The Yu Garden or Yu Yuan Gardens (豫園, s 豫园) in China were stunning, an amazing place to visit whilst touring around the country. The architecture was wonderful with traditional roof tops and decor to be admired and so much history it was inspiring to learn more about the cultural aspects of China here.
What are eelworms, well they also called nematodes and are mostly microscopic worm like animals and some are significant plant pests. They are very species specific so you find a certain type of eelworm on one particular species, but those that are considered a pest have one thing in common they feed on the host plant.
Tree roots are fascinating things and there was no better place to see the diversity of tree roots than amongst the streets of Hong Kong. Roots are the anchorage for the above ground element of the tree and they search out water and nutrients. If you are looking for inspiration for your bonsai artistry then have a look at some of these examples in an urban setting of trees defying the rules of engineering and as you can see in the next picture, someone who has tried it already with this ficus bonsai and with stunning results.
Scientific names go further than just allowing us to easily talk about trees on the same level they can also go as far as to describe more about the tree or plant like where it originates from, what habitat it lives in or a particular feature about the plant and some are even named to commemorate people and when this occurs it is referred to as the use of specific epithets.
Binomial nomenclature is the formal naming system for living things that all scientists use from plants to animals, fungi and bacteria. The scientific name of living things uses latin and therefore ensures that plants or trees for example are easily identifiable worldwide with the use of one common language.
At our next Winter Show we will be using a panel of judges, similar to the system used at several recent bonsai events. It will be made up of professional and experienced amateurs, each judge will select three trees in each category. There is no need to select 1st, 2nd & 3rd, so the order is irrelevant. The results will then be aggregated and details displayed for all to see including the voting and any comments made. In the event of a tie between two or more, all the judging panel will be asked to vote again to select the winner. The winning trees/displays will be identified by name cards and the main Awards will be presented later in the show.
Often in bonsai it is hard to tell or confirm a tree species as some of the characteristics of the tree change quite considerably when maintained as bonsai. Leaf size for example may be many times smaller than it would usually be on a wild specimen of the same species of tree. One way to ensure we are all talking about the same species of trees is to use scientific names but more often than not there is a tendency to shy away from scientific jargon for use of common names.
The main pines at Pinsongqiu, Daliang County, Shunde in China were that of Pinus massoniana (马尾松) which are commonly known as the Chinese red pine, Masson’s pine or horsetail pine. They are a species native to Taiwan, central and southern China and Hong Kong plus northern Vietnam. In their natural environment they grow at low altitudes below 1,500 metres.
Whilst staying at one of the most idyllic hotels called the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat in Yangshuo, China we walked to visit the nearby tourist attractions and one of these included a majestic Banyan Tree of epic proportions. It is located around 6km southwest of Yangshuo and set alongside the Gulin Li River and is a must visit scenic location in this part of China. The Banyan tree is stated to have been planted in the Sui Dynasty about 1,400 years ago which is amazing and checkout the aerial roots now forming props and becoming trees in their own right.
The Splinter Group was formed from an initial idea which had been touched upon many times by both Big Steve and Little Steve. Although members at various times of both Middlesex Society and the Capel Manor Group they found that they really wanted to display in a different way to the usual club format of putting as many member’s trees on a display table as was physically possible. These thoughts were shared by fellow club members Graham Jenkins and Henry Smee and thus The Splinter Group was formed.
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