24

Published and printed by John Tapner for The

Bonsai Study Group.

Articles and illustrations are downloaded from

the Internet unless attributed to a specific author.

John Tapner

9498.7024

Email: jwtapner@bigpond.com Note new email

Meets every Tuesday 10.00am to 1.00pmand 7.00pm to 10.00pm during normal

school term at the Community Hall,Lofberg Rd., West Pymble

heT onsaiB tudyS roupG

PO Box 201

Lindfield 2070

Newsletter

Winter 2010

2

The Bonsai Study Group Inc President and interclub contacts: Elizabeth Simeonoff Treasurer Frank Kelly Assistant Treasurer Jorgen Rasmussen With responsibility for finance, banking, insurance and membership. Secretary John Tapner Assistant Secretary Bob Shield With responsibility for correspondence, record keeping, newsletter and Council contact. Bonsai Instructors and programme AM and PM meetings: John Cowgill, John Tapner Phil Manton. Library Jenny de Groen Membership (AM meeting) Frank Kelly Fee collection Christine Inch (PM meeting) Jorgen Rasmussen Wendy Brown Catering Thelma Peterson (milk, coffee, tea, biscuits etc) Exhibitions Alex Heaney Trevor de Groen Excursions, digs and other activities Elizabeth Simeonoff Social Committee Helen Leim Affiliated with the Bonsai Federation of Australia Inc., the Garden Clubs of Australia Inc. and Member Club of Association of Australian Bonsai Clubs Inc

23

Don’t forget our Saturday workshops on 1st Saturday each month. June 11th/12th Bonsai by the Harbour. By BFA. Shore School Boatshed, Wharf Rd, Gladesville. Sept 13th/16th Floriade in Canberra. Canberra Bonsai Society will be conducting demonstrations at Floriade the National Bonsai Exhibit. At this stage about midday. Sept 17th/19th 11th Weekend Workshop at the Tops Conference Centre, Stanwell Tops. October 15th - New Zealand Bonsai Assn Convention in Hamilton 17th. New Zealand, featuring Robert Steven. Nov 5th/7th Newcastle Bonsai Society Annual Show. Charlestown Bowling Club, Charlestown.

**************************************************************************

What's on and Where

22

Local Bonsai Nurseries and Associated Products

Mirkwood Forest Bonsai Pottery, 10 Tumut St., Adelong. 2727 Patrick Kennedy - Phone: 6946.2956 Email: pke62644@bigpond.net.au

Bonsai Artist-tree, at Forestway Garden Centre, Cnr Forestway and Crozier Rd,

Belrose. 2085 Closing down - 30% off all stock........... Lee Wilson - Phone: 9486.3099. Property is being sold............

Cambewarra Bonsai and Suiseki, 5 Hookeys Lane, Cambewarra, 2540 Phone: 4446.0080

Open 9.00am to 4.00pm or by appointment. 7 days.

Bonsai Environment, 70 O’Connell St., Vineyard. 2768 Kingston Wang - Phone: 9627.6688 Closed Monday Web: www.bonsainet.com.au

Ray Nesci Bonsai Nursery, 26 Sagars Rd., Dural. 2158 Ray and Clinton Nesci - Phone: 9654.1893 Web: www,raynescibonsai.com

Bonsai Art, 18 Myoora Rd., Terrey Hills. 2084 Megumi, Brian and Alex Bennett - Phone: 9450.2802 Web: www.megumibennetbonsai.com

Bonsai South Nursery, 114 - 116 The Boulevard, Caringbah. 2229 Leon Kwong - Phone: 9531.4589 Closed Thursday Web: www.bonsaisouth.com.au

Oriental Bonsai, 225 New Line Rd., Dural, 2158 Mr Peter Song - New listing. Note new address - opposite Bunnings.

Padre Pio, 158 Annangrove Rd., Kenthurst. New listing

3

THE BEAUTY OF AGE Today our society is obsessed with the beauty of youth. Whether it's the beauty of a

young person, fresh with the promise of a life yet to live or the crisp freshness of a lithe

new sports car, or perhaps the neat regimented beauty of a newly landscaped garden.

Youth is simple, shallow and predictable.

Age, on the other hand brings complications. Our bodies begin to change and that early

sparkle of youth quickly fades, the car becomes unreliable and the garden unruly. Beauty

in the fashionable sense is left behind. I would however suggest that with age comes

great beauty but in a different way. With age comes knowledge, experience and a depth

of character that cannot be easily won. With age comes the understanding that we cannot

win every battle but must adapt and change.

I feel that our painstaking art of bonsai fly's in the face of our modern way of living. In

an 'instant' society bonsai presents us with a path that cannot be hurried, there is no in-

stant gratification. Each step has to be taken in its turn and short cuts will, in time, return

us to the beginning to start again.

