| 
YOUR BONSAI IN AUGUST and LATE SUMMER
Well it's that time of year again: The end of summer.
Everyone I know thinks that Im crazy and a party-spoiler when I harp on the fact that we are now entering the third and final growth cycle on our bonsai calendar that I refer to as "Fall".To the non-believers I point out the pollen production from ragweed (allergy sufferers know all about that!) - but signs of summer's end are all around us. The Goldenrod and Purple Loosestrife are in full bloom now, the buds for next year's flowers are swelling on our Azalea and Rhododendron and we all know that air conditioned rooms will very shortly be replaced by evening sweaters.
The reason this is so important to us Bonsai growers is that we don't want to miss this final huge push that makes up almost a whole third of the growing season. In order to maximize results we certainly don't want to wait 'til the end of September when the calendar finally catches up and announces 'the First (official) Day of Fall'.
Here at the nursery we have been pruning and feeding with all of this in mind.
August is a great time to hit all your outdoor trees with a heavy dose of slow-release organic food.
This will allow the bonsai to develop good root growth and to store energy for the long winter.
But in addition to strong roots we are still going to get another spurt of needle and leaf growth so this is also a good time to tip prune and lightly prune all of your trees, deciduous, conifer and tropical alike.But be sure to prune lightly: there is some danger to cutting trees back very hard this time of year because the new growth will not have a chance to harden off before the first frost, but a nice light haircut will insure that your bonsai are in good shape until spring.
August is also a good time to transplant bonsai, especially the trees that you didn't get to in the spring.
But having said that, I want to caution you that while it is true that the best time to transplant are spring and fall, I have always felt that if I didn't get around to repotting my specimen bonsai and other special trees in the spring, it would be better to wait until the next March/April to repot and rootprune them, when I know I will have perfect results.
So instead of repotting the more valuable trees, I use this month to catch up on repotting stock plants and bonsai that need larger pots and minimal root pruning.Most of the chores around the nursery this month are centered around cleaning-up our trees.
Our junipers all need haircuts, as do our Chinese elms and just about everything could use a ten minute 'tune-up. Between weeding, feeding, pruning, and checking for wire that needs removing we really do have our hand full.Watering is more critical than other times of year.
Because of the hot days and cool evenings our trees are drinking plenty.
It is essential to separate your trees that are root bound and needing water everyday from your trees that could be skipped for a day or so.
Here at the nursery we of course are watering everyday but many trees will get water only every other day or less, and of course a rainy humid day or windy dry day has to also be factored in.
Our September Class Schedule includes two famous visiting Artists: Suthin Sukolsovisit and Rodney Clemmons.
I have assembled a great class lineup to complement both of their styles.
You will find classes for all levels, from Beginner through Advanced.Suthin Sukosolvisit is visiting us on September 18th.
Suthin has been a bonsai artist since 1970.
He is justly admired for his remarkable shohin bonsai tree designs.
Over the years he has won various awards for his bonsai work including 1st Prize most recently at the U.S. National Exhibition in Rochester N.Y. (please see below for more on that Exhibition).He lectures all around the world and at some of the biggest bonsai conventions here in the States.
He is one of the greatest bonsai artists working today, and many of you will have heard of him or met him. (Did you know that he worked at Bonsai West when he first moved to the United States?)
He is teaching an all-day masterclass/seminar on Shohin Shimpaku on September 18th. This is an advanced class, open to 8 students. See our Class Schedule for more details.Rodney Clemmons spent his formative years in the Florida panhandle, moving to Atlanta, GA when he was thirteen.
He was captivated by bonsai in 1973 when he saw a Trident maple forest that struck a chord with him, and Bonsai has been his passion since that time.
He is a bonsai artist, instructor and professional landscaper, specializing in Japanese gardens and natural water features.
He studied with E. Felton Jones and enjoyed workshops with many visiting artists like John Naka and Yugi Yoshimura.
His style has been formed by studying nature, drawing heavily on childhood memories of coastal Florida.
Rodney excels in capturing the tension in nature and translating it to bonsai.
He is best known for his unique "rock plantings" and his love of "Kingsville" boxwood.
He has been an invited speaker to numerous Bonsai societies meetings and conventions here and abroad, including the World Bonsai Convention, Orlando, FL , the ABS Convention, Hershey, PA and the International Bonsai Convention, England.
Rodney has been President of the Atlanta Bonsai Society three times, since joining the organization in 1973.Aside from teaching several classes, Rodney will also be giving a free demonstration on September 26 during our Fall Open House Weekend. He is a gifted teacher and artist, and his classes and demos are among the most enjoyable you will have ever attended.
Please check back for more information, as September draws closer!
And on another note: Check out our You Tube Channel!
Devan has become our in-house videographer.
The videos are a little funky, but they are getting better and were having lots of fun. Our goal is to have the Bonsai West Video Book since we never had time to write a real one.
Let us know what you think!
See you some time this fall -
-- Michael
2ND US NATIONAL BONSAI EXHIBITION
I just returned from the 2nd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition held in Rochester N.Y. and all I can say is WOW!!!! . . . anything else I write is going to sound clichéed.
I've been deeply involved in American Bonsai for over 28 years, and have watched exhibition trees in America evolve from little spindly twigs to some of the most awe-inspiring masterpiece, museum-quality trees: like the 250+ specimens on exhibit last weekend in N.Y.
Bill Valavanis really outdid himself in organizing this event, as did all the artists involved in displaying their fine works.
Suthin Sulkovisit won Best of Show with his outstanding Five Needle Pine, (he will be teaching a master class at Bonsai West this September!)
His winning tree would be a contender even in one of the famous Japanese exhibitions.I was extremely proud to be part of this event, with two trees accepted into the exhibition: a Prostrata Juniper, about 70 years old, and a beautiful Silverberry (approximate age: 60 years).
For years I have given Bonsai tours here in the garden of the Nursery, and have talked about the old original Japanese artists (mostly from California), who were also the first teachers to popularize Bonsai in this country. John Naka may be the most famous among them. Through him, a new generation of artists and educators sprung up.
North American artists such as Chase Rosade, Nick Lenz, Mary Miller, Jack Billet, David Easterbrook, Guy Guidry, and so many more are now household names in the bonsai community.
However, what this event demonstrated to me above anything, is that Bonsai as an art form, both as practised and as appreciated, has grown hugely since my own humble beginnings in 1982.
I realize that I am part of a large and vibrant community of practicing artists. And it's exhilerating.For me, Rochester was incredibly inspirational.
Bill Valavanis had promised a presentation of the finest American Bonsai, representing the most accomplished level of bonsai in the United States. The exhibition did that and more and the result was exhilarating.The first thing I did when I returned to Bonsai West was to dream about preparing several trees for the 2012 show. That's just 2 years from now, I better get to work right away!
We have been looking back at some of our old photographs of the specimen collection and are all amazed how quickly some of the trees are changing.
The pictures below are of one of my favorite Hatanaka Black Pines and a 5-Needle Pine, and how they have changed over the past 2 years.To see more transformations/changes, click here.
In the next few weeks I will post several more pictures for you to study - it's nice to see progress!
