The Bonsai News H of ouston

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1 The Bonsai News H of ouston A Monthly Newsletter of the Houston Bonsai Society Inc. Volume 46 Number 7 July 2017 Make the Cut, April 6 th -9 th. Sheraton Dallas North Hotel, Demos IN THIS ISSUE Upcoming Events BBQ & Bonsai Texas Style Showcase of the Month Summer Blooming Bonsai July Bonsai Care John Miller President s Letter Flowering & Fruiting Bonsai in Houston HBS Visiting Artist Suthin Sukosolvisit Colorful blooms on statuesque Desert Rose announce the extreme summer heat. (Photo: Pnterest) The next meeting of the Houston Bonsai Society will be at the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion in Hermann Park, 1500 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX Refreshments at 7 PM, meeting starts at 7:30 PM. Wednesday, July 5, HBS Monthly Meeting: BBQ & Bonsai Texas style! HBS provides the BBQ and all the fixin s for everyone. After the dinner, we ll do some summer work on a bonsai. Remember to bring your tools too. No repotting. Upcoming Events July 1, Melon Seed Ficus workshop with Carlos and Hurley, Timeless Trees, 9-12 Noon. $50 includes a ficus, a ceramic pot, and hand-out. July 8, Saturday Study Group at Timeless Trees, 9 AM 12 Noon. Free, refreshments provided. July 15, Saturday BYOT Juniper workshop with guest artist Rodney Clemons, Timeless Trees, 8 AM 12 Noon. $50, focus on juniper summer work. Afternoon BYOT Boxwood workshop with Rodney Clemons, 1 5 PM, $50. Focus on Japanese, Kingsville, Saunders and Morris Boxwood summer work. July 16, Sunday BYOT Deciduous and Conifer summer workshop with Rodney Clemons, Timeless Trees, 9 AM 5PM. $85, all day. July 22, Saturday Japanese Black Pine Study Group with Scott Barboza, Timeless Trees, 9AM 12 Noon. Focus on energy balance, candle pruning, some needle work, and some wiring. July 29, Bonsai Basics #2: Styling, pruning and wiring. 9AM 1 PM. Focus on styling and wiring. $60 includes a tree, wire, hand-out and wire cutter.

2 Summer blooming bonsai July Bonsai Care You need to know the timing of whatever species of bonsai you have. Know when they break dormancy, when they set buds for fruit and flowers, how much cold the roots can take which is usually a lot less than their tops. For example, some azaleas will be setting buds for next year s flowers at the end of July, so a lot of pruning should not be done. Between July and August, and usually later, you will need to keep your bonsai as cool as possible. That means no sun on the pot and soil where the roots are. Without going into a lot of detail, here are some considerations: 1. Shade cloth: 40% for pines, junipers, trident maples; 50% for tender plants; 60% on the west side. 2. Water schedule: At 2pm to cool the soil, at sundown to cool soil and refresh overnight, morning as necessary. This is optimum. Adjust that schedule and soil mix to work with your schedule. 3. Soil covering: Chopped long fiber sphagnum to retain moisture and also keep soil cooler. 4. Protect from the mean late afternoon sun: Low humidity lets the full force of the heat come through. 5. Consider foliage misting especially on junipers. Many species in the wild open stomata at night to take in dew. Some broadleaf plants need foliage feeding, usually for localized area of the leaf. 6. Keep insects under control especially the sucking ones-mites and scale. 7. Pot protection: Shade sides of pot. Use old cloth, shop towels, make boxes to fit. Allow some air circulation around the pot. We usually do not fertilize our bonsai enough. However during these hot days, you need to exercise care. Slow release organics are best. Chemical fertilizers may burn roots if the soil temperature (remember the sun factor) gets too warm. In upper 90s or more, be sure to read the label for guidance. I recommend feeding the trees with organic fertilizer balls. There are many commercially ones available or you can make your own, depending on how many bonsai you own. Even with the fertilizer balls, I like to give a feeding with a liquid fertilizer every other week as well. Also watch for signs of insect problems. The spider mite will always be near. Others to look for are scale of various forms, aphids, bagworms, and mealy bugs. Preventative medicine is best, so spray on a regular schedule. By the time you see signs of bugs, the damage is already done, especially from spider mites. I use the organic foliar feed (1 Tablespoon each of fish emulsion, liquid kelp, molasses and 5% apple cider vinegar per gallon water) applied weekly to control all these. You can use some of the other organic controls or a chemical. Read the label directions carefully. Do not apply oil based chemicals to buttonwoods. A hose end sprayer does not work very well. Its droplets are too large and you have little control over where it goes. Use a pump sprayer with a fine spray and cover both top and bottom of leaves, trunks and all twigs. Most controls, whether chemical or organic, must be done on a regular schedule for optimal efficiency. If you wait until you see damage, it is usually too late. When checking the results on your plants after spraying, remember that the spray usually will not remove the evidence of problems. The webs will still be there after the mites are killed. The shells of the scale will still be attached to the leaf or stem. They need to be removed by hand, by a jet of water, or some other way. A soft toothbrush works good on some scale shells.