When I began my bonsai journey nearly 20 years ago I sought to change my trees out-

ward appearance… which is the whole point. However I was unaware of how much my

Bonsai would change me. Before pursuing bonsai I was drag racing and tearing about on

huge motorcycles and so my first few years cultivating trees was very frustrating. They

move so slowly!

The story of this English elm (ulmus procera) probably started 60 or 70 years ago.

Around 1993 our paths crossed in a car park beside a local pathway. Beneath the rubbish

and old tyres I perceived a glimmer of magic in the crusty old stump. The tree was

swiftly removed and headed off for an adventure. Despite my clumsy unskilled atten-

tions the tree survived it's move and the following spring began to grow well in it's large

mica pot…. a small step up from the car park.

The tree was getting along just fine but I lost interest after reading an article in a book on

bonsai that stated deciduous trees and deadwood just don't mix. Today I know differ-

ently but as an impressionable beginner I was easily swayed. My local landscape fea-

tures a great many large old deciduous trees, practically every one shows some dead-

wood areas, particularly hollow trunks and broken branches. This convinced me to per-

severe with my elm….. thankfully.

The trunk of the tree had large areas of soft rotten wood surrounded by heavy callous

tissue. Obviously it had been cut down to the ground a long time ago. I decided to re-

move the degraded wood, and so using a besom style wire brush on a low speed flexible

shaft and with the aid of a vacuum cleaner I started work. I just removed the rotten wood

back to hard material, no carving for shape or texture was done. Much of the wood was

waterlogged so I allowed time for this to dry before proceeding. Over the winter of 1995

the work was completed and the tree began to take on a very interesting character with

it's deep dark hollows and swirling bark. At this time I pruned back the long juvenile

growths that came with the tree to form the basis of trunk and branches. Now I had a

very interesting trunk but no bonsai in sight.

The next 3 years I allowed the tree to grow unchecked all year and then pruned the ex-

tensions heavily in autumn. By 1999 I had the tree in a much smaller training pot and he

was becoming quite twiggy. In August I defoliated the tree and for the first time applied

wire to form some basic shape. When the leaves re-emerged it became apparent that the

4

elm was going to be a nice bonsai tree. In my ignorance I figured that another couple of

years would see the tree 'finished'. In 2002 I planted the tree in a custom made pot by

David Jones of Walsall Studio Ceramics and figured the tree was complete….not so!

In the U.K there are several hundred different and extremely localised forms of elm,

most are naturally occurring hybrids. This tree is a type specific to East Anglia. Defined

by short stubby slightly hairy leaves, it has fine twigging and short internodes. Large old

trees have a very unique rough bark. This type is considered to be one of the original

native forms of ulmus in Britain.

It has taken me a lot of years to understand the growth habit of this tree. It only takes one

season to fill it's pot with roots. However I have noticed that re-potting too frequently

encourages the tree to throw out long juvenile shoots. Leaving the tree slightly pot bound

slows the growth to a more even tempo which helps with building ramification. This tree

is always strong and responds to leaf pruning very well, however I have not found the

technique particularly beneficial in increasing ramification. Now that the tree is becom-

ing quite twiggy I allow it to make just four leaves before pruning back to just one or

two. I constantly remove any large leaves that grow, also any suckers that pop up from

the trunk.

By summer of 2007 the tree was looking very good, with dense ramification. However I

was not satisfied because it always looked unkempt and scruffy. I decided to defoliate

the tree and give it it's second wiring. This time it was only the twigging that needed

shaping with fine wire…. and a lot of it. The tree has many small branches. The work

was carried out in August and once the leaves re-emerged the elm had a much neater

appearance with good open spaces. Elm is very flexible but the ramification does not

thicken like Chinese elm. I expect the wire to remain in place until August 2008.

It took a lot longer than I expected to develop this tree. Much of the delay was doubtless

down to my inept fumblings. I now understand that a tree is never complete. The pic-

tures from 2007 show the tree in it's best form to date, however there are still many areas

to improve and so the work goes on. I have made many mistakes and wasted a lot of

time but, the tree has forgiven me.

With the experience I gained from cultivating this tree I have found it possible to shorten

the timescale in developing elms. The important thing is to have a plan at the very outset

and to understand the work required at every step. Being too impatient at the beginning

will invariably cost us dearly further down the line. We must always be guided by care-

ful observation and analysis. We have to learn to 'read' our tree and then act accordingly.

I think it is better to work hand in hand with the tree, only taking steps forward when he

is ready. At every stage we must give deference to our material. Any tree will take time

to heal and readjust following a period of work and we must make allowance for this.

