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from the Greater Clearwater and surrounding areas
澄んだ水盆栽会
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai
December 2012
2012, Issue 12 Page 2
Modeling the look of palm trees for bonsai
by Clif Pottberg
3-4
The joy, or work, of finding stand-in shapes for more
tree effects by Clif Pottberg
5-6
Digging & Potting Trident Maples for Bonsai by
R. Blakely Wentley
7-8
How I got where I am today — part II
by Steve Pilacik
9
Bonsai Under the Oaks 10
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai News
11
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai General Information 12
Inside this issue:
It’s free! Stay in touch with
Bonsai activities!
Join the Meet-up Website for the Sun-
damizu Bonsai Kai.
Go to http://www.meetup.com/
WestCentralFloridaBonsai/
It’s easy and only takes a minute .
Regional Happenings Buttonwood Bonsai—Inverness: Key
Training, 130 Heights St., Inverness, Fl;
Meets 2nd Saturday of every month.
President: Bob Eskeitz
352-556-4999
Contact: Al Harnage
352-527-3263
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai—Clearwater:
Meets 2nd Saturday of every month. Moc-
casin Lake Nature Park, 2750 Park Trail
Lane, Clearwater.
Clif Pottberg: 352-424-6000
Lois Powell 727-742-3301 or
Hukyu Bonsai—Tampa: Meets 3rd Satur-
day of every month at USF Botanical Gar-
dens.
Pres. Palmer Ogden 813-486-9374
Lakeland Bonsai Club: meets 3rd
Thursday of every month; 7:00pm; First
United Methodist Church, 72 Lake Mor-
ton Drive, Room D-3, Lakeland.
Pres. Paul Cacioppo; 863-860-1173
Suncoast Bonsai Club—St. Peters-
burg: Meets 4th Saturday of every
month.
Pres. Linda Gibbons;
All club meetings are open to the public
and visitors are welcome.
2012, Issue 12 Page 3
Modeling the look of Palm Trees for Bonsai by Clif Pottberg When the new Legoland park in Winter Haven, was being planned,
management asked me to help the creation of the miniature part of
the park, called “Miniland”.
For those who haven’t been to one of their parks yet, Miniland is a
small area (about ½ acre) devoted to the creation of miniature
towns as replicas of various parts of the country: San Francisco
landmarks, Cape Canaveral, Las Vegas, and so on, all (more or
less) on the scale of the Lego miniature people.
It was my job to find and provide the miniature trees and bushes, in
the proper scales for Miniland.
For the most part it wasn’t difficult since I had been collecting
sources for such miniature miniatures for many years. Creating
detailed, compositionally advanced landscapes is what I most enjoy
in the art of bonsai.
To create natural looking landscapes, one has to find as many
plants with different tree shapes as possible, as stand-ins for the
real thing. Over the years I have found many to use, either by my
own discovery, or by using the work and discoveries of others.
One difficulty I had was in finding suitable miniature palm trees.
The previous park which was built was in Carlsbad, California, had
found a plant which they used to depict palm trees, the
“Madagascar Palm” or Pachypodium lamerei. It wasn’t perfect,
however, for the trunk was too thick and it was extremely thorny.
Indeed, after being kept small for but a little while, the trunks
tended to get even thicker and then bulbous, and looked ever less
like a palm tree. It meant that they had to replace the trees often in
the Carlsbad Legoland.
Pachypodium is a succulent, but with an upright, usually individual
trunk, and looked enough like a palm for them to use. It was hard
to find a better equivalent for appearance. Granted, there were
problems: the large thorns on the trunk (which one could cut off)
and the leaves, which, at a distance, looked like the pinnately com-
pound palm tree leaves, though actually individual, simple, very
thin lanceolate leaves.
Finally, after some research, we came upon another palm-
equivalent which looked more like a tall palm with a thinner trunk,
much less thorniness, and, while it too grew quickly, remained
looking like a palm for much longer. When it outgrew the mini-
local, it was still able to be used as a palm lookalike in a larger
scale garden.