3 There is no damage from this leftover evidence but it may prevent you from seeing any new infestation that may occur. Be careful when pruning spring flowering species. They will set buds for next year s flowers in the fall. The Kurume azaleas set their buds in July and the Satsuki a little later in August. You need to find out if your particular flowering tree blooms on new or old wood and when it sets buds, so you can keep it in shape and yet will not prune next year s flowers off. Tropicals, buttonwoods, Fukien tea, serissa, fig, etc., should be repotted during the summer while they are growing strong. When the humidity is low, I mist my junipers in the evening. I believe the story that in the wild, junipers open their stomata in the cool of the evening to absorb the dew and close in the heat of the day to conserve moisture. The other species may get a foliage spray in the morning. The humidity in summer varies quite a bit but when it sticks around for a few days, look for fungal problems to appear, mildew being the most prevalent. Black spot will show up if the foliage stays wet very long. Foliage watering in the morning will usually not be a problem because it dries pretty quickly. Treat with potassium bicarbonate which you can find at any nursery with a decent organic section. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) works too but not as well. There are several chemical sprays available too. John Miller John Miller, who writes a monthly column for the Bonsai Society of Dallas and Fort Worth Bonsai Society, has agreed to share his column with us. We need to make adjustments for our warmer and damper climate, with earlier springs, longer summers, late fall and erratic winters. President s Letter Well, summer has arrived with a bang this year. Temperatures recently have been in the mid-90 s with heat indices well over 100. In my haste to get on with styling and repotting tropicals, I didn t spend the time I should have to think about what changes other trees may need as the weather heats up. More delicate temperate trees are likely to need protection from the sun that was not there earlier in the year. So, my Trident maples have been moved to shadier spots. Likewise, soil temperatures in pots out in full sun are now reaching the 120 s. You have to ask yourself whether or not you should do something to protect those root balls. I try to spray the pots that are out in full sun a couple of times a day to help keep temperatures down. Or, you might consider some kind of cover over the pot to keep sun off of it. In the past, I have used burlap placed over the top of the pot that I just kept moist. This keeps the temperature down close to whatever the ambient temperature is. The heat and humidity that come with summer are also great for growing bugs. Make sure you keep an eye out for intruders and have a plan to manage them. Later this year, HBS will be hosting several outstanding world class artists: Suthin Sukosolvisit, Bjorn Bjorholm and Jonas Dupuich. Two of those artists provide some of the best educational material on bonsai in their blog, which can be easily found on the Internet. On his website, bjornbjorholm.com, Bjorn offers several educational videos for sale that range from beginner s material to advanced videos on junipers and maples. Jonas Dupuich is also known for his blog, at bonsaitonight.com. The blog contains over 800 well written entries that address most of the issues that we face in raising and showing bonsai. I would encourage you to explore their offerings in your spare time or when you have a question about your trees. The LSBF convention in 2018 will be next April It has two themes, blooming and fruiting bonsai, and bonsai group and forest plantings. Now is a good time to begin considering which of your trees you might like to show at the convention exhibit and develop a plan for prepping them for show. Pete Parker