There is a big difference between surviving and thriving.

So after 14 years my elm has changed a great deal…. and so have I. The only difference

is that the tree is becoming more beautiful, I am not! The tree has changed me as much

as I have changed it. I have learned the value of patience. It's a great experience to stand

before an audience and transform a tree in a couple of hours but I now understand that

bonsai is what occurs BETWEEN the times we work on our trees. All we can do is point

a tree in the right direction, the real magic and beauty comes from within the tree and in

its reaction to our crude actions. The most valuable tool in the development of bonsai is

21

Trident maple

Juniper

Juniper

20

Accent plants

sits. The balance and harmony is important and in specimens the pot does add to the

impact. You can have a collection of nice pots or nice trees. The aim is to eventually

have both, but the trees must always come first.

6. Bonsai are in general ordinary trees unless they have a prefix of Yatsubusa or dwarf.

With careful management watering and feeding leaves will reduce in size. In general the

more branches and fine twigs, or ramification of the tree, will create smaller leaf size.

Defoliating can also create smaller leaves but should only be attempted with advice.

What to look for is – taper of trunk. Aged bark, Ramification of branches and leaf size.

Healthy vigorous trees – not yellow sickly or wobbly trees in their pots, indicating lack

of roots.

7. The price generally reflects the amount of time and effort put into the trees sometimes

over many years. Top quality small is better than mediocre big – Quality is everything.

This article by Tony Tickle is from his web site www.yamadori.com

Tony is a leading exponent of bonsai in the UK and is a recognised international

demonstrator.

5

TIME. Age does indeed bring beauty.

Graham Potter

www.kaizenbonsai.com

The Author’s elm

6

A Brief Exploration of the Literati Style By Will Heath

Like the style itself, the name used to describe it takes on many forms and the usage

changes from region to region. The word

“Literati” is used by many practitioners

and is a Latin name originally attributed

to the Japanese Bunjin due to the lack of

an exact English equivalent. Bunjin is in

turn a translation of the Chinese Wenjen,

the word used in Chinese to denote those

scholars who were practiced in the arts.

I will not dive deeply into the long and

varied history of the Wenjen or Bunjin

style of bonsai or the history surrounding

the scholars who created such after their

break from traditional methods. I will

also not explore in depth the style of

painting which preceded the bonsai de-

velopment into the style commonly called

Literati. There are already many detailed

histories of the Literati, the Wenjen, Lite-

rati painting and Literati bonsai in publi-

cation, some which are listed as refer-

ences and in the further reading notes at

the end of this article. For the purposes of

this article, I will briefly touch upon some

important points to consider when think-

ing about this style.

It should be noted however that the Bun-

jin and Wenjen, although belonging to an

elite class of scholars and artists, were not

always looked upon with awe by the community as a whole at that

time. Their break from standardized tradition upset many and their works were seldom

understood, indeed the Literati style of painting was often referred to as the "scrawls of

drunken monks." As often happens when an artist breaks away from the common or

from what people are used to seeing and are comfortable with, they were ridiculed and

often dismissed. We can see this in the arts to this day, in this aspect, not much has

changed.

What is Literati Style?

Of all the terms used to describe a Literati style bonsai, the words "refined elegance"

have no doubt been used the most. While the words are indeed fitting for this style, they

Five needle pine

19

Bonsai Myths By Tony Tickle

At first people are enchanted and mystified by the small trees. There are lots of misconcep-

tions and myths surrounding the Art and Hobby of Bonsai.

Dismissal of the most common Bonsai Myths:

1. Bonsai are special types of tree and you can’t bonsai most trees!

2. You don’t need to water or feed the trees much, as they don’t need it and thrive on ne-

glect!

3. A Bonsai tree is a finished article and needs no further maintenance!

4. Bonsai are up to 12″ high and look like small versions of trees in the local park!

5. Any tree in a Japanese pot is a bonsai!

6. Leaves on Bonsai are always small and in keeping with the scale of the tree!

7. Small trees are cheap – big trees are expensive!

In reply:

1. Most trees can be Bonsai but steer clear of large leaves. Trees such as Sycamore, and

Chestnut which will not reduce enough to be believable. As there are so many other varie-

ties why waste your time trying. Try Larch, Scots Pine and varieties, Yew or Junipers for

starters – naturally small leafed plants like – Cotoneaster Lonicera, if you don’t overfeed

them, then the leaves won’t suddenly enlarge to an unrealistic scale.

