Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
from the Greater Clearwater and surrounding areas
澄んだ水盆栽会
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai
February, 2012
2012, February Page 2
Feb 19: Tray Landscape Workshop
at Bonsai at Pasiminan; detail page
14
March 7—May 20 Epcot International
Flower & Garden Festival
March 17/18: Asian Fest; Selby Gar-
dens, Sarasota
March 17/18: Hatsume Fair; Mori-
kami Museum and Japanese Gar-
dens, DelRay Beach
April 14: USF Spring Plant Sale
April 28/29: Green Thumb Festival,
St Petersburg
National Events
Field Growing Trident Maples by Steve Pilacik 3-4
Tree of the month by Clif Pottberg
The other junipers
5-7
Nature’s Logic by Clif Pottberg 7-9
Fukinagashi by Terry Davis 10
Uses for saplings by Dave Collom 11-12
In Memoriam—Dr. John Thomson 13
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai 15-16
Inside this issue:
It’s free! Stay in touch
with Bonsai activities!
Join the Meet-up Website for
the Sundamizu Bonsai Kai.
Go to http://www.meetup.com/
WestCentralFloridaBonsai/
It’s easy and only takes a min-
ute .
Regional Happenings Buttonwood Bonsai—Inverness: Next
meeting: Feb 11th, 9:30am. Clay Gratz to
demonstrate Miniature Bonsai Techniques.
Come and join us for the great demonstra-
tion on Miniature Bonsai Techniques.
Meets 2nd Saturday of every month. Key
Training, 130 Heights St., Inverness.
Pres. Bob Esketz 352-556-4999
Contact: Duane Finch SR 352-726-9261
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai—Clearwater:
Next Meeting: Feb 11th, 10:00am. Bring
your tree to re-pot and/or prune. Meets 2nd
Saturday of every month. Moccasin Lake
Nature Park, 2750 Park Trail Lane, Clear-
water.
Pres. Clif Pottberg: 352-424-6000
Membership: Nick Sellas; email sundamizu
@aol.com
Hukyu Bonsai—Tampa: Next Meeting:
Feb 18th, 10:00am. Meets 3rd Saturday of
every month at USF Botanical Gardens.
Pres. Palmer Ogden 813-486-9374
Lakeland Bonsai Club: Next meeting
Feb 16th, 6:30pm. Adam Lavigne of
Orlando is doing a demo on ilex shilling
followed by a workshop. Meets 3rd
Thursday of every month; First United
Methodist Church, 72 Lake Morton
Drive, Room D-3, Lakeland.
Pres. Paul Cacioppo; 863-860-1173
Suncoast Bonsai Club—St. Peters-
burg: Next meeting: Feb 25th, 10:00am.
Mike Feduccia will help members with
junipers. Bring your own tree. Meeting
will probably last into the afternoon.
Note: this month special location at
6962 39th Ave N, St. Petersburg.
Meets 4th Saturday of every month at
Seminole Public Library..
Pres. Linda Gibbons;
2012, February Page 3
Field Growing Trident Maples by Steve Pilacik When one thinks of growing Trident Maples in ground, sometimes
the grower thinks, “just put them in the ground until the ideal trunk
size is reached. “ At that time the grower gets out their saw and
cuts the tree back to the size they desire. I have seen many trees
grown this way. In my opinion that is the last method I would use.
I am going to show the reader some of the techniques I use in this
article.
First thing that I do is find a spot with well draining soil, (I happen
to be lucky in that I live on an old tobacco farm—THE SOIL IS
WELL DRAINING BECAUSE AT SOME POINT SAND WAS
ADDED TO THE SOIL.) Next consideration is sun, the more the
better. I start with a 2 or 3-year-old seedling, and plant the tree.
Normally I do nothing with the tree until it is established. The tree
when established will grow from 6 to 8 foot of growth a year. If I
do not begin pruning, the tree will just become tall without taper
and great distances between internodes.
I begin to prune the second year in the ground. Normally I prune
from late fall to early spring. Leaves have fallen and I can see the
tree. However, I have been known to remove all leaves and prune
in summer. Even with the sap flowing if I seal the cut no damage
will be done to the tree. CUTS MUST BE SEALED WELL OR
ROT WILL DEVELOP IN THE TREE. If rot has developed it
MUST be carved out or the rotted branches or trunk will die back
rather severely.
After this initial pruning, depending on the tree, I will prune at least
one time a year. The amount of pruning I do depends on the
growth of the tree and if I am going to lose taper. Trident Maples
take very well to hard pruning. They rebound extremely well once
established.
