The Bonsai News of H ouston A Monthly Newsletter of the Houston Bonsai Society, Inc.

McGovern Centennial Instructional videos at the new Cherie Flores Garden Pavillion on the site of the old

Houston Garden Center in Hermann Park. Parking Lot C, previously accessible off

Walter Pall at a lecture/demo in San Antonio last December (Photo: Shawn Nguyen)

The next meeting of the Houston Bonsai Society will be on Wednesday January 7th at the Cherie Flores Gardens Pavilion in Hermann Park, off of Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030. Refreshments at 7 PM, meeting starts at 7:30 PM.

Wednesday, January 7th, HBS monthly meeting: Repotting Refresher, Tools and Instructional Videos at the NEW Cherie Flores Gardens Pavilion in Hermann Park, on the site of the old Houston Garden Center. The parking lot C, which used to be accessible from Hermann Park Drive, has been replaced with a new lot located off the back street, Hermann Drive, with entrances at Crawford and Jackson Streets.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, January 3rd, Japanese Black Pine Study Group with Ken Credeur at Timeless Trees, 9 AM – 1 PM, $35. Focus: Wiring and re-potting. Wire and soil provided.

Saturday, January 10th, Bald Cypress Workshop with Jason Schley at Timeless Trees, 9 AM – 12 Noon, $150 including 1 tree. A great class on winter styling and wiring on Florida Bald Cypresses Jason has grown for years.

Saturday, January 10th, BYO-Tree Workshop with Jason Schley at Timeless Trees, 1 – 4 PM, $40. Focus on junipers, pines and cypresses.

Saturday, January 17th, Shohin Study Group with Ray Gonzalez at Timeless Trees, $25. Focus on repotting. Soil provided.

Saturday, January 17th, Eighth Annual Mid-winter Bonsai Workshop with guest artist Joe Day from Mobile, AL – 8 AM – 5 PM at Baton Rouge Garden Center, 7950 Independence Blvd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Lecture/demos, workshops and vendors.

Saturday, January 31st - Sunday, February 1st, Study Group with Rodney Clemons at Timeless Trees, 8 AM – 4 PM, $85 per day or $160 for 2 days. Refreshments and lunch provided.

Volume 44 Number 1 January 2015

IN THIS ISSUE

Upcoming Events

Repotting Refresher

Showcase of the Month

Winter Evergreens

January Bonsai Care

John Miller

President’s Message

HBS Board Meeting

December 2014

Visiting Artist

Walter Pall in San Antonio

Winter Evergreens

January Bonsai Care

Look at bonsaitonight.com. Starting in November, Jonas has been doing articles on pest control with some great pictures. Be sure to click on the major references he gives. The latest article dated December 16th was on the spider mite and his cousins. The next 5 weeks should be good for dormant oil and lime sulphur dormant sprays, especially if you had any problem last year. Kill the over-wintering eggs, pupae or adults. Be sure what you use is labeled for your tree species and follow the instructions on the label carefully.

It would be nice to be able to sort your trees into 2 or 3 groups - outdoor trees, indoor trees and flowering trees. But nature has not done anything so simple. Some outdoor trees survive a lot of cold while others want to go dormant but can’t have their roots frozen at all. Your job is to learn their foibles and work around them.

In general, you start by knowing that deciduous trees will go dormant and stay that way until something awakens them. Some are temperature sensitive, they go dormant when the temp drops in the fall and awaken when they get warm. These should be kept in a shady area to keep them cool. Others are sensitive in the change in day length: they go dormant when daylight gets short and will break buds when they sense the days getting longer. These are not so hard to care for.

Evergreens do not go fully dormant. They slow their processes but still use sunlight and some nutrients. However they still need their roots protected to prevent alternate freezing and thawing.

All outdoor trees, both deciduous and evergreen, need to have their soil moisture maintained and their roots protected from deep freezes. Since their sap flow is diminished, they cannot replace moisture lost to winds, so they should be protected from a lot of wind. The plants can be protected by using ground heat to minimize the low and high temps. Set the pots on the ground and cover with mulch.

Tropicals care at this time depends on your facilities for heat and light, the two things usually in short supply in January. I merely try to keep mine alive with the greenhouse at 50 degrees. Be sure to monitor them for aphids and other problems. They do not get enough light to actively grow anyway. When my mame and shohin elms have had a month of dormancy, I bring them into the greenhouse before the temps get to the lower twenties. They respond by starting growth so I have them for ’soul food’ through January.