2. Bonsai need constant attention to the moisture content in the soil. They are growing in a

small container and if the tree is healthy and vigorous in hot weather it may need watering

thoroughly twice a day and misting to cool the foliage as well. The soil should never dry

out completely as feeder roots that do not carry moisture to the plant will die within 5 min-

utes of becoming completely dry. The root ball should be moist but not soaking or standing

in water. Humidity is also beneficial in most cases except in winter. Good airflow is also

important to stop fungal spores growing on leaves. Because of the amount of watering nu-

trients are washed out of the soil and need to be replaced with a program of feeds, which I

will go into at a later stage. In other words, if you don’t look after them they die (really

quickly).

3. Bonsai are in permanent training and are never finished. Leave them without pruning and

they will turn back into normal trees or bushes. Don’t re-pot them regularly they will be-

come pot bound and eventually will die

4. Bonsai means translated from Japanese – “Tree in pot.” Any tree from 4 inches to full

size can be styled to conform to Bonsai standards. In Japan, park trees are pruned and bent

to evoke more impact than one left to it’s own devises. There are many classifications of

styles that have come about as a result of exhibiting and competitions in Japan over many

years. This will be examined in fuller articles. Some of the styles reflect the characters of

the area in which they grow. Mountains/windswept forest, lowland, or cliff-face will create

different growth patterns, and we as Bonsai keepers try and reflect this natural style in our

trees.

5. Some real rubbish masquerades as Bonsai by virtue of the pot it’s in. A twig in an expen-

sive pot is still just a twig in a pot. The tree is everything the pot is just a frame in which it

18

somewhat early in the season, as the tree will reward you with a fresh flush of flowers,

however they will seldom form fruit as most of the fruiting energy has already been

spent for this season..

A fine Crabapple with a good fruit display, but is this the right colour pot?

Next step........Apples

7

can also be used in conjunction with many other styles of bonsai. Literati style bonsai do

have an air of refined elegance that lends greatly to their subtle beauty and while many

claim that appreciating Literati bonsai is an acquired taste, I differ in this opinion and

instead feel that quality Literati bonsai appeals to experienced, inexperienced, and non-

bonsaist artistic sensibilities immediately.

I have had many opportunities to observe and listen to the comments of the inexperi-

enced and the beginners of the art while they viewed bonsai at shows and events. Most

were awe struck at Literati style bonsai and seem to "get it" almost immediately. It didn't

matter that they may have never viewed a tree like it in nature, it didn't matter that it

were truly unlike all the other bon-

sai on display, what mattered is

that the Literati style bonsai spoke

loudly of refinement and elegance

and the viewer liked the image as

presented.

Traditionally Literati bonsai have

trunks that twist and turn in multi-

ple, often dramatic curves, usually

have slender trunks which have no

lower branches to speak of, and

have an obvious lack of nebari in

most cases. Closer to an informal

upright than any other style, it es-

capes from classification as such

because of the lack of Nebari and

lower branches. But there is some-

thing else, the foliage of a Literati

often is purposely sparse, just

enough to sustain the tree and keep it healthy. John Naka once said of this style, "It is a

dream, an abstract. It is an extremely advanced, significant bonsai design." These words

of John's capture the essence of the Literati Style Bonsai.

John Naka wrote an article titled, "Characteristics of Bunjin Style" which was published

in the Golden Statements Magazine (March/April 1993) and quoted recently by Eric

Schrader at the Bonsai Society of San Francisco's web site. In this article about Literati,

John made some other interesting definitions of the style, some of which I have listed

below.

It has shape or form but there is no definite pattern.

It has no pattern, it is irregular and seems disfigured.

It is like food that has no taste at the beginning but the more you chew the more flavour

comes out. When you first look at Bunjin style there is nothing exciting about it, it is so

skimpy and lonely. But the more you observe it the more the tree quality and natural

traits will come out. You will feel something from inside of your mind, and not only

through the surface eyes.

It looks like it is struggling for its survival, or a form of agony. The tree itself should not

be in this condition, in reality it should be healthy. The shape or form may indicate

Five needle pine

8

struggle but not health. It seems to be a very cruel method but it is only concept. Its ap-

pearance should not be too serious nor easy, it should be free, unconstrained, witty,

clever, humorous and unconventional. A good example for this is a study of any of na-

ture's tree that has survived some sort of problem or disaster.

To avoid uselessness, the ultimate final form or shape is a very important technique.

It should portray a simple abstract painting, Senryu, Haiku, poem, music and song.

Shape or form is from wind, weather, not too rugged but more graceful.

Literati Origins and Inspiration

Here we have the origins of the style influencing the form. Literati painting was born of

minimalism philosophy and the attempts to duplicate these painted trees with real trees

in the form of bonsai stayed true to its parent, Literati bonsai were tree forms reduced to

the bare elements. Like quick strokes of a calligraphy brush, the literati bonsai portrays

the fullness of a tree with few, precise stokes.