How do I know when to dig up from the field? I look at each tree
individually and when it has the taper and trunk size I desire, the
tree is dug. I dig trees all 12 months of the year; enough feeder
roots are there to help establish the tree even in summer. Of course
one must make sure the tree does not dry out.
After digging, the tree is worked by removing all that is not neces-
sary to its shape. Many of the cuts are large. They are sealed with
either Elmer’s rubber cement or the Japanese product cut paste.
Cut paste falls of and can be resealed after falling off.
The trees are then planted in a large growing container or a bonsai
container. In sandy soil, more than enough feeder roots have de-
veloped to go directly into a bonsai container. Trees with very
large cuts to heal are planted in growing containers. Because of the
tremendous amount of feeder roots I may need to repot two times a
year to make sure the growth I want will take place. Once cuts are
healed, all trees go into bonsai containers.
Following, I am going to show your4 trees that I grew from either
seedling or cutting and explain how the trees will be worked in the
future.
Slant style field grown tree ( Figure 1) :
This tree will be tree one. I purchased this tree about 4 years ago
from Clif. When I took the tree home I totally bare rooted the tree
and planted it in its current container. My goal was to establish the
tree to full health. This past winter I cut off the top of the tree and
will allow growing to help cover that cut. The area of the top,
which was cut, needs to be drilled so the bark when growing back
will cover the cut.
Rough Bark Evergreen Garden Works Trident Maple (figure 2):
This tree was planted in my garden 12 years ago with very minor
pruning over the years. This fall, I dug the tree and planted it into
a growing container. The first major cuts were done at this time.
The tree will grow, allowing large cuts to heal; plan to keep the
same style in the future of the tree.
Figure 1
Figure 2
2012, February Page 4
Field Growing Trident Maples by Steve Pilacik Variegated Trident Maple (figure 3):
This tree was planted in my garden 12 years ago. The winter of
2010 was the first time the tree was pruned. I pruned again about
one month ago. At this time the tree is over 6 foot tall. Future
plans are to develop the tree as a deciduous tree in the “Deciduous
Style” reducing the height to less than 4 ½ feet tall. The current
top, on the right, will be eliminated when cuts are healing and the
back of the tree will be trained as the top.
Trident Maple Bonsai (figure 4)
This tree was planted twelve years ago and pruned at least 4 times
during the growing year. I really liked the shape and taper of the
tree and wanted to keep it, therefore the tree was pruned that
much. This year, I dug the tree in the spring and about a month
ago I planted it into a bonsai container. The long root on the left
will be shortened or removed in the future and I will refine the top.
Figure 3
Figure 4: Before
& After
2012, February Page 5
Tree of the month: the other Junipers by Clif Pottberg
The San Jose juniper and the Parsonii juniper
The San Jose juniper and the Parsonii juniper are two junipers with somewhat similar growth habits and look a lot alike but have many
differences. They are put together here because of the similarity of shape and styling requirements, and the fact that they similarly develop
quite full, compact foliage.
We may reliably call the San Jose Juniperus chinensis San Jose; the Parsonii is a bit more complicated. A plurality call it a variety of Juni-
perus davurica; sometimes J. squamata expansa Parsonii and sometimes J. chinensis Parsonii
But who really cares? Both are spreading junipers, and both have a similar mix of needle and scale foliage (at least while young). Their
tendency to develop twisted and very curvy trunks are similar too. Further, like many spreading to prostrate junipers, as we’ve described
before, they develop many bumps on the trunk which are actually adventitious root nodes not yet emerged from under the bark. As we’ve
discussed in earlier articles, this characteristic allows us to propagate the materials, and by the same token allows rooting all along a sub-
merged trunk for raft style plantings, very easily.
Many of the species’ differences are useful to help us decide which to use: what stylistic nuances, where we live, and the microclimate
there.
In the first place, here in the deep south the Parsonii is a much superior plant for bonsai. It has fewer pests, likes the heat to help it grow
fast, and develops very interesting curves. In the north it slows down considerably, more so than the San Jose (which is hardier) and de-
velops more complete covering of scale like foliage faster. However they are both pretty tough and hard to hurt, and mostly maintenance
free.
The San Jose juniper is generally slower, does better in the north, and is more susceptible to juniper tip blight, especially in the south.
Also, it has more of a tendency to continue growing the juvenile needle foliage, before finally settling down with scale like foliage, and the
mix is considered unsightly for bonsai. Therefore, in general, unless you dislike a bluish caste to your foliage the Parsonii is the superior
choice in the south (the San Jose foliage has what is described as a sage green color.)
