Bonsai Notebook

Kathy Benson will be with us at the November meeting to share her styling talents.  Kathy brings an extensive art background into her bonsai work.  She has a degree in fine arts and has designed and painted prints, posters, and greeting cards using different mediums.  She got started in bonsai while living on the east coast and was self-taught.

Kathy moved to California in 1975 and joined the bonsai community here.  Her career as an artist brings out her emphasis on design and a natural look to her bonsai.  Kathy has been doing bonsai demonstrations for many years and is a regular featured artist at the annual Bonsai-A-Thon.

Join us at the November meeting for a great learning experience with Kathy.

Meeting Time And Place:
Nov 11 at 7pm
LAC Arboretum/ Palm Room

President’s Corner

The weather has finally started to cool.  It got terribly hot at the end of October, and I hope all of your trees survived the heat.  I saw fall colors in some deciduous trees at the GSBF convention and heard they were from northern California.  I haven’t seen any foliage coloring in our area yet, maybe soon.

It is the time of year when we can generally start cutting back on our watering, but be mindful of any heat waves that might blow in.  Warm Santa Ana winds can dry out roots quickly, so watch for them.

Now is a good time to clean up around our benches, removing dead leaves and soil debris.  You can remove dead leaves from deciduous trees that have not fallen off.

Insects and fungus can be a problem during the dormant winter months.  There are a lot of good products available to control them.  Read the labels for use with potted plants, and protect the roots from being  damaged by chemicals.

I hope you all enjoy the approaching holiday seasons

~Dave

SABS Announcements

** We Need A New Raffle Chairman!! **

Ray is stepping down after many years of service to the club with the raffle.  We need a volunteer to take over the sale of raffle tickets at the meetings.  Ray will help with the transition, and you will have all the assistance you need.  Please help keep our club functioning for our membership by volunteering just a little of your time.  You can call Dave for details at 909-519-5391.

BONSAI STOCK SALE **(see date change) – for Club Members Only

Saturday and Sunday, November 25 and 26, 9am to 4pm
Location:  Home of Jim Barrett
480 Oxford Drive
Arcadia, CA (across from the Arboretum)
20% discount on tree stock and on some bonsai tools and pots
Don’t miss this amazing sale opportunity!!

October Meeting Highlights

Jim Barrett was our guest in October and demonstrated some bonsai basics on a foemina juniper.  He talked about the formal upright style and the value of using the foemina to incorporate the traditional design pattern.  Following the traditional style pattern will help you learn or revisit basic bonsai shape.

Jim reminded us to study the root base to help decide the best front for the tree.  A formal upright needs a strong lateral root base to show the trees strength and stability.

Jim said junipers grow well from cuttings, and cuttings could be started between October and April with good success.

As Jim styled the juniper, he talked about bonsai tree collections. He said, over time, each artist should determine how many trees they can care for on a regular basis and use that number as their collection size.  He advised eliminating additional trees from our collections, because it is critical to maintain trees and not just collect them.  We all have limits.

Jim said if you see potential in a tree you can work with and develop, you don’t necessarily have to conform to a traditional style. The tree will tell you where it wants to go, so work with what you see.

Jim added a smaller foemina tree to the demo tree for a “mother/daughter” style.  The styling was very immature, and Jim felt the trees needed more time to develop, so he chose not to put it in the raffle.  He donated other items instead.

Thanks to Jim for sharing your bonsai wisdom.  He is a wealth of bonsai history and information.

Newsletter Update

If you have a knack for writing, a story to tell, a photo or something you would like to share in our newsletter please submit it to Dave & Lorraine prior to the 20th of any month at: [email protected]

Thank You to our October Meeting Raffle Donors:

Judy Anthony, Jerry Banuelos, Marge Blasingame, Gabriel Gonzalez, Emma Janza, Dave Miles, Dick Ryerson

Welcome New Members

Marisal Dobbins

Upcoming Events

January 13-14
Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai 54th annual “Winter Silhouettes”, L.A. County Arboretum, 10am to 4:30pm, sales area, demo each day at 1pm, Sat. Reception 6:30pm.

February 2,3, and 4
California Shohin Society Shohin Seminar, Santa Nella, CA, see website for registration information,  www.calshohin.org

February 24-25
Bonsai-A-Thon, fundraiser for GSBF at the Huntington, 8am to 5pm, 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino, demonstrations, vendors, exhibit, benefit drawing and auction

Come Join Us

Next Meeting

Date: November 11, 2017
Time: 7 pm
Location:
LAC Arboretum, Palm Room
301 N. Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, Ca  91007

Board Meeting 6pm (before general meeting)

2017  Monthly Meeting Dates

Nov 11 — Kathy Benson
Dec    — no meeting

2017-18  Refreshment Schedule

Nov — Linda Gonzalez, Peter Macasieb, Frank Yee, Tom Lau
Dec — no meeting
Jan 13, 2018 — Annual Potluck