released may germinate the beginnings of a new tree for the forest. Growth habit The Monterey pine is a fast grower, averaging six feet per year at favorable conditions, and to as tall as 100 feet. Favorable conditions mean, not too hot, and not too cold, preferably in coarse sandy soils, on sloping terrain and in areas that are subject to foggy morn-ings and cool nights. The Monterey pine grows very well among the Gowan cypress (Cupressus goveniana), Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), and the California Coast Live oak (Quercus agrifolia). If the pine tree grows in a group, it will be somewhat sheltered from the harsh elements of nature and have a tendency to grow in an upright pattern. But, when left out alone in the open and exposed to the wind and salt air of the sea, the branches grow in a wild contorted pattern. Temperatures of near 100 degrees or higher, will scorch the needles in just a few hours. A few days of this high temperature can create irreparable damage to the tree. Conversely, extreme cold stunts the trees growth. The foggy mornings and cool nights of Ole Monterey, aided by the California Current of the Pacific Ocean, makes the Monterey Bay Area the perfect birthing ground for these great trees.

Older Monterey pine trees can be identified by the dark grey, fissured bark, and domed crown, that from a distance appears to be black in color. The younger trees are more conical in shape with sharply ascending branches, providing more open space within the branch development, and smooth grayish thin bark. The shining dark green needles are borne in whorls of three, and can measure from 4 to 6 inches in length. In favorable conditions the needles can remain on the branches for over 2 years. The cone of the Monterey pine is reddish brown, with dark grey scale centers, ovoid in shape, measuring up to 4 inches across and are held on the branch by a half inch long curved stalk. The cone can remain on the tree for 30 years. How does this information prepare us to make bonsai out of the Monterey Pine?

Darkened zone on map above indicates indigenous growth area of Monterey pine


Katsumi Kinoshita For the last 25 years, Katsumi Kinoshita has been my teacher, my mentor and the sensei most associated with Monterey Pine. He was born and educated in Japan, then came to this country in 1955. In 1964 he joined the Monterey Bonsai Club and began studying bonsai under the late Ray Murakoshi. Kinoshita-san has lived among and studied Monterey pine, cypress and oak for over 50 years. Inspired by their wild beauty, he began to study and make beautiful bonsai out of these trees.

Talking about Monterey pine, Katsumi Kinoshita states, “They are easy to work with as bonsai, but to try and develop one from cuttings or seeds, takes too long. It will take at least ten years to have something to work with for bonsai.” Propagation can be successful from seeds, or cuttings. From seeds it may take six months or more before any green foliage pops up. And, the seeds cannot be planted too deeply, either. Just scratch the soil, keep it moist and in full sun. For cuttings to be successful, bottom heat should be part of the process.

Katsumi indicated that no matter how the tree is propagated, it will take at least ten years before it will look like a candidate for any kind of use, particularly bonsai. The Challenge of Finding MaterialSo what are the options for finding Monterey pine for bonsai? If you can secure a permit, digging a Monterey pine from its natural habitat will help you develop good bonsai material more quickly. While permits can still be obtained, thoughtless abuse has taken place by plant seekers, and there is another problem.

Pathogenic Problems Due to Pitch Canker, a pathogen that seems to be decimating the Monterey pine forests, the California Native Plant Society may consider naming the Monterey pine a Threatened/Endangered species. Therefore, to be safe from hefty fines, even when collecting on private

property you should investigate to see if a permit from the California State Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources is available and required. For many, finding nursery stock, may sound like the best bet.

Still it is very difficult to find Monterey pine in most commercial nurseries. After talking to a few nursery folks in my area, it seems they do not want to risk other plants in the nursery’s inventory by exposing them to the potential of Pitch Canker problems, even though there is evidence that the Canker does not in itself attack other plants. Pitch Canker was first discovered in the summer of 1986 here in Santa Cruz County. An article in the New York Times of June 10th, 1998, stated that scientists feared that 80% of the species Monterey pine, on the Pacific coast, will be gone within the next 30 years. The Pitch Canker is caused by a fungus called Fusarium circinatum, according to the University of California Integrated Pest Management (UC-IPM) program, and it seems that by itself it does not spread within the tree.

However, this pine tree malady spreads by various insects, primarily the engraver beetle, and once the beetle has settled in on any of the exposed needles, branches or roots, that area will become infected.

The Pitch Canker obstructs the flow of water, causing needle die back, sometimes killing an entire branch or even the tree over a long period of time. The infection is first noticed by the yellowing of the needles, then the needles turn red, and eventually they fall off, leaving bare branch ends. It has been stated by scientist that by pruning off the infected part of the tree, the remainder of the tree may be saved. But, this theory has not been proven, yet.

In summary, Monterey Pine isn’t seen much as bonsai because of: • the scarcity of forest locations throughout the world where they grow • locations that permit collecting • pitch canker. What’s the Good News?On a happy note, neither myself or Katsumi Kinoshita has observed a Monterey pine bonsai infected with the Pitch Canker. (To save the species, maybe we should make more Monterey pine bonsai’s?) Timing Transplanting a Monterey pine, whether it is a collected tree, or a potted specimen, should be done in the early Spring. This is particularly important if you plan to

Katsumi Kinoshita working on a 60 year old Monterey pine. HT. 38 inches


prune the root ball back drastically. From early Spring through the month of June, the tree’s growth is most vigorous. During the recovery period, the health of the tree will be evidenced by new green foliage buds that can appear throughout the year. When trees are first collected, they should be placed in a growing container with very porous soil attempting to emulate their native environment.

Soil Mix Even though I have been successful with a potting mix of washed river sand, adding a mixture of DG or small lava rock to provide good drainage, Katsumi suggested that I change to a less porous mix. For our area he recommends a mix of 50% potting soil and 50% pumice with a dash of lava rock.This change was made primarily because the Monterey Bay area, from Monterey to Santa Cruz, is suffering from a water shortage. Then, in the Watsonville area, salt water intrusion is creeping into our fresh water. This mix will hold more moisture and require less watering.

In my area, Monterey pines will grow almost in anything if they are watered well, drain well, and are kept out of excessive heat of the sun. Still, Monterey pine will prob-ably die if placed in a container without understanding how the tree grows naturally. For example, they would not do well in regions of heat, snow or freezing condi-tions, and they don’t like to be placed in too shallow of a container too soon in their development as bonsai.

In pots, sustained temperatures in excess of 85 degrees can have a negative affect on the tree. This is because pots are like ovens, and the roots can become very hot, damaging the tree. When the tree is in the ground it can withstand the harsher temperatures as the soil acts like an insulator protecting it from excessive heat and cold. After transplantingOnce the tree is in it’s growing container, such as a wooden box or large nursery container, with good drainage capabilities, the foliage should be misted constantly allowing the water to percolate down through the root system. And, NO FEEDING! Not until you see the emergence of new growth.

Transplanting is a stressful time for a plant. For that reason, during the first six months following transplant, with almost every watering, I mix ten drops of either Super Thrive or HB 101 per two gallons of water, and water from the top of the tree down. I make sure the foliage is misted very well and allow the excess water to run down into the soil, and drain out the bottom of the pot.

The tree should be left in the growing container for a couple of years, or longer, depending upon how the new growth develops. You want to make sure the tree is healthy and strong before attempting any bonsai work. When it’s time for a bonsai pot, the Monterey pine should first be potted into a fairly deep bonsai pot, with very good drainage. The tree must be secured into the pot tightly so the new young roots are not damaged from movement by the wind or other elements.

The tree’s roots grow rather rapidly when in the ground because there is little to restrict their movement. And, even though they are put into the restricted area of a bonsai container, the roots will still grow fairly rapidly during the growing season. Therefore, every two years or so, younger trees should be taken from the pot, the roots pruned back a bit and combed out. The old soil should be removed, and new soil added. Then secure the tree back into the pot and water it well with the afore mentioned hormone elements. Just remember, this kind of work can be done only if the tree is healthy and that would be evidenced by nice green foliage. If the foliage is yellow in texture that means the tree was not previously watered or fed sufficiently, or has been exposed to too much sun, or worse. If this is the case, survival measures should be taken, such as no root pruning, and changing to a very porous soil, and put it into a larger container to give the roots more room to breathe. Do not allow the roots to dry out. But, do not over water either, just keep misting the foliage constantly allowing the over misting moisture to run down into the soil.

Developing Monterey pine for bonsai takes patience. One of my Monterey pine, took over 25 years to develop that fine old looking fissured bark that we so desire in bonsai.