Chinese and later the Japanese put great value on the art of calligraphy and the tech-

niques used in calligraphy naturally carried over into the ink and brush paintings, in fact,

the same stokes used for one were often used in the other. Coupling calligraphy tech-

niques with minimalism philosophies produced trees, in these paintings, that expressed

everything about a tree in a few simple strokes of the brush.

Many people are quick to link Literati style bonsai with these ancient ink paintings by

the Chinese but what is not as well known is that cascading trees were just as prominent

as subjects as the trees we recognize as Literati, if not more so, but that and the discus-

sion as to why the more common cascade in these paintings took a backseat to what we

now call Literati Bonsai is another article.

Early Japanese bonsaists begun to use the trees from popular paintings as portrayed in

famous art books of the time such as Kaishien-Gaden as inspiration in designing bonsai

and the Nansoga or painting style of bonsai begun. Nansoga was the term used to de-

scribe the Southern Song (Sung) Painting style or Southern Chinese Folk Painting style

and so the first literati bonsai were called Nansoga. John Naka once wrote that most bon-

sai styles and words describing them have been based on this book as well.

The question of the origin of Literati bonsai is a little like the question of what came

first, the chicken or the egg. We know that many of the first attempts at creating bonsai

in this style were attempts to duplicate the trees featured in the paintings as mentioned

above, but were the paintings simple minimalistic impressions of trees in nature or more

so, inspired copies of such?

An interesting discussion on Literati trees in nature took place here at AoB (http://

www.artofbonsai.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=199) in which it was suggested that the

collecting of firewood in China resulted in many trees taking on the appearance of Lite-

rati. If one thinks of people reaching as high as they can and tearing or breaking off

branches for firewood, it is not difficult to imagine the trees appearance afterward. Cer-

tainly there are other examples of natural Literati such as the trees by seashores, those

that struggled at one time against competitors that long since disappeared, or many of the

naturally growing Scots Pines in Europe, however it may very well be that the shortage

17

Spring is coming............

FLOWERING CRABAPPLE (Malus sargenti)

Summary

The flowering Crabapple is one of the best flowering trees for bonsai, right along with

Azaleas. This tree produces magnificent white, fragrant flowers that will cover the entire

tree during the early spring months just prior to the start of foliage. Once foliage begins

growing, you would see small, lobed green pomes appearing in the summer that look

like miniature apples. The crabapples will ripen with varying colours during the autum-

nal months. The flowering Crabapple is extremely easy to grow and maintain, making it

a great choice for both beginners and the more experienced bonsai grower

Although you would not find many species of Malus, you will find many varieties.

When choosing a variety for bonsai look for both flower and fruit colour. Some of the

best choices include the Common Crabapple, Halls Crabapple, Nagasaki Crabapple, and

Toringo Crabapple. Regardless of the variety you choose, you will love the ease in

which this bonsai grows.

Proper Care

The flowering Crabapple loves full sun. The key to prevent mildew is to provide it with

good air circulation. Although the Crabapple is hardy, you do need to provide good pro-

tection from frost. This particular tree also needs adequate water, especially during the

fruiting season. For feeding, you should provide fertilizer biweekly until the tree starts to

flower, as feeding afterwards, leaf growth could take place of fruiting. To protect the fast

growth of the tree, do not let the tree fruit for at least two years, which would only

weaken the tree.

You then want to repot the Crabapple annually prior to bud burst but with a basic but

good soil. To prune the tree, cut back new shoots to just one or two leaves in the spring.

Once pruned, the tree should be left alone until late summer. To propagate the flowering

Crabapple, you can sow seeds outdoors or use all wood type cuttings in the autumn You

can also layer in the fall, as long as the tree is protected from frost.

For styling, the best option is the informal, which works great with both single and mul-

tiple trunks. Finally, the Crabapple does have some problems with red spider mites,

aphids, caterpillars, and apple scab, which can be controlled with organic pesticides and

insecticides. In the Sydney region if you have possums, they regard Crabapples as a fine

aperitif and will defoliate a tree overnight as I have found out from personal experience.

