June Picnic and Auction

Once again, we've come to the end of a year's meeting cycle, which means it must be time for the annual Picnic and Auction. This is an event that is eagerly anticipated, and with good reason. Hosts Chase and Solita Rosade have promised us wonderful weather for this year's picnic and auction (we have shelter in case thing turn wet).

This year's picnic will feature tube steaks in a bun (no less!) supplied by PBS. The Society will also furnish liquid refreshments. We're asking that members whose last name begins with A-L provide an appetizer, a salad, or a covered dish to share, while those members whose name begins with M-Z bring a dessert to share.

This is an election year, and our election chairman will be proposing a slate of candidates for you to vote on.

Each year, our auction serves two main purposes. One, it serves as a fund-raiser for the society, as auction material is donated by our members, and two, some great bonsai materials, pots, tools, magazines, etc. are purchased by our members, enlarging their plant collections, and providing new inspiration for bonsai styling and training. Sometimes that tree you've given up on or grown out of becomes someone else's treasure. The pot you were sure you'd use when you bought three years ago, which still sits one the shelf, may be exactly what another enthusiast is looking for. Those seedlings that you planted, planning on a bonsai forest, but are still in nursery containers, could be a delight for another bonsaist. Have you read that bonsai book over and over? Recycle the knowledge - bring it to the auction. Please, please, donate to the auction! Without your donations and participation, the wonderful speakers and programs we’re used to seeing won’t be there. Past auctions have been a huge success due in no small part to the generosity of our members.

As we've done in past years, there will be a special raffl e, at no cost, for a $100 gift certificate from Rosade Bonsai Studio.

We look forward to a great turnout and to sharing a wonderful day!

Annual Picnic & Auction: Sunday, June 28
Hosts: Chase & Solita Rosade - Rosade Bonsai Studio, New Hope
Times: Picnic - 1pm , Auction 2:30 (approx. time)

Guest Artist for our May program, Ron Lang, delivered a comprehensive, fascinating presentation of his "Winter 2009 Production Cycle; Making, Glazing, Loading & Firing", describing the processes involved in the production of his custom bonsai containers.

Ron was fortunate that, upon his retirement, he was able to purchase a property in central Pennsylvania that provided him with a home in a style he and his wife admired, an existing studio, and the space to build a wood burning kiln.

In constructing his containers, Ron mixes his own clay according to his recipes to control particle size, especially for the larger bonsai pots. That is necessary to keep the walls of the pot from slumping as it dries or during firing.
Ron's PowerPoint program showed us the steps involved in making an oval container moving in sequence from round to oval, floor rolled out, oval wedded to fl oor, drainage holes drilled, and feet added. He pointed out that his ovals, in fact all of his pots, are hand-built, not pressed from molds, a process involving the artist to a much greater degree and a more difiicult process, especially with the larger pots.

Of special interest was a series of pictures showing the development of a custom container for one of our members, again depicting the steps involved in building the container and showing the final result with a bonsai planted in it. Quite impressive!

Ron's kiln is quite large, approximately 80 cubic feet, so it can hold quite a number of items to be fired. A kiln firing is a major event, stoking with wood all throughout the night a necessary thing.

We thank Ron for a great presentation, one that was both informative and interesting. We've added words to our vocabulary such as grog, wedging, slip, pug mill, greenware, and wall marrying floors. We'll never look at a bonsai pot again without remembering the labor, art, and skill that went into its construction.

There were two raffl e winners - Jim Brant and Charley Gysi, thanks to Ron's generosity in donating a second pot to raffle.

Ron's website - www.langbonsai.com - has excellent slide shows giving construction and firing details, as well as examples of his work.

President's Notes

Our September exhibit at Shofusu, the Japanese House in Fairmount Park, has be cancelled due to a number of conflicting events involving the exhibitors. We hope to continue this exhibit at some time in the future.

The following is the last in a three-part series dealing with techinques for developing shohin bonsai.
Les Dowdell resides in Edmunton, Alberta, Canada, and often spends the long winter days researching
and writing about bonsai techniques. These articles are reprinted with the permission of the
author with my gratitude. -Ed.

So far we have looked at two very different methods you could use to put curves and bends in shohin bonsai. The amifuse and Gravel Bed techniques are not seen in very many bonsai books. In contrast, this third method is widely known (maybe not widely used) and can also be used for any size bonsai. It is the Lingnan clip-and-grow technique. I prefer to call it the build-and destroy method since this more accurately reflects the sequence of the steps involved as well as sounding more rugged.