Training If you have, or can create, the right climate conditions discussed earlier, and have obtained a Monterey pine, you’ll be pleased to know they are fairly easy to train for bonsai. A specimen about ten years of age or so, would be best to begin with, since this is when it is beginning to look like a tree. More importantly, don’t wait until the tree is beyond that age when the harder coat of bark makes it more difficult to bend,

Katsumi’s 45 year old bunjin. HT 28 inches

My pine with fissured bark. Collected 38 years ago - Monterey forests.


especially if you want to influence change in the main trunk-line.

When the Monterey pine approaches twenty years of age, the root growth slows down, and starts developing the nice fissured bark we have been waiting for. Then about every 5 years the root pruning process should be repeated. If the tree is left in a pot too long without root pruning, the root ball will become compacted not allowing the water and nutrients to be distributed properly. As a result the foliage will die back and branching could be lost. (This is my experience speaking!). After a period of 5 to 6 years, and if the tree appears healthy, then transplanting to a shallower bonsai pot may be in order. One mistake I see quite often in the potting of bonsai, is leaving the tree’s trunk base at the same level with the top edges of the pot. If this is done, more water will spill off the top of the root base, rather than work its way down into the roots and out of the bottom of the pot. So, plant the tree down a little below the rim of the pot. Bonsai Maintenance As a bonsai, the Monterey pine’s maintenance is very easy. Kinoshita’s feeding schedule is to use a low nitrogen, such as Fish Emulsion, once per month, beginning in Spring, stopping in July and August if it’s hot, then continuing to the end of Fall. Even though most other bonsai are fed more often, too much fertilizer lengthens the Monterey pine needles.

To control the needle growth, less fertilizer is applied. Depending on your region, you will have to be careful about feeding Monterey pine in very hot and/or extremely cold months. It’s probably best to not feed them at all during those conditions, but you will have to experiment with that yourself.

The location of a Monterey pine bonsai is crucial, also. Remember it’s natural habitat is in the cool coastal regions, surviving only a few miles away from the sea where it could be kept in full sun. However, even here on the Central Coast of the Monterey Bay, if we get a hot spell, we protect our Monterey pine bonsai from sustained hot periods of direct sun. I have found that morning sun and the afternoon shade is the best location.

In hotter areas, such as the Central Valley and the southern part of California, even if the tree was kept out of the constant sun, it would still have to be protected from excessive heat, by being misted a few times during the day. I have noticed that Monterey pines that grow in warmer regions put on longer needles, clusters are thinner and have a more yellowish tint. Coastal varieties just don’t look as good when raised outside their preferred climate.

Pruning the Monterey pine is routine. Normally the Monterey pine needles will grow to a length of four inches or more if allowed to grow out. But, if pruned back twice a year, to two or three bunches, the needles can be controlled for the desired effect for bonsai. The best time to prune the needles is in the Spring and in the Fall. They will still be a bit long, but by reducing the branches, where possible, better spacing will be provided to make a very nice bonsai. The Monterey pine is a beautiful tree, whether seen in the wilds or viewed in a bonsai pot, and it can be styled in almost any desirable mode. It is the easiest of pine trees to work on for bonsai, and it particularly serves well in the bunjin/literati style. Or, as a windswept portrait, or as a root over rock, it simply styles well almost in any mode, for any setting. One of Katsumi Kinoshita’s Monterey pine bonsai will be on display at the GSBF 2010 convention. I do not succumb to most fantasies but, when I am studying one of Katsumi Kinoshita’s ancient weather beaten Monterey pine bonsai, I kind of transform my self to the forests of

Carmel, or the coast of Monterey, and I am standing under an ancient tree that is fighting the courses of nature for survival. With the wind blowing the salt air into my face, I wonder what tall tales this rugged tree could tell. And then, I come

back to reality, and wish this Monterey pine bonsai was mine!!!

Note: Watch for Katsumi Kinoshita’s workshop at the Golden State Bonsai Federation 2010 Convention in Santa Clara this coming November.

Katsumi Kinoshita and his beautiful 68 year old Monterey Pine. HT 32 inches.

This is the same 60 year old Monterey Pine seen on page 15.


Bonsai Studio, an Artist’s Approach by Peter AdamsCOPYRIGHT PETER ADAMS 2009

October 2008. After six months growth the tree has filled out enough to offer two more styling angles. (Note: Photo 2 through 6 were all taken in October 2008)

Some styling options are pictured in photos 2 & 3.

The owner decided the angle in photo 4 was how he wanted to see the tree.

After some additional wiring, seen in photo 5, the new form begins to crystallize. “Some ad-ditional wiring” was added to some of the finer sub branches. The finest twigs were still left unwired and untrimmed to promote better growth and vigor

in the tree. Trees, when babied like this, out perform those trees which have been stripped of foliage and totally wired.

In photo 6, the

terminal of the low right branch was jinned and then the whole branch was lowered to bring the profile closer in to the trunk line and to emphasize the width of the lower trunk.

I developed this method of upbeat critique during twelve years at art school and now apply those art principles to tree design. When asked to write something for Golden Statements, I suggested perhaps my critique program might be of interest, and so...

This landscape juniper has been grown for many years in a large container. When the present owner acquired it, we worked together on improving its general health and then gave it some basic shaping direction.

“Improving general health” meant establishing the tree in aggregate based soil, shading it lightly and feeding it regularly for a period of months.

Basic shaping direction.

“Basic shaping direction” meant first designing and then doing the minimum work necessary to affect the changes in the form of the tree. Foliage was thinned enough to facilitate basic wiring, but was not stripped out to avoid weakening the plant. Main branches and sub branches were wired but most of the finer growth was left unwired and allowed to grow to pick up vigor. March 2008. The tree was then shaded, fed and watered freely for the next six months.

Photo One

Six

Two

Three

Four

Five


Two Options Drawings & Diagrams

Option OneThis progression

starts with the vantage point seen in photo-graph 6. The tree has

been planted at the angle in the photograph and the trunk has been given a ribbon of shari on the right that connects the lower right shari with the jin at the elbow bend in the trunk. Some effort needs to be made to smooth out and calm the carving down by following the natural grain of the wood and this is indicated in the drawing. The insistent whiteness of the lime sulphur has been quieted down with a light wash of black water color. Equally, the bark is left without oiling!

Dark blue area. The foliage has been extended to the left by allowing this area to grow freely for a year or two. There is also some expansion to the overall contour through developing related branch planes as oval forms with blunt apices. Important not to point these too much.

Light blue area. Simple development of the existing profile has given a settled look to the minor foliage mass. Its shape works well with the major mass and the two combine in anchoring the motion of the dynamic trunk.

Orange area. Negative space. Keep this open and shaped/defined as the foliage planes become dense.

Pot. I have drawn a pot by Ian Baillie, an art teacher from Scotland, who makes superb drum pots. This one shows an unglazed purple/brown finish that

shades to dark gray. Option Two

This concept is based on photograph 2 and utilizes most of the existing foliage. Some small additional shari details have been added and again, the carving has been “calmed down” as before.

Dark blue area. Broadly triangular in profile and descending to the right, this echoes the line of the lower trunk and pushes beyond it. The right terminal area is more horizontal and halts the visual flow. Note how the longer and shorter planes build an interesting profile structure.

Light blue area. A shallower triangular profile in two parts that sits across the axis of the trunk, linking the profile with the dark blue upper area on the left and hugging the lower trunk as a deep oval form to the right, where again, the angle of the terminal plane flips up a little to check the movement of the eye.

Red line area. A shorter design. The tree could have great power if it were made shorter and planted slightly more to the right. This would really accentu-ate the trunk base.

Pot. A classic rectangle from the Yamaaki kiln in Japan. I have drawn it in “silver fox”, a lovely mottled gray finished perfected by this kiln.

There are of course countless variations possible on these and other themes in working on this piece of material. Such good landscape trees are available to everyone and I emphasize how the sensitive use of such material can initiate Bonsai images that have genuine appeal.


Bonsai Bytes: Bonsai in the age of the Internet by Joanie Berkwitz

First of all, I am going to apologize right up front. After receiving the Bonsai Potters book

in the mail, that was referenced in the last article, and devouring it, I am going to be spending the next few months using superlatives at a fast and fu-rious rate. There will be exclamation points! There will be emphasis. Most of all, there will be enthusi-asm. Oh, lots and lots of enthusiasm.

The book, Bonsai Potters, is by Daan Giphart and Levon Arzooyan, and it is increasingly difficult to find. White Horse Pottery seems to be out of stock, but their link leads to The Bonsai Plaza (www.bonsaiplaza.com/Engels/indexeng.htm) Then go to ‘Books’, and search for it using the search window, or browse the extensive collection. If you order it, looks like it will cost about $47.00 with shipping, give or take a dollar. Well worth it.

