The Bonsai News of Houston A Monthly Newsletter of the Houston Bonsai Society Inc. Volume 46 Number 12 December 2017 IN THIS ISSUE Upcoming Events HBS Christmas Dinner & Gift Exchange Showcase of the Month Winter Blooming Bonsai December Bonsai Care John Miller President s Letter The Winter Bonsai Silhouette Expo in N. Carolina Hoe Chuah s Greenhouse Mid-Winter Workshop With David DeGroot in Baton Rouge, LA Make the Cut, April 6 th - 9 th. Sheraton Dallas North Hotel, De Camellia and Quince blossoms greeting the cold Northern Wind (Photo: Pinterest) 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 77004. Refreshments at 7 PM, meeting starts at 7:30 PM. December 6 HBS Annual Christmas Dinner & Gift Exchange. Pot luck dinner starts at 7:30 PM, followed by the Chinese Gift Exchange. The Club will furnish a turkey, a ham, drinks, plates and utensils. Please bring your family, a favorite side dish, salad or dessert to share, and a gift of $25 value for the gift exchange. The rules will be explained before the exchange. Upcoming Events December 2 Saturday Study Group at Maas Nursery in Seabrook, 9 AM -12 Noon, led by Clyde Holt. Please take a note of this calendar change. Free, refreshments provided. December 2-3 The Winter Bonsai Silhouette Expo on North Carolina Research Campus, 150 Research Campus Drive, Kannapolis, NC 28081. Free admission. Guest artists: William N. Valavanis, Rodney Clemons, Owen Reich, Sean Smith, Tyler Sherrod. For more details, see announcement on page 4 or go to: https://www.winterbonsai.net/ December 16 Basic Bonsai #1 Class: Focus on repotting - at Timeless Trees Nursery, 9AM 1PM. $60 per person including a tree, pot, soil, wire, hand-out, and a pair of scissors. The tree will be repotted in a ceramic pot, and initial branch selection made.
December Bonsai Care The big thing this month is to make sure that the bonsai do not dry out and to protect the roots from freezing. Do not leave them on their benches. Know which species should be left outdoors. They may be set on the ground. Add a dense mulch to the pot rim and then add a looser mulch on top. Water in a minute crack or chip can freeze and bust the pot. Early winter colors Evergreen types, especially deciduous to a lesser extent, should not have the root ball subjected to alternate freezing and thawing, which may seriously damage the roots. Placing the trees on the ground and covering the pots with mulch will minimize this problem. Deciduous trees should not be placed where they receive winter sun. After a period of dormancy, heat may cause the tree to break dormancy prematurely. If that happens, you would need to keep it above freezing the rest of the winter. After they go dormant, they don t need sunshine. While they are dormant, examine the twigs, branches, and trunks carefully for scale insects. Scales are sucking insects that usually cover themselves with a hard, impervious shell, which is very resistant to insecticides. Some are pretty small and look like specks. You might want to search online for scale insect to see them in pictures. Horticultural oils (available at garden stores) work well by filling their pores and smothering them. Oils can be applied now for a more thorough coverage while the trees are dormant. The only other treatment is a systemic insecticide (labeled for scale) during the growing season. Since the trees are not using as much water during dormancy, it is easy to overlook checking on them. Low humidity and high winds during the winter often dry the soil out. Avoid exposing the pots to direct winter sun, which can get pretty hot, for it may hasten the drying process. Therefore, however you protect the trees, check for the dryness often, especially those that need more water in the summer. More trees are lost during the winter due to lack of water than from the cold. Watch the plants that will need repotting next spring closely. Pots full of circling roots do not have much soil to hold water while those potted in soil mixed with organic matter may be soggy. Organic matter composted over the summer turned into a very fine texture and holds on to the water a long time, blocking drainage. Plants have different degrees of hardiness for their top growth and their roots. The ground acts as a large reservoir of heat in Texas, so it seldom freezes more than an inch or two down. Therefore, plants like the pomegranate and crepe myrtle, which are at the northern extent of their range outside, will only be hardy to 32º F in pots. Any plant that you are unsure of should be protected from freezing. This can be a problem if they are not kept cool after they go dormant, they may break dormancy and
