Japanese wisteria, Wisteria floribunda macrobotrys
We always enjoy visiting Kew Gardens during the dormant season; they have a fantastic selection of trees and calling in at this time of year allows you to see the structure of the plants better. And no trip to Kew Gardens is complete without popping into the Bonsai House and seeing how the collection is going.
Pinus thunbergii before needle thinning
Removing needles can be as important as pruning branches, in order to stimulate back-budding and develop branch structure. As with most evergreen conifers the normal approach is to cut back to something green but if there isn’t anything growing lower down a branch, what do you do? A fellow club member asked me to look at his Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) at a recent show as he was concerned about this.
1st place, DA Picea
A change from the usual at the club this year; we held a December meeting and invited members to decorate their bonsai trees with Christmas decorations. The response was amazing, we had to bring out additional tables to fit the record number of entries on! Our members fully got into the swing of Christmas.
1st place, AM English Elm
2nd place, SM Trident Maple
3rd place, DA Elm
1st place, DB Trident Maple
2nd place, SM Chinese Elm
1st place, PB Pyracantha
2nd place, GS White Pine
3rd place, DB Potentilla
This month we held an open tree critique, and invited our members to bring in their trees for open discussion with new ideas, feedback and suggestions. These are usually bonsai you have but no idea in what direction it could be going in.
The Test Valley Woodfair is back, this year on Saturday 2nd September 2017 at Zion’s Hill Copse, Chandlers Ford in Hampshire. It is a free event and the activities are all through the woodland and nature reserve for one day.
Mark Cooper talk
一 Exhibiting and displaying Shohin
二 Daiju-en bonsai nursery
三 Shinpukuji temple bonsai
四 Tokoname
1st place, MP Maple
2nd place, AW Maple ‘Shishigashira’
3rd place, PB Siberian Elm