This is not to say we can’t use the San Jose: while a little more care is needed, it has some differences in growth characteristics which
make for interesting different styling abilities. The San Jose, in the south, tends to have rather more sharp changes of trunk directions and
thus makes for better literati and cascades. In the north it does as well or better as more upright styles. Further, because of its slower
growth, it barks up more quickly than the Parsonii.
You can grow a fine literati or cascade from the Parsonii as well, it’s just that left to its own devices, it will look somewhat different, and
make a better somewhat upright style.
Still, their visual and other similarities are more pronounced than their differences . As we’ve discussed before (in the article on the shim-
paku, for example), they take to pinching of the foliage for easy detail pruning. Their general lack of straightness makes them good mate-
rial for informal, slant, literati, and semi-cascade styles primarily, and, if you can match up similar curves of several trees, very interesting
informal types of groves as well. Full cascades are possible, especially if you find a specimen with a lot of curvature at its base, or you
begin the styling early enough that the base of the trunk is still flexible. Generally, though, any type of style you can do with the one, you
can do with the other.
As with many of the junipers, the speed of growth and its flexibility varies depending in part on the degree to which it is upright. This
makes perfect sense when one considers that the upright forms are able to stay upright because their wood is less flexible. Where there is
competition for sunlight, trees will generally grow more upright to better compete and will generally be faster growing for the same rea-
son.
The easiest way to tell the difference between the two (since health will somewhat determine the color of the plant) is to go to a nursery or
garden where both are growing and compare them. Their individual characteristics will quickly be evident and sufficient for you to know
both trees.
Other specific cultural traits include: somewhat more hardiness for the San Jose, much more salt tolerance for the Parsonii, making it an
excellent choice for growing near the seashore, either as a bonsai, or a landscape plant, and a slightly more upright growth of the Parsonii.
Both are much used to graft the smaller foliage of the shimpaku onto as well. Grafted or not, these species are among the best for bonsai
of many styles.
2012, February Page 6
Tree of the month: the other Junipers by Clif Pottberg
Other good junipers
which are used by Clif
Pottberg To finish our tour of the junipers for
bonsai, here’s a quick description of
most of the others.
The needle juniper is not a big tree but is
much used in the orient where it is na-
tive. Its wood is hard and not very sus-
ceptible to rot, so many of the specimens
have plenty of driftwood on them, espe-
cially of the branches which decay less
than other species. The driftwooded
pieces are called shari in Japanese, and
much prized for glorious curving trunk
lines, but also for small branch shari
which (except for the needle juniper) are
hard to maintain. Of course, they are
also used for trunk driftwood as well.
It’s not as hardy as some others, but it is
very disease (and rot) resistant. The
needles (and they are needles!) look a bit
like a dwarf spruce needle and will re-
main in a needle state for the life of the
tree. No scale foliage here.
Like the other junipers, they don’t like
wet feet, but, while they don’t require
dry soil, will survive in a lower moisture
content than many.
If you were to look only at the needles
the Shore juniper might pass for a needle
juniper. However it is fully prostrate
and the branches remain very flexible
and hard to get any – even horizontality
– to the branches which tend, much like
the squamata prostrata , to head down-
hill every chance they get.
As the name might imply, they also will
take wetter soil than most and do well
next to water and have even more salt
tolerance than the Parsonii. However,
while occasionally used for bonsai, they
are harder to work with, even as a full
cascade, for they won’t do anything else,
weeping like.
Juniperus rigida, the Needle juniper, showing its use as a bonsai with a lot of driftwooded
branches
Foliage of the shore juniper, much like
the needle juniper foliage
The look of the Parsonii, in its
unpruned state
similar to the San Jose except
for the bluer color
Over the wall and straight
down
Typical growth of horizontal
junipers
2012, February Page 7
Tree of the month: the other Junipers by Clif Pottberg
Other good junipers which are used by Clif Pottberg
Another very weeping kind of juniper is found among most of the
species of the horizontalis junipers, the Carpet, or Blue Rug juniper,
being perhaps the best known, but it comes in various colors and
intensity of hue. While the branches descend as strongly as the
Shore juniper, it is possible to strengthen and thicken the trunk to
where it will stand up on its own. It has other uses, too; for example,
(very) distant views of forests and also allowed to spread on the
ground creating a high mountain almost tundra like effect.
An entirely different look is found in the Hollywood juniper (J.
chinensis torulosa), which, as its name implies, has the look of a
twist to its foliage when allowed to grow naturally. It’s a very up-
right plant, with very small scale-like foliage, which is very bright
green Though not naturally very compact it can be made so.
To my mind it is overused, for the color looks almost artificial, but it
is an easy plant to work with, and good for beginners for it takes a
lot of abuse.