Let’s dive into some of the bonsai potters featured in the book. The problem is, where to start? Instead of doing something logical, like going alphabetically or by country, let’s go in-tuitively. What stands out as very different and unique? What makes me gasp with delight? What makes me want to write a love poem?

Dave Lowman

First, the unique. Several potters stand out for their use of pure clay texture. Dave Lowman of Dasu Studio, in Iowa, has a distinct style in his ‘fos-sil’ finish. A little bit of geology, a little paleontol-ogy, and a lot of art goes into the look of his pots!

Dave Lowman continued

You can see Dave Lowman’s pots here: www.bonsaitrees.com/pottery.html but the photos in the book show them to better advantage! Not sur-prisingly, he also does Paleozoic fish sculpture... what

an interesting combination. His fossil pots would compli-ment a strong, older tree.

Roger Hnatiuk

On the other side of the world, Roger Hnatiuk of Australia is making pots that look like sandstone formations. He is working with textures and stains that give an arid, desert-like feel to the pots. Unfor-tunately, Mr. Hnatiuk doesn’t have a website... or, apparently, email either. So if you want to see his pots, there might be some travel involved! Rural Australia, in the summertime... our lips would be as cracked as his fissured pots so bring some lipbalm. And a lot of beer.

Jim Gremel

From the pure clay texture, to the flaunted clothing of glazes, we will next visit a guy who is well known and highly respected in California bonsai circles, Jim Gremel. Visit his pots at:

www.jimgremel.com/recentpots.html and see what is simply a gem in red. Red! A bold color for bonsai pots and women’s dresses... and I’ll spend it on a bonsai pot any day! Dave Lowman

Dave Lowman

Jim Gremel

Photos in the following article are by the artists, and used with their permission.


Jim Gremel continued

Jim, I am so besotted by your little chili pepper glazed pot that I can’t tear my eyes off of it to type.

The oval with the volcanic texture and glaze is en-chanting, too, but that little red pot is the cat’s whiskers. Not surpris-ingly, Jim is an accomplished luster fire pot-

ter, which is extremely hard to master. While you’re on his site, check out his ceramics page too. I dare you not to drool!

Horst Heinzlreiter

Then there’s Horst Heinzlreiter of Austria, whose glazes crackle with energy and strength.

Go to www.hhpots.com and check out the ‘Archiv’. Horst has been involved in bonsai and bonsai pottery

since 1983, and you can plainly see that he is very capable of both basic forms and outlandish variations.

Is anyone organizing a trip to Austria? Can I tag along? Between Horst’s pots and Wolfgang Putz’s garden, it would be heaven on earth. (And there would be tafelspitz instead of sushi on that trip.

Kevin Thompson

Life is full of coincidences, full of tiny threads of tenuous connections, and it brings this home when I click on a website for Kevin Thomp-son (www.northwindpottery.com/bonsai/gallery.htm) and immediately see that I already own some of his pottery... and it isn’t bonsai pottery! I bought some mugs from him, long ago, and still use them. Heck of a nice guy. His bonsai pots are delicious, very clean in their lines, very precise and sublime. The

book says that “...in almost every-thing he fashions, Kevin explores the duality be-tween aesthetics and functional-ity.” Indeed, this is the case... his pots ache to have trees planted in them. Their form is subservient to the tree, but can also stand on its own.

In the next article, we will take a walk with the women who are shaping our world through their bonsai pots. Until then, as our friend in Austria would say, Auf Wiedersehen!

Jim Gremel

Jim Gremel

Horst Heinzlreiter

Horst Heinzlreiter

Horst Heinzlreiter

Kevin Thompson

Kevin Thompson

Kevin Thompson

Kevin Thompson


GSBF District D: Two Clubs written by Larry and Nina Ragle, photos submissions: Larry Ragle.

There are a dozen bonsai clubs in the Los Angeles basin that are members of GSBF. I am most familiar with 2 clubs, California Bonsai Society and California Aiseki Kai. If you are new to California it should be pointed out that there are no restrictions on the number of clubs one can join. There was a time when there was an unwritten “one club - one sensei rule”. Today every member of CBS is an active member of at least one other local club.

Our Federation, as we know it today, in part, can be traced back to a day in the 1950’s when, Frank Nagata, Morihei Furuya, Ai Okumura, Tsuneji Yamashiro and John Naka made the decision to teach bonsai techniques in English. It was a deed, that up to that moment had been, tacitly, forbidden in southern California. Although there were small groups studying bonsai, before and after World War II in Los Angeles, these events were taught in Japanese exclusively. As a result of their decision, The Southern California Bonsai Club was created in 1950 and was re-named the California Bonsai Society in 1958. John Naka was the first and fourth president, his second term lasting 19 years. CBS was incorporated in 1962 with the primary purpose of “forming an association of those who are interested in teaching and promoting the art of bonsai to all persons…..”

Most clubs and bonsai enthusiasts in Southern California are “descendents” of this group in one way or another. Imagine the mammoth “family trees” of students and how it has expanded since 1950 when Mr. Nagata and Mr. Naka began their first classes.

What is CBS today?

The activities of CBS directly reflect the words of incorporation and John Naka’s vision, promoting bonsai by offering shows to expose the public to bonsai and

teach those who want to learn. Membership is by invitation, with two major require-ments: a collection of time-honored bonsai for the shows, and the ability to teach the art by demonstrating and conducting workshops.

Members are called upon to conduct demonstra-tions or workshops for the public at local events and assist other clubs. CBS members make up the majority of instructors for club programs in southern California and are invited to perform at national and international conventions.

Members donate their assistance at workshops. For example, CBS provides 30+ instructors to the Bonsai-a-thon and Huntington beginner classes.

CBS has established and sponsored programs for the bonsai community of “Visiting Sensei at the Hun-tington”. In 2009, 3 two day programs were provided that offered workshops and/or lectures featuring Kathy Shaner. At least 2 similar programs will take place in 2010.

CBS sponsors an international 3 to 4 day convention every 5 years. Plans are current for an event in 2012 at which time CBS will publish a pictorial catalog of member’s displays of bonsai and suiseki.CBS’s long history is a testament to John Naka’s vision of bonsai for all.

CBS Exhibition at the Huntington, Mel Ikeda, 2009

CBS Exhibition at the Huntington, 2009

CBS Members and guests Holiday party 2007

Group photo circa 1965



California Aiseki Kai

The concept of California Aiseki Kai was created 28 years ago in 1982, for one reason: to study and enjoy the Japanese art of suiseki. In the beginning, California Aiseki Kai was a subdivision of California Bonsai Society with the blessings of John Naka. We remain a club without officers or by-laws.

On March 23, 1983, a planning meeting was held at the LA Museum of Science and Industry, in Exposi-tion Park. Most of those in attendance had no prior knowledge of suiseki, only a curiosity having seen stones displayed at various bonsai shows.

We have no single sensei. John Naka, Richard Ota, Toy Sato, Elmer Uchida, Vince Covello and Bob Watson were the source of information the first year. Hideko Metaxas, while on trips to southern California, contributed information early on, explaining the art of display, in part, reflecting the information she gained while in Japan. Yoshimura and Covello’s book, The Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation, was published in the mid 1980s and became our official reference guide for definitions and classifications. We follow the classification chart found in the Japanese publication, Shumi no Suiseki Nyumon (Introduction to the Hobby of Suiseki), Murata, Keiji. Editor and Naga (Ei) Saburo, Author, Nippon Bugei Sha, Tokyo, 1968.

Our first shows were part of the CBS annual bonsai

exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry until the museum was closed due to earthquake damage. We celebrated our 20th exhibition at the Huntington Library this year.

We have at least 2 overnight collecting trips each year, to a desert area or a river. We are an enthusiastic group and welcome newcomers.

