It’s Show Time Again: May 21 and 22 at The Botanic Garden
Time and place
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Rd, Santa Barbara, 11am-4pm on Saturday and 9am-4pm on Sunday. Exhibit in the Library. Please enter a tree or two and get your tree entry form to Ann Erb as soon as possible. Volunteers are needed to help set up at 8 am on Saturday and to help tear down on Sunday at 4 pm. Contact Tom Post (964-2717 or email) if you have questions.
Demonstrations Both days at 1:00 PM
Saturday: Mel Ikeda; Sunday: Ann Erb
Plant Sale
Bring plants, tools, anything bonsai-related to sell: 30% to the club, 70% to you. Please have your sale forms filled out beforehand. Sale form is included with this newsletter.
Silent Auction
We are having silent auctions again this year. We are looking for donations of plants and pots to include in the auctions on both Saturday and Sunday. Bidding will end at 2:30 after the demos. Call John Bleck at 968-5519 for more information.
Informal Display of Native California Trees as Bonsai
Once again, we’d like to have a nice variety of California natives in any stage of training. Let Joe Olson know by May 10 (964-0869 or email) if you have any that you would be willing to display.
Program: Ann Erb On Show Preparation
Ann Erb returns on Tuesday evening this month to discuss show preparation. There is a lot to think about besides just the tree: Is the pot suitable? Do you have a suitable stand? And how about a nice complementary plant and stand? And then how are the tree and its complementary plant best set up on the show table? Ann is well qualified to talk about these issues. She has an extensive collection of pots and stands and she has been showing her excellent trees in many venues for many years. If you have a tree that you are contemplating entering in this year’s show but you don’t have a stand, please bring your tree to the meeting so that Ann can match it with one of her stands which you can then borrow.
But wait! There’s more! It’s not too early to start thinking about 2017! Ann will also talk about what we should be doing now to get ready for next year’s show. Please consider bringing in a tree that you think you might want to show next year and you’ll go home with some good ideas on how to make the best of the next 12 months.
There are no Saturday workshops this month. The new semester begins in June.
President’s Message:
It’s Show time! Ann Erb will be presenting her program about preparing a tree and companion plant for a show. If you would like, bring a tree which you are considering entering in our show this year or next year. This is a great opportunity to get feedback on your selection.
I will have the announcements for our show this year ready for those who have volunteered to distribute them at the meeting Tuesday.
We will begin our set up for the show at 8:00 Saturday morning, May 21. There are plenty of jobs for everyone. Leroy Kubel has graciously agreed to photograph our show again. We start photographing at 4:00, Saturday afternoon. If you are interested in assisting with the photo session, please let me know. John Bleck will be coordinating the silent auction, so when you arrive at the show with your items for the auction, look for John to drop your items off.
~Tom
Last Month: Ann Erb On “Sabamiki”
As examples, Ann brought in several trees with nice sabamiki, or hollowed trunks, but most impressive was an unpromising, rather scraggly Brazilian Pepper that, with some judicious splitting and hollowing followed by wiring, she turned into a unique and very promising tree. She prefers to split the wood with a chisel and then use pliers to peel away the dead wood. That way the finished work looks more natural than if she had used power tools.
Follow the line of the tree and don’t try to do too much at a time – let the tree tell you what’s best for it. Minwax Wood Hardener can be used to prevent rotting at the base of the trunk, and conversely, pack areas that you want to rot away with dead moss and keep them wet. The Pepper tree is at left and the other two trees are an Ume and a Nanking cherry.
Coming Events:
May 14: Santa Barbara Cactus And Succulent Society Show
Trinity Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall at Trinity Lutheran Church, 909 North La Cumbre Road
(at Foothill Road), Santa Barbara. 10 AM – 3 PM. Free admission and parking, demonstrations, silent auction, displays of rare and exotic plants, sales of handmade pots. For more information call John Bleck, 968-5519.
May 14 – 15: Gardena, Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai: Annual Exhibit
“Serenity through Bonsai” at Ken Nakaoka Community Center, 1670 W. 162nd St. Hours are 10 AM – 4 PM both days with demonstrations at 1 PM: The demonstration items will be in the benefit drawing which follows each demonstration.
May 21 – 22, Sansui Kai Of Southern California: Annual Bonsai Show
At the Japanese Garden at Tillman Water Reclamation Center, 6100 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys. Show hours are 10 AM to 4 PM both days, with demonstrations each day. Sale table of Bonsai trees and pots.
May 28 – 30: Santa Anita Bonsai Society’s 52nd Annual Show
Ayres Hall, Los Angeles Arboretum County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 301, N. Baldwin Ave, Arcadia. The show will be held Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Memorial Day) from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM daily. Demonstrations will begin each day at 1:00PM. There will also be bonsai trees, pots, tools, and related items for sale. Free with garden admission. (Garden admission is free for members of Santa Barbara Botanic Garden).
June 11 Create Your Own Bonsai (beginner’s class)
This year, the club’s annual beginner’s class will be held in the courtyard of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden from 9AM to 4 PM on the second Saturday after our show. The workshop includes pot, plant, and supplies as well as instruction. Cost is $40.00 for members of either the Club or the Garden, and $60.00 for non-members.