One way to deter them is to use a spray containing strong chilli powder, which must be

applied on a regular basis. However all is not lost if the beasts get to your Crabapple

16

What Part To Prune The part of the tree pruned affects the tree response because growth regulators or hor-

mones are present in trees. Young trees are trying to gain size rapidly and grow long,

widely spaced branches with long internodes. This type of growth is referred to as apical

growth and is stimulated by the growth hormone auxin. Apical refers to the top or apex of

the tree and the ends of branches. Another group of growth regulators, cytokinins, do the

opposite. They stimulate side branching and back budding with slower growth. Auxin is the

dominant growth regulator. Therefore, if you want to promote more compact finer branch-

ing, shorter internodes, and smaller leaves, the effects of auxin must be reduced to allow

cytokinins to express themselves. You accomplish this by pruning the areas where auxin is

in the highest concentration---the apex and branch tips. This allows cytokinins to dominate

until the new growth restores the auxin concentrations in the apex and branch tips. The

overall growth of the tree is slowed down, but the growth is redistributed away from the

apex and branch tips. This renews the vigour of the tree. The tree has the same volume of

nutrient supply, but now has many more buds, branchlets, and growth points to nourish.

Thus, smaller branches and leaves.

The Others Evergreen trees and tropicals don't lose all their leaves at one time like deciduous trees.

They do partially replace their needles and leaves during the growth cycle. They have dif-

ferent levels of dormancy than we see on deciduous trees. One sees a change in needle col-

our in pines and junipers when they go into their dormancy. Tropicals' growth rate varies

during the growth cycle, but they don't usually lose all their leaves at one time. They par-

tially shed them at different times during the growth cycle. The same timing principles can

be applied to these groups of trees during their growth cycles.

This article was published in the February, 2002 issue of the Houston Bonsai Society

9

of fuel in ancient China led man to unwittingly create trees that resembled the style,

maybe more so than the environment did at the time.

There are some that would say that Literati represents an Expressionism art form rather

than a minimalistic, stating that such trees strive to express subjective feelings and emo-

tions rather than to depict reality or nature objectively, however I lean more toward the

minimalistic school of thought, as with all bonsai, realism is a must for success.

It would seem that minimalistic trees in paintings were used along with those examples

in nature as inspiration to create a style of bonsai that has endured for many centuries. A

style that is considered by many to be the pinnacle of bonsai design, the elite style that

represents all the grace and beauty that is possible in the art of bonsai. From the brush of

one artist into the pot of another, it is truly a style that speaks of the history of our art

form.

Design Considerations

It is often said that when a piece of stock offers no other alternatives that a Literati

should be made with it. John Naka himself once said, "Material for bunjin style can be

started from an old "don't know what to do" type bonsai."

I personally think that this flippant characterization of the Literati style does more harm

than good because, as with all styles, the stock must fit the design planned or else the

tree is forced into becoming what it is not. This is what "listen to the tree" means, the

tree knows what it can become and to try and force it into a mold usually leads to medio-

cre results at the best. To say that stock that you can not figure out what do with is suited

for Literati is like saying that stock that you can not make a formal upright with should

automatically be good for a cascade.

John, in his "Characteristics of Bunjin Style" article does list out some very useful con-

siderations for designing a Literati, some of which are:

Remove the useless part and excess branch drastically. Leave the least amount and indi-

cate or exaggerate its natural beauty and characteristic trait.

No matter how casual the methods, the tree still should be well conformed.

Bunjin style is the art of space. Significant space should offer tremendous imagination.

There are other considerations when creating a Literati, such as:

Taper. It is often said that taper is not an important consideration in Literati, but this is

untrue in most cases. As with all trees taper plays an important role in the overall visual

effect and in perspective.

Nebari. Although Nebari can add to a Literati in some cases, the style can be successful

without Nebari of any sort.

Trunk. Emphasis should always be on the trunk, the viewer must see the trunk and the

trunk must be the centre of the design.

Feminine in nature, the Literati should have the appearance of a slim, graceful trunk, but

yet still speak of refined age.

Foliage on a Literati should be sparse, speaking of a life of etching out survival against

the elements. Lush, overabundant foliage should be avoided. The foliage should be

enough to support the tree, but with plenty of empty space.

10

There are no rules or even guidelines for the overall form, no branch placement rules, and

no formula on how to twist and bend the trunk. The Literati's final image should speak of

grace, elegance, balance, and form. It is the final image only that will tell if the design is

successful.

The design should be three-dimensional, Literati bonsai need the depth given by a good "in

the round" design. The pots we use for Literati are usually small, somewhat shallow, and

often round, all of which work very well for a bonsai designed in the round.

Literati drawing by John Naka, from the Jim Smith collection.

Challenges

Be it called Literati, Bunjin, Scholar Style, Wenjen, Nansoga, or the Southern Song Paint-

ing Style, there is little doubt that it is one of the most fascinating of all styles and also one

of the hardest to successfully create. Hanging in the realm between nature and vision, real-

ism and impressionism, dream and reality, it captures our imagination and in doing so, en-

compasses all that bonsai is and was meant to be.