Both California Bonsai Society and California Aiseki Kai meet at the Ken Nakaoka Community Center in Gardena. CBS meets on the first Tuesday at 7:00PM and CAK meets on the fourth Wednesday at 7:30PM. Both meetings are open to non members. Directions to the Center can be found at aisekikai.com

Desert rats 2008

Its over there, no its over there! 2008

Holiday party 2009

Show at the Huntington 2009-10

Special from District D continued


Shohin crabapple close-up Larry Ragle’s Shohin display Shohin pine close-up Cheryl Manning’s oak

Shig Miya’s Pine Ann Erb’s Olive slab Judy Hsiao’s bottlebrush

Hank Sugimoto’s juniper Richard Ota’s Tamarix Al Nelson’s Pomegranate Roy Nagatoshi’s grafted Shimpaku

Manuel Martinez’s Multi-trunk Wild plum John Naka’s Apple

2009 Nisei Week Show photos by Michael Jonas

Bonsai exhibition by:

Nampu Kai

held at 2009 Nisei Week in Los Angeles, CA




One Road Leads to AnotherBy Ryan Neil

As I’m sitting here on the plane ready to leave one chapter of my life and take off on another I can’t help but reflect on all that I have experi-enced and learned over the past five and a half years. I have come to value my experience as an apprentice of the great Masahiko Kimura as if it were gold, but I never could have fath-omed the complicated life of an apprentice, nor believed I person-ally could persevere when it all began.

I had known since high school that I wanted to pursue bonsai and I thought my journey to Califor-nia to attend college was a mere stepping stone in my pursuit. As fate may have it, California was the starting point for the rest of my life. After all, it was there I

had the honor of studying with multiple influential people, including the catalyst for my apprenticeship, Mr. Ben Oki. After only a few short meetings, Mr. Oki must have seen my passion and dedication to bonsai, and was generous enough to invite me to Japan where he personally recom-mend my services to Mr. Kimura. I returned to the states determined to seize the opportunity and initiated a letter writing campaign to Mr. Kimura in which I expressed my

intent to serve as his apprentice; one letter a month for nearly two years. To me, that was the beginning of an unwavering commit-ment I pursued with an ambition, that at times has surprised even me.

Throughout my apprenticeship I have seen countless foreign-ers attempt to acquire the same position in my master’s nursery only to fall short for one reason or another. I slowly have come to realize how lucky I am

Mr. Kimura felt compelled to give me a chance, coming only in the form of a short note received 23 months after writing my first letter. His response read, “You are welcome to come and study IF you are willing to do what it takes to be my apprentice.” It was a daunting acceptance and a fitting pre-cursor to my formal education in bonsai.

The flight attendant just notified us of the plane’s departure, but I find myself wondering whether she was speaking Japanese or English. By now, the two have started to sound the same inside my head; a subtle change that has occurred, like so many others, over the past five years. I remember my first day at the nursery showing up a few hours early, clueless but excited, determined, yet down right afraid. Being a foreigner at Mr. Kimura’s nursery increased the potential for mistakes, and the majority of my first three years were spent relearning what 21 years of life had already taught me. He placed me in the smallest work space in the workshop telling me it would help shrink me down to an apprentice size. So there I sat working on trees hour after hour, day after day.

Initially I could only sit in seza (on my knees) for a few minutes and was granted mercy once sweat and smirks of pain naturally emerged. However, like learn-ing Japanese and the system of thought that governed Mr. Kimura’s nursery, my knees also made the adjustment to the foreignness of life as an apprentice.

As the plane lifts off and I look down on the farm ground surrounding Narita airport, I remember the relief I felt being granted my first leave as an apprentice, heading home to see my family nearly two years after starting. Initially I was the youngest of 5 apprentices, the grunt, at times the peon, and always the one with the most to learn. Things that come naturally to me now were so incomprehensible to me then, and things that seemed im-

I learned to see through the eyes of my teacher, Bonsai Master Masahiko Kimura.

Appreciating good bonsai came easy.

Every apprentice’s dedication to their dream is tested.

Black Pine: October, 2005

July, 2006 - Sitting seza is no longer a challenge.


possible have naturally become an unspoken ability. This transi-tion from clueless to capable occurs in anyone who dedicates themselves to translat-ing what Mr. Kimura teaches them into con-scious thought within themselves. However,

the turning point in my apprenticeship came upon my return to Japan from that 10 day hiatus, and the graduation of my two senior senpai.

Within the bonsai world, most masters have an ongoing chain of apprentices. Students enter his nursery on a continuing basis, and each new apprentice works to

gain knowledge and experience so he is ready to take over when his senpai receive their master’s blessing to pursue bonsai on their own. Like most other transitions, the move from being the youngest to the eldest apprentice was

difficult, if not traumatic. However, it also offered the biggest opportunity to improve myself as a person and my skills in bonsai. In the blink of an eye I went from being a role player in Mr. Kimura’s nursery to being his right-hand man, and all the responsibility that I used to dread baring was naturally placed on my shoulders to be taken in stride.

Of course, like this plane’s course flying from Japan to San Francisco, my path as an apprentice was mapped out with the utmost care and consistency by my master. Little to my knowledge, Mr. Kimura had been gearing me up for the day I would accept the brunt of responsibil-ity at his nursery. And even though there was room for dramatic improvement, bonsai work was the least of his worries. Instead, the biggest challenge I faced throughout

my entire apprentice-ship was being put in the position to teach my kohai (younger apprentices). How does someone who still struggles at times with the language go about teaching his peers the intricacies of caring

for their master and conducting themselves in the high-est manner? After all, we are extensions of our master, and where we go he follows, whether he is with us or not.

I spent a tremendous amount of time wrestling with this question and the uncertainty of my inherent responsibilities. Even to this day, as I look out the window and realize Japan is now miles behind me, a speck in the ocean, I question whether I’ve done what was necessary to pass the torch to the next generation of apprentices at Mr. Kimura’s nursery. Yet, it is within this continual conscious-ness of my concern for their wellbeing that I realize the most important thing. Regardless of culture or language, if my actions came from the heart and my sense of gratitude and respect for my master were as strong as my concern for his wellbeing then I will have done all I can, and that is enough.

So, I turn my head from looking back on my once tiny world and look at the map of my flight to come on the monitor in front of me. Funny how they can capture such a massive image of the world on such a small screen. In reality the world has become quite small and the role of bonsai within the world much larger. I sense the potential for great prosperity in the American world of bonsai as well as abroad, but not without the same amount of suffering and growth, determination and dedication. I think America has bonsai greatness sitting at our fingertips but we have a long road ahead if we are intent on grasping our opportunity and fully realizing our potential to achieve great things. Just as this plane has a course to arrive in San Francisco, I had a course to arrive as an apprentice, and I believe the U.S. has a course to arrive as a greater bonsai nation. I look forward to the journey, and hope you are all onboard to tackle the challenge and seize the opportunity. I’m excited to you see you all at the GSBF Convention in Santa Clara, October 2010 to begin another chapter in American bonsai!

White pine: October, 2007

Styling a White Pine - November, 2006

May, 2009 I completed my apprenticeship with Masahiko Kimura in 2009


Peter Tea with his CA juniper

Bay Island Bonsai Show January, 2010

Don’t miss the Bay Island Bonsai article and show photos in the May/June issue.

Peter Tea with his California juniper on display at the BIB Show held January 16 - 17, 2010

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The Modesto Bonsai Club is purchasing a

subscription of the Golden Statements magazine

to donate to our local library. We will see how

much interest it generates and may expand it

next year to include some of the many branch

libraries in Stanislaus County and to some high

school and college libraries.

We would like to challenge other clubs and/or

individuals with developing a similar program. It

can only help spread the word about bonsai to

people who haven’t had a chance to learn about

our fascinating hobby.

Thank you. Peter CamarenaPresident - Modesto Bonsai Club

GOLDEN ®

STATEMENTS

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F G O L D E N S T A T E B O N S A I F E D E R A T I O N V O L X X X III N O . 1

The GSBF Convention Exhibit

David Nguy's technique with California Juniper

Reports from GSBF District E

J A N / F E B 2 0 1 0

$ 7.50

The Modesto Club Challenge:


51ST

ANNUAL BONSAI SHOW

American Bonsai Association, Sacramento

MAY 22 - 23, 2010

Join us for the “Sacramento Debut ”of Bonsai Master, Ryan Neil

Saturday:May 22nd

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Demos & Workshops with

Ryan Neil both days!

Sunday:May 23rd

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

*Demos - Workshops

are held both days

Workshops: 10 a.m.

Demos: 1:30 p.m.

To participate in workshops please contact Show Program Chair,

Paul Holtzen at: 916-933-3681 or email: [email protected]

• Styling Demonstrations with Bonsai Master, Ryan Neil both days

• Hands - on workshops for all levels from beginners to advanced

• Large sale and vendor area: selling trees, tools, pots and more

• Daily raffles and door prizes

This is Ryan Neil’s first engagement in the U.S. after completing his

apprenticeship in Japan under famed Bonsai Master, Masahiko Kimura.

