Fog City Bonsai May 2018

Newsletter of the Bonsai Society of San FranciscoSan Francisco County Fair Building, Lincoln Way between 9th and 10th Avenues

Cow Palace Bonsai Exhibit

Events at-a-glance ..

May 10: General Meeting – Deciduous Defoliationwith Jonas Dupuich

. May 17: Free Third Thursday Member Workshop.

Jun 14: General Meeting – Black Pine Decandlingwith Brian Schindler and Bernard Marque

Jun 21: Free Third Thursday Member Workshop

In this issue ...

President’s Message, p. 1

San Francisco Cow Palace Show, p. 2

John Thompson, Guest Speaker, p. 3

San Francico Cherry Blossom Show, p. 4

SF Botanical Garden Sale, and SFBG/BSSF Workday, p. 4

BSSF Meetings and Events, p. 4

BSSF Announcements, p. 5

Other Bonsai Events, p. 6

BSSF Officers and Directors, p. 7

President’s MessageAndrea Burhoe

My thanks to all of you who helped make the recentdisplays we put on—San Francisco Flowerand Garden Show and Japanese Cherry BlossomFestival—as successful as they were. Forthose of you who were new to doing this, I hope itwas a fun experience. These shows are a lotof work and worry for us, but the result—seeing thepleasure others take in our trees and thepleasure of seeing them in a formal display for usand others to enjoy—seems to me worth theeffort.

We have some interesting events coming upincluding another evening with Jonas Dupuich continuing the development of deciduous trees onMay 10. The following Thursday (Third Thursday)would be a great time to bring your deciduous treesand practice what you learned on your own trees.Then, on July 12 (a Saturday) our soil work party.Be sure to put it on your calendar. It’s a fun day andgreat time to get your soil for next year ready.

Sadly, our editor, Diana Lum will be resigning as ofthe June newsletter. We will miss her unendinglypatient, meticulous and knowledgeable work for theclub in writing, photographing and putting togetherthis newsletter. This means, of course, that areplacement is needed. If you have any skills orinterest in this line, please let me know

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San Francisco Cow Palace ShowBrian Schindler

Congratulations on a beautiful show and thanks toall of the members who helped at the 2018 SanFrancisco Flower and Garden Show. The trees wereof a very high quality and overall the show was asgood a club show as I have seen. The high opinionof our show was not just mine, but was shared byJonas Dupuich. Check out his blog on his websiteBonsai Tonight. Everyday, people came up to me toexpress their joy at seeing such a great exhibit ofbonsai. To top it off, the commute to the Cow Palacewas a lot shorter than San Mateo for most of us.

Our club had wonderful participation with at least 33members able to provide a security shift and 15members submitting trees for our exhibit. Specialthanks to Ann Norton for bringing our foundingmember, John Boyce. It's always great to see John.He also thought that the show was really good. Somany people took shifts that the owner of the showinitially had some discomfort as to the number ofwrist bands requested by us. By the close of theshow she personally expressed her gratitude for ourparticipation.

When the show committee decided to proceed withhaving an exhibit at the San Francisco Flower Showwe had several goals to meet -- to present as gooda show as we could with high quality bonsai; toprovide education to the public on the developmentof bonsai trees; and to experience bonding with ourfellow club members. I think that we succeeded onall the major points. We presented an excellentdisplay of bonsai. We got the opportunity to sharetime with fellow members and, the public had theopportunity to learn about the Art of Bonsai andBonsai clubs in the area.

Finally, I want to thank several people for their help.Andrea, Bernard, Debra, Lucky, and Catherine allprovided tremendous assistance. Even someone astechnologically challenged as I was able to learn touse the Square following Catherine's detailedinstructions. The architectural bonsai acrobat, EricSchrader, was in charge of the bonsai setup. Theflow from tree to tree is not easy to assemble, andhe created a beautiful exhibit. One of the highlightsof the show was his avant-garde take on balance inbonsai and guy-wires.