4 Flowering & Fruiting Bonsai for Houston area After chatting with newcomers to Houston, I discovered that we have pretty rough climate with a long summer! Perhaps they are used to 4- seasoned weather, 6 months of cold. For us, the heat combined with humidity over half of the year, present other challenges, especially during the dog s days of summer, with temperatures close to 100 F. In the winter, League City on the Gulf of Mexico coast remains below freezing, while The Woodlands or Lake Conroe freezing temperatures, several times a year. On that note, please don t take my observation as a complaint. While I sweat, I am still grateful, especially after one week in Las Vegas. Fortunately, most of the class was indoors, in a fabulous resort, but unfortunately, we still had a field trip in 115+ temps. It felt like 140 inside a car. That made me wonder if Las Vegas has a bonsai club, if they use Astroturf for landscaping? childhood in Asia. They usually do well in the summer here but require serious winter protection when the North wind blows. Powderpuff A lot of bonsai books classify bonsai as indoor and outdoor types. In our climate, all bonsai should live outdoors, especially in the warmer months, although some need to be moved to deep or partial shade when the sun gets too hot. With some shade from screens in the hottest months, most thrive in full sun year-round. No full spectrum grow light can substitute for that natural sunlight. A lot of these flowering and fruiting bonsai can be started from seeds, cuttings and air layers, but I usually begin with full grown nursery plants or Shohin size potensai. Even though I have the utmost respect for the geezers who still start with seeds, I don t think my journey on Earth will last long enough for me to see my seedlings grow into serious bonsai. As my candle gets shorter over the years, I found myself leaning more and more in the direction of the School of Instant Noodle or Minute Rice. Azalea The most popular trees I have seen at most Texas exhibits and nurseries are usually pines, junipers, basically evergreens but fewer deciduous trees like elms, boxwoods, yaupon hollies. Although I own a few, acquired through workshops, I consider myself a flowering and fruiting bonsai lover. Yes, I favor a whole different category of trees and shrubs. In fact, I bonsai just about any flowering tree or shrub that other people grow in their landscape, and many tropical or subtropical fruit trees that remind me of my Bougainvillea

5 Crabapple As long as the trees and their leaves are relatively small, and they meet my aesthetic standards, I take them home. That, I confess I also do a lot of, on every trip, to every state, especially California. That s also the reason I often opt for Red Eye flights, so (believe it or not) my newfound bonsai can buckle up in the seat next to me. Thank God I have not done much of that lately, with all the TSA troubles. Over the past decades of playing with bonsai, I realize they don t need to start as genetically dwarfed trees. Their growth can be restricted by root pruning, branch reduction, while confined in shallow pots. However, given a choice, I prefer starting with plants with small leaves. I also learn to give up on those that don t conform. Ten years ago, I bought 3 kinds of guava trees, but only one stays small with leaves reduced by defoliation 3 times a year. The other stubborn two with leaves 20 times larger, had to be retired to the ground. They seem to enjoy life, outside of the box a lot, where their roots can roam freely. Edible Fig In general, I bonsai every tree, every bush that catches my attention. By accident (or by discreet planning?), besides the coldest months, I always have some trees blooming in the greenhouse or in the garden. A lot of the native or hardy trees like Crepe Myrtles, Pyracantha and Redbud can survive the Houston winter in the ground, but as bonsai, they will need some protection when the temperatures drop below freezing for a few consecutive days. Pomegranate Flowering bonsai trees add so much cheer with their vibrant colors to every garden, especially in the dreary grey of winter. In Houston area, the earliest blossoms are the red Quinces, starting around October or early November. Then came the Camellias. From December to January, they are the reigning fashion queens in my garden. The smaller Sasanqua usually bloom first. The bigger ones take over later, before the change of guard to the bright yellow Carolina Jasmine. Then the Japanese Magnolia s flower buds that have been growing slowly, like candles on bare branches, for a full month, pop open overnight. Their show stopper is magnificent but also fleeting. Within a week, all the colors on the branches are on the ground, clearing the stage for the azalea show in the next 6 months. Their excitingly gaudy parade lasts throughout Spring till early Summer. My different varieties as well as hybrid azaleas bloom in so many colors but never all at once, for 5 to 6 months of the year. The last would fade around June. Perhaps that s

