Bonsai Northwest Melbourne Established: 1973 April 2019 Newsletter A-19332L In this Issue: Next Meeting – 1 April 2019 - Demonstration • Next meeting This month we are looking forward to our own member, Matt Ball, sharing his knowledge of Japanese black pines. Matt will demonstrate his Autumn work regime and • Bend-em twist-em Japanese black pines discuss his techniques for the rest of the year. Matt has been growing Bonsai for around 16 years and has twice trained and worked • AABC Convention at Taisho-en Bonsai Nursery in Shizuoka, Japan. • Bend-em twist-em Shimpaku Matt is a talented Bonsai Artist and we are fortunate to have him demonstrate as a member of Bonsai Northwest. • Coming events • Seasonal notes – Autumn • Lessons from Japanese Garden Design Part 3 • Wound sealant Club Details www.bonsainorthwest.com.au [email protected] PO Box 1091 Niddrie Victoria 3042 President: David Nassar Contact: Barry 0422 619 641 Meetings are held at the Aberfeldie Community Club, 7B Batman St Essendon at 7:30pm on the first Monday of the month (no meeting in January) Bend-em Twist-em Japanese black pines For the people who participated in Hahn's Bend-em session last year, bring your tree Social Media along for the next stage of creating your Bonsai. This will be an early session before our demonstration. A table will be setup to work around. Special time- 7:00pm to Click on icon to access: 7:20pm. Hope you can make it! AABC Bonsai Convention 19-20 May 2019 We've mentioned a number of times there is a great opportunity to enjoy a weekend of Bonsai demonstrations by US Bonsai artist, Ryan Neil and various Australian Artists at Bell City, Preston. Registrations are closing soon so please consider being a part of it. Go to vicnativebonsai.com.au. If you have any questions, contact VNBC or see Quentin or Barry at the April meeting. Greg Thomas is our lucky member selected to attend the Convention sponsored by BNW. Greg has agreed to come back to the club to share what he had learnt. bonsai_northwest Bend-em Twist-em Shimpaku workshop We still have young Shimpaku for sale to be used in Hahn's workshop at our June meeting. This will be a great opportunity to style some very interesting future Bonsai. Trees are $15. Don’t miss out- we won’t be getting any more. Coming Events BSV Sale Day, Saturday 13 April, East Kew Uniting Church, 142 Normanby Road, East Kew 3102. Entry $2.00 Mornington Peninsula Bonsai Society 40th Easter Bonsai Exhibition, Saturday 20 April 9:00am to 5:00pm & Sunday 21 April 10:00am to 4:00pm, at the Balcombe Grammar 389 Nepean Highway, Mt. Martha. Admission $5. Bendigo Bonsai Society Easter Exhibition, Saturday 20 April & Sunday 21 April, 10:00am - 5:00pm, Monday 22 April, 10:00AM - 4:00PM at Uniting Church Hall, Forest St, Bendigo Seasonal Notes - Autumn There are relatively few pressing jobs in Autumn, so much of the time can be spent enjoying your trees and the beauty of the season. Repotting: Autumn is the second best time for repotting and is ideal for Olives, Junipers and fruit trees. If repotting Pines, don’t root or branch prune as drastically as in Spring. It is also a good time to repot Australian Natives. Deciduous trees should be left until “bud swell’ in Spring. Pruning: Pruning and trimming is not a major job at this time. Generally, prune only the essential and unruly parts of your trees, (ie, “pinch prune” foliage to maintain shape). You can prune Pines and Junipers; avoid pruning deciduous trees. Towards the end of the season, remove fruit, berries or seed from trees so as not to deplete the tree’s energy. Wiring: Wood can thicken rapidly in Autumn with a late burst of growth. Check wire is not cutting in. Generally, remove wire to give trees a rest during Winter. Watering: Most tree varieties dry out more slowly in Autumn, so water less frequently. Trees moving into Autumn colour need less watering. Native trees are probably still growing quite well, so they may require more regular watering. Pines and Junipers don’t like wet feet. Fertilising: Feed with low nitrogen organic fertiliser at ½ strength every 2-3 weeks. Fertiliser high in potassium and phosphorus helps to discourage Winter die back in flowering trees, Elms and Maples and promotes healthy growth in Spring, (note, Natives are very potassium sensitive). Nitrogen-free fertiliser can be given to harden off the current year’s growth and provide protection for Winter. Tidy Up: Remove dead leaves and needles from evergreens to allow more circulation of air and light. After deciduous leaf-fall, clean up the bonsai area. Remove old, rotting leaves from benches and soil, as they encourage pests and diseases. Keep trunks and branches clean and free from all algae and moss, (use a tooth brush). After leaf-fall, varieties prone to mildew and fungal problems may