Out on a Branch – June 2010

Two thousand ten is a spring to remember in the Twin Cities! Warm enough to get our bonsai outside in early April and warm enough to keep internodes short …. but, a visit mid-May to our longtime members, Bob and Pam Hampel, in Hugo last weekend, showed they had major freezing on yard trees and perennials as well as bonsai. I think most of us closer to town escaped serious frost.

Last month I included a photo my wife Bonnie took of me attempting to help the bees pollinate my Sargent’s Crab Apple bonsai in hopes to get apples to show at the Fair Show. See the success so far with many clusters of little crabs about 1/8th of an inch in size … hopefully to mature full size (about 5/8”) without providing the local squirrels and chipmunks with dinner.

Are you getting more involved with bonsai? That is one of the MBS’s major goals for 2010. Opportunities abound for learning, and there are opportunities to get materials and instruction.

An early opportunity was afforded the Bonsai Basics class when they had an opportunity to get help wiring bonsai with one of the nation’s best instructors, Boon Manakitivipart. The bonsai study group TABS recently spent a weekend studying and creating with Suthin Sukosolvisit. On Saturday, May 29th and Sunday May 30th we have workshops open with visiting bonsai artist Dennis Makishima…contact 2nd V/P workshops Glenda Jungquist at: gjungquist@comcast.net or Larry Oreschnick larryo@frontier.net to secure a working space as a student or as an observer.

After the workshops, Dennis will do our Tuesday, June 1 presentation at our general meeting … all you need to do is attend.

And don’t miss our biggest auction of the year Saturday, June 19 at our usual meeting place.

I am so happy for the success of our Society in presenting an exceptional Mother’s Day Bonsai Show this past month. First to be congratulated are both the novice and other Bonsai Society members that took the time to style and prepare their excellent bonsai to share with excited visitors at Como Conservatory. It does take time and effort to get these little trees up and ready to show … get them to the show area, and then to take them down and returned to home. Bonnie caught me nestling my bald cypress bonsai that I showed at the Mother’s Day show back into its pan of water for summer growth.