This was Pachypodium rutenbergianum. It was easy to change its
look to make it look even more like a palm, too. The tree has a
tendency to grow leaves not just at the top of the trunk, but it’s
easy to take of all but the top ones, which also causes the trunk to
thicken less quickly, and the tree to grow more slowly and stay in
scale longer.
In the meantime, my friend and colleague, Dave Collom, discov-
ered another alternative growing in his backyard: something called
the Mexican petunia, Ruellia brittonia.
Like the various Pachypodiums above, the Ruellia has thin lanceo-
late leaves and the lower ones can be pruned off to leave a top
canopy of foliage, like the palms. It too has a narrower trunk (in
some cases too narrow) but, taking off its flowers which are abun-
dant, leave a pretty good facsimile of the palm shape.
Thus it turns out that there are a number of plants which make
reasonable palm facsimiles.
We chose the Pachypodium rutenbergianum for Florida’s Lego-
land palms and I do believe it is the best choice, though not by a
wide margin.
It also needs some winter protection and, being a succulent-type
plant, one must cut way down on the watering when it is not
growning.
The only one we have found that we can leave outdoors is Ruellia
brittonia, so it definitely has its uses as well.
Mostly they take mild watering, mild fertilizing, and none are sus-
ceptible to many pests. Keeping them clean is all that is mostly
required. If pests appear, try Neem oil as a safe pesticide for most
everything.
small Pachypodium lemeri specimens,
used by the Carlsbad Legoland a tray of
Pachypodium
rutenber-
gianum
2012, Issue 12 Page 4
Modeling the look of Palm Trees for Bonsai by Clif Pottberg
a completed styled P. rutenbergianum,
succeeding in recreating the tall mature
palm shape very well.
P rutenbergianum showing the
foliage placement which can be
pruned to just a top canopy easily
a grove of small P. rutenbergianum
Mexican petunia, Ruellia brittonia
A landscape painting by the great artist, Winslow Homer, showing the pinnately
compound leaved palms
2012, Issue 12 Page 5
The joy, or work, of finding stand-in shapes for more tree effects by Clif Pottberg
Many tree forms haven’t been done, or rarely done, or done poorly.
Consider the multi-aerial rooted fig trees of the form of those found in Marie Selby gardens in Sarasota.
This style is often done today, but I remember when it began to be popular as bonsai in the early 60s.
One of the early– and very fine—examples in this country of this style of tree, using the aerial roots as the stylistic focal point, was done
by Joel Samuels of South Florida. Since that time, many have effected this style.
Because of its many root styles, there remain many ficus styles little done.
Here for example, are several root styles that are typical of different ficus root effects.
an old Banyan tree (F. benghalensis)
in the Ahcharya Jagadish Chandra
Bose Botanical Garden near Calcutta,
but much like the Selby Gardens trees
2012, Issue 12 Page 6
The joy, or work, of finding stand-in shapes for more tree effects by Clif Pottberg
All are beautiful, and all provide many different effects from which to begin beautiful trees.
One of the most unique root forms is the criss-crossing and subsequent grafting, one over the other, of the strangler fig, Ficus aurea (and
other similar species). It’s a characteristic called anastomosing, which only means criss-crossing. It’s easy to recreate the effect. Just let
a few thin fig roots grow in the air, and then criss-cross them. They will naturally and easily graft to themselves. An earlier article dis-
cussed some of these considerations
Beautiful shapes, are they not?
Now consider the huge differences of the many oak trees. The Florida live oak, whose typical out-
line, growing in the sun, is very much wider than tall. Or the many forms of fastigiate trees
(branches growing – often – almost straight upright), and the many forms of cascade and weeping
trees.
Leaf through any book of tree images and you’ll discover many tree forms which have rarely if
ever been used to model a bonsai after.
That’s the fun of bonsai. Despite having been practiced as an art form for so long, there is still so
much newness we can discover in our own studies of the real tree.
2012, Issue 12 Page 7
Digging & Potting Trident Maples for Bonsai by R. Blakely Wentley
With its compact and distinctive leaf shape, its gorgeous au-
tumn colors and spring flowers , and its expansive root system,
Acer buergerianum, the Trident Maple , can make for an excel-
lent choice when choosing a tree for bonsai.
Steve Pilacik at the Matsu Momiji Bonsai Nursery in Fuquay-
Varina, North Carolina, grows these trees in a field to maximize
the growth of the trunk and the roots on a much shorter time
frame than if they were grown in a pot. Growing trees in the
field creates a lot of options for branches and roots when the
tree is ready to be styled, but hard work is required when taking
the tree out of the ground and putting it into a pot.
Steve let me help him dig one of his biggest tridents out of the
ground to be potted to be trained for bonsai. The tree we dug
was about 32" tall, with a 7" trunk and a 12" root spread. A tree
like this can take upwards of three days to get out of the ground
with a shovel and a saw, but it can take a lot less time if ap-
proached in the proper manner. As tempting as it may be to rush
these steps, rushing may only result in broken tools and sore
muscles. If you take the time to do this right, you avoid the risk
of damaging the tree and yourself.
The first thing to do to get your trident out of the ground is
prune it. Pruning the tree back for bonsai will make the tree
much easier to manage during the digging and potting process.
Once you’ve pruned it, clear the base of the trunk of debris and
expose the main surface roots. The roots will give you an idea
of where you want to start digging. Put your shovel at the out-
side edge of the newly exposed roots and begin digging a trench
all the way around the tree. The trench we dug was about 6"
wide, 10" deep and roughly a foot from but yours may need to
be bigger, smaller or further depending on the size of the tree. If
your shovel won’t go in the ground easily, that is a good indica-
tor of where the large roots are. When you encounter a large
root, expose it and saw it. With the root sawed through, put the
shovel in the saw cut and work your way under the tree. From
this position, you can attempt to pry it up from the ground. For
the first couple of hours, the tree may not move, but prying the
tree up with the shovel frees the fibrous roots clinging to the
soil and exposes the larger roots that can be sawed through and
removed. When the trench gets deep enough and enough roots
have been moved out of the way, start digging the trench wider
and underneath the tree.
As you work your way beneath the tree, try tilting the tree to
determine where the roots are that are keeping it in the ground.
When the tree will wobble in all directions, pull the tree in the
direction that provides the best angle to get underneath and cut
all remaining clinging roots. Next, saw through the large tap
root and pull the tree up. If the tree doesn’t lift out, there are
more roots that need to be cut.
Should you find the need to stop digging for the day, you can
keep the roots moist overnight by watering the roots, laying a
blanket over them, and then watering the blanket. Once the
blanket is soaked through, anchor it down so the wind won’t
blow it away. When cutting and exposing this much root, it is
imperative that the tree has enough water. Overwatering the
tree during this process is nearly impossible.
When your trident has successfully been removed from the
ground, hoist the tree onto a platform and lay it on its side so
that the roots can be accessed for pruning. The goal now is to
trim down the root ball in order to fit the base of the tree to fit
into a pot. Take a hook or a pick and work the dirt off from
around the base of the tree. Getting as much dirt off as you can
is a good way to avoid root rot later on because the dirt holds
more water than bonsai soil will. Once enough dirt is off, begin
trimming the roots back. It’s best to leave as many fibrous
roots as possible. . Large roots which will be elements in the
finished bonsai should not be cut away, but cutting them back
2012, Issue 12 Page 8
Digging & Potting Trident Maples for Bonsai by R. Blakely Wentley
to fit the desired pot is fine. Thick roots that don’t add to the
aesthetic of the tree should be completely removed. Removing
these roots will stimulate the growth of fibrous roots which are
ideal for trees grown in small containers.
Depending on the depth of the pot you want to move it to, you
may need to cut the roots back on the bottom. Again, the tap
root will be an issue.
Should sawing become too much of a chore, another surpris-
ingly effective method of removing the tap root is to place the
blade of a hatchet where you want the cut to be and then ham-
mering the back side of the blade into the root until it detaches.
Once the roots are cut back prepare a pot to place the tree in.
Start by wiring a screen into the base of the pot to keep the soil
from falling out through the bottom. Lining the base of the pot
with paper is effective as well because the soil will naturally
compact before the paper degrades. Now run wires diagonally
across the outside of the underside of the pot and have them
poking up through the holes in the bottom of the pot. These
wires need to be long enough to reach across the pot and meet
each other so the wire can be twisted together later to secure
the tree. Now place enough soil in the pot to cover the lining
and leave a small pile in the center and work the tree down into
the soil. The purpose of working the tree down into the soil is
to eliminate air pockets around the roots that can be detrimental
to the tree’s health. Now, take the wires sticking up in the pot
and use pliers to twist the wires together around the tree until
the tree is held down tightly. We wired our tree down in three
separate places to make sure it was secure. Once your tree is
secure you can start adding more soil. Be sure to work the soil
around and underneath the tree and pack the soil down tightly
to minimize air pockets.
Water your tree several times once you have it in firmly in the
pot. Then take a step back and admire your tree. You’ve suc-
cessfully dug and re-potted a Trident Maple.
2012, Issue 12 Page 9
How I got where I am today, part III by Steve Pilacik The world works in strange ways! The older I get the more I
realize that one never knows what is around the corner!
Since I have moved to North Carolina I have had only one per-
son come over on a regular basis. Scott has been with me for
about 10 years. Scott has helped so much and everything he did
is much appreciated. However Scott travels to work and support
his family, lately he has been away more than ever. This is great
for Scott but it left way too much for me to do at the nursery.
The nursery suffered, I tried to keep up but was not very suc-
cessful.
A new student Jonathan started taking classes and is very much
in the learning mode. His work is computers!!
He offered a barter deal to develop a much better web site for
me. I accepted! Lisa did more than her share with the web page
for years. Lisa still works fulltime and her work left little time
for the web page. I tried but made things worse not better. Very
shortly Jonathan’s work will be finished soon, and for the first
time ever I will have a professional web site. Then Blake sent
me an email. He wanted to apprentice under me. For years peo-
ple have told me the same thing. When they realized how hard
one worked to develop trees they did not come back to the nurs-
ery. I thought Blake would do the same thing. He has not. He
faithfully comes over 3 or 4 times a week and works as hard as I
have every worked at Matsu Momiji. The great thing about
Blake is his desire to learn the art form. In fact he is writing
articles on some of the things he has learned. The nursery has
not been this clean and visually pleasing for many years. One
day when we were slowing down Blake asked me about the
Journals I have written articles that were published.
This leads me into part 3 of my article.
The first Journal I wrote for was the Spoken Element. Clif
Pottberg and I were becoming friends. I first met Clif in Mary-
land. I was very impressed with his work. He actually studied
bonsai and his creative mind allowed him to progress beyond
the average teacher. I was beginning to study Japanese Black
Pine. One day Clif called and suggested I write an article on
what I was learning about JBP. I really never thought about
writing articles. At first I turned Clif down, feeling I was inept
at writing articles. Clif persevered and I caved in and wrote my
first article. Clif told me it was very well received. I continued
to write a few more articles for Clif.
I joined the American Bonsai Society. I learned that if I wrote
an article that they published I could receive a free add for my
nursery. Well my budget loved that idea. Through the years I
wrote many article for this wonderful society that actually tried
to show the world what American Bonsai Artist could create
with trees.
I then joined Bonsai Clubs International. Again a great society
that had an emphasis on the international bonsai scene and what
people did with their trees around the world. Again I was able to
get free ads if I wrote for IBS. I did write for many years and
most of the articles were on Pine and Maples.
A bonsai teacher named William Valavanis who had a bonsai
nursery in Rochester New York named the International Bonsai
Arboretum, which emphasized the art form as International
began his journal. Through the years I wrote many articles for
Bill. To his credit Bill has been able to keep his journal solvent
for many years. Bill has gone on to teach his idea of bonsai
through out the world.
A new journal was starting up called Bonsai Today. I believe
there initial focus their journal was based on the style the Japa-
nese wrote their journals. This style used many pictures to il-
lustrate the point. I believe in issue #5 I have an article on the
Deciduous Style of Bonsai. I used Japanese maple to show my
points.
The Potomac Bonsai Society issued a journal for the member
clubs. I became Sensei Sam when I wrote for this excellent
society. Even though I lived in Philadelphia I became a board
member attended meetings faithfully and was part of Bonsai
History! For all of you that do not know PBS was instrumental
in its workings with The National Arboretum when Japan sent
America many high quality Bonsai as gifts to be displayed in
the Arboretum. At least in my mind without PBS and all of
there help to the Arboretum the difficult task of importing and
setting these trees up would not have run as smoothly.
Over the years I have written numerous articles for many bon-
sai club newsletters and today because of my friendship with
Clif Pottberg (who thru many intellectual discussions of bonsai
got my juices flowing again).
Now I am writing for the Sundamizu Kai Bonsai Journal again
with Clif convincing me to do so. I even have my apprentice
Blake beginning to write bonsai articles for Sundamizu.
Blake and I are exploring writing more articles. We are think-
ing along pictorial lines in styling a tree. The trees will not be
JBP or Japanese maples!! Time will tell if we are able to do
this endeavor.
Next time: Clubs I Have Been Involved With Over The Years
2012, Issue 12 Page 10
Bonsai Under the Oaks 2012 has come and gone! What a great turn out and so much fun! There were demos, sales, silent auctions and food. What more could
one ask for…. If you didn’t make it this year, be sure to write a note on your calendar for November 2013.
2012, Issue 12 Page 11
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai News
It’s a holiday party for members, guests and friends
of bonsai.
Everyone bring in your favorite tree. It’s like a gift
exchange, without the exchange. Instead we’ll have
a display for all to enjoy.
Also, please bring a covered dish to pass if you can.
We’ll extend the meeting and start lunch about
11:30am.
Plan on a day of bonsai enjoyment and socializing.
Sundamizu Holiday Party—Saturday 10am till...
Don’t forget to pay your 2013 dues
for another fun year of friends
and bonsai!
澄んだ水盆栽会
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai
the Greater Clearwater and surrounding areas
2012, Issue 12 Page 12
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai means Clear Water Bonsai Club
(Pronounced soon”da mi’ zu) Clif Pottberg: 352-424-6000
Lois Powell 727-742-3301
Meets 2nd Saturday of each Month
Moccasin Lake Nature Park
2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater
Directions to Moccasin Lake Nature Park
From Southbound US 19 or McMullen Booth Rd (CR 611):
turn west on SR 590 for 0.8 mi
turn left on Calamondin Ln for 0.3 mi
turn right on Edenwood St for 364 ft
turn left onto Beachwood Ave for 0.2 mi
turn right at Park Trail Lane
From Northbound US 19:
turn east on Drew St for 407 ft
turn left on Fairwood Ave/Park Place Blvd for 0.6mi
turn left at Park Trail Lane
Proceed to the back of the parking lot. This is closest to the
classroom. If you have large material/plants you are bringing,
we will open the gate for dropoff and then you can return to lot
to park.
Annual Membership is $24 per individual or $36 per family
and includes:
● Monthly meetings
● New friends
● Lots of fun