Shepard Garden & Arts Center

3330 McKinley Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95816

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The Modesto Bonsai Club is purchasing a

subscription of the Golden Statements magazine

to donate to our local library. We will see how

much interest it generates and may expand it

next year to include some of the many branch

libraries in Stanislaus County and to some high

school and college libraries.

We would like to challenge other clubs and/or

individuals with developing a similar program. It

can only help spread the word about bonsai to

people who haven’t had a chance to learn about

our fascinating hobby.

Thank you. Peter CamarenaPresident - Modesto Bonsai Club

GOLDEN ®

STATEMENTS

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F G O L D E N S T A T E B O N S A I F E D E R A T I O N V O L X X X III N O . 1

The GSBF Convention Exhibit

David Nguy's technique with California Juniper

Reports from GSBF District E

J A N / F E B 2 0 1 0

$ 7.50

The Modesto Club Challenge:



Sunday, December 6th was just another day taking care of winter chores at the Lotus Bonsai Nursery and Gardens. Trimming decidu-ous trees, moving material, and cleaning up from the “windswept juniper” class the day before. As the day passed the weather person contin-ued to warn about a large storm approaching from the Northwest; it was predicted to be quite cold, and bring snow as low as the Sacramento valley.

At about 2am on Monday morning I noticed

that the power had gone out, not an uncommon occurrence for those of us who live in the country. At 6am I rose and looked out upon a scene that I had not seen in at least 10 years.

There was about 10” of snow everywhere, it was 22 degrees, and the whole area was enveloped in the amazing stillness that a heavy snowfall brings. The nursery is at 1300 feet above sea level and very near the South Fork of the American River.

As I began to walk around and evaluate the property I found over 110 limbs or trees that had snapped off due to the weight of the snow. Most were lying on the ground but many were still hanging from the tree tops. We were very lucky that none of our more advanced bonsai received serious damage.

Hats of Snow by Scott Chadd

As the day progressed we got some bright sun and Bolet began knocking the heaviest snow off of our trees on the benches with her broom.

The following morning, Tuesday the 8th, the

temperature was 16 degrees at 6am and we still had no electricity. As I write this on December 13th most of the snow is gone although we got over 2” of rain in the last 24 hours. I estimate that we have about 3 weeks of steady hard labor cleaning up after the biggest storm we’ve had here in the last 15-20 years.

Once the trees are fully dormant, which they

were when this storm arrived; as long as the soil in the pots is moist they can freeze solid with little or no damage. We are slowly getting back to “normal” and involved in the daily chores that any agricultural pursuit demands; but we will not soon forget how beautiful the benches and bonsai are when wearing their “hats of snow”.


Growing Bonsai Under Extreme Weather Conditions Article and photos by Cheryl Sykora

Dormancy is a period of slow or no growth. Dor-mancy can be triggered by temperature extremes and/or by changes in day length. Growing bonsai under less than ideal weather conditions can be challenging. I have bonsai trees in both Wisconsin and Arizona, where the quite different extreme weather conditions each trigger dormancy periods in bonsai that need to be addressed with very different strategies.

The following chart illustrates the monthly average high and low temperatures for West Central Wisconsin (Minneapolis/St Paul area for those of you who are geo-graphically challenged) and Phoenix, Arizona.

WHAT DOES THIS GRAPH MEAN FOR BONSAI ?

One can see that the Wisconsin high temperatures are roughly equivalent to the Phoenix low temperatures. The Phoenix highs are generally above 80 degrees and the Wisconsin lows during warm months are generally below 60 degrees. The ideal temperature range for plant growth depends on the plant but is generally between 70 and 75 degrees F, with no growth at temperatures below 32 F and above 122 F. Plants in pots are much more sen-sitive to temperature than are plants in the ground.

Bonsai grow well in Wisconsin in May, June, July, Au-gust, and September. They go into dormancy in late Oc-tober/early November, and most need winter protection from late November through March. Winter protection for most bonsai trees is provided by an enclosed space kept at 35 to 40 F. Particularly hardy trees like ponde-rosa pines, Rocky Mountain junipers, North American

white pines, Amur maples, and cold-hardy apples can be mulched in and wintered outdoors. Trees requiring warm weather year around, such as ficus, buttonwoods, and Fukien tea, are wintered inside at 70 F.

Phoenix has two growing seasons – spring and fall. The hot, dry summer desiccates trees that are left unprotected, while the mild winter season is unsuitable for trees requiring a cooler dormancy period. In Phoe-nix the summer dormancy period is brought on by high heat. Lower light levels produce a quasi-dormancy in the winter but temperatures are generally not low enough to meet the needs of most trees.

For a bonsai enthusiast with trees in both places this means that when trees are in dormancy in one loca-tion, they can be worked in the other location – twelve months of the year to work on bonsai!

DORMANCY HURDLES TO BE CONQUERED:

Wisconsin –

Most dormancy buildings are small – around 10’ x 12’ -- for three practical reasons: no need for a building permit, a small space to heat, and small prebuilt structures are com-mercially available. Most bonsai enthu-siasts with a winter-ing structure have either too many trees or store trees for others, result-ing in tight, packed conditions in the structure. Trees require watering every week to every

three weeks depending on the structure conditions, the tree, and the time of the year. These structures gener-ally have some method of air movement – typically small circulating fans -- but may or may not have any outside air ventilation. Humidity, and not temperature, is the indirect killer of trees in these structures. Relative hu-midity levels inside them can reach 95+%, generally are over 70%, and rarely are below 60%. The high relative humidity provides ideal conditions for fungus, including root rot. Wintering bonsai is challenging in Wisconsin.

With limited indoor space some bonsai survive winter in beds


Phoenix, Arizona–

Summer heat that sometimes exceeds 120 F, with relative humidity levels frequently less than 10% and bright, cloudless skies, presents a different set of chal-lenges. Summertime watering frequency is at least twice a day during the months of June, July, and August. Spring comes around February 15th. Shade cloth is required by the end of March to avoid leaf scorch on deciduous trees like tridents. Dark pots are particularly susceptible to overheating in Phoenix. Excess moisture in the pot can overheat the roots. The low relative humidity in the air can desiccate leaves. Frequent watering accelerates potting media breakdown and fertilizer leaching. There are many challenges to keeping bonsai in the summer in Phoenix.

MY SOLUTIONS:

Wisconsin–

I have a 10’ x 12’ fully insulated wintering build-ing with operable windows on three sides. The interior is finished with cement board on the walls and water repellent gypsum wallboard on the ceiling painted with a fungal resistant paint. The floor is concrete with a drain to the outside. I have been using it for winter storage since the winter of 2002 – 2003. Heat is provided by small electric space heaters. Typically only one is needed to maintain a temperature around 38 F. When outdoor temperatures get down to -20 F, a second heater is an advantage and may be needed to keep temperatures above freezing. In the past, I provided ventilation by cracking a window. This became a problem during really cold weather because the windows build up with ice and freeze shut. In 2008 -- 2009 the cold temperatures dur-ing late December into January forced me to completely close up the building. Relative humidity levels in the inside soared to 95+%. The problem was compounded by having non-bonsai people water the trees while I was away in January, February, and March. Fungal problems developed among the pines, resulting in dark red/or-ange needles in the spring and complete loss of all but the new needles for about 50 percent of the black pine. Five needle pine were affected but not as severely. Red pine and other pine were not affected. Shelving is tiered inside the structure, and trees positioned under draining pots were most affected by fungal problems. By spring there were several areas of visible mold on the shed ceil-ing and the building smelled strongly of mold.

This past summer I spent time vacuuming the shed to remove all dust, treating the walls and ceiling with a

biocide to kill the mold, and painting the ceiling. I also removed all wood benches from the shed and replaced them with metal and plastic benches/shelving. An 80 CFM exhaust fan was installed in the ceiling and ducted through the attic space to the outdoors. The exhaust fan is controlled by a humidistat and only runs when rela-tive humidity exceeds 90% in the shed. Make-up air for the exhaust fan is provided by a duct installed in one of the operable windows with flex duct discharging at floor level away from the trees. A circulating fan sits on the floor and points toward the ceiling away from the trees.

Water is stored in 20 gallon plastic carboys inside the shed. The trees are watered with a hand sprayer about every week and a half.

