Fall is for Pine Work
Japanese Black Pine after needle plucking.
I love pines but only have two, one of them being the Japanese Black Pine pictured above. Being a relatively new addition to my collection, I touched its foliage for the first time last week, plucking the needles down to about a dozen pairs over the majority of the tree, with some more aggressive plucking near the apex.
Some bud selection/thinning was done as well – but not too much. I want the weak inner buds to gain strength in preparation for the hard cutback this tree will be getting in a year or two as a step towards my ultimate goal to make it a shohin. If you want weak inner buds to strengthen, it is best to keep some strong foliage on the ends of the branches to keep sap flowing heavily through the branch. Cutting back all the outer foliage as soon as inner buds appear is counter productive. This comes from my friend who is a student of Boon Manakitivipart.
In keeping with the season, below are some outstanding videos of Ryan Neil talking about pines. If you haven’t seen them yet, they are really worth a watch. The first is a shorter “crash course” while the second is a more in depth two part video.
Ryan Neil “Crash Course” on Japanese Pines
Ryan Neil on Pines (Detailed) Part 1
Ryan Neil on Pines (Detailed) Part 2
A Few Images from the Toronto Bonsai Society Show
Despite is being a less-than-stellar year for fall colour, TBS still put on a good show. Unfortunately I didn’t bring the correct lens for the job so I wasn’t able to get far enough back to get most trees in frame. So here is a small sample of some trees that were on display at TBS.
I’m very proud of myself that I didn’t buy anything in the sales area, despite there being some nice trees that got snatched up pretty quickly.
… well I did buy 10 bags of lava rock, but soil doesn’t count đŸ™‚
Very nice chuhin Japanese maple, trained by one of TBS’s senior members for many years from either a cutting or an air layer.
Great pot by (I think) Horst Heinzelreiter. A creative pairing with this tree that I think works extremely well with the fall image.
It wouldn’t be TBS without some Eastern White Cedars.
Shohin English Oak, 12 years from seed.
Bonsai Society at Royal Botanical Gardens Exhibition
My local club, the Bonsai Society at Royal Botanical Gardens, had our first club exhibition this weekend. Bonsai@RBG was founded almost exactly 4 years ago in October 2009, and we were all proud of the exhibition our young club was able to produce.
Approximately 60 tree were displayed, all on stands and most with accompanying accent plants. We had no backdrops for many of the trees and we thought this would be an issue, but were pleasantly surprised with the feeling of openness that it gave the show. It was nice to be able to walk into the room and gaze across the entire exhibit. Of course, backgrounds are always more desirable in a formal display setting, and this is something we will work towards for future shows.
One of the amazing things about our show was how we all pooled our resources to make the best possible displays. Many of our members do not have stands, so we pooled together everything we had and paired the best stand with the tree, regardless of owner. Similarly, members provided accent plants and scrolls to elevate the display. Without this mutual support, the show certainly would not have come together as well as it did.
Enjoy the pics below of some of the trees I was able to photograph. Most are blurry because of the low light, I had to turn down the shutter speed and of course forgot my tripod.
A panoramic view of the back wall where some of the larger bonsai were displayed alongside some nice antique scrolls. None of us are experts in displaying bonsai with scrolls, but I think it is safe to say that they added to the beauty of the display.
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- Eastern White Cedar
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- American Larch “Penelope” by Nick Lenz
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- Ginkgo biloba
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- Larch Deadwood
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- Crab Apple
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- Potentilla fruticosa
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- Hawthorn Trunk
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- Demon Head Larch
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- Hinoki Cypress
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- Tamarack/Larch
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- Korean Hornbeam and Blue Rug Juniper
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- Shimpaku Juniper
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- Japanese Maple “Bloodgood” by Nick Lenz
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- Accent
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- Nice Bigei pot and stand.
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- Wisteria
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- Crimson Frost Birch
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- Accent
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- Collected Hawthorn
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- Siberian Elm
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- Thuja deadwood accent
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- Eastern White Cedar on “Niagara Escarpment”
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- Tamarack/Larch
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- Some Lenzisms
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- Trident Maple
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- Pitch Pine “Ragged Shore”
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- Portulacaria afra
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- American Larch on Demon Head by Nick Lenz
Fall 2013 Bonsai Events in the Greater Toronto Area
Bonsai Society @ RBG Fall Exhibition
Over 40 bonsai well displayed, including some rarely seen trees by American Bonsai Artist Nick Lenz.
When: 10:00 – 5:00 pm, October 12-13
Where: Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington ON
Cost: Free with garden admission.
Toronto Bonsai Society Show & Sale
One of North America’s oldest clubs. Always some great trees and often great deals to be had at the sales table.
When: Saturday October 19, 11:00 -6:00 & Sunday October 20, 10:00 – 5:00
Where: Toronto Botanical Garden, Toronto, ON
Cost: Typically around $5.00 with discounted rates for seniors and children.
Chrysanthemum Show
While not strictly bonsai. the Japanese Garden Club will be hosting a Special Demonstration Day on Sunday November 3rd which will include bonsai lecture(s) and demonstration(s).