start to grow too soon. Growing without sufficient light causes long spindly growth which you cannot control. My best solution for this, when I lived in town, was to have a long platform with two wheels that I pulled into the garage on nights freezing was forecasted, but kept them outside at all other times. The cold weather will keep any insect problems under control outside. You should use a dormant oil spray to kill over-wintering insets and eggs. A dilute spray of lime-sulfur can be used on deciduous trees if they have no green at all, to control fungal spores. Do follow label directions carefully. You should watch for damage from rodent types, rabbits, squirrels and rats. They can cause serious damages by digging holes in the soil, pruning branches and stripping bark in short order. A caution on lime sulfur, the same stuff we use on jin and shari: Liquid lime sulfur is pretty caustic, so it should be used with caution. If used as a dormant spray, it should be diluted as directed on the bottle. Application should only be made to fully dormant plants, or deciduous trees with tight winter buds, not on very warm days. Bonsai in greenhouses or indoor bonsai need to be watched for the normal indoor problems. Low humidity, spider mites and scales are the biggest problems here. Placing your trees on a humidity tray to increase humidity may cause soil problems, root rot or other fungal diseases. I basically use the same controls in the greenhouse that I use outside all year. You can take advantage of the winter slowdown by getting pots ready for spring. Clean and sharpen your tools. Study what changes you would like to make on your trees and so forth. Making notes about what needs to be done on an individual tree is great, but if you are like me, the notes and trees are usually a long way apart. If you place a colored stake or ribbon on the tree, you will see instantly which one needs what done. For example, I am using red for needs repotting, purple for a new pot, yellow for serious pruning, orange for should be restyled, etc. You can make these decisions while doing the general routine work during the year and put on the corresponding tag or ribbon. Try to find some good material for enhancing your collection. It is hard to fine decent material in a landscape nursery. If the club has a dig scheduled, be a part of it. There are many places in town as well as in the country, where you can find one or two specimen to dig. The problem is in finding a place with enough material to warrant taking the whole club. If you know of a possible location or have a friend with some land (it doesn t have to be very close), tell one of the officers about it. This comes under the heading of be an active member. The rest of the group, especially your program chairman, will appreciate it. 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 Boy these last few months have passed quickly. It is hard to believe that the holidays are upon us. Like many others affected by this year s storm, we are planning a much more limited celebration than in past years, and looking forward to enjoying friends and family without as much hoopla as we normally generate. And speaking of enjoying friends and family, remember that the annual HBS Christmas celebration will be held on December 6 th at our regular monthly meeting. The main items on our agenda will be a potluck dinner and the White Elephant gift exchange. Plan on bringing a side dish or dessert for the potluck buffet. The club will provide turkey, ham, the staple side dishes and drinks. For the White Elephant gift exchange, please bring a wrapped gift worth roughly $25. The
gift can be either bonsai related or not bonsai related. It is up to you. As a reminder, please reserve April 19-22 on your calendar next year for the LSBF State convention in Longview. The convention will be held at a new Hilton Garden Inn and the Longview club has negotiated for a $99/night room rate. The chairperson for the convention is a friend of the chef, so I expect the food to be excellent. Headline artists are Bonsai Boon Manakitivipart, Rodney Clemons from Georgia, and Mike Lane from Wigert s nursery in Florida. Registration materials will be available in January, 2018 and Longview is working hard to price registration and workshops for the convention as low as possible, to make it an affordable convention for