All in all, as this series has hoped to show, the junipers, with their
great diversity, are among the best if not the very best choice for
bonsai, where it will grow.
The Hollywood juniper
Nature’s Logic by Clif Pottberg A concept which was often spoken of a generation or so ago is
rarely mentioned today: styling the tree using the awareness of how
a tree actually grows in certain ways, a concept which was called
“nature’s logic”.
I heard the phrase first from a teacher and friend, E. Felton Jones,
who had learned it from John Naka .
Simply put, it attempts to detail all the ways in which the tree’s
natural growth habit, and sun, wind, and other environmental
pressures, will shape the tree.
Its importance is not just rooted in the effort to create a shape in our
bonsai which realistically expresses the look of the adult mature
natural tree, but also because those shapes are stored in our memo-
ries as beautiful reflections of our experiences throughout our lives.
We all have a huge memory bank of thousands if not hundreds of
thousands of such images of the natural world which we have per-
ceived in our travels.
Throughout the history of bonsai it has always been the effort to
better learn and express these natural shapes. It is in the modeling
of the real tree that has created the most joy and the most recogni-
tion of our huge memory banks of the looks of the natural world
that we store.
Today there are new efforts in bonsai which often concentrate on
the very unique shapes of certain trees; beautiful and dramatic, but
not typical of the general run of the look of tree species and their
shapes. These efforts are championed by some of the best techni-
cians working in the art, and fine artists in their own right, but who
do not care as much about the stereotypical looks of natural trees.
Masahiko Kimura’s name comes to mind for it was he, with his
truly masterful talents to reshape trees. Including huge ancient and
brittle parts of the trunks, in previously unbelievable ways, who
brought about the ability, more than anyone, to make over a tree’s
shape into whatever else one wanted.
The most dramatic parts of the tree were what was concentrated
on, which was mostly an effort to make even more powerful large
driftwood effects.
Precursors of this effort were the Japanese who, for the most part,
found beautiful and natural shapes of such ilk, when collecting in
their mountains. These were considered the basis of the best bon-
sai in Japan and thus in the world during those centuries. While
there was some reshaping of the larger parts of these trees, detail-
ing the foliage and using what came naturally was the primary
focus.
As bonsai jumped the Pacific, to the US after WWII, especially
among the Japanese citizens in California, the effort was revived
2012, February Page 8
Nature’s Logic by Clif Pottberg to use the many beautiful natural driftwooded trees which contin-
ued to be collected. They were now primarily desert trees, more
than high mountain trees, but the drama of the driftwood was still
the most interesting and studied aspects of such trees.
Best known, perhaps, was the highly respected teacher John Naka,
whose collection included numbers of such trees. His teaching
efforts were profound and widespread. Thus the tradition of drama,
which increasingly began to become more important in the styling
of bonsai, even to the point of having the look of the real, or stereo-
typical tree become less important.
Here, even at times overlooking the look of a real tree and the prin-
ciples of its natural design, even including the natural trees which
had rather unique shapes, drama became key. With Kimura and his
followers a leap was made to the use of the plant material simply as
the artistic medium from which to wrest beautiful shapes, not nec-
essarily tree shapes. Here was pure art unhampered by an effort to
maintain any particular shape.
Here was the bifurcation in the art of which I’ve written in the past.
Still, in the minds of many the look of the real tree has remained
the quintessence of a beauty known to all, at least in our subcon-
scious minds.
Further, whether we wish to move beyond the looks of the real tree,
or immerse ourselves in the consideration of its beauty, we ought, it
seems to me, to understand what that beauty is, and why we find it
beautiful. In other words, to study all of the aspects of the tree’s
growth appearance.
To do that, we must figure out how trees grow how they do. Our
subconscious minds are such a huge storehouse of memory that we
will relate every part of a tree we see to what is stored in our minds.
If it fits; if it matches, we will feel that sense of recognition with
what we already know which is so appealing.
And if that’s so, to do that kind of bonsai, it helps to know why
various effects of nature affect living material the way they do. It
is a wonderful and engrossing study which is too complex to fully
cover here or in any one place, but let this be a beginning.
First, every tree has its own unique growth habit and we must start
there. The habits of some trees are very similar; some are hugely
dissimilar. The fir and the spruce trees can often be mistaken; a
maple and a pine will rarely if ever be confused, even if one looks
only at a simplified outline of the tree. But to know the difference
between a fir and a spruce, and even between different fir trees, and
to successfully model the look of each tree, is to more success-
fully connect with the images in our minds and so see the bonsai as
a real tree, albeit in miniature.
