Tony Webber, 22nd January 1941 – 26th March 2016
Sad news comes around far too often sometimes. Earlier this year bonsai lost Tony Webber, an instrumental and lively member of Phoenix Bonsai Group and Wessex Bonsai Society. He had a real passion and commitment for trees and will be badly missed.
His collection will be auctioned in Salisbury, Wiltshire on Sunday 3rd July. For an overview and all the additional details please see bonsaiauction.uk
This week there was an exceptional seminar held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew entitled ‘Transformational Nature, unlocking the secrets of natural form, plant intelligence and the ageing process’. The Treework Seminar 21 is part of a series of seminars run by Neville Fay of Treework Environmental Practice and they are well worth attending. Tony Kirkham, Head of Arboretum at Kew gave the opening introduction and welcome to the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew and he also led a lunchtime talk around specific trees of note within the gardens including an amazing weeping Beech.
On Sunday 15th May, we went and put on a small display of bonsai at Rowdeford school just outside Devizes on the A342 from Devizes to Chippenham road, just outside Rowde. It was a Garden Plant Fair with loads of lovely plants stalls and other things which was open from 11am – 3 pm.
1st place, RA Spindle
2nd place, SM English Elm
3rd place, DA Zelkova
John Trott had another success at the three counties show, held at Malvern 4th to the 8th May. He won a gold medal with a very good display of his trees. Despite the marquee being flooded the show was a great event and attracted many visitors, some of them went home with a bonsai. For more details on the show visit the three counties website.
Ficus microcarpa is a great species for bonsai and a firm favourite for indoor use in the UK from a tropical species that copes with being cared for indoors as it needs to warmth.
Congratulations to all those who entered their bonsai trees into the Open Competition at the Wessex Show on Sunday 1st May, there were some superb trees in the competition and it was a fun day.
This year was another great Bonsai show hosted by Wessex Bonsai Society on the 1st May 2016. The Open competition had a good level of entries, and it was fun to enter and be part of the day. There was a lot of discussion and a very friendly atmosphere throughout the day and refreshments on hand too.
Fraxinus hupehensis is a species that is not commonly used in the UK as bonsai but Fraxinus excelsior is often seen which is native to the UK. It was also interesting whilst trying to discover more information about Fraxinus hupehensis that one was sold by the well known auction house of Sotherby’s!
Glyptostrobus pensilis or otherwise known as the Chinese swamp cypress was a great find at the BCI Convention in China as a bonsai. It makes a stunning tree in its natural environment but also an impressive bonsai too.
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