everyone. Workshop materials include Brazilian raintrees, miniature weeping crepe myrtles, and lavender star flowers among others. I look forward to seeing everyone at the Christmas meeting. Pete Parker Sasanqua camellia do well in Houston area. They bloom profusely for a month or longer. THE Winter Silhouette Expo December 2 & 3, 2017 Kannapolis, North Carolina Schedule of Events Saturday December 2, 2017 10 AM - 5 PM Exhibition open to the public 10 AM - 12 PM Rodney Clemons demonstration on Kingsville Boxwood 12 AM - 2 PM Sean Smith s demonstration on Ponderosa pine or Hinoki Cypress 2 PM - 4 PM William Valavanis lecture demo on Bonsai Art, with a dwarf brush cherry 5:30 PM Auction - open to public 7:00 PM Dinner at nearby restaurant (reservation) Sunday December 3, 2017 9AM Bonsai critique by William Valavanis 10 AM Exhibition open to the Public 10 AM - 12 PM Tyler Sherrod s demonstration on a White Pine 12 PM - 2 PM Owen Reich s lecture-demonstration on wiring an Eleaegnus pungens (Silverberry) 3 PM Exhibition closes. NEW! There will be food trucks for lunches. 1 Whatza Spiede: chicken, pork, rice and supposedly amazing potatoes, salads www.whatzaspiedie.com 2. Paradise Bistro Gourmet food truck - Chef Harris menu is Mediterranean so meat plus veggies/salads. https://www.facebook.com/757paradisebistro/ Location North Carolina Research Campus, 150 N. Research Campus Drive, Kannapolis, NC 28081. The campus is located 3 miles off I-85, at Exit 60. Turn NW toward Kannapolis, drive 3.2 miles, turn right on South Main St., drive 1 mile to campus on left. Free parking. Exhibitors: One 8-ft table provided free. Reservation required. Trees should be first quality and must look especially good in the winter. Display with stands and accents, please. We will supply black backdrop (or white marble wall).
Vendors: One or two 6-ft tables provided. Dozens of vendors sold at last year's show. For each table area desired, a donation of an item for the dinner auction is requested. No other fees. Vendors and exhibitors - show setup 5PM-7PM on Friday December 1st. Auction: Saturday 5:30 PM. We will hold an auction of the great bonsai items donated by exhibitors and vendors. Proceeds help meet the costs the show. Everyone is invited to bid. Dinner Saturday 7:00 PM, $40 per person. Cash bar. This year s sit-down dinner will be held at the 46 restaurant, 1 block from the show - an elegant setting. Reservation required. Please let us know about food restrictions. Bjorn Bjornholm Kokufu-Ten 2018 Tour Although Father Winter has been slow visiting south Texas this year, it s best to be prepared for the frigid cold he brings. A few years ago, Hoe Chuah sent our club s newsletter editor this article written for his blog. For both the new bonsai lovers just starting out and the savvy, there much to learn from this timeless advice. Many thanks to Dr. Hoe for the permission to reprint this very helpful article. Protecting Tropical Bonsai in Winter with a Portable Greenhouse We live in Zone 9 Southeast Texas, winter is relatively mild but we do have freezing weathers every now and then. All it takes is one hard freezing night, and the tropical bonsai will say good bye. As I am writing this post, weather forecast warns of arctic assault freezing temperatures for the next four nights. I use portable greenhouse to overwinter my tropical bonsai such as ficus, Fukien tea etc. I leave pine, juniper, elm, azalea etc. outdoor. The plastic material is thicker, 6-mil thick, and has better tear resistance with reinforcing webs embedded in the plastics, running vertically and horizontal. If you have been dreaming about traveling to Japan to see the world s top bonsai show, the Kokufu-ten exhibition in Tokyo, explore the best bonsai gardens in the Omiya Bonsai Village (Saitama), and immerse yourself in the culture of old Japan in Kyoto and Osaka, there is no better time than now to book with Bjorn Bjornholm s Kokufu-Ten 2018 Tour, from February 5 to 14, 2018. More details: http://www.bjornbjorholm.com/wp- content/uploads/2017/08/kokufu-ten-tour- 2018.pdf Hoe s wife, Soon, also keeps her accent plants warm over the winter in these greenhouses. Set up is quite easy. I usually set it up myself, of course a second person would be helpful. The metal tubes are heavy duty and slide into fixed angle metal joints for the pitch of the roof. The canopy comes in one piece, all I need to do is put it over the metal frame, tie it down to crossbars located near the bottom of the frame with bungee cords.