The trees have been in the refitted storage build-ing since the beginning of November 2009. At first the daytime weather was too warm (40 – 50F) for the system to work properly. The high outdoor humidity triggered the humidistat to start the exhaust fan, which brought more humid outdoor air into the shed and resulted in almost continuous exhaust fan operation. Turning the humidistat control down to 80% during these outdoor conditions stopped this from happening. Once the outdoor weather became significantly colder than inside the shed, the system functioned well. The outdoor air doesn’t hold as much moisture even when it is snowing, so an exhaust fan setting of 90% is able to successfully maintain the shed humidity at about 80% even after watering. The trees appear to be happy and there are no signs of fungus and/or insects. The exhaust fan is observed to start up about 15 to 30 minutes after all the trees have been watered and operates for about 15 to 30 minutes. The humidity in the shed seems to stay at or below 80 percent after that. Trees seem to require a bit more frequent watering than in the past without the exhaust fan.

The shed’s exhaust fan vents out. A circulating fan moves air.


Phoenix, Arizona –

Last summer, my husband and I tore down our old summer enclosure, which had grown bigger year by year with small additions to accommodate the collec-tion. Landscape pavers had been installed over most of the walking area of the old enclosure. Additional pavers were installed after the outline of the new enclosure was determined. The pavers keep the area from becoming muddy. The old enclosure had been constructed of wood poles with space between to allow light in. The new en-closure is a metal framework with 60% metalized shade cloth over the top and down the south side (our yard is on the north side of the house and the front of the enclosure faces east). The backside of the enclosure is up against our concrete block privacy wall. We installed wide wood benches around the interior walls, along with a center island. The enclosure is about 15’ x 30’ and is somewhat narrower at one end.

Unlike Wisconsin, Phoenix has consistent weather – hot, dry, and sunny almost every day through June, July, August, and September. An automatic watering system works well in Phoenix and meets the more rigorous summer watering requirements. One day without water during the summer can be death to a bonsai in Phoenix. I use an overhead water system that provides a “rain” for about five minutes periodically during the day. During the worst of the summer I water twice a day, once early in the morning and once during the hottest part of the day (4 – 5 pm). Applying water directly to the leaves like this can cause hard water deposits to form on the leaves, but trees can be defoliated frequently in Phoenix with-out weakening them. I have found that the overhead system provides a better humid microenvironment and is more dependable than the drip systems, which tend to get moved and/or clogged. The excess water from the overhead spray ponds in low areas on the landscape pavers and evaporates back up into the air during the

day, resulting in humidity levels ranging from 30 to 50 percent inside the enclosure area. This cools the trees during the high heat periods of the day. The combina-tion of heat, high relative humidity, and sunlight results in strong growth in ficus, pomegranates, coastal live oaks, olives, desert trees, and any other heat loving spe-cies. Junipers are problematic and pines are not advis-able in Phoenix.

SOIL MIX –

I am a student of Boon so my soil mix is an inor-ganic blend of akadama, pumice, and lava rock for both locations. Mix size depends on the type of tree. I use a coarser mix for pines and junipers and larger trees and a finer mix for most deciduous and shohin-sized trees. I use a little higher concentration of akadama for decidu-ous trees and tropicals than I do for junipers and pines. The fast draining inorganic mix is essential for success in Phoenix with the overhead watering system. The

The new enclosure

The overhead watering system and floor pavers

Shadecloth provides bonsai with protection from the hot southern exposure.


commonly used Phoenix bonsai soil mix consisting of a combination of potting soil mixed with chick grit will not drain as well and can result in death by root rot. I have a tendency to over-water my trees so an inorganic mix works best in Wisconsin, where hand watering is the norm. Trees develop fine feeder roots with this mix in both locations. The potting mix does not stay truly inorganic as organics permeate the top of the mix through fertilizer cakes or other solid organic fertilizers.

As a general rule, trees grow faster and require more frequent repotting in Phoenix than in Wisconsin. The higher humidity levels in Wisconsin make repotting much easier than in Phoenix, where repotting is best done quickly and during rainy and/or high humidity periods of the year.

FERTILIZING –

My Wisconsin fertilizing is a combination of foliar feeding, application of a balanced organic fertilizer, and liquid fertilizer with micronutrients and high phospho-rus levels to combat root rot. Hydroponic fertilizers work well in Wisconsin. I have well water in Wisconsin with a pH below 7 and not a lot of dissolved minerals. Bonsai soils tend to go acid in Wisconsin with prolonged use of organic fertilizers. An occasional application of a basic fertilizer or lime is needed for trees that are infrequently repotted. Cleaning the soil surface of old organic material is also important to keep the pH from going acid. I don’t start fertilizing in Wisconsin until after the trees come out of dormancy (this is generally early April or mid-April depending on the weather). Deciduous trees may have leafed out during dormancy, but this growth is weak and does not survive after a few days outdoors. Fertilizing is selective at this point to avoid creating long internodes and too strong a growth on pines. Fertilizing continues through the summer/fall, switching over to higher P and K fertilizers toward the end of the season.

A couple of years ago, I realized I was starving my trees in Phoenix. The frequent watering rapidly washes nutrients out of the potting mix and iron deficiency is a real problem with the Phoenix high pH water. My solution is to use an acidic organic fertilizer like one of the Fox Farm products meant for acid loving plants like Azaleas in loose granular form. I throw a teaspoon to a quarter cup depending on the pot size on the top sur-face of the soil every three to four weeks in the summer in Phoenix. It serves two purposes – neutralizes the high pH water and slowly breaks down to feed the tree. Fertilizers break down rapidly in Phoenix so it is best

to use more of a fertilizer with low NPK numbers - less than 5% N, P,or K. High nitrogen fertilizers like Green King can burn the tree. I avoid fertilizers that result in a salt residue like Miracle-Gro in Phoenix as the water is very high in dissolved silica and carbonates resulting in high natural salts and crusty soil surfaces. Occasional applications of iron supplements is important in Phoenix. I have success with Ironite products – either liquid or solid. I fertilize less in the summer and winter months, concentrating on the spring and fall growth periods.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EACH AREA :

Mother Nature can be defied somewhat with respect to geographic tree choices if you don’t mind the extra work it causes. Trees that grow well in Phoenix tend not to grow well in Wisconsin and vice versa. The following recommendations are based on my experience.

Wisconsin–

Maples (Trident, Amur, and Palmatum), Apples, Pines (Red, Black, Five Needle, Ponderosa, Mugho), Junipers (Shimpaku, Rocky Mountain, Prostata, Virginiana), Umes, Cherries, and other fruiting and flowering trees, Azaleas, Cotoneaster, Chinese Elm, Green and Blue Atlas and Dedora Cedars, Cryptomeria, Boxwoods, Quince.

Phoenix-

Coastal Live Oaks, Apples, Trident Maples, Goldwater Pine, Juniper (California, Prostata, Sierra, One Seed), Olives, Ficus, Pomegranates, Palo Verde species, Acacia varieties, Desert Willow, Texas Ebony, Bougainvillea, Natal Plum, Chinese Elm, Boxwoods, Elephant’s Foot Trees that grow well in the local landscape tend to be your best choices for bonsai in that geographical area.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cheryl Sykora is a graduate of Boon Manakitivipart’s three year bonsai intensive training, a member of three bonsai clubs – Minnesota Bonsai Society, Phoenix Bonsai Society, and Bay Island Bonsai, and develops bonsai in both Western Wisconsin and Phoenix, Arizona.

Mary Russell, past President of Minnesota Bonsai Society, edited the article.


BONSAI FUSIONHand Crafted Bonsai Pots

635 North 13th Street San Jose, CA 95112Tel: 408 476 3112 Fax: 408 292 [email protected]

BONSAI

FUSION

• Long lasting • Organic based• Clean, no odor

(800) 473-1307www.gropower.com

1423 47th Ave • Sacramento, CA 95822

Maruyama Bonsai Nursery

(916) 421-6888 (916) 421-8306

Collected

& cultivated quality trees. accent plants


American Bonsai Assoc, Sacramento (ABAS) pg 29 Barrymore Scrolls pg. 38 Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai (BASA), inside back cover Blue Oak Nursery pg. 8 Bonsai Fusion pg. 36 California Suiseki Society pg. 30 Chikugo-en Bonsai Nursery pg. 5 Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture pg. 25 David Glaister Bonsai Jewelry pg. 42 GroBetter Fertilizer pg. 28 Gro Power pg. 36 Grove Way Bonsai Nursery pg. 38 GSBF Convention 2010 pg. 28, 44 Hisayasu Importers pg. 36 Joel Pasco - Shari Bonsai pg. 36 Joshua Roth Tools pg. 7 Kim’s Bonsai Nursery pg. 38 Lotus Bonsai Nursery, inside back cover Maruyama’s Bonsai Nursery pg. 36 Mendocino Coast Bonsai pg. 12 Modesto Bonsai Club pg. 42 Napa Valley Bonsai Club pg. 38 Ryerson Ceramics pg. 36 Sei Boku Bonsai Kai pg. 41 Shibui Bonsai, Inc. pg. 11 Telperion Farms pg. 12 US National Bonsai Exhibition inside front cover Wang Antique scrolls, stands, pots pg. 13 West America Import/Export pg. 12 Window Box Accents and Art Gallery pg. 13To Advertise: Contact Michael Jonas