Photos from the Show

BSSF Logo Tree

Photos by Diana Lum and Dave Gomberg

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John Thompson, Guest SpeakerLucky Fung

John Thompson, Oak bonsai enthusiast, was

special guest at our monthly meeting in April. John

has a wealth of bonsai experience as an artist and

a bonsai community advocate with the Golden

State Bonsai Federation. His favorite tree is Oak

and this was obvious as he worked his magic,

shared his knowledge and styled a Cork Oak

bonsai.

Examples of different varieties of Oaks Photo by Eric Schrader

There are over 20 varieties of California natives.

Several different Oak species were on display for

members and guests to see: a Coastal Live Oak,

a Cork Oak and a Blue Oak.

John spoke of Oaks reaching for the sky (sun), a

deciduous tree whose branches grow up and out.

This is different than a pine tree, an evergreen,

whose branches grow down.

John styled a Cork Oak in a nursery container.

He discussed the importance of finding the front

and best viewing angle. He tilted, raised one side

of the bottom of the container with wedges to

achieve the best position.

John imagines the bonsai on a gyroscope to seek

the best line. John cleared the top soil around the

nebari (base) of trunk appearing at the surface.

Ideally the nebari should be flared with the surface

roots slightly visible. John grows his Oaks with

50% to 75% akadama. He has had great success

with this.

The Cork Oak had 3 trunks and he considered

eliminating one trunk. To help visualize what the tree

would look like, he used a small piece of cloth to

cover the trunk to be eliminated. He then removed

the undesirable trunk; immediate improvement was

observed.

John cut back a long branch growing up which had

the same diameter throughout to a smaller lower

branch to achieve taper. He also cut back some

shoots to increase lighting into the interior. Clean

cuts on bigger branches are important to insure the

wound heals, collar closes and over time has a

natural look. He used cut paste to cover the wound.

After John finished pruning the tree, he wired the

bonsai starting with the largest branch first and from

bottom to top. The wire should be removed in a few

months. John uses Dr. Earth Root Zone Starter. He

also mentioned Miracle Gro. He advises using

sphagnum moss to keep the surface of the soil

moist.

John Thompson discusses styling of Oaks Photo by Ryan Iwata

His goal this evening was to achieve a silhouette, an

arc which is pleasing and natural. And it was a huge

success!

John encouraged questions and allowed us to come

up to watch him style. The Cork Oak will be

auctioned off at our club meeting in the fall.

John - Thanks for sharing your knowledge and

experience. It was an amazing evening!!!

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Our own Eric Schrader will give a shortpresentation about bonsai--kind of anintroduction to the art and techniques so youmight come at 11:00 AM to hear that. He willbe in the Auditorium.

San Francisco Cherry Blossom ShowBrian Schindler

On the weekend of April 21-22 BSSF participated in

the 51st Annual San Francisco Cherry Blossom

Festival. For those of you who have never gone to the

festival, it is a huge event with tens of thousands of

people attending.

The bonsai exhibit was put on by BSSF, Yamato

Bonsai Kai of Hayward, and the San Francisco

Suiseki Society. The tradition of BSSF being involved

in the bonsai show at the Cherry Blossom Festival

goes back over 20 years. More than 1500 people

came to admire the bonsai and suiseki. Many thanks

to those who participated for a lovely exhibit of bonsai.

Thankfully, this should be the last show report of this

year. Sheesh, two shows in weeks is a lot!

Above: Photos from the bonsai exhibit at the SF Cherry Blossom Festival

Photos by Brian Schindler

SF Botanical Garden Sale; and

SFBG / BSSF Workday

We will have a couple of tables of bonsai in

bonsai pots at the annual Botanical Garden Sale.

Please come by on SATURDAY, MAY 5TH to

see if there is anything you might want to buy.

The prices will be good. And, of course, there

are many other fabulous plants for sale.

Our next workday is SATURDAY, MAY 12TH

from 10 to 2:00 PM. I hope some of you can

come by the SFBG Nursery to work on our

bonsai trees.