For example, shade changes the shape of trees; further, it changes
the shape of every part of the tree. A tree growing in a forest will
grow with less vigor and less foliage (and thus thinner trunks) than
one in a lush meadow. Also, because there is a generally shaded
condition in which the tree is growing, the rule we often follow, of
never putting one branch directly above another, is not going to be
as required.
That’s part of the reasoning of another rule of thumb we use; that
is to make the branches look as non arranged but as randomly
placed as possible. It’s also tied up in the rules of arranging the branches in groups of three (or as occasionally done, groups of
five).
Every branch that grows, or has grown, on a tree, will have added
girth to the trunk below it, and it is generally at those nodes where
branches grow that the thickness of the trunk changes. It’s also
generally where a change in the trunk direction occurs, if it does.
There are so many aspects of the trees’ growing habits that we
could never codify them all, and indeed some of the niceness of
any trees’ shape is in the imperfection with which it follows these
“rules”.
Therefore let’s just stop there, with a beginning, and learn further
from visual example.
A good one which explains both interesting tree shape and some
misunderstandings was put forth recently in a publication which
we can use.
Here is the tree; let’s analyze it.
To begin with, there is a certain aesthetic ally pleasing quality to
it; definitely a feel of the real tree. Further, there is good move-
ment and excitement and natural looking branch placing. We see,
in the lower back branches, a good sense of three dimensionality
and thus, again, a sense of reality.
An attractive
bonsai – but
with anomalies
2012, February Page 9
Nature’s Logic by Clif Pottberg In the upper part of the tree there are twists and turns to the trunk
which well relate to the placement of the branches. It’s hard to
fault the upper part of the tree. We see a naturalness and a craggi-
ness to the trunk and which relates and connects with the craggi-
ness of the branches. Changes of direction in the upper trunk are
defined as they should be by the placement of the branches.
For whatever reason, the lower trunk continues a curve to the left,
but suddenly without apparent reason changes character – and di-
rection – and heads off the right.
Further, there’s no taper at the very top of the tree, but we must
give the artist a little leeway here for it is a newly minted tree, and
the top is undoubtedly already planned for a bit more growth to
program in a little more height to create that taper.
The one difficulty with this tree as I see it is that the upper half of
the tree changes abruptly, both its direction and its character.
The top of the tree looks as though it has just been placed on the
bottom of another tree entirely. There is no real connection be-
tween the two pieces. Worse, the lower trunk has excellent taper,
but without any explanation as to how that taper may have oc-
curred. There are no branches, living or dead, or holes where a
branch or secondary trunk could have been ripped off, to have cre-
ated this taper.
It is, in other words, very unnatural looking as far as a basis for the
rest of the tree.
The curve is very nice, and would have been able to have been a
great base for another tree, but the two pieces don’t relate. The
very thickness of the bottom is too much for the amount of foliage
on the upper part of the tree. The foliage doesn’t explain its stout-
ness.
So we have a triple anomaly. First, the bottom of the trunk is a
little too thick for the top of the tree, and second, it has a lot of un-
explained taper. Finally, it has a smooth curve unrelated to the
shape of the rest of the tree.
These are ways that the bonsai doesn’t follow “nature’s logic” and
therefore ways in which the tree doesn’t look natural.
Let’s not argue too much, though, for it’s still a nicely shaped bon-
sai, especially considering it was only very recently done when the
picture was taken.
There has been a rule expressed from time to time, that the thick-
ness of the trunk should be related to the amount of foliage on the
tree.
That’s clearly so, for the trunk is but a pipe and its thickness is
primarily indicated by the size of pipe needed to pipe up the vast
amounts of water the foliage needs.
Then what, you might ask, is the explanation for the massive Bris-
tlecone pines in the White Mountains of California, for example,
which have very little foliage on them?
Here is where we must amend the “rule” a little. For it is clear that
there is much more trunk thickness than there is foliage that can
account for it.
Until one realizes that all that deadwood was once representative
of living foliage. Thus deadwood and trunk hollows can both ex-
plain a bigger trunk than represented by living foliage. So a more
correct wording would be: the thickness of the trunk will be repre-
sentative of the foliage that is – and the foliage that was – on the
tree. Of course, a nearly 5,000 year old Bristlecone pine has had a
lot of time for foliage to live – and die – on it, and that’s why so
many of them have such massive trunks.
A complete course of all the ways to create a natural looking tree
takes a lifetime, but perhaps these few reminders may provide you
with enough hints to begin teasing out many of the ways in which
trees normally grow.