Styling can be done at this time but no repotting unless you are going to keep the tree from freezing after that. Repotting initiates new root development which is usually not very hardy.

A better approach would be to study one or two thoroughly each day, making notes on what needs to be done. January is an excellent time to start remodeling projects that may be necessary. While the trees are dormant, you have better view of the branch structure. Do any need to be moved or removed? Do any coarse branches need to be cut back to a smaller side branch for refinement? Do any long straight branches need wiring to give them motion? Does the tree really need a drastic redesign? You can also trim the twigs back while you have them there. You can also decide if that tree will need to be repotted this spring. Is the present pot good or should you find a more appropriate pot for it?

Indoor trees will be using more water to offset the lower humidity. Soil will also be losing water faster through its surface. Be sure to watch the indoor trees for insect problems. Most plant insects love a controlled atmosphere like the indoors. Spider mites seem to get the most attention here because they do great in a low humidity and the lack of foliage spraying. Scale can be an easily overlooked source of trouble. There are usually more severe problems with plants that have been kept outdoors in summer then brought inside without any treatment. Indoor trees need to be fertilized regularly and will require periodic trimming as they continue to grow through the winter.

Tender or tropical trees that are kept indoors will be using more water to offset the lower

humidity.

Soil will also be losing water faster through its surface. Be sure to watch the indoor trees for insect problems. Most plant insects love a controlled atmosphere like the indoors. Spider mites seem to get the most attention here because they do great in a low humidity and the lack of foliage spraying. Scale can be an easily overlooked source of trouble. The flat green kind can be hard to spot on the underside of leaves or tight against the stem.

Warm greenhouses are much the same as indoors. However, most greenhouses are kept more humid. The higher humidity is to the liking of aphids and fungal diseases. It may also result in your keeping the soil too moist with associated root problems. Use your standard insect controls that you used last summer. I use my organic foliar spray all winter. Again bonsai tonight.com will help you understand what to do. Jonas prefers the organic approach but covers other methods as well. John Miller

John Miller, who writes a monthly column for the Bonsai Society of Dallas and Fort Worth Bonsai Society, has agreed to share his column with us. We need to make adjustments for our warmer and damper climate, with earlier springs, longer summers, late fall and erratic winters.

Dr.Charles Moore, one of the founding members of HBS, and his bonsai collection. (Photo: Shawn Nguyen)

President’s Message

Friends,

What a terrific year we have enjoyed! So many successes, very few opportunities. The New Year is upon us and we have some new changes: A new meeting place, a different State Convention format, and some new officers. I really appreciate all of the work that the Board has accomplished. For those of you who are not aware, the Board plans meetings,

shows, artist visits, etc. all year long. Working with this group of great people makes me look good, but they do 99% of the work, and deserve the credit. So thank those folks next time you see them for their unpaid services. They all have a servant’s heart and a strong desire to make things better for all. Also thank C. J. Everson and the other people personally for the snacks that we munch on. They really deserve our gratitude.

Our newest Board Members are 2nd VP – Dean Laumen, and Members at Large - Nandita D’Souza, Wayne Malone, Vern Maddox and Clyde Holt. Thank you all in advance for your hard work.

Well winter is really upon us. It’s time to get ready to work with those conifers and deciduous trees. Personally I am making up soil and getting ready for repotting which we will start pretty soon.

If you have not renewed your membership, it is that time of the year again. Our Houston Bonsai Society membership runs from January 1st to December 31st. The individual membership cost is $25 and the family membership is $30.

Our Annual Christmas Party was great. It is a wonderful time to meet new people and their family. I had known Dr. Charles Moore for at least 10 years, visited with him at several meetings, but had never met his wife and daughter. They are a great family. I hope that you got to know someone a little better this Christmas season also.

The New Year will also bring a big change. The new Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion “garden center” at Hermann Park is ready. We have booked it for our January and February meetings to try it out. The parking will be “around back”, so you will have to enter off of Hermann Drive, not Hermann Park Drive. So we will see you there on January 7th with refreshments at 7PM, and the meeting starting at 7:30 PM.

The club has planned a trip to dig at Mike Hansen’s MBP Bonsai, near Austin, to collect Trident Maples on Saturday, February 21st. MBP will be open for digging from 9AM – 4PM, and the cost is $25 per trunk caliper inch. HBS will provide a van and trailer. If you are interested, contact Brian Gurrola for details.

Locally we have Jason Schley coming to visit Houston and Corpus Christi in early January. Rodney Clemons will be here in the last week of January and Bjorn Bjorholm will come in November.