Contact me if you have any questions about this

joint project.

– MaryLou Heslet mheslet@sbcglobal.net

BSSF Meetings and Workshops

and Other Activities

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings take place

in the Garden Club Room, SF County Fair

Building at the corner of 9th Avenue and Lincoln

Way just inside Golden Gate Park. To secure a

spot in any workshop or class, please reach out

to Andrea Burhoe, aburhoe at sign msn.com

May 10: General Meeting – Deciduous

Defoliation with Jonas Dupuich

(Last names E-F Bring refreshments).

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May 17: Free Third Thursday Member

Workshop. 7 PM to 9 PM

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Jun 14: General Meeting – Black Pine Decandling

with Brian Schindler and Bernard Marque

(Last names G-K Bring refreshments).

Jun 21: Free Third Thursday Member Workshop.

7 PM to 9 PM

Proposed dates of other BSSF meetings and

workshops:

Jul 14 (Saturday): Soil Workshop

9 AM to 3 PM with Potluck lunch.

This activity replaces our monthly general meeting.

Jul 19: Free Third Thursday Member Workshop

7 PM to 9 PM

Aug 9: General Meeting with Ivan Hernandez

(Last names L - N Bring refreshments)

Sep 9: BSSF Basics I Class

Sep 13: Annual Auction

(Last names O - R Bring refreshments)

Oct 11: General Meeting

(Last names S-T Bring refreshments)

Nov 9 (Friday): General Meeting with

Bjorn Bjorholm

(Last names U - Z Bring refreshments)

Dec 9: BSSF Basics II Class

Dec 13: Holiday Party

BSSF Announcements

Docenting at the Bonsal Garden. Join John

Dale to docent at the Bonsai Garden in Oakland

on May 19 or any other third Saturday at 1PM.

No matter your skill level, you can help care for

these wonderful trees and educate the public

about the art of bonsai. Sign up with John Dale

at a general meeting. To volunteer at other

times, contact John McKisich, BGLM Docent

Coordinator, at mityglo@aol.com, 650-477-8540

BSSF Club Membership. If you haven’t

renewed your membership yet for 2018, you can

do so by sending your dues payment to

Bonsai Society of San Francisco

c/o Lucky Fung, BSSF Treasurer

1917 17th Avenue

San Francisco CA 94116-1243

Dues are $30 for individuals, $50 for families, and

$20 for seniors. Checks are payable to BSSF.

Bonsai Sales at Monthly Meetings. Remember

that any time during the year you wish to sell

bonsai trees, the BSSF invites you to bring the

trees to our monthly meetings (except September

and December) or workshops. The club receives

20% of the purchase price. Additionally, feel free

to bring your trees for Show and Tell at the

monthly meetings to inspire other members

BSSF Bonsai Library. The BSSF has on hand a

large assortment of books, magazines, and other

literature about our favorite hobby. To access

the library, arrive early at either the monthly

meeting or the monthly workshop and speak to

Bernard Marque. Checking out materials

requires a $5 deposit per item.

BSSF Care Guide. The BSSF guide to seasonal

bonsai care in the San Francisco Bay Area is

available on the BSSF webpage,

https://tinyurl.com/BSSFycc

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Other Upcoming Bonsai Events

May 4 - 5, 2018 Sacramento

Sacramento Bonsai Club: 72nd Annual Show

Buddhist Church of Sacramento, 2401 Riverside Blvd.

Show hours are Noon - 5 pm , Saturday and 10 am -

4 pm Sunday with demonstrations at 2 pm by Bonsai

artist Sam Adina both days, followed by benefit

drawings. Free Admission, open to the public. Club

member sales of bonsai-related items.

May 19 - 20, 2018 Oakland

Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai (BASA): 23rd Annual

Satsuki Azalea Bonsai Show, Lakeside Park

Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave. Show hours are 10

AM – 5 PM Saturday and 10 AM – 4 PM Sunday with

demonstration by Johnny Uchida Saturday

1 – 3 PM (Demonstration tree to be raffled).