[email protected] Tel: 818-776-0813 • 1/8 page G 3.65 x 2.35 inches $30.00 • 1/4 page G 3.65 x 4.90 inches $60.00 • 1/2 page G Horizontal 7.50 x 4.90 inches $90.00 • 1/2 page G Vertical 3.65 x 10.0 inches $90.00 • Full page G 7.50 x 10.0 inches $160.00 • Back Inside Cover C 7.50 x 10.0 inches $290.00 • Front Inside Cover C 7.50 x 10.0 inches $320.00 • Back Inside Cover 1/2 page C Horizontal 7.50 x 4.90 inches $155.00 • Front Inside Cover 1/2 page C Horizontal 7.50 x 4.90 inches $170.00 • Back Outside Cover C 6.85 x 5.85 inches $215.00 (G=grayscale C=color) * Display of ads in color online magazine is free with a one-year, six-issue order. Call for more information. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Our list of Advertisers please patronize the companies that support GSBF by shopping from the companies listed below:...And the winner goes to

Ron Krause: “Quit com-plaining, this is the same process I use to get my bonsai to drink!” Other entries: • “Trust me, this drink is good. See how happy it makes me? Ha-ha-ha!!!” - Bolet Salvador• Help! Jim says that I’m a Leprechaun and he wants my pot of gold! - Michael Jonas • “I accept this award on behalf of GSBF” - Marcus Juniel

• “See how easy that was? Now all I do is pour this tequila down her throat and she’ll dance with me ‘til dawn.”- Mike Draeger

Send your Caption Entry for Michael Jonas’ photo of Gary Ishi and his Akita friend to: [email protected]

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Lindsay Shiba provides instruction at a 2009 Convention workshop. Photo by Michael Jonas


32nd Annual Bonsai Show

Sunday, April 25th

10am - 4pm Napa Senior Center

1500 Jefferson Street, Napa

An Exhibition of Bonsai TreesPresented by

Napa Valley Bonsai Club

Large Sale Area Silent Auction, Raffle

Deer Meadow Bonsai as Vendor

Workshop Demonstration with Bonsai Artist Peter Tea

12:30pm to 3:30pm

Free AdmissionMore Details www.napabonsai.org

Welcome to Kim’s Bonsai Nursery

Website: www.kimsbonsai.comE-mail: [email protected]

One of the largest bonsai nurseries in California. (10 acres)

In business since 1988.

Open daily 7 am-6 pm (by appointment only) Closed the 4th Saturday of every month.

Kim’s Bonsai Nursery 8575-A Phelan Rd Phelan, CA 92371 Phone: 760-947-0409 Fax: 760-949-7500


The Toll of Thievesby Scott Chadd

I began working with bonsai in the early 1970’s with Mr. George Yamasaki in Auburn, California. He had a beautiful nursery at his home which sat on some acreage at the intersection of Highway 49 and Bell Road. In real estate you would call this the 100% corner. There is a mega mall anchored by K-Mart at this location today. As you can imagine thousands of cars drove by the nursery every day. Security was provided by one lazy dog. Nothing got stolen.

In the past 35 years I have operated three bonsai nurseries and been blessed with the ability to enjoy this wonderful pastime in the serenity of my home. In this regard my good fortune has been to do what I want and be able to pay for my obsession with the creation, collection, display and sales of living art. The peace and quiet of my small slice of paradise was rudely and irrevocably altered when the Lotus Bonsai Nursery was robbed while we were attending the GSBF annual convention in Riverside in November of last year.

At first I could not believe that someone had actually broken through the fence and stolen bonsai from us. But, sure enough, the fence had been cut and eight really nice (and incidentally quite valuable) bonsai been taken. My heart was broken. There was a great sadness and anger that promised to be inside me for quite a while. I called the Sherriff and had the opportunity to meet a couple of nice young people who carry guns and tend to have a formal presentation of self. About ten days later we got robbed again. I know it was the same person because they cut the fence in the identical fashion and again

stole bonsai that were of high quality, high dollar value, and able to be carried by two people. I think there must have been two people because they took some large trees that weighed in excess of 100 pounds.

I started making phone calls and contacting other people in the nursery trade; bonsai people and commercial nursery operators. It came as a shock to me to learn that they had all been robbed. Some of them were getting robbed regularly and had actually created a characterization of the stealing; “Oh yeah we got your disgruntled former employee robbery, your ‘tweeker’ robbery (this is someone who uses methamphetamines), your landscape contractor robbery....” I asked, “how do you know they are ‘tweekers’ and was told: “Well we figure it took them about two hours to gain access to the property by cutting through our security fence and disabling our video surveillance. They made a big mess and stole 3 bags of steer manure.”

Theft is a manifestation of stupidity, laziness, arrogance, and lack of basic humanity. Theft is the opposite of bonsai. People who love bonsai do not know how to steal from others. Those of us who do bonsai are basically trusting and caring human beings who would not ever consider stealing something from another person. Here at the nursery, if someone needs something that we have, and don’t have any money, we give it to them until they are able to pay. They always pay.

I grew up in the East Bay in the 1950’s, served as a combat engineer in Viet Nam and Korea, was in Washington D.C. when Martin Luther King was assassinated, and have come through a lot of tight spots with my hide intact. I have danced and fallen over at concerts by Jimmy Hendrix, Janet Joplin, and The Grateful Dead. But, up until November, I had never been robbed. This robbery has changed my life. Not in ways I want. Remember September 11, 2001? That sinking sickness of the heart and spirit that changes you irrevocably and forever? Whoever has done this to me and my life should be punished. The psychic and spiritual damage they have inflicted upon me outweigh the money I have lost by at least 10 to 1.

Whoever stole my bonsai knew what they were af-ter. They selected very high quality material. They are the proximate cause of a change in my attitude that I must now work to overcome. At 65 years old I do not know now many more “re-inventions” of Scott Chadd

The fence had been cut and eight really nice bonsai had been taken.


I am capable of. But of one thing I am certain. I do not like to change my life because some idiot “bottom feeder” decides to steal from me.

Please help me get through this time by doing the following:

1. If someone you don’t know wants to sell you a bonsai ask for proof of the providence of the tree. This is especially true for “E- Bay” and “Craig’s List” postings.

2. Pray that these morons don’t take our trees to the Flea Market.

3. Keep your eyes open and share with members of your club, and other bonsai enthusiasts, any information about suspicious activity; i.e.. persons selling trees for artificially low prices, seeing a tree that you know has come from some ones collection, and finding yourself interacting with a person who does not know anything about bonsai but has really nice, highly evolved trees.

I did not want to talk about what happened to us here at the Lotus Bonsai Nursery. But times are tough and people tend to become desperate and stupid. They take things that don’t belong to them. The fury that I feel will pass. My disappointment and sadness cannot be overstated. Please accept my apology if this is a “bummer”.

Editor’s Note:

In further developments, on January 4th several large bonsai were also stolen from Sensei John Uchida at Grove Way Nursery. All were large and relatively valuable bonsai, this and other signs show that this was also a planned crime by a group of criminals and not just an impulsive act.

Remembering good times, Scott Chadd with Barb Kelley who won this demo tree styled by Scott for American Bonsai Association, Sacramento.

photo by Clarence Smith


Modesto Bonsai Club29th Annual Spring Show

April 24 & 25, 2010Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pmSunday 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Double Tree HotelModesto Centre Plaza

Modesto, CAhttp://www.modestobonsaiclub.com

Demonstrations - Plant Sales - VendorsAuction and Raffles both days!

Free Admission


Santa Cruz Bonsai: 21st Annual Show at the Scotts Valley

Community Center, 360 Kings Village Road from

10:30AM-4:30PM. Demonstration at 2PM on both days by

Katsumi Kinoshita. Plant sales, door prizes, demonstration

tree raffle and much more. For more information call

831-469-0688.

