April 2017 Volume 18, Number 4 Our next meeting is 1:00 Saturday, April 15 at the Melbourne Public Library. President s Message By Dr. Reggie Perdue Greetings bonsai nuts. Hope everyone has been well. Looks like summer is just around the corner. I've got all my deciduous trees repotted and have done many of the tropical ones too. We could probably start on the most tropical ones now and have a head start on repotting for this year. Don't wait till last minute. This month's demo is on Brazilian Raintree. This has become one of my favorite trees. They have a strong muscular trunk with delicate leaves. It is well suited for our growing conditions. Rob K. and Bruce H. picked us a nice one from Dragontree Bonsai for the demo which will be raffled after the demo. I've included a couple links to good articles on Brazilian Raintrees. It's worth a look. Wigert's Bonsai Brazilian Raintree http://www.bonsaimary.com/brazilian-rain- Tree.html The state convention is coming up soon. This will be a special convention with a different format than in past years and a celebration of 50 years of service for the American Bonsai Society. I hope everyone can make it. Be sure to visit the exhibit, 50 displays of great bonsai. Should be one of the best in several years. The best night to visit is club night. Many bonsai clubs compete against each other to make some kind of bonsai or planting in 3 hours to be judged. Lots of energy and comradery in the room. It's my favorite part of the convention. It's pretty exciting time here in Florida with bonsai. Last weekend there were 4 cool bonsai events around the state. On the west coast, Mauro Stemberger from Italy did a demo at Artisans Bonsai. Wigerts Nursery had a bonsai pot making class with is a non-profit society meeting to further the artistic endeavor of Bonsai. The club meets the third Saturday of every month, 1 PM, at the Melbourne Public Library, Fee Avenue, Melbourne Check out the BSOB web site. http://www.bonsaisocietyofbrevard.org.
European potter Thor Hovila. In Martin County, the Treasure Coast club with Heathcote Bonsai Collection displayed trees at the Martin County Art Museum and lastly there was a multicultural festival in Miami which had bonsai demos. Bonsai is alive and well in Florida! Reggie In this Issue: Tree of the Month Bonsai Fast Facts Member Update: Our Ronn Miller is slated to become the next President of the Bonsai Society of Florida (BSF) in May. Congratulations! It never hurts to have friends in high places Question is: Will he wear his AMMO hat to BSF meetings? Page 2
From the Editor Dennis Reilly Well, apparently the Fukia Tea Rose was not my cup of tea (pun intended). It died. So I am dialing back and going for an easier challenge. I picked up a Green Island Ficus, I hope I can handle that. I ve got 4 of them surrounding my A/C unit and they appear to be indestructible. My Brazilian Raintree is hanging in, I will bring in to the meeting and get some feedback on it. This month s demo tree is very convenient! Dennis Dennisreilly32@yahoo.com Page 3
Upcoming Events Calendar State Bonsai Convention Orlando, May 26-28, 2017 Kannapolis Workshop June 24-25, 2017 BSOB Show at Brevard Zoo August 19-20, 2017 Page 4
Tree of the Month Brazilian RainTree Page 5
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This is what you can expect to get from the nursery!! Page 8