Beginning bonsai workshop Sunday 1 – 3 PM limited

space available, $20 fee and sign-up required.

Participating vendors – North American Satsuki

Bonsai Center – Rick Garcia and Shojuen – Darren

and Laura Wong. Free admission. Public parking

available. For more information contact George Haas

at gwhaas@comcast.net or visit BASA website

http://satsukiazaleabonsai.org.

May 19 – 20, 2018 Sacramento

Satsuki Aikokai Association: Annual show held at

Shepard Garden Center 3330 McKinley Blvd. Show

hours are 10 AM - 5 PM Saturday and

10 AM – 4 PM Sunday with demonstrations at

1:30 PM both days by botanist and bonsai

nurseryman Yuzo Maruyama. Create your own azalea

bonsai class at 11 AM both days. Raffles, vendors

and Satsuki information booth. Free entrance and

parking. For more information contact: Ronn Pigram

(916) 428 8505 or email -

satsukiaikokaisac@sbcglobal.net

May 19 - 20, 2018 Oakland

California Suiseki Society: Suiseki and

aiseki stones exhibition at the Garden Center

at Lake Merritt (1600 Bellevue Ave.) in

conjunction with the Bay Area Satsuki

Aikokai show of flowering azaleas. Show

hours are Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM and

Sunday 10 AM - 4 PM.

May 19 - 20, 2018 Palo Alto

Akebono Bonsai Club and Kashu Suiseki Kai:

Annual Show held at the Palo Alto Buddhist

Temple, 2751 Louis Road. Show hours are Noon

- 5 PM with a demonstration at 2 PM both days.

Free Admission. Raffle drawing for door prizes

and demonstration tree immediately following

each demonstration. Must be present to win.

There will be bonsai trees available for sale by

the club. For additional information, contact Carl

Yanari at (408)781-5937.

June 2 - 3, 2018 San Mateo

Sei Boku Bonsai Kai: 35th Annual Show at

the San Mateo Garden Center. 605 Parkside

Way (next to Beresford Park). Show hours

are 10 AM - 4 PM both days, with

demonstration by Jonas Dupuich from 1 – 3

PM on Saturday (tree will be raffled off at the

conclusion of his demo). On Sunday an open

view workshop from Noon – 3 PM (one of the

workshop trees raffled at conclusion). Large

club member plant sale, vendors, door prizes

and our always popular raffles. Admission is

free. Dr. Bonsai will be available to offer

styling and care tips. For more information

contact Marsha Mekisich at

eclectic.gardener@yahoo.com.

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BSSF Officers and Directors

President – Andrea Burhoe 415-824-9315

aburhoe@msn.com

Vice President – vacant

Treasurer – Lucky Fung

Secretary – Jain Haggerstone

Past President – Eric Schrader

Board Members-at-Large –

Debra Bleemer, Ryan Iwata,

Oscar Patzan, Brian Schindler

Additional Staff:

Newsletters– Diana Lum and Dave Gomberg

Raffle – Bill Daniels

2018 Show – Eric Schrader and Brian Schindler

Librarian – Bernard Marque

Web Site & Collateral Design – Eric Schrader

About the Club

The Bonsai Society of San Francisco exists to

encourage the enjoyment of the art of bonsai.

Whether defined simply as a tree in a tray or taken to

the heights of a living fine art form, we come together

to share our joy and curiosity for growing living trees

and our enthusiasm for keeping them healthy and

beautiful. We invite new members who share these

interests.

BSSF General Meetings are on the 2nd Thursday of

the month at 7:15PM. The Members Workshop is the

following Thursday (3rd Thursday of the month) at

7:00PM. All meetings occur in the County Fair

Building at the corner of 9th Avenue and Lincoln

Way. Enter through the parking lot at 10th Avenue

and Lincoln Way and walk along the path behind the

building to the doorway to the Garden Club Room

Map to the County Fair Building,

Golden Gate Park

BSSF Website:

www.bssf.org

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