February Meeting -Potting techniques- When, Why & How

Tree before...

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.... during..
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...and after the committee aproach to repotting!

Daye Y opened the meeting and meeting and congratulated Ken
for having his tree selected for Best Of British 2011.

Well lots of activity in the room with Dave Y and Dougie M getting stuck in and getting DIRTY also Senior Members Helping out giving advice and passing on their knowledge and I am sure Mark from GD did a roaring trade.

We have been given the go ahead for workshops at Gordales for the last Sunday in the month but since there is work going on at Gordales during February it may be March before it is all up and running.
So it will be up to all to attend at some point when ever possible to make it a success.

Also With GD (Green Dragon ) holding 2 a month there's plenty of opportunity for both Clubs to improve their knowledge and Trees.

Dave Y did stress that not everyone will be attending each one or able to do so its up to us as individuals to attend when we can and work on our trees and help out others (LIKE ME ) who can't tell the difference from one tree to another. [now, now... Jim don't put yourself down.....theres plenty of other that can do that ;)]

Jim the Lad

(Apologies for the late posting)
Iain

Miracid

As highlighted and extolled by Dave Y, FYI Miracid has now been renamed
"Miracle-Gro azalea,camellia,&rhododendron"
......for some reason.

Blog reference pages

One thing that came up (during a sub committee meeting) was an idea from Dave Y and Andy to set up a sub-section on the blog site whereby people could click onto a heading (say Feeding regime, Pruning etc) and have a document pop up that they can print off with the relevant information, this to save people printing off loads of handoust to give out during there talks. What do you think, is it a possibility?
Regards ..........Dougie

No sooner said........

Pottery Workshop results

Above are photos of some of the pots made at the Pottery workshop at Vale of Clwyd in which some Wirral members partook.
Dave B

The selection of pots here serve to visually illustrate the phenomenal success of the pottery workshop help recently at Green Dragon Bonsai. The Vale of Clwyd Bonsai Society had organised a workshop at which participants were given the the choice of making either a rectangular pot or a cascade. Despite the fact that many of us had little or no experience of manipulating clay the patience and skill of Dave Jones ensured everyone finished the day with a pot to be proud of.
V.O.C.B.S. are proposing to hold another such event during 2011 and I would encourage anyone interested in having a go at making a bonsai pot to sign up.
A really successful event, Good banter, coupled with precise and humorous direction. Many thanks to Dave Jones and Walsall Ceramics
Dave Y

They all look really good to me.


Iain

Bonsai Site of the Month -January

Thsi months site is a new one set up in America with some nice Yamadori.

http://www.bonsaimirai.com/

Lack of Posts

Hi All,
Just a quick apology for lack of posts recently, a bereavement in the family has limited my time.

Regards

Iain

Interesting item on IBC

Link Courtesy of Dave B

http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t5241-viewing-distance-in-bonsai

One of the important aspects that is not adequately addressed to in Bonsai is the viewing distance. All the efforts that are put into creating a tree over the years finally culminate in a good Bonsai. While I am not getting into the aspect of what makes a good Bonsai but presuming that such a goal is achieved, brings us to the next step.

How do we best appreciate the Bonsai? It is important to note that I am using the word “appreciate” and not “critique” very consciously. For me the objective of bonsai creation, all the years of blood sweat and tears is to create an object of art which is best enjoyed by appreciation and not being pulled down in the name of critique. Getting back to the point of how do we best appreciate bonsai. While there are guidelines a plenty in bonsai creation, I have often wondered what would be the best distance to appreciate a bonsai. The other aspect of Bonsai appreciation, namely Bonsai display has been more than adequately addressed by many over the years though.

After much thought I feel that the best distance for appreciating a bonsai should be far enough so that the viewer get a complete view of the tree. It should not be too far so that the viewer misses out on the finer aspects of the tree but also not too close so that one gets a closer view of a few parts of the tree but not the complete view of the tree. As is understandable, the viewing distance depends on the size of the tree. So to arrive at a general guideline (I hate the word rule…) the viewing distance should be a function of the height of the tree. Like we have a girth of the trunk to the height ratio, I feel that a ratio of the height of the tree to the viewing distance should ideally be 1:4. So for a tree that is a foot tall a safe viewing distance should be 4 feet.

Standing at such a distance also makes the illusion of a tree in its natural habitat more realistic. The dangers or rather disadvantages of viewing a tree too close are often unnecessary nitpicking in the name of adherence to rules. While I do believe in rules and their importance in creating a bonsai, what I am against is missing out on the bigger picture in the name of rules. Pointing out an inverse tapered trunk or an eye poking branch that blends rather well into the overall image of the tree are another such cases. Such instances of myopic rule book criticism can be avoided by viewing a tree in its completeness at a correct distance. I have also been bemused at knowledgeable enthusiasts at times examining the flakiness of branches….which would not be visible when one views the tree from a 1:4 distance.

Thoughts (agreements and disagreements) are most welcome….

Ravi