be sprayed with a solution of lime sulphur, (3% lime sulphur to 97% water). Last month Shane Boyce from Tasmania visited our club for a triple demonstration night. Three of our members worked on cedars under the guidance and direction of Shane. Shane is part of the AABC Visiting Tutor programme. Thank you to Shane and his three helpers, Mark, Luke and Michael on an entertaining night. Sponsors: Ology.net.au - Damian 0412 698 259 Lessons from Japanese Garden Design by Ian Barnes Part 3 Gardening in Japan has long been a form of artistic expression, using nature imagery as a vehicle. Like painting or sculpture (or indeed, bonsai), gardening is a means of giving physical, sensory form to emotional or spiritual matters. Garden design in Japan evolved over a long history. The important periods are the Heian period (794-1185), Kamakura period (1185-1333), Muromachi period (1333-1568), Momoyama period (1568-1600) and the Edo period (1600-1868). Complex changes in society gave rise to new forms of gardens and new ways of perceiving what a garden is – perceptions from which we can draw inspiration for our own creative works in bonsai. Japanese Garden Categories There are 8 broad categories of Japanese garden. In Part 1, we looked at the typical elements and identifying features of the Heian estate garden, the paradise garden, the dry landscape garden, and the contemplation garden. In Part 2 we looked at the tea garden and the courtyard garden. In Part 3, we will examine the stroll garden and the hermitage garden of the Edo period, and also discuss the design principles and techniques that underpin Japanese garden design. (As you read the following descriptions, think about the various underlying design principles and how they may be applied to your bonsai). The Stroll Garden The stroll garden reached its zenith in the Tokugawa era (1600-1868), in the vast secular estates owned by the Daimyo, who were forced by the Tokugawa shogunate to maintain lavish residences in both Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and the castle towns of their home provinces. These gardens featured large, central ponds, extensive networks of paths, rolling artificial hills, and miniature representations of famous scenes. Very elaborate gardens often added agricultural motifs, ornamental orchards, a geometric style of topiary art, extensive ranges of exotic and domestic flora, rolling lawns, garden pavilions, and tea huts surrounded by tea gardens. All of these diverse elements are linked together through a vast web of pathways, which not only lead the visitor to specific vantage points, but also control the sequence in which they are encountered. In other words, the stroll garden is a carefully orchestrated venue, a technique known as miegakure (“seen/hidden”). We follow the main path, turning right at the …where we first see the stone bridge. We lose sight of the bridge as we proceed Y-junction… straight along the stepping stones… Example of miegakure. … until the path bends sharply to the left, Finally, we can enjoy the view of the pond and we are confronted with the two massive from the bridge-span itself. stone slabs laid before us. Large stroll gardens were not only symbols of social status, but also offered the daimyo the opportunity to showcase cultural awareness. These gardens are often physically impressive and visually stunning. Of particular interest in the stroll garden is the manner in which designers incorporated aspects of several earlier prototypes. From the Heian- period (794-1185) estate garden came the large boating ponds with central islands, long winding streams and perimeter paths; from the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Muromachi periods (1333-1568) came the artificial hills; from the later Muromachi contemplation gardens came the fixed viewing-points from within adjacent architecture; and from the Momoyama period (1568-1600) tea gardens came the wabi elements of garden architecture and stone ornaments. The ponds are generally shallow and inviting, and their banks, less rocky than Momoyama period prototypes, usually blend seamlessly into the surrounding garden or wash up on a stony beach. Islands tend to be smaller and less dramatic, with fewer rocks, but are linked to the shoreline by impressive, gently curving bridges. Such gardens often recreated scenes of faraway places and spots of outstanding natural beauty (China’s West Lake and Japan’s own Ama-no-Hashidate and Mount Fuji were extremely popular) in scaled-down representations, known as shukkei (“shrunken scenery”). Designs also drew from mythology, classical literature and well-known poems, and religious pilgrimages. One notable stroll garden is Koishikawa-kōraku-en, in Tokyo: 1. In (Yin) Stone 2 Lotus Pond 3. Yō (Yang) Stone 4. Chinese-style Gate 5.