Bonsai Fast Facts BONSAI FAST FACTS Pronunciation: Bone-sigh (not bon-zigh, which is a Japanese greeting and battle cry). Origins: China, but Japan adopted the art and is now the bonsai capital of the world. Meaning: Almost literally, tree in a pot. But in practice, bonsai is the art of cultivating miniature trees in shallow containers. Goal: The representation of a tree in nature, but on a reduced scale. Trees are meant to emulate those that would be found in environments such as forests, a wind-swept coast, or even a Louisiana swamp, and must be carefully pruned and trained with wire to create the desired effect. Some classic forms serve as guidelines: for example, the formal upright style, the cascade style, the broom style and the root-over-rock-style. Ultimately, each tree is an individual work of art. Trees used: Flowering and nonflowering. Deciduous and evergreen. Favorites are azaleas, Japanese black pine and, locally, bald cypress. Oldest known: A five-needle pine in the collection of the Tokyo Imperial Palace, at least 500 years old. Highest price: Purportedly $11 million paid by a Japanese corporation for a white pine. Height limits: According to rules, a tree can be no more than 48 inches high to be considered bonsai, but growers say rules are made to be broken. Page 9
Board of Directors Dr Reggie Perdue, President 321-723-1184 DrLRPerdue@aol.com Barbara Hiser, Vice Pres. 321-482-1666 bhiser@me.com Bruce Hartman Secretary 305-951-3925 Bonsaiboy@bellsouth.net Bill Crabtree Membership Secretary 321-773-4563 Ronn Miller, Treasurer 321-264-9819 ronn1@cfl.rr.com Rob Kempinski, Zoo Exhibit 321-259-0832 rkempinski@cfl.rr.com Rob s Blog http://www.knowledgeofbonsai.org/rob_kempinski/ Page 10
HANDY BONSAI WEBSITES http://www.bonsaisocietyofbrevard.org/ Has many links to Brevard Club Newsletters and bonsai tips for Florida bonsai. http://www.bonsai-bsf.com/ Bonsai Society of Florida. Good info on Fl. Bonsai. http://www.knowledgeofbonsai.org/rob_kempinski/ Our own Rob s website. Great articles & pics. http://www.knowledgeofbonsai.org/index.php Worldwide site with galleries and information. http://internetbonsaiclub.org/ Nice site with great galleries. http://www.jimsmithbonsai.com/index.htmlwccrabtree@cfl.rr.com http://www.artofbonsai.org/ The Art of Bonsai Project is an online journal and community for the examination and exploration of the bonsai art form. Orlando Bonsai Sandy Racinski 407-497-6145 www.orlandobonsai.com Sandy@orlandobonsai.com Dragon Tree Bonsai L A R G E S P E C I M E N T R E E S AVA I L A B L E ROBERT PINDER 3663 S.W. Honey Terrace, Palm City, FL 34990 (772) 418-7079 Right Next to Turnpike Exit #133 in Palm City We are proud to have supplied the large specimens for many BSF Convention workshops. Page 11
Bonsai Resources Roger s Nursery 386-736-9947 or 386-747-4384 www.mikerogersbonsaistudio.com mike@mikerogersbonsaistudio.com M I K E C A R T R E T T Lectures, Demonstrations, Workshops, Private Sessions, Bonsai Redesign, Repotting, Maintenance, and Sales YOUR SOURCE FOR TROPICAL INFORMATION. B.S. in Horticulture, Over thirty years as a nursery owner. CALL 561.586.2541 OR EMAIL cartrettm@bellsouth.net Old Florida Bonsai By Appointment Only Richard Turner J.J. Turner 1755 74 th Avenue (772) 562-1338 Vero Beach FL 32966 Cell (772) 538-1024 Amerian Bonsai Cullen Mariacher Bonsai tools, supplies, pots, soil (321) 802-2222 www.americanbonsai.com & http://www.americanbonsaiblog.com/ Page 12
Heathcote Botanical Gardens An exhibit of quality bonsai trees from the collection of Master Jim Smith. http://www.heathcotebotanicalgardens.org/ 210 Savannah Road Fort Pierce, Florida 34982 772-464-0323 Tuesday - Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pm Sundays (Nov-April Only) 1:00pm - 5:00pm Closed Mondays and Major Holidays $6 Adults - $5 Seniors $2 Ages 6 to 12 (Children Under 6 Free) Free for Members and Veterans with I.D. (excluding special fund raisers) Handicap Accessible - Wheelchairs Available Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens Includes an exhibit of quality trees donated by members of the Bonsai Society of Florida over many years. 4000 Morikami Park Road Delray Beach, FL 33446 561-495-0233 http://www.morikami.org Adults (18 to 64) $13 Seniors $12 Children (6 to 17) $8 Five and under free Closed Mondays and National Holidays Tuesday through Sunday 10 to 5 Page 13