Not a style to create with discarded stock, but instead a style that calls for a specific tree, a

tree that has buried in it the soul of those ancient scholars, those who went outside of the

traditional norm and strived to release the inner beauty of a tree with as few strokes as pos-

sible. The artist today, working with live trees instead of paper, with cutters and pliers in-

stead of brushes must also release the soul within a tree, using as few stokes as possible.

We do this by removing all of the unneces-

sary elements, leaving only those that can

be molded into the dream John Naka once

talked about, the dream, the abstract vision

that is Literati.

This article is reprinted from

www.artofbonsai.org with permission. A

highly recommended site and well worth

a visit.

Further notes............

During our club meetings it is obvious that

many of us have trees that would be suitable

for Literati style. Generally there is a reluc-

tance to reduce the number of branches and

the amount of foliage carried by the tree. As

well they tend to be over-potted. Smaller,

round pots are the ideal and the reduction of

branches gives a feminine look to the tree.

A small pot is ideal for display but may not

be suitable for general use in our hot sum-

mer conditions. I tend to plant in plastic

orchid pots and repot into a good bonsai pot about four weeks prior to display. The drawing

on this page gives the ideal look that can be obtained..............JWT

15

response to this injury will result in slower and smaller new growth. The amount of energy

left after the initial big spring push is lower and the growth response to this pinching in jury

has less stored energy to use. The new leaves haven't matured fully yet and their photosyn-

thesis hasn't reached full potential.

Pinching is a mild form of pruning. More severe pruning during the active spring growth

period should be minimized due to the high flow of sap. Large cuts will bleed sap, and this

moisture loss can be harmful to the health and vigour of the tree. Any large cuts that must be

made should be sealed promptly to prevent this moisture loss. With all the new growth evi-

dent, winter die back is easy to identify and can be removed at this time.

Summer pruning can be divided into early and late summer periods. Early summer pruning

benefits from the increased sap flow. This helps wounds heal more rapidly. By late summer,

sap flow is diminishing, and any pruning at this time will result in new growth being smaller.

It does deplete some of the nutrient reserves being stored for the coming winter. If the com-

ing winter is unusually harsh, there may not be enough stored for the spring reawakening.

Pruning too late in the summer may not allow the new growth sufficient time to harden off

and mature before winter arrives. All the hoped for benefits from this pruning may be lost if

the immature, new growth dies over the winter. It is best to prune only that which is abso-

lutely necessary at this time of year.

Autumn is the time trees are trying to store up necessary nutrients for winter survival and

spring recovery. Since the leaves are the major producers of these nutrients through photo-

synthesis, we must try and keep the leaves on the tree during the autumn. No leaf pruning,

The food storage in the roots, trunk, and branches causes them to thicken. It is best to remove

all wires during this time to prevent them from cutting in and scaring the tree. Since we don't

know how severe the coming winter will be, we don't know how much die back will occur.

Therefore, it is best to minimize pruning in the fall.

During the early winter dormant period, the tree's ability to heal any pruning wounds is

greatly diminished. Pruning should be avoided to prevent excessive die back. In late winter,

the tree is getting ready to send the stored nutrients back to the branches and buds. Since

these reserves haven't moved out of storage yet, severe pruning will not diminish these re-

serves. The tree will respond in the spring with vigorous growth because there are now fewer

buds and growth points remaining to be fed by the same amount of stored nutrients.

Pruning Extent Pruning can be divided into mild, moderate, and severe. Mild pruning would include leaf

pruning and bud pinching. Moderate pruning would include refinement pruning, selective,

and structural pruning. Severe pruning would involve regeneration pruning.

Leaf pruning and bud pinching refines the growth of the tree, producing smaller leaves,

shorter internodes, and twiggier, finer branches.

Moderate pruning is the selective removal of some branches that don't add to the refinement

or structural design of the tree.

After years of leaf pruning, bud pinching, and refinement pruning, bonsai often lose their

shape and character. They often become too coarse and unrefined with branches out of scale

to the tree size. Regeneration pruning is needed to basically start branch development all

over. On trees that bud back readily, all branches can be removed in late winter just before

buds begin to swell and to open. The resultant vigorous growth begins the new branch devel-

opment.

14

The Why, When, What, and How Much By Butch Wilken

The obvious reason we prune our bonsai trees is to shape them into the style we want.

Pruning affects the growth of the tree. Pruning wounds a tree and the tree puts on repair

growth to seal off and heal the wound. The type of repair growth we stimulate is deter-

mined by numerous factors. The three we can control the most are: (1) the time of year

we prune, (2) the amount of tree structure we remove, and (3) what part of the tree we

prune. For pruning to have the

effect we want on the tree, these

three factors must always be

considered. As with everything

we do to our trees, pruning

should be done on healthy trees.