upwards like a balloon. So, zip up on windy days. On sunny days, I open both openings to allow air circulation. Replacement canopy can be purchased, should one need it. I anchor the metal poles with camping stakes, and use cinder blocks and heavy flower pots to hold down the extended flaps on the ground. The bottom cross bars keep the metal frame steady and hold down the canopy with bungee cords. Will the wind blow it away? I have not experienced it, and we often have 2025 mph wind. During bad weather, I make sure to zip up the front entrance and back window flaps. This prevents a sudden gush of wind entering the tent. When night temperature drops below 35 F, I light up a 1,500 BTU propane gas tank top heater. It keeps the greenhouse at least 10 F warmer than the outside temperature. The objective of over wintering in a greenhouse is to keep them warm enough and out of the cold wind. For people living in colder regions, a higher BTU or double tank top heaters might be needed. I had used electrical heater before. Several years ago, we had a severe winter storm, the power went out in the middle of the night. The heater went off and some plants suffered freeze damages. After that, I switched to propane gas heater, heating is not interrupted during power outage. When storing bonsai in a greenhouse, one should not pack it full. I leave walking space so I can check the bonsai during watering. I now use two 10 x 10 King Canopy, and have been happy with them. Around mid March, after our last frost date, I take down the greenhouse. In our hot summer, I set up the metal frames and put a 50% shade cloth over it to filter out the sun. Two uses: a greenhouse in the winter and a shade tent in the summer. The window can be unzipped for air circulation. If the wind has nowhere to go or cannot escape fast enough, the consequence would be for it to lift the canopy One summer, I found a hawk perching on the shade tent! Hoe Chuah
Pre-bonsai available Workshops are bring-your-own-tree, but a limited supply of pre-bonsai is available. Reserve your trees by calling Lowell Tilly at (225) 241-2396. Baton Rouge Garden Center 7950 Independence Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Featured Artist and Workshop Leader Mr. David DeGroot LBS welcomes back David DeGroot. He has been practicing bonsai for nearly 50 years. He is the curator emeritus of the famous Weyerhaeuser Company s Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection, near Seattle. His early bonsai study was in New Orleans, as a member of the seminal Vaughn Banting s study group. He has also studied with such teachers as Chase Rosade, Yuji Yoshimura, Ben Oki, and John Naka. He has written dozens of articles and books on Bonsai, and served twice as director of the American Bonsai Society. Friday January 19, 2018 Bonsai Workshop 12 Noon to 4PM Workshop $40 (LBS members $30). Limited to 8. Supper social $12. Observer $10 (LBS members: Free) Demonstration by David DeGroot 5PM Saturday, January 20, 2018 Bonsai Workshop 9AM to 2PM Workshop $50 (LBS members $40). Limited to 8. Lunch $12. Observer $10 (LBS members: Free) Demonstration by David DeGroot 2:30 PM Sunday January 21, 2018 Bonsai Workshop 9AM to 2PM Workshop $45 (LBS Members: $35). Limited to 8. Lunch $12. Observer $10 (LBS members: Free) Raffle of demonstration trees 2PM Two trees. Separate raffles. $5 per ticket, $20 for 5 tickets. Need not be present to win. Vendors Rick Berrigan, A Little Piece of Heaven Bonsai; Bill Butler, Bill s Bayou Bonsai; and Byron Myrick, Myrick Bonsai Pottery will have bonsai trees, supplies, and pots. Silent Auction Visiting clubs are encouraged to bring items for silent auctions to be held each day of the workshop. 90% of the proceeds will go to the donating club and 10% to the Garden Center. Registration Registration is open to Louisiana Bonsai Society members only until 11/22/2017, and the general public after this date. To register, please call Lowell Tilly at (225) 241-2396. Club trees for workshops available for purchase In an attempt to improve the quality of our collections, Louisiana Bonsai Society has been acquiring some trees to be available for workshops. The trees have been selected for suitability as prebonsai material. They can be reserved on a first come first served basis. To reserve a tree, call Lowell Tilley at (225) 241-2396. Number, variety, and price for each 3 Shimpaku Junipers $65 1 Green Mound Juniper (large) $95 4 Green Mound Juniper (medium) $30 4 Green Mound Juniper (small) $20 4 Miniature Crepe Myrtle $30 6 Elaeagnus Silverberry $15 In addition to those, we can get a couple of larger Bald Cypress for about $200 each and some very old large miniature Crepe Myrtles for $300 each, if anyone is interested. Contact Lowell for details. Join Louisiana Bonsai Society Join today and receive member discounts on workshops. $20 for individual, $25 for a family. Mini Show All participants are welcome.