You can start with a wide range of material, from young seedlings to relatively mature trees. However, for this explanation we will look at the seedling as the araki, or starting material. Find a nice, straight, 2-3 year old tree with no branches. Decide how tall you want it to be when it becomes a bonsai in fi ve or ten years (who said anything about instant bonsai?). At about 1/3 that future height, look for a bud on the trunk. Cut just above that bud, trim the roots, and tilt it at an angle that has that important bud pointing up. Now, maintaining that angle, plant the rather short tree in the ground or a large pot and let it grow unattended for one or two years to thicken the trunk and heal the pruning scar. Of course you will water and fertilize the tree to promote vigorous growth during this period. You should now have a tall, thicker sapling with a bend down near the bottom. It would be even better if some side shoots have developed during this time. A perfect result would see a side shoot growing from the pruning point. Species such as maples, that have leaves in pairs, are prime candidates for this technique because one of the buds near the cut will become the new leader and the other bud will become a branch. For trees that have alternating leaves and buds, such as elms, there are usually buds that will open close to the cut and form the branch.

Now dig up the tree and do it all over again. Decide where the tree’s next curve is going to be, trim back to a bud close to that location, trim the roots, and replant at a different angle that puts the new leader growing straight up. One suggestion for the location of the new terminal bud is  of the distance from the previous cut to the future apex. As you repeat this process, remember to add some depth to the tree by also putting in curves that would go front and back in addition to the left-right curves. As more branches form along the trunk you can start training them by pruning and wiring them so that by the time the trunk is formed, the branches will also be semi-trained. This building up of new branches, a thick trunk, and nice natural curves continues for a few more years until you have the basic structure of the soon-to-be- bonsai well developed. The last stage involves planting the tree in its fi nal position and working at increasing and improving the ramifi cation of the main branches that have formed. Again, you can use the same technique to develop this secondary branch structure by ‘building’ the basic structure and then ‘destroying’ the excess to promote side branches and twigs. This Chinese technique produces bonsai that have a more angular look than those trained with wire.

It’s that time of the year again! Our membership year ends with the last day of May. If your address label has an 08/09 on it, please send your dues check to our treasurer, Dave Spirt, as soon as possible, or rejoin at the June meeting (if you receive your newsletter via email, notices have been sent out via email). Labels displaying an 09/10 indicate dues are paid for the 2009-10 year. Dues remain at $20.00. Please clip the attached form, fill out, and return. The mailing address is:

The Pennsylvania Bonsai Society
Box 801
Spring House, PA 19477

Central New Jersey - route 95 west to Rt 29 north to Lambertville, left on Rt 179 at light, cross bridge to New Hope. Turn right at fi rst light Rt 32 north. Go 21/2 miles on Rt 32 to Ely Rd, turn Left on Ely for 1 mile - studio on left (sign) at end of long driveway

Philadelphia & South - Delaware, Maryland, D.C. etc - I 95 north to last exit in Pennsylvania # 51- left at stop sign. Follow signs and Rt 32 North for 10 miles into New Hope. From traffic light in center of New Hope continue straight (North on Rt 32 ) for 2 1/2 miles to Ely Rd on Left, 1 mile on Ely Rd to studio on left (sign)

Philadelphia & West - Pennsylvania Turnpike East to exit # 27 (Willow Grove) North on Rt 611 approximately 10 miles just south of Doylestown . Exit right to New Hope Rt 202 North. Follow Rt 202 North to exit (New Hope- Easton Rt 32) At stop sign turn left North on 32 about 1 1/2 miles to Ely Rd, turn left on Ely for 1 mile. Studio on left at the end of a long driveway.

Allentown and North - take the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike south to Quakertown exit #32. Go north toward Quakertown on Rt 663 (which becomes Rt 313 East) through Crosskeys to Rt 202 north. Follow Rt 202 north to exit (New Hope- Easton Rt 32) At stop sign turn North on 32 to about 1 1/2 miles to Ely Rd, turn left on Ely for 1 mile. Studio on left at the end of a long driveway.

For those with GPS, the
address is:
6912 Ely Rd. -Solebury
New Hope, Pa 18938
215-862-5925