March 27-28 San Jose, California

San Jose Betsuin Bonsai Club: 40th Annual Bonsai Exhibit

at the San Jose Betsuin Buddhist Church, 640 North Fifth

Street. Hours are Saturday, 12noon-4PM, and Sunday,

11AM-4PM. Demonstration at 1PM both days by Harry Hirao,

aka, “Mr. California Juniper” from Huntington Beach. Plant

and vendor sales both days. Free admission. For more

information, call Ken Azuma, 408-730-4506

April 3-4 Sacramento, California

Bonsai Sekiyu Kai: 33rd Annual Bonsai Show at the

Sacramento Betsuin Buddhist Church, 2401 Riverside

Boulevard. Show hours are Saturday, 12noon-5PM, and

Sunday, 10AM-3:30PM. Demonstration both days at 2PM by

Bonsai Master John Uchida. Refreshments, door prizes,

raffles, and sale of plants and bonsai tools. For additional

information contact Ron Krause, 916-481-4792.

April 17-18 Hanford, California

The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture Annual

Spring Festival/Kazari 2010 Bonsai Display Competition at

15770 Tenth Avenue. Two full days of bonsai art, featuring tea

ceremonies, garden tours, lectures, seminars and a bazaar with

art and food vendors, sale of bonsai items, and an after hours

reception. Hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM and Sunday,

10AM-3PM. Judged competition on the art of displaying

bonsai with prizes of $2500, $1000, $500. Kathy Shaner,

Curator of the GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt, will

conduct a demonstration followed by an auction on Saturday,

and a Tokoname display workshop on Sunday. Visit

[email protected] or contact Bob Hilvers, 559-909-1051, for

further information

April 24-25 Chico, California

Chico Bonsai Society Annual Spring Show at the Chico

CARD Center, 545 Vallombrosa Avenue. Hours are Saturday,

11AM-5:00PM, and Sunday, 10AM-5:00PM. Exhibits, plant

and tool sales and demonstration Sunday at 12noon by

Roberta Walters. Large raffle on Sunday at 4PM. Admission is

free so bring the family! For more information contact Pat

Gilmore, 530-343-3447 or Brian Larson, 530-354-9335, or

visit us at www.chicobonsai.org

March-13-14 Oakland, California

Bay Area Bonsai Associates: 29th Annual Show, Lakeside

Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Avenue. Hours are

Saturday, 5PM-10PM, and Sunday, 10AM-4PM.

Demonstration and critique illustrating design concepts by

Dave DeGroot starts at 6:30PM, Saturday, followed by a

raffle. The plant and pot sale, including related bonsai items

(bonsai books, tools, etc.) is continuous both days. Admission

is Free. For more information contact [email protected] or

707-984-8012.

March 20-21 Fresno, California

Fresno Bonsai Society: Annual Spring Bonsai Exhibit in

conjunction with the Spring Blossom Festival in the Japanese

Friendship Garden in the Shinzen Gardens at Woodward Park,

7775 Friant Road. Hours 10AM-4PM daily. This is a beautiful

outdoor display, which overlooks the koi pond.

Demonstrations by famed bonsai master, Ted Matson, on

Saturday, and Ray Theime on Sunday. Both demonstrations

will start at 1PM. Large plant sale, local artists sale and Tea

Ceremony. Small entry fee for the park. Free to seniors.

Contact Dwayne Berrett at [email protected] for more

information.

March 20-21, Palo Alto, California

Kusamura Bonsai Club: 50th Anniversary Show at Mitchell

Park, 3800 Middlefield Road. The theme of the show is “Our

Oldest Tree” and will celebrate a founding sensei, Tosh

Saburomaru and a unique display of legacy trees from our

members. Admission is free. There will be demonstrations,

raffles, and club member tree sales both days. Guest

demonstrator to be announced. For more information contact

Jerry Carpenter at (H) 408-557-0166; (C) 408-823-9525 or

visit [email protected]

March 20-21 Scotts Valley, California

Calendar of Events

List of GSBF Events, and

Bonsai and Suiseki Shows

MARCH

GSBF Events

Mar 13 Spring Board Meeting,9AM-5PM Oakland, California

Nov 4-7 GSBF Convention XXXIII Santa Clara, California

APRIL






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further information



















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information.












Calendar of Events



MARCH

GSBF Events



APRIL






831-469-0688.






























further information



















707-984-8012.












information.












Calendar of Events



MARCH

GSBF Events



APRIL






831-469-0688.






























further information



















707-984-8012.












information.












Calendar of Events



MARCH

GSBF Events



APRIL


information see our website at www.sandiegobonsaiclub.com or

call Joanie at 760-431-1014

September 19-20 San Mateo, California

San Mateo Bonsai Club 46th Annual Bonsai Exhibit at San

Mateo Central Park Recreation Center, 5th & El Camino Real.

Hours are Saturday, 12PM-5PM and Sunday 10AM-4PM.

Demonstration at 2 PM both days. Bonsai sale and raffle after

the demonstrations. Free Admission. For more information,

contact Sam Tachibana [email protected],

650-548-9470.

September 25, 26,27 Waikiki, Hawaii

Hawaii Bonsai Association: Bonsai Ohana II Convention at

the Pacific Beach Hotel. Featured demonstrators will be Bonsai

Master Tohru Suzuki of Japan and Bonsai Sensei Mel Ikeda of

California. Additional information and registration at

www.Hawaiibonsaiassoc.org and [email protected]

September 26 San Jose, California

Midori Bonsai Club: 48th Annual Bonsai Show at the

Northside Community Center, 488 6th St. Includes 18 separate,

2 and 3-point displays of fine bonsai. At 1:30PM, nationally

acclaimed bonsai artist, Boon Manakitivipart, will style a

bunjin Japanese Black Pine. Sales of trees, tools, pots and

bonsai accessories will be offered by Jim Gremel, Shibui

Bonsai, Inc., and others. Free styling help and advice for the

public from "Dr. Bonsai". Contact JT at (408)371-7737 or

[email protected]

October 3 Salinas, California

Salinas Bonsai Club: Annual bonsai show at the Lincoln

Avenue Presbyterian Church, 536 Lincoln Ave. Show hours

11AM-4PM. Demonstration at 1:30PM by Katsumi Kinoshita.

A raffle of the demonstration tree and other items will follow

the demonstration. Tea and cookies will be served and there is

plenty of parking. For more information please contact Don

White, 831-724-9283; [email protected] or Maggie Brubaker,

831-663-5044; [email protected]

October 3-4 Thousand Oaks, California

Conejo Valley Bonsai Society: 6th Annual Bonsai Exhibition

at the Resource Center at the Gardens of the World, 2001

Thousand Oaks Blvd. Hours are 9AM-4PM both days.

Demonstrations in the Bandstand at 11AM and 2PM, both

Saturday and Sunday. Free admission. No sales of bonsai

related items. For more information call Ken Fuentes, (805)

495-7480.

Web at: http:/www.cvbs-bonsai.org

October 16 Gardena, California

Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai: Annual Bonsai Auction at the Ken

Nakaoka Community Center, 1670 W. 162nd St. Doors open

for preview at 6PM and the auction starts at 7PM. Sale items to

include: bonsai trees, dais, accent plants and more. The

auctioneer will be Joe James and the public is welcome. For

more information call 310-539-9365 or visit us at:

www.gsbf-bonsai.org/daiichibonsaikai

October 17-18 Union City, California

Yamato Bonsai Kai: 38th Annual Bonsai Exhibition at (new

location): South Alameda County Buddhist Church, 32975

Alvarado-Niles Road. Hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM and

Sunday, 10AM-4PM. Demonstrations both days at 1:00PM by

Johnny Uchida. Admission of $5.00 includes exhibit & sales

areas, demonstration, and a raffle ticket for the demonstration

tree. Additional information at www.yamatobonsaikai.org

October 24-25 Sacramento, California

Capitol City Bonsai Association: 10th Anniversary Show to

support the GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt and the

Sacramento bonsai clubs. Location is the Shepard Garden and

Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. in McKinley Park. Show

hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM and Sunday, 10AM-4PM.

Demonstration both days at 1PM by sponsor clubs with special

bonsai raffle drawings to follow. Vendor and club member sales

areas. Contact is Gary Judd at 916-630-1340.

November 5-8 Riverside, California

Golden State Bonsai Federation: Convention XXXII. (For

more information see ad on back inside cover.)

Nov 13-14... Ross, California

Marin Bonsai Club: Fall show at the Marin Art and Garden

Center, Livermore Room, 50 Sir Frances Drake Blvd. Hours are

Friday, 6PM-10PM, dinner, demonstration and raffle (TBA) and

Saturday,10AM-4PM. For more information call Craig

Thompson, 415-472-6685.


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Conference attendees Vince Owyoung and Jill Willett carve a bougainvillea in Dan Robinson’s workshop at the 2009 convention.

Photo by: Michael Jonas