May 2011 Newsletter This month s meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 18th @ 7pm Menne Nursery & Garden Artistry 3100 Niagara Falls Boulevard Amherst, NY 14228 716.693.4444 http://www.mennenursery.com/ President s Corner Spring has finally sprung! We have waited a long time for spring. With all the rain and cold temps it has been hard to think of bonsai and bonsai tasks. But the time has come. By now, our winterized trees should be outside and had not only their first inspections and grooming, but a second look and repotting, trimming and wiring underway as well. As you do this, keep in mind what trees you are considering for OUR May show. I will be making up tree name tags so please get the names of the trees you are bringing to display, to me, as soon as possible. I literally jumped into spring bonsai work the end of April. A former member donated 11 trees and I grabbed a friend and we both dug up and hauled these big boys to my van, in the rain. The next day, I got them into nursery pots. They will definitely be great for workshops on reducing large trees for bonsai and tree basics. After I did all this, it got the adrenalin going and I started working on digging up my own outdoor winterized trees. It is always a special day to see them all out and ready to work on like saying hello to old friends. We also have new friends, 7 new members to our club and a few guests the last couple of meetings. We are delighted to welcome them and hope we all make them welcomed and encourage them with their trees. Wendy Williams, President Don t Miss It! BBS Annual Club Show May 14 & 15th The club show is next week the 14 th - 15 th, and with spring coming so late this year we will have to hurry to get our trees ready. Let s all make a special effort this year to prepare our trees right. Clean the pot and the tree. Make sure there are no bugs or spider webs on the tree or on the underside of the pot. Do some last minute pruning and wiring to make the trees look their best. We will be setting up at the Botanical Gardens Friday afternoon 5/13/11 from 2 to 5pm. So get your trees there before 5 o clock; if not they must be there before 9:30 am Saturday. We are limiting members to two trees each. Please make sure your trees are well hydrated. I hope everyone will make a special effort to stop by and see your club s show. Thanks! Dick Smith See next page for additional information or call Wendy at 285-8546
Pg 2 of 6 What You Need to Know: Participating in the Annual BBS Bonsai Show Our annual bonsai show at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens is this month on the 14 th & 15 th, the weekend before our monthly meeting. This is one of the best club events of the year so be there! This is a fantastic weekend to visit the Gardens, and not just because for the gorgeous bonsai. The Gardens annual Great Plant Sale is the very same weekend, and their Coleus Show is running as well. There will be a lot of interesting and wonderful things to see, and interesting people to meet. Show your stuff! All members are being encouraged to participate by bringing in a tree or two. Also bring stands for your trees and extras if you have them. You can also show up to assist with set-up on Friday, or take- If you are bringing trees, we would like to be down on Sunday 4-5pm, if you are able. able to display them properly with tags that give the species. Please call or email Wendy before the show with the type of trees you plan to or might bring, and she can get the tags printed and ready. Meet and greet! This is a great event to meet new people, interact and network, and get to know one another. Sell raffle tickets, talk to visitors about joining the club and of course, talk about bonsai. What could possibly be more fun? Demos! At our bonsai show, we have demonstrationss each day at 1pm, presented this year by Mike Coppola (Saturday) and Hank Miller (Sunday). Bonsai demonstrations are always fantastically nteresting and informative. In addition, these two men are very skilled, and are sure to give us tips they have learned over many years of experience. Be sure to catch them in action! Shopping! There will be a bonsai sales area at the show, run by Hank and Mary Miller. The club gets a share of the profits, so it makes for guilt-free shopping. Every year there are different items, and it is always worth browsing through for seriously great deals. Sell your stuff! Members can bring in their unwanted bonsai materials, trees, books and so on, and offer them for sale at the sales tables mentioned above. If you have bonsai items that you no longer use, bring them in on Friday or early Saturday morning. Remember when you price your items that unless you are donating all of the proceeds to the club, the club gets 10% of each sale. At the end of this newsletter is a form to list your sale items. Also be sure to mark each item with its proper number from the form. Speak with an experienced member for more help. Sales form example We hope to see you there! Contactt Info Club President Wendy Williams (716) 285-8546 wengo4it@roadrunner.com Newsletter Editor Carey Leibring (716) 553-3338 careyrobin@juno.com This Month: Caring for Conifers With Mike Coppola We are looking forward to hearing from speaker Mike Coppola at our May 18 th meeting. Caring for Conifers will be a very informative presentation, especially with all of Mike s expertise and training. Mike is a long time member and has also served as Vice President for the Buffalo Bonsai Society. He has been fortunate enough to have visited many bonsai nurseries throughout the country including Hollow Creek Bonsai,