6 why those late bloomers are called Satsuki in Japan: blooms in the sixth month. Actually, some Encore hybrids I purchased from local garden centers would bloom 3 times a year, depending on the heat and their dormancy (or lack of it). Our HBS Azalea guru is Dr. Hoe Chuah. Take the time to consult with him if you want to begin with azaleas. Tangerine In March, as the pear, peach and apricot bonsai jump to their grand show, the viburnum Bridal Bouquet discreetly follows. Just about this time, I usually carve and force Chinese Narcissus bulbs to have them bloom in time for the Lunar New Year celebration. All the Mai bonsai (Vietnamese flowering apricot) also got defoliated to force the blooms for the same festivities. Dogwoods and Forsythia, and the Bridal Bouquet usually compete well with the prunus families all by themselves. No intervention needed from humans. The few Quinces that can be found in full bloom at local nurseries and stores at this time of year are new arrivals from very cold regions like Canada. That s the reason they have a hard time acclimatizing to our heat later on. Do put them in deep shade in the summer and out in the cold in winter. Without true dormancy, they don t do well in Houston. Lantana At this time, the Bougainvilleas kept in the greenhouse may surprise you with very showy blooms. I never did understand what triggers these tropical dames to display their colors out of season. Perhaps they don t know that! Their hot house still offers a tropical environment, or their DNA dictates them to do so when summer arrives somewhere in South America? Spring brings warmer temperatures as well as April showers. Flower buds explode overnight on the Kumquat, Fukien Tea, crabapple, apple, then Pyracantha, Persimmon and the edible fig bonsai. The Confederate Jasmine blossoms join the happy bunch to perfume the garden. Magically like fairies from afar, the bees and butterflies flock in for their Spring feast on nectar. The garden and the bonsai come alive. Crepe Myrtle In early May, the tropicals start to catch up. First the Bottlebrush, the Mimosa, the Acacia, the Natal Plum then the Crepe Myrtles. Remember to choose your colors when buying bonsai with flowers and fruits on, yet it is not a guarantee for future results. The Monterrey Brush Cherry bonsai with flowers and red bell-shaped fruits I hand carried home from Southern California, never did show an encore of the exquisite splendor I witnessed there. Three of the 5 even wilted and dried out in our heat wave, a few summers ago. That same fateful summer, all my Japanese crabapples bought from Persimmon Hill nursery in Austin, my Cotoneasters bought in Denver and the Satsuki azalea Ben Oki grew from seed in California also died, all within a week. Please bear in mind that if you would like to purchase bonsai from cooler climates to pay

7 close attention to their needs in the dogs days of summer. Perhaps you can give them a mini vacation indoors, on the window sill? Nandina Over time, most bonsai lovers learn that while a bonsai can flower profusely in its native climate when grown in the ground, such as the Japanese Wisteria, may not flower if grown as a bonsai in a shallow pot. In fact, I purchase a few Japanese Wisteria vines loaded with purple flowers at a nursery. I put some in the ground, both in partial shade, some in full sun. They all produce flowers many times a year. Yet the ones I turned into bonsai can OD on Super Bloom and drown in water all summer, wouldn t give me a single raceme of flowers. I even tried putting the pots next to the blooming vines, so they can chit chat but no positive influence at all. Camellia In general, flowering trees require more light than non-flowering ones to produce flowers and fruits. No amount of Super Bloom can help them make flowers without adequate sunlight exposure from 5 to 6 hours a day. Even if they manage to generate flowers, with too little sunlight, the fruits won t set. As gardeners, we also understand that some of our trees can t have fruits unless we pollinate their flowers by hand, or get some help from the bees. Watering is very important. Too little water or too much water can both kill the trees. Consult with your local bonsai teachers on that, and adjust the soil you use for the bonsai s specific needs. Azaleas like a lot of water in the morning but their feet must be dry by evening. Dr. Hoe in Houston great results with Azaleas using pure Kanuma, while most Japanese masters in Japan recommend Akadama. Avoid bark or peat. Some bonsai bloom better when slightly rootbound, but they can t live without repotting forever. Do expect them not to make many flowers in the year they are repotted and severely pruned. New roots feed the trees with new vigor and the tree will surely make more blossoms. Grape vine When pruning for shape, remember that there are species that flower at the end of new growth, like Azaleas, Pomegranate, Bougainvillea, Quinces and Crepe Myrtles. If you want flowers, trim the twigs right after dormancy, or wait to shorten the branches after flowering. Remember to leave enough buds for new ramification and for flower buds to develop for the following year. Our resident Crepe Myrtle guru is Alex Leong. He can identify the color of each tree s flowers just by looking at its trunk. He is also the one to talk to on how to make Podocarpus bear fruits. They are beautiful in multi colors and edible too. Here are some of the flowering bonsai from my friends backyards and my own that have acclimated to our hot and humid weather. Most are blooming well this year. The tender types and Shohin get morning sun and afternoon shade. All

8 the others have at least a 25% shade screen to cool off the meanest afternoon sun. Acacia, Sweet (Acacia Farnesiana) Andromeda (Pieris Japonica) Azalea, Japanese of many kinds Bottlebrush (Callistemon Citrinus) Bougainvillea (Pink Pixie and larger species) Boxwoods (Neea Buxifolia, Korean, Harlandii) Burning Bush (Euonymous) Campeche (Haematoxylum Campechianum) Cherry, Barbados (Malpighia Pendiculata) Cherry, Brush (Eugenia Myrtifolia) Cherry, Surinam (Eugenia Uniflora) Crabapple (Malus Sargenti ) Crepe Myrtles many kinds and colors Desert Rose (Adenium Obesum) Duranta Fireman s Cap (Erythrina bidwillii) Fig, edible no sign of flowers, just fruit Fringe, Chinese (Loropetalum Chinensis) Fukien Tea (Ehretia Microphylla) Gardenia (Jasminoides) Grape and muscadine vines Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina Domestica) Hibiscus, Turf s cap and Star of Sharon Honeysuckle (Lonicera Japonica) Ixora Jaboticaba (Eugenia Caulifora) fruit on trunk Jacaranda Jasmine, Star, Confederate, Asian Lantana Lavender Star (Grewia Occidentalis) Mimosa, Bahamensis (Mimosa Bahamensis) Natal Plum (Carissa Macrocarpa) Parrot's Beak (Gmelina Philippensis) Pride of Barbados Podocarpus (Buddha s Pine) Pomegranate (Punica Granatum Nana) Powderpuff (Calliandra Schultzei) Pyracantha (Firethorn) Rose, miniature Snow Rose or Thousand Stars (Serissa Foetida) Tamarind Tangerine (Kishu Mandarin) kumquat, fortunella Water Jasmine (Wrightia Religiosa) Vitex There are countless other flowering bonsai for beginners and savvy bonsai lovers. These are just the ones I am personally familiar with. There are plenty more for you to experiment with. Do share your experience with the club. Forsythia If you are inspired to grow a flowering and fruiting bonsai based on the plants that do well in your landscape, do take the time to find their dwarf variety with naturally smaller leaves to achieve the diminutive bonsai illusion. Edible American Beautyberry Loquat, Jacaranda and Southern Magnolia wouldn't make good candidates for bonsai. There is just no way to reduce their foliage, but jujube, American Beautyberry, silverberry, and muscadine vine will offer just the right size leaves and delicious fruits. Fireman s Cap Get your camera ready to record flowers and fruit on your bonsai. Then snip off the excess, leaving perhaps only one symbolic fruit on the

9 tree. The bonsai s energy will be drained completely if the fruits stay on too long. With a little luck, it may recuperate but will weaken and die. I lost a few of my Pomegranates loaded with the cutest fruits that way. As for the bold and exciting azaleas and crepe myrtles that usually put out more blooms that they can afford to support. You can thin the blooms by pulling the buds out with tweezers and alternate one blooming year with a bloom free one. Once the blossoms have faded, quickly clip the forming fruits off and fertilize the trees for the following year s crop. Guava blossoms color is the same color as the pulp of the ripe fruit. Sine the list of flowering and fruiting bonsai for Houston area is endless, I strongly recommend that you start by purchasing the native ones at local nurseries, especially where you can take a professional bonsai class on how to handle those specific species and styles. The primary secret for beautiful bonsai is to keep them alive, in good health, by providing them the personalized care, at their right time. Duranta Erecta with purple flowers in long clusters and strings of pearl like fruit Surinam Cherry, a close cousin of the Barbados Cherry There is an abundance of opportunities for HBS members to get hands-on knowledge from the most experienced teachers in the club, at our Saturday Study Groups, at Timeless Trees Nursery & Studio in Rosenberg, and local nurseries such as JRN II Nursery, Quality Feed & Garden, Maas Nursery, and at Southwest Fertilizer too. Don t forget the upcoming workshops with famous bonsai artists and masters during the year. Always stay in the Know by checking the Calendar of Events in our monthly HBS newsletter or enroll in the weekly Current Events mailing list sent out by Hurley Johnson. Silverberry I hope I have intrigued you enough with all these beautiful photos (mostly borrowed from Pinterest), if you are not already tipsy in love with flowers and fruits on bonsai, like I am. Maybe you can bring a few of those beauties to exhibit at the LSBF 2018 Convention next April! May your bonsai bloom and bear fruits for many years of enjoyment! Shawn Nguyen

10 Calendar of Events 2017 JUL 1 Melon Seed Ficus workshop with Carlos and Hurley, Timeless Trees, 9-12 Noon. $50 includes a ficus, a ceramic pot, and workshop. Slow growing with small leaves, this rare Melon Seed ficus will make a nice Shohin for years of enjoyment. JUL 5 HBS Monthly Meeting Bonsai and BBQ - Bonsai, Texas Style. BYOT and tools to work on after the dinner. JUL 8 Saturday Study Group at Timeless Trees, 9 AM 12 Noon. Free, refreshments provided. JUL 15 Saturday BYOT Juniper workshop with guest artist Rodney Clemons, Timeless Trees, 8 AM 12 Noon. $50. Focus on juniper summer work, trunk cleaning, foliage reduction, deadwood work, and wiring. Afternoon BYOT Boxwood workshop with Rodney Clemons, Timeless Trees, 1 5 PM, $50. Focus on Boxwood (Japanese, Kingsville, Saunders and Morris midget species) summer work: Foliage reduction, deadwood work, and wiring. JUL 16 Sunday BYOT Deciduous and Conifer summer workshop with Rodney Clemons, Timeless Trees, 9 AM 5PM. $85 all day. Cleaning, styling, pruning and wiring. No repotting. Snacks provided. JUL 22 Saturday Japanese Black Pine Study Group with Scott Barboza, Timeless Trees, 9AM 12 Noon. Focus on energy balance, candle pruning, some needle work, and some wiring. JUL 29 Bonsai Basics #2: Styling, pruning and wiring. 9AM 1 PM. Focus on styling and wiring. $60 include a tree, wire, hand-out and wire cutter. Make sure you go to Timeless Trees website and subscribe to weekly Current Events. Never miss another class, workshop with the masters, another pot or bonsai shipment, especially Special Event sales. Quality Feed & Garden and Ken stand ready to help you with bonsai selection, bonsai care, pots and supplies. He will also personally have free classes for HBS every 3- month to help you start with your first bonsai. Check the Calendar of Events for dates. Ask for 10% HBS discount. Come stock up on bonsai soils, pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers and other supplies. The plant doctor is always on duty, so bring your unhappy or unhealthy bonsai for a free check-up. Don t forget to ask for a 10% HBS discount. AUG 2 HBS Monthly Meeting: Visiting artist Suthin Sukosolvisit s Shohin lecture-demo AUG 5 Saturday Study Group at Quality Feed and Garden in the Heights, 9 AM 12 Noon. Free, refreshments provided. AUG 12 Basic Bonsai #1 Class, Timeless Trees, 9AM 1PM, $60 includes a tree, pot, soil, wire, hand-out, and a pair of scissors. Focus on repotting the trees into a ceramic pot, and make initial branch selection.

11 With the growing season well on its way, JRN II is now stocked with colorful flowers, citrus trees, innumerable house or landscape plants, and rare tropical bonsai in all sizes for beginners and the most serious bonsai lovers. In the meantime, here are a couple of his famous works of art for you to contemplate while you wait to see Suthin in person. Visit artist Andrew Sankowski at the Mossrock Studio & Fine Art Gallery for the finest gifts and most uniquely beautiful bonsai pots in every shape, form and color. Personalized pots or gifts can be commissioned year round. Weekly pottery classes are also available. Andrew Sankowski Oak Ridge Drive Direct (281) The Woodlands, TX Fax (281) andy@mossrockstudio.com Suthin Sukosolvisit will visit Houston next month! Suthin Sukolosovisit of Royal Bonsai studio, one of the most world renown bonsai artists in the U.S., will hold a Shohin lecture-demo for our August 2 nd meeting. Since I don t know where to begin my praises for this incredible artist, please view his work on the Internet, at bonsaibark.com or visit his website at See you all there on the 2 nd of August.

12 Houston Bonsai Society, Inc. P. O. Box , Houston, Texas HBS Board Members President Pete Parker 1 st Vice President Scott Barboza in charge of Education 2 nd Vice President Hoe Chuah hoe.chuah@gmaill.com Secretary Barbara Adams BarbAdams222@gmail.com Publicity Ken Cousino krcousino@yahoo.com Treasurer Eldon Branham elmo4635@aol.com in charge of Membership Webmaster Anthony Cutola acutola@gmail.com Member at Large - O Nandita D Souza ndas27@gmail.com Member at Large - O Vern Maddox vmaddox1@comcast.net Member at Large - O Clyde Holt cmholt11@comcast.net Member at Large E Sharon Barker barkersharonr48@gmail.com Member at Large - E Ray González raygonzalez47@yahoo.com Member at Large E Brian Gurrola bgurrola@gurrolareprographics.com Delegates Past President Hurley Johnson hurley@all-tex.net LSBF Delegate Terry Dubois tdubois1@comcast.net LSBF Alternate Pete Parker peteparkerbonsai@yahoo.com BCI Ambassador TTSBE Representative Alan Raymond amraymond@suddenlink.net Refreshments Website/ Gary Teeter houstonbonsai@gmail.com Newsletter editor Shawn Nguyen hbs.news@yahoo.com The Bonsai News of Houston is a monthly publication of the Houston Bonsai Society, Inc. Copyright The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the editor or a member of the Board of Directors. Exceptions exist, however, for certain not-for-profit and non-profit bonsai organizations or associated bonsai and bonsai nursery newsletters, including without limitation the American Bonsai Society. HBS participates fully with reciprocation of contents and material between other LSBF member organizations and others. Authors who submit articles for this newsletter thereby give permission to such organizations to reprint, unless they expressly state otherwise. Space for advertising in The Bonsai News of Houston can be requested by contacting the newsletter editor or a member of the HBS Board. The rates for a business-card-size ad (approximately 3 1/2" x 2") are $6 per month, $30 for 6 months and $50 per year (12 issues). A full-page ad is $25 per month. Rates are subject to change without notice. 3½" x 2" classified ads are run free of charge for one month once per 12-month period for non-commercial members. For special requests or questions related to The Bonsai News of Houston, contact the newsletter editor or a member of the HBS Board.