Old, weak trees and branches

should not be pruned.

Timing To know when to prune to

achieve the effect on the tree we

desire, we must understand the

growth cycle of trees. Every tree

goes through this yearly cycle--

evergreen, deciduous, and tropi-

cal. Deciduous trees are the easi-

est to understand because the

stages of the growth cycle are

most obvious. It is easy to tell

when they are approaching dor-

mancy because the leaves

change colour and begin to fall

off the tree. Dormancy is obvi-

ous when the tree has no leaves

and the new buds haven't swol-

len yet. The beginning of a new

growth cycle is obvious when

bud start to swell and open into

new leaves. The vigorous

growth of summer tells us the tree is in the very active part of the cycle.

As trees go through this cycle, they produce and store nutrients when growth is active.

They then survive on these stored nutrients when their leaves are lost and photosynthesis

isn't occurring. These reserves are primarily stored in the trunk and roots. When length-

ening days and increased temperatures signals the approaching spring, the stored nutri-

ents begin to move out of the roots and trunk and into the developing leaf buds. This

depletes the amount of stored nutrients available. If you pinch back at this time, the tree's

11

12

AusBonsai Australian Native Bonsai Awards 2010. All photographs and text courtesy of AusBonsai

***************************************************************************

Category 1 -

Best native bonsai 1st - Professional Grade set of Japanese made bonsai tools in a suede tool roll ($350.00 RRP)

and certificate

2nd - Pat Kennedy limited edition AusBonsai.com bonsai pot, Bonsai Focus magazine and

certificate

3rd - Pat Kennedy limited edition AusBonsai.com bonsai pot and certificate

Category 2 - New stock awards (Stock must be less than 12 months in training)

1st - Custom made for your bonsai, a one of a kind Pat Kennedy bonsai pot and certificate

2nd - Bonsai Focus magazine and certificate

3rd - Certificate

Category 3 - Newcomer encouragement award (For bonsaists with less than 1 year experience)

1st - Pat Kennedy limited edition AusBonsai.com bonsai pot and certificate

2nd - Bonsai Focus magazine and certificate

3rd - Certificate

Melaleuca rhaphiophylla

1st Place

Babingtonia virgata

3rd place

Best native

bonsai

Acacia howittii

2nd place

13

AusBonsai Australian Native Bonsai Awards 2010 Result Announced

by Steven » 07 Apr 2010, 17:18

This was the first time I have ever 'judged' bonsai. I've had experience being an official

at major archery tournaments, judged debating and a few other activities but nothing

compared to this. I have to admit, ranking such high calibre entries that have been pains-

takingly crafted over many years by friends and artists who I look up to was much

harder than I ever anticipated.

One aspect of the judging that I really struggled with was trying to see the best in a bon-

sai that was not displayed particularly well. While overlooking the photography skills (or

lack thereof), presentation did weigh heavily in my mind. To me, the bonsai photo-

graphed with stands, accents, non-distracting backgrounds or shadows, good lighting etc

did present much better and therefore scored higher in the areas of 'image' and

'presentation'. They simply look better! I'd really like to emphasise how important the

finishing touches are in providing the optimum viewing experience. While photography

is not judged, it can greatly improve the presentation. If you feel you need some tips,

please review our photographing bonsai section.

The Australian Native Bonsai Awards will be an annual event so I encourage you all to

start now in preparing yours for next year. If you don't yet have any Aussie natives in

your collection, why not get some and start training them now for category 2 (less than

12 months in training) .

With each entry, I have tried my utmost to remain impartial and judge as fairly as I

could. Together with Grant Bowie and Roger Hnatiuk we have graded the entries by

point scoring based on Horticulture (very hard to judge from pictures), Artistic features

(our individual opinion of the aesthetics) as well as design, total image and presentation

(pretty much everything else to do with creating and showing bonsai). The combination

of our differing experiences, taste and ideals has hopefully created a pretty balanced and

objective outcome. Our scoring has been added together then averaged and we now have

clear awardees in each category.

'Awardees, not winners?' you might ask. Everyone who entered is a 'winner' by helping

to raise the profile of our art and awareness of the high quality native material we have

to work with. There were however 3 in each category that stood out in the pictures and

'shined on the day'.

***********************************************************************

The first Australian Native awards have been judged and the winners in each cate-

gory decided. Members of the Bonsai Study Group should participate in the 2011

Awards. AusBonsai is a website devoted to Australian bonsai and if you have not

already signed up then now is the time to do so at..........

www.ausbonsai.com Go to the web site, register, and see what others are doing in Australian bonsai, and

its free...................