Thanks for all your support. Your trust is appreciated. Hurley

C.J. Everson, a quiet but super sweet lady, has been spoiling HBS members with savory snacks and sweets for the past 16 years. (Photo: Shawn Nguyen)

HBS Board Meeting Minutes

December 3, 2014

I. Call to Order

The President, Hurley Johnson, called the meeting to

order at 6:40 p.m.

II. Roll Call

Present: Hurley Johnson, Scott Barboza, Eldon Branham,

Anthony Cutola, Brian Gurrola, Alan Raymond, Ron

Ahles and Barbara Adams. Also present were Pete Parker,

Donald Green, Ray Gonzalez, Clyde Holt, Quyen Tong,

Wayne Malone, Dean Laumen and Michael McCluskey.

A quorum was present.

III. Read and Approve Meeting Minutes

Minutes for the meeting of November, 2014 were read

and approved.

IV. Treasurer's Report

Anthony Cutola presented the Treasurer's Report.

Expenses:

C.J. Everson for refreshments 10/1 $ 51.40

No deposit

A motion was made to accept the Treasurer's Report. The

motion was seconded and all voted in favor.

V. Expenditures

Scott Barboza requests reimbursement for Boone's hotel

expense for the Fall Show for $104.13. Brian Gurrola

requests reimbursement for a dinner for Boone, totaling

$105.23. Hurley Johnson requests reimbursement for

stamps for $49.00 and a ham for the Christmas dinner for

$39.99. A motion was made to pay these expenses. The

motion was seconded and all voted in favor.

VI. Unfinished Business

Hurley Johnson reported that he has compiled spread-

sheets detailing expenses by budget category to facilitate

an easier audit review.

Eldon Branham reported that he has checked pricing on a

larger storage space at the current facility. Currently we

are paying $45.00 per month. In January that rate would

be $80.00 per month for the same size unit. Eldon said

we could get a unit that is 10 X 10 (double the current

space) for $130.00 per month. Management has offered a

25% discount for the first four months. This would total

$1,430.00 for the year. Wayne Malone mentioned that

these were "inside the city" rates in that the facility is in

close proximity to downtown. He suggested that we wait

and check rates at facilities outside this area. All

members agreed.

Hurley mentioned that we need to get the PayPal account

set up as a clearing account for acceptance of membership

dues, workshop fees, etc. We would then move the funds

into the general Wells Fargo account. A motion was

made and voted on at the October meeting to set up this

account. A signature card needs to be added for Hurley

Johnson and Donald Green’s taken off.

Hurley reported that we have booked the meeting room at

the Centennial Garden of the Hermann Park Conservancy

for our January and February meetings. We will be

paying a Garden Club rate of $45.00 for three hours.

There will be tables available and chairs for 50 people.

VII. LSBF Activities

Pete Parker reported that the LSBF members would be

meeting in Houston for their January 10th

meeting. He

suggests that they attend workshops at Timeless Trees.

Hurley mentioned that he has offered his own business’

conference room for their convenience and use. Pete also

mentioned that they are still working on adding artists for

the Speakers Tour.

VIII. New Business Scott Barboza reported that our new domain name

"Houston Bonsai.com" is now up and running. He says

that there is a preference for a different web hosting

service. The current service costs $10.00 per month, is

serviceable but not very user friendly. He has another

service in mind that is much more user friendly and

allows for much more bandwidth. The cost of that service

would be $25.00 per month. A motion was made to make

the change to the new web hosting service. The motion

was seconded and all voted in favor.

Anthony Cutola mentioned that he has been contacted by

the Texas Home and Garden Show organizers. They have

offered us free booth space again this year. The events

are to be held in February 6th

through 8th

at Reliant

Stadium and March 27th

through 29th

at the George R.

Brown Convention Center.

Hurley Johnson presented the 2015 budget. Several

additions to expenses were suggested and added. A

motion was made that the budget be accepted with the

additions of the expenses discussed. The motion was

seconded and all voted in favor.

IX. Adjournment

A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. Motion was

seconded and all agreed. The meeting was adjourned at

7:32 p.m.

Minutes of the meeting were taken by Barbara Adams.

Walter Pall

As you have heard in December’s newsletter, if the

legendary Walter Pall can’t come to us, let’s go to

him. That I did. I had such a great time, not only

visiting with him but also with the San Antonio club

and touring Donna Dobberfuhl’s Art Studio &

Gallery extraordinaire. You will get to see her

treasures in another issue, very soon.

Chuck and Pat Ware of Jade Garden picked up

Walter from the Austin airport and passