NEWSLETTER 297 WORKSHOP AUGUST. SEPTEMBER 2018 C O M I N G U P - O C T O B E R. Page 1

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1 NEWSLETTER 297 NEWS FROM THE BONSAI SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN TASMANIA SEPTEMBER 2018 WORKSHOP AUGUST The August workshop was to be slanted toward our newer and novice members and while Tony Hewer helped our regular members working on their own trees, a small but attentive group took the opportunity to watch as Ambrose continued the pruning and nibbling of his oak tree, while Will Fletcher gave Joyce some advice on how to shape her Teatree which had grown a bit leggy and sparse. He then demonstrated how to prune and wire a couple of Maleleuca. Both needed some growth trimmed back and wiring on a few of the branches to give better form. Will s working on his Coastal teatree - he makes it look so easy! E V E N T S T H I S M O N T H BSST MEETING Tuesday 18 September 7.30pm. The meeting will be followed by a presentation from Jarryd Baily, recently returned from his study with Micheal Hagedorn in the USA. He will tell us about his time there and the knowledge he gained and finish by discussing the aesthetics and quality of bonsai. Tea/Coffee provided - bring supper to share. BSST WORKSHOP: Sunday 23 September 1pm- 4pm Cambridge Hall. Cost $4. The September workshop will be the first one of Spring and usually marks the start of the potting frenzy. It is a short window of opportunity and if you miss it then you may have to wait another year and this year the weather has confused many of our plants some still have last years leaves, some have already burst their buds. Tony and others will be able to advise. Come along and work on your trees and enjoy the company and afternoon tea. Tea/Coffee provided - bring a snack to share. NATIVE BONSAI WORKSHOP: Sunday 30 September, 37 Hall St, Ridgeway 1-4pm Cost $4. Dont forget this Special workshop for those of you interested in native species and their special requirements this is a day for you. Take along any native plants you have in training for advice or a trim. Will has stock available if you want to start a new project. Tea/Coffee provided - bring a snack to share. Herb shows off his Corokia Jan Fleming s semi cascade pine Madelaine and Malcolm s collection of trees ready for the workshop C O M I N G U P - O C T O B E R October 16 Tuesday Meeting BCAC Propagation, Chris, cuttings, Will, natives October 20 Saturday Workshop Cambridge Hall, 1pm 4pm, $4 *THE TASMANIAN BONSAI COLLECTIVE MEETING previously advertised for 27 October will now be held on 3 November. Please change this date in your diary. Page 1

2 REPORT FROM THE MEETING Tuesday 21 August 2018 BSST AGM at Bellerive Community Art Centre. With President Chris in Japan outgoing Vice President Ambrose opened the AGM. The minutes from last year were circulated and accepted, also the treasurers report, which had been presented at the meeting last month, due to Rob s absence. Koula read the president s report for Chris in his absence, which was also accepted. The election of executive and committee was conducted Chris Xepapas was re-elected President, Will Fletcher was elected Vice President, Anita Shanahan was re-elected Secretary, Ambrose Canning was elected Treasurer, and also Public Officer, Tony Hewer, Alex Sutherland, Thomas Blackwood and Jarryd Bailey were elected to the Committee, Alex will continue as newsletter editor. It then fell to Will Fletcher as Vice President to chair the general meeting. Members were reminded of the upcoming events and those who wished to carpool to attend the Northern VTP presentation with Stephen Cullum were asked to advise Will after the meeting. Raffle draw Stuart was the first lucky winner choosing the fertilizer. Jan Dicker chose the bonsai book, Anita got the gardening gloves. Display table and critique of trees Alex brought a European larch which was just showing first signs of new spring growth. Jarryd brough a large Pencil pine in a literati style and a beautiful native grass styled on a local flat rock. AMBROSE CANNING TREES Ambrose brought his red stemmed dogwood for its annual outing. Grown from a number of cuttings gradually fused together in a clump style Kabudachi. Ambrose noted that one branch had died and would need to be removed. Ambrose also brought his large oak which had been been growing in a pot for thirty years. This was the oak that he styled at the Rui workshop last year. Since that time it had grown on again and was ready for another prune. Ambrose explained how he would go about this, working his way around the tree trimming back the long shoots, and explaining his plan for minimising some of the large branch stumps that had been left from the initial pruning. Original tree prior to first pruning at Rui s workshop last year Cam had brought along his American larch also showing its first signs of spring shoots, and a dwarf kangaroo paw. Heather had a small Huon pine forest planting which she had styled with trees purchased from Will. It will be interesting to see it in a thousand years he quipped! Twelve month on and ready for a second pruning and refinement Page 2

3 REPORT FROM STEPHEN CULLEN VTP WORKSHOP IN IN LAUNCESTON Those of us who were able to attend the Saturday of the Stephen Cullum workshop held in Launceston, were treated to an eye opening display of radical thinking. Or was it confirmation of what many of us are thinking about our Bonsai these days. Stephen certainly made us see how much we have been indoctrinated over the years. As he said, you only have to look at the club logos to see what in most people minds embodies the essence of Bonsai the iconic informal upright black pine! And this style should not be imposed on all bonsai especially not our broadleaf, deciduous and non-conifers which have a natural habit of a divided upper trunk and fan branch presentation. For trees like eucalyptus or ficus there is no Japanese style precedent, so we must choose a style and aesthetic which suits the unique way our trees would grow in their natural habitat. Stephen presented some pictures of bonsai, (some even prize winning trees) how dismal the six branched, paddlepopped specimins looked in comparison to the more densly branched and refined trees from Japan. He said our aim should be to Create bonsai that look like trees NOT trees that look like bonai. I am sure we have heard this before, but looking at the pictures Stephen was showing us it became so much more obvious. Authenticity, Age, Harmony, Balance, was Stephens s mantra. As he said, most people don t want to wait 50 years for a bonsai to grow into a fine specimen, so as bonsai artists our aim is to create an illusion, a compelling simulation of age in miniature, retaining proportion, harmony and consistency of posture and balance. He also mentioned that grafting is a great technique to master, and one we should employ more often, as a way of improving our tree structures. He said the Left, Right, Back principle is a good starting point for beginners, but can end up looking very contrived, and if you only have six or seven branches you are asking each to do too much. Ramification through bification was another mantra, which also made a lot of sense. Tree branches in nature are not flat keep it natural and three dimentional he said. Apologies for the quality of pics taken from the screen during the talk. A diasgram from Stephens s book comparing style A tree looking more like a niwaki (cloud tree) a form of topiary undergoing rectification to a more suitable styling A bit of magic in photoshop shows how this tree could look going with the slanting style rather than informal upright. Page 3

4 REPORT FROM THE 2018 AABC NATIONAL CONVENTION by Ambrose Canning The annual AABC national convention titled Bonsai Exposed was held in Melbourne this year, from July 20 to 23rd. Organised by Melbourne club Bonsai Northwest. Their promotion said that they would like to share the incredible beauty of bonsai in their winter silhouettes. Deciduous trees bare of any foliage, revealing their detailed ramification and branch structure that has been carefully and meticulously developed over the years. Pines and conifers at the pinnacle of their beauty after autumn maintenance work and displayed at their breathtaking best. The prize winning Seiju Elm (Ulmus parvifolia Seiju ) Over the weekend were included presentations and demonstrations by firstly Michael Simonetto, titled Breaking the Mould. He is a trained horticulturalist, nursery owner, respected bonsai artist and bonsai grower in Victoria. Michael challenged the standard drooping pine bonsai style. For example he showed pictures of wild pines with upwards growing branches. Michael promoted the idea that we should look to nature more than anything else as our guide and inspiration for bonsai. Next the international demonstrator and tutor was Bjorn Bjorholm who performed for most of the weekend, on stage demonstrating Saturday from after morning tea Bjorn working at speed Zelkova (Zelkova serrata) till Sunday afternoon tea, a total of 8.5 hours of demonstrations. In that time he styled six trees which were subsequently auctioned off. In addition Bjorn took a master class on the Friday and workshops from Monday till Thursday after the convention. Victorian Joe Morgan-Payler demonstrated in parallel with Bjorn on the Saturday and at other times assisted him. The final demo on Sunday by Hanh Tran from Victoria, known for his YouTube channel Baloc Bonsai Nursery, which he started to share his techniques, and he runs the successful nursery Baloc Bonsai. Hanh has taught himself how to severely bend and twist trees into different forms and shapes, in particular conifers. His demonstration was Bend me, Twist me and he radically bent several slender young pines. Page 4 We had gone across to Melbourne with a vehicle on the Spirit of Tasmania on the Tuesday night before, a rough crossing. We then did our own bonsai nursery crawl on the Wednesday after the ferry dumped us out onto Melbourne streets early in the morning. Heading to the south-east we started with Chojo Feature Trees gallery and nursery located at Sassafras, in Melbourne s Dandenong Ranges. This was a highlight with well-presented and mature bonsai displayed in a nicely designed, spacious and well constructed site. Then we went to Bonsai Sensation Nursery, down in the suburbs, supposedly with over 20,000 trees on the site. It looks an unassuming suburban house but as you walk up one side it opens up to a vast area of semi-trained and starter bonsai, also a great collection of good value ceramic pots. Then we went to Gardenworld (Collectors Corner) which has a great display of old bonsai as well as a big collection of bonsai pots for sale, and crystals, and orchids, and general nursery plants, and ponds, and dinosaurs, and garden knick-knacks, and more. We had another, the Bonsai Art Nursery, to go to but we ran out of time and energy. On the Friday the convention provided as an option The Great Victorian Bonsai Nursery Tour which visited four nurseries. Not by chance they were the same nurseries we had visited two days before. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinale) Jap Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii) The exhibition held concurrently with the convention was spectacular and I walked through it at least four or five times. It claimed to have the best trees from across Victoria and the Bonsai Exposed theme supported by many deciduous trees fully bare with their winter silhouettes displayed. Seventy bonsai in total on display in a spacious area. Bjorn commented that with all of his international experience he thought the exhibition was as an outstanding example of great bonsai. Overview of the exhibition

5 A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY 2019 The 2019 AABC national convention has now been announced. It will be held from May, hosted by the Victorian Native Bonsai Club, and held at the Mantra Bell City venue in Melbourne under the title Australian Natives Breaking Through the Bonsai Ceiling. The headline demonstrator will be Ryan Neil from Oregon in the USA, the Pacific North-West. The organisers say, Ryan Neil is an exceptional demonstrator and tutor who is passionate about bonsai enthusiasts working with material that is native to their country. We have been very lucky to secure the services of Ryan and we encourage you to take advantage of this one off opportunity to see such an exceptional artist work solely with our native material. Also demonstrating will be Hugh Grant from NSW (and who visited us recently), Roger Hnatiuk from ACT, and Quentin Valentine from VIC. The convention will only use Australian native plants and the concurrent bonsai exhibition will only have Australian native trees. MUSINGS FROM THE EDITOR Tony, Will, Gill, Alex and Thomas attended a very interesting workshop in Launceston with the VTP Stephen Cullum, author of Bonsai Foundations - The essential knowledge to build better bonsai and I think we all learned a great deal and will probably look somewhat differently at our bonsai from now on. We have heard some of what he said before, and judging by some of the pictures Ambrose took at the AABC, all is not lost, there are others thinking along similar lines. It was also nice to catch up with our northern friends and fellow bonsai enthusiasts. We look forward to hosting them very soon for the Tasmanian Bonsai Collective now on Saturday 3 November. Put it in your diary now. Hope to see you all there. In the meantime I will be attending the Penjing Conference in Canberra, so will miss our next meeting, but should have an interesting report to bring you next month. Ed May 2019 Mantra Bell City, Melbourne 32nd Australian National Bonsai Convention. Australian Natives Breaking Through the Bonsai Ceiling Open by appointment Ph Tasmanian native plants as bonsai OPEN BY APPOINTMENT Telephone: cxepapas@gmail.com Committee Members contact details President: Chris Xepapas Mob: cxepapas@gmail.com Vice Pres: Will Fletcher Mob: will@islandbonsai.com.au Secretary: Anita Shanahan Ph: anita_shanahan@yahoo.com.au 6 Claude St New Town 7008 Treasurer: Ambrose Canning Mob: ambrose.canning@internode.on.net Committee: Tony Hewer Mob: tonyhewer13@gmail.com Committee: Thomas Blackwood Mob: shyysiryxius@gmail.com Committee: Jarryd Bailey Mob: jarrydbailey1@gmail.com Committee/Nwslttr Ed: Alex Sutherland Mob: alexsuth52@gmail.com PO Box 497, Kingston 7051 Page 5

6 2018- BONSAI SOCIETY SOUTHERN TASMANIA CALENDAR SOCIETY EVENTS ORGANISED BY THE BONSAI SOCIETY SOUTHERN TASMANIA February 20 Tuesday Meeting BCAC Chris Xepapas talk Pines February 24 Saturday Workshop Cambridge Hall 1pm 4pm, $4 March 20 Tuesday Meeting BCAC Discussion on companion plants and preparing bonsai for exhibition (Chris, Ambrose, Tony) March 25 Sunday Workshop Cambridge Hall Beginners 1pm 4pm, $4 April 17 Tuesday April 20 Friday April 21 Saturday April 22 Sunday Meeting BCAC Exhibition planning review. Display table critique. Set up at Rosny Barn deliver trees help with setting-up Rosny Barn Exhibition volunteers needed to man stalls etc Rosny Barn Exhibition volunteers needed to man stalls etc May 15 Tuesday Meeting BCAC Talk by Anita Shanahan on the Jade tree as bonsai May 20 Sunday Workshop Cambridge Hall, 1pm 4pm, $4 June 19 Tuesday June 23 Saturday June 24 Sunday Meeting BCAC - Swap & Sale Meeting Visiting Tutor - Hugh Grant, demo & workshop Cambridge Hall Visiting Tutor - Hugh Grant, workshops Cambridge Hall July 17 Tuesday Meeting BCAC Shane Boyce The Art of Suseki (viewing stones) July 22 Sunday Workshop Cambridge Hall 1pm 4pm, $4 August 21 Tuesday August 25 Saturday Meeting BCAC AGM - Ambrose Dogwood progress report + Oak prune Workshop Cambridge Hall, 1pm 4pm, $4, beginners special demos September 18 Tuesday Meeting BCAC - Talk on a Bonsai Master, Jarryd Bailey September 23 Sunday Workshop Cambridge Hall, 1pm 4pm, $4 September 30 Sunday Native Bonsai Workshop 37 Hall St, Ridgeway 1-4pm October 16 Tuesday Meeting BCAC Propagation, Chris, cuttings, Will, natives October 20 Saturday Workshop Cambridge Hall, 1pm 4pm, $4 November 3 Saturday November 20 Tuesday November 25 Sunday Tasmanian Bonsai Collective meeting, Hobart, Cambridge Hall 9am-5pm Meeting BCAC Tree Critique Workshop & pre-christmas get together (Heritage Bonsai, Dysart) ASSOCIATED EVENTS ORGANISED BY OTHERS BUT OPEN TO BSST MEMBERS March 9 and 10 July 20 to 23 September 1 Sat, & 2 Sun September 7 & 8 November 3 & 4 Early December (3 days) Bonsai at HHS Dahlia, Gladioli & Floral Art Show Town Hall AABC 2018 Annual Convention, Melbourne Stephen Cullum*, visiting tutor Lynne Farrell Bonsai Launceston Bonsai at HHS Daffodil, Camellia & Floral Art Show - Town Hall Bonsai at HHS Rose, Iris & Floral Art Show Town Hall Bellerive Community Arts Centre annual exhibition sale and bonsai display Page 6

7 NEWS THIS IS A FROM PAID ADVERTISEMENT THE BONSAI FROM SOCIETY HERITAGE BONSAI OF SOUTHERN TASMANIA SHOFU- TASMANIA EN NEWSLETTER 297 HERITAGE BONSAI TASMANIA SHOFU-EN OPEN FOR BUSINESS BY APPOINTMENT Full range of bonsai tools Aluminium bonsai wire Various brands of heal paste Raffia, other accessories Books Bonsai pots (new shipment just arrived) Bonsai stands Bonsai potting medium with Zeolite Extensive range of raw stock Bonsai starting from $25 Come and visit Heritage Bonsai Tasmania Shofu-en your one stop complete bonsai shop. Eftpos available. 10 Dysart Drive, Dysart Tasmania (about 35 minutes from Hobart) Phone: or koulaxepapas@gmail.com Page 7