Calendar of Events 2017 DEC 2 Saturday Study Group at Maas Nursery. Free, refreshments provided. Please make a note of this change. DEC 2-3 Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo on North Carolina Research Campus, 150 Research Campus Drive, Kannapolis, NC 28081. Free admission. Guest artists: William N. Valavanis, Rodney Clemons, Owen Reich, Sean Smith, Tyler Sherrod. DEC 5 HBS Monthly Meeting: Christmas Party & Gift Exchange DEC 25 Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. DEC 31 New Year s Eve. JAN 1 Happy New Year! 2018 JAN 3 HBS monthly meeting: Pinch pots for accent plants with HBS own pottery artist Andy Sankowski Make sure you go to Timeless Trees website and sub-scribe to weekly Current Events to stay in the know. You can find the best Christmas gifts: trees, pots, all sorts of bonsai supplies, tools and books for your bonsai lovers. Quality Feed & Garden and Ken stand ready to help you with bonsai selection, bonsai care, pots and supplies. Ken also personally holds 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. JAN 6 Saturday Japanese Black Pine workshops, led by artist Jonas Dupuich. More details to come. JAN 13 Saturday Study Group at Timeless Trees, Rosenberg, 9 AM 12 Noon. Free, refreshments provided. JAN 19-21 Louisiana Bonsai Society Annual Mid-Winter Bonsai Workshop, Baton Rouge Garden Center, 7950 Independence Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806 (see announcement for details). FEB 2-4, 2018 16th Biennial Shohin Seminar at Hotel Mission De Oro, Santa Nella, CA. This Shohin seminar is one of the best, if not the best, opportunity in the U.S. to see and learn about Shohin. Full Registration of $125 covers access to lectures, demonstrations, Saturday buffet lunch, Saturday buffet dinner, Sunday buffet breakfast, 2 coffee breaks, Hospitality Suite, exhibit, vendors; areas, and raffles. $30/day passes available. FEB 3-4, Saturday & Sunday: The 19th Noelanders Trophy organized by the Bonsai Association Belgium at the Limburghal in Genk, Belgium. Featured international demonstrators Kunio Kobayashi, Bjorn Bjorholm, Giacomo Pappalardo, and Milan Karpíšek. Details at http://bonsaiassociation.be/. FEB 5-14, 2018, Kokufu-Ten 2018 tour, organized by Bjorn Bjornholm. See details in announcement above, on page 5. FEB 7 HBS monthly meeting: Developing Maple bonsai with Sergio Cuan FEB 10 Saturday Study Group at Quality Feed and Garden in The Heights, 9 AM 12 Noon. Free, refreshments provided. FEB 17 HBS Club Dig for new material. More details coming. 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.
Winter has arrived and JRN II is now stocked with cold weather blooming bonsai like azaleas, camellias and quinces, as well as Christmas gifts of indoor bonsai in all sizes for beginners and the most serious bonsai lovers. 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 26002 Oak Ridge Drive Direct (281) 684-4411 The Woodlands, TX 77380 Fax (281) 363-9032 andy@mossrockstudio.com For high quality daizas for viewing stones, Suiseki, bonsai stands and Shoji screens in any shape, form, style, wood, dimensions and colors, please visit artist Jerry Braswell. Send him your designs and specifications for custom wood work. For more info: www.artofthedaiza.wordpress.com
Houston Bonsai Society, Inc. P. O. Box 540727, Houston, Texas 77254-0727 www.houstonbonsai.com HBS Board Members President Pete Parker peteparkerbonsai@yahoo.com 1 st Vice President Scott Barboza markyscott@me.com 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/email 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 2011. 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.