Pg 3 of 6 New England Bonsai Gardens, Royal Bonsai Gardens, Matsumomiji Bonsai, Bonsai West, and Bonsai Northwest. He has gained much of his expertise from attending workshops with bonsai artists including John Romano, Kenji Miyata, Steve Pilacik, Suthin Sukosolvisit and others in an effort to learn as much as possible from each artist about their views and techniques for bonsai. Mike feels it is very important to study different bonsai as much as possible in order to commit a particular tree's style or shape to memory so you may be able to apply it yourself in some manner at a later date. He also feels that each tree offers us a particular style that it is best suited for and that we should try to listen to what the tree is offering to us rather than forcing what we want from the tree. Mikes talk will definitely provide us with much insight and we are so happy to have him join us on the 18 th. See you all there! informative. The second link has how-to bonsai videos. Awesome! Thanks Robert! http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/forum http://bonsaifarm.tv/ Thank You! Bill Anderson for the three wonderful trees he generously donated: pyracantha, weeping willow and yew. These will be of great benefit to the club, since we are always looking for raffle and demonstration material. Unpaid Membership? Please be aware that as of June, we will not be sending the newsletter to those that have not paid their dues. Still not sure if you are paid up? Just ask! Paul knows all! 38 th Bonsai Exhibition and Sale May 21-22, 2011-10am-5pm Monroe Community Hospital, Rochester Corner of East Henrietta Rd & Westfall Rd $5 Adults, $3 Seniors Bonsai and Ikebana displays Sponsored by the Bonsai Society of Upstate New York http://www.bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org/ Sharing Knowledge: Bonsai Links Here are a couple of internet links that Robert Taylor thought the new members and visitors at the meeting last month might find interesting and informative. The first link is a forum that at a quick glance looks very Trees donated by Matthew Skulciz Matthew Skulicz formerly of Wheatfield, who donated a total of eleven trees to our club: larch, pine, juniper, spruce & grey birch, balsam fir, Austrian white pine, and crabapple. They have been buried outdoors for several years, and a few are large specimens. The board will be discussing what to do with the trees, but in the meantime we wish Matthew well as he moves to Florida. Last Month: Dave Paris: Things I Wish I Had Known Then That I Know Now One of our regular speakers, Dave Paris drove in for last month s meeting. He spoke about the general care and maintenance of bonsai, as well as providing an opportunity for us to ask questions. Many aspects of bonsai care, training and styling were discussed. We all learned something, but our newer members, and some folks that were visiting, learned even more.
Pg 4 of 6 Dave also brought in some gorgeous trees for styling discussion, which became lively at times. As always, not everyone agrees on what to do with a particular tree! Thanks Dave for coming out again! See you again soon. Dave Paris sharing his expertise Help Wanted: Bonsai Assistance The club has been contacted about a woman in a nursing home who has a bonsai which needs attention. Her friend, Joan, would like someone from the club to go the nursing home, by Sisters Hospital, a couple times a year as needed (gratis) to tend the tree. If anyone in the club lives nearby, and might like to volunteer their time, this is a great opportunity. Let Wendy know if you are interested. Lewiston GardenFest 2011 The club has been invited to set up a table at the upcoming Lewiston GardenFest on June 25 th & 26 th. We could have a spot in the Hennepin Park gazebo area, where there is no charge for a booth, since it is an area for notfor-profits and education. If you are interested in helping to attend a booth at this event, let Wendy know! This is a welcome opportunity to do community outreach, garner new members and educate the public about the art of bonsai. 2011 Buffalo Bonsai Society Annual Show May 14 th 10am-5pm & 15 th 10am-4pm Bonsai masters and novices display their prized trees at their peak. Do not miss this once a year opportunity to see these meticulously manicured trees all in one place. This event is brought to you by The Buffalo Bonsai Society and the Gardens. Bonsai Demonstrations: Saturday @1pm: Mike Coppola Sunday @ 1pm: Hank Miller At the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo 14218 (716)827-1584 Entrance fee to the Gardens is $8 for Adults, $7 Seniors and $4 Kids 3-12 www.buffalogardens.com
Pg 5 of 6 2011 Monthly Meetings January 19 th Bonsai Basics with Alayne Werner February 16 th Chemical Use in Bonsai with Erin Hickey March 16 th Selecting a Pot & Prepping for our Show with Wendy Williams April 20 th Dave Paris: Things I Wish I Had Known Then That I Know Now May 18 th Caring for Conifers with Mike Coppola June 15 th Reducing a Large Tree to a Bonsai with Potential with Hank Miller July No meeting (Club Picnic) August 17 th Photo Workshop & Making Your Own Soil with Paul Pearson September 21 st Annual Club Auction October 19 th Japanese Garden Presentation with visitor Bob Poczak November 16 th The Five Basic Bonsai Styles & Spring/Winter Care with visitor Art Skolnik (tentative program) December Holiday Party (to be announced) 2011 Event Calendar Plantasia March 24-27 http://www.plantasiany.com/ BBS Exhibit at the Botanical Gardens - May 14-15 http://www.buffalobonsaisociety.com/2010bonsaishow.html Club Picnic July 23 rd Hollow Creek Trip August 20 th Erie County Fair August 19-21 http://www.ecfair.org/ Annual BBS Auction September 21 st
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