An ancient Bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of Califor-
nia – little foliage, huge trunk
2012, February Page 10
Fukinagashi– the windswept style by Terry Davis The Japanese term for our windswept style is "Fukinagashi", which means a wind-blown banner. I bring this up because Fuki-nagashi are around now for all of us to see, whereas they were strictly west of the Pacific Puddle twenty years ago . They are not flags or banners as we know them in the Western World. They are a vertical pole (often curved) with a vertical fin of ban-ner, and you see them at car lots and such. They are battle standards dating from Samurai conflicts. Knowing what they are, I think, adds a little color to the concept. You all know I can't resist a good harangue, so here goes: "Windswept" style is a default style for a lot of "masters" when they can't think of anything else. (yes, and I do have some names, but I will control myself, this time). I have always said that diffi-cult stock dictates better art, and a good windblown would be one that ideally suited the style, not a drop-back-ten-and-punt by a stylist who hasn't given it enough thought or ability. To me, this is why we see so few well-done windblown. To be fair to the master, such difficult plants usually require a lot of thought and time before the style becomes concept. And some plants are just... well: garbage in, garbage out. Choosing the material for a public demo or workshop is a tough job, as we risk embar-rassing ourselves publicly. I wish more people would give it some thought. What we bring reflects our qualifications, just as what the teacher does with it reflects his/hers. I think that some of the best trees, artistically, are the ones we can't figure what to do with them for quite a while, until the idea arrives (at three in the morning). Some of you may recall me saying that the success of the more straight-forward styles (formal and informal upright) often depends upon the perfection of the stock, whereas the success of the more artistic styles often depends upon its imperfection.
I remember a Florida convention where Ben Oki was presented with an enormous gumbo limbo ( a species with limited bonsai potential at the very, very best). We are talking eight feet, mostly unbranched trunks. This was really garbage, and he treated it as such. He cut back the trunks and walked away from it. And the plant deserved no better. I was so embarrassed for our con-vention planners. At least he didn't try to make a windblown out of it. Windblown is easy to do, or they wouldn't be relying upon it so, and a lot of beginners are drawn to it, but it is probably as tough to do well as literati. Both are very concept-rich and sculptural. These styles require a real artist to pull off. And real understanding of how the model trees arise in Nature. For both, the stock has to have it in it, it can't be forced. Both require a less-is-more approach to the foliage masses. I based my lecture on them upon extensive series of photographs which I used as studies. Many of the windblown are Monterey pines and cypress from California. There are some subtleties that aren't immediately obvious.
I guess in a way we have a more difficult task than sculptors. Hey, a block of marble is a block of marble. But a tree has to have the "goods" to be worth doing. And the ability to recognize it. In his story "Slow Sculpture" Theodore Sturgeon mad e the point that a good bonsai could-n't be forced. Wonder what he had in his collection. I think the story won
a major prize from the Sci Fi folks. And this isn't just limited to Fukinagashi, but to the literati, too. I have in mind a teacher who does a dropping-top literati way too often. Many don't have it in the stock to do it, and the results bear witness. It had become a punt-style. In the lectures I used to give, I divided Fukinagashi into subcategories: those that ac-tively invoked the continued presence of a wind, very directional in style, and those that are the long-term result of the ravages of the wind, not always from a consistent direc-tion. The bristlecone pines of the White mountains are an example of the latter. I have used both in workshops, but very rarely, as the material needs to cry out for it. I have often said that art is a record of things seen and understood, and I think the con-cepts contribute to the understanding. I firmly believe more thought means more oppor-tunities. And those of you who aren't accumulating study books of interesting examples of various styles: you are missing the most valuable tool you could possibly have. Git crackin'!
2012, February Page 11
Uses for saplings by Dave Collom Many of us after a number of years in bonsai start to do less and less with young tree material and start being more particular what trees
we add to our collection. The beauty of using young material though is that you have more control over its development and what you
can create as an artist. We also use young material for grafting purposes and other projects such as creating forests, training root over
rock, phoenix grafts, and shohin.
Recently I came across a website that really got me excited. Now remember we are discussing bonsai. This guy took trident maple sap-
lings and tied them around a wire frame until the frame was entirely covered then planted it into the ground and within a few years he had
created a fantastic bonsai with great nebari, awesome taper and branching exactly where he wanted them. The nebari was due to the sap-
lings tap roots being so vigorous and the branching due to the fact that the center of the tree was hollow and so it was easy to theadgraft
and place branching wherever desired. The website is www.dugzbonsai.com and I recommend checking out his trident photo tours. I had
a bunch of cypress saplings I wasn’t sure what to do with and so I used most of them to experiment with this technique (see photos be-
low).
2012, February Page 12
Uses for saplings by Dave Collom
I had put my learning plant tissue culture on hold but plan to get back to it this spring. The technique shown above combined with ad-
vances made with tissue culture really has my imagination going. Some may find my desire to master so much control over plant material
disturbing and may even argue that in doing so I lose some of the very idea of what bonsai is all about. I would agree except that I do not
plan to pursue this without incorporating a spiritual component found through meditation and contemplation of nature and our place in it.
I do feel we are very close to discovering something new and profound if only we can vacation from our conditioned patterns of thought
and perceived possibilities. If you could create a bonsai totally from scratch what would your idea of the most awesome bonsai be?
Hukyu Bonsai Club January Photo Journal by Todd Rosenthal
Page 13
In Memoriam
JOHN A.A. THOMSON, PH.D., D.A.
November 23, 1911 - November 28, 2011
Dr. John Ansel Armstrong Thomson, inventor of the world-famous
horticultural vitamins-hormones solution SUPERthrive®, passed
away peacefully on November 28, 2011, five days after his 100th
birthday.
Preceded in death by his lovely wife June Anna Mae Hummel
Thomson, Dr. Thomson is survived by three children, Sheryll, Pa-
trisha, and Robert Thomson, all located in the Los Angeles area;
three grandchildren, Travis and Ben Thomson, and Leah Flanagan;
and four great-grandchildren, Elijah and Alannah June Thomson
and William and Margaret June Flanagan.
Thomson developed the SUPERthrive® formula in 1939. Seventy
-two years later, he was still engaged in the daily operations of his
company, Vitamin Institute, actively selling worldwide. As the new
President, his daughter Patrisha Thomson will continue her father's
legacy of improving horticultural and agricultural crops with the
firm's sole product.
Holding a Ph.D. in biochemistry, Thomson collected awards and
commendation for his lifetime of work. In 1940, he earned the Sci-
ence & Industry's only Gold Medal at the San Francisco World's
Fair Golden Gate International Exposition. In 2006, Dr. Thomson
became the first chemist to be honored with a Lifetime Achieve-
ment Award from the Lawn & Garden Marketing & Distribution
Association. Other honors include Lifetime Environmental Aware-
ness Award from Sustainable Environmental Education and induc-
tion into the "Nursery Retailer" magazine's Hall of Fame.
Dr. Thomson attributed his longevity to his family upbringing, a
fortunate environment, and a mental ability that hit the ceiling on
the Standard I.Q. test.
Thomson's grandfather and great-grandfather were owners of the
biggest hotel in Detroit, and both of his parents were successful
professionals and top money-raisers for the American Red Cross
during World War I. His mother, Florence Antisdel Thomson,
actually raised enough money to build an entire Red Cross base
hospital in France.
His parents promoted individuality and personal health, fueling
Thomson's life-long interest in nutrition, leading to his life's work
in nutrition for both people and plants.
Throughout World War II, his SUPERthrive® was used by five
U.S. Government departments (Army Corps of Engineers, Air
Force, Navy, Department of Agriculture, and Forest Service) re-
spectively to: transplant mature trees for defense plant camouflage;
plant and sustain low-dust turf landing fields; improve soil condi-
tions where salt interfered with plant success; develop vital drug-
and oil-bearing plants domestically; and increase production of
necessary guayule rubber.
Dr. Thomson is listed in 39 different Who's Who Directories and
has served in many community positions. He served as officer and
delegate with Boy Scouts of America, and as President of both
Kiwanis of North Hollywood and the China Society in Los Ange-
les. Founding members of the latter included Thomson's wife and
her parents, Dr. William and Mildred Hummel.
A longtime member of the First United Methodist Church of North
Hollywood, Thomson served on the church administrative board
and as chairman of the Commission on Church & Society. He was
an honorary lifetime member of United Methodist Men and has
served as its President, and as program leader and lecturer.
Dr. Thomson was very fortunate in his last months to have a won-
derful staff of medical personnel and companions to watch over
and encourage him, for which the family expresses deep gratitude.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
When asked about his primary philosophy of life, Dr. Thomson
summed it up saying, "My whole idea is to try to leave the world
better off for wherever I touch it."
I first met Dr. John Thomson at a horticultural trade show well over 30 years ago. He almost always went as his own company's ambassa-
dor and was likeable and talkative, and always ready to explain why everyone should use Superthrive. He had so much to say that it spilled
over onto his advertising which was so filled with information it was almost impossible to read.
I often thought that Superthrive would have become the most popular horticultural product anywhere if his advertising was better. It wasn't
because his product didn't work. Oh, there are cynics who still claim Superthrive is snake-oil, but it isn't -- and, contrary to its detractors, it
isn't a secret what's in it, either. It is perhaps more used in the world of bonsai than anywhere else, on a percentage basis, and rightly so.
John Naka was a proponent of it, for example.
I recently discovered a new product which is being touted as the greatest ever for growing on crops, even without fertilizer. However, I
remembered an old friend, Superthrive, and wondered about its efficacy relative to the new product, so I did a head to head test to compare
them. I compared them at several concentrations each, with and without fertilizer, over a variety of soil varieties and on several different
species. It turns out the new product was good, and large commercial farms are getting fine results with it -- but Superthrive was better.
Now Superthrive has lost its founder, but the company will continue under the control of his daughter, Patrisha Thomson, who has worked
with her father for many years. Perhaps, if she can change the advertising image, she might even bring Superthrive into the universal lime-
light it has always so richly deserved.
Clif Pottberg
2012, February
Dr Thomson & his daughter Patrisha
2012, February Page 14
We're uncovering many new discoveries and technological changes that will make tray landscapes more realistic and more compelling.
new methods of creating realistic water and easier products with which to make it.
new methods of creating the rocks we want - by molding and sculpting - and ensuring they are ever more realistic as well.
new miniature plants that work together and maintain their shapes so less work needs to be done to them once they've at-
tained the desired forms
new mold making products
new ground covers
methods to enhance the verticality possible of the landscape, and ways to keep them in shape
ways to create and reinforce planting platforms/slabs that are much easier to transport and make them lighter and stronger
rock forms that are half the weight or less of equivalent forms found in nature
ways to significantly reduce the cost of creating all these parts of the landscape
how to create lips on our concrete slabs
We hope you will come, share and use these discoveries with us.
We'll be meeting, as usual, at noon. A modest charge of $10 to cover a
light lunch will be requested, or bring a plate of something.
Any questions? Feel free to call us and discuss.
Hope to see you.
Clif Pottberg
18700 Lake Iola Road, Dade City, FL
352-424-6000
www.matsumomiji.com/
Matsu Momiji Bonsai We specialize in
Japanese Black Pine
Travel for Lectures,
Demonstrations,
Workshops
“American Pine Master”
Steve Pilacik, Owner
Tray Landscape Workshop — February 19; Bonsai at Pasiminan
In the meantime, here's a study, for your enjoyment, that is
planned to be used as a model for a landscape we'll be working on
soon. It's a painting by the renowned landscape artist, Alexander
Calame, entitled "Torrent in the Alps".
Don’t forget to join us
for lunch on Saturday
after the meeting. A
great time to catch up!
2012, February Page 15
2012 Volunteers
Our club is the most generous and
involved set of people. We asked for
volunteers to help. No elections were
held! None were needed. We had
many volunteers to take on the respon-
sibilities. They are:
Membership
Nick Sellas
Treasury Committee
Krystyna Hagmajer
Rich Sanderson
Programming Committee
Kay Waldron
Marian Borchers
Photography:
Todd Rosenthal
Hospitality Committee
Karen Swinyard
Lee Harrison
Journal
Lois Powell
Clif and Dave will also continue to help
lead our club. There’s no place to hide,
you guys!
Please say hello and thank you to each
of them for stepping up to help our club
grow.
In other business news:
Rich Sanderson will talk with other or-
ganizations to see if we can get some
discounts to events or other venues with
our membership cards.
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai News
We’ve had a very mild winter so far…
except on the day of the Sundamizu Janu-
ary meeting, BRRRR… Normally, we
hold our meetings indoors but due to a spe-
cial occasion at the Park, the room was not
available to us. Everyone was very
“hardy” and bundled up, but we held a
terrific meeting. Many thanks to Clif Nor-
ris and the team at Moccasin Lake Nature
Park for loaning us a portable heater!
2012 Membership Dues:
If you have not already done so, please
pay your treasury committee at the next
meeting. It is $24 for individual and $36
for family.
If you’ve already paid your dues for this
year, membership cards will be available
at the next meeting.
Photos by Todd Rosenthal
Feb 11 Meeting:
Bring your tree, pot, soil and
tools for repotting and pruning.
If you need to soil, etc, it will be
available for purchase.
澄んだ水盆栽会
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai
the Greater Clearwater and surrounding areas
2012, February Page 16
Sundamizu Bonsai Kai means Clear Water Bonsai Club
(Pronounced soon”da mi’ zu) Lois Powell: 727-742-3301
Clif Pottberg: 352-424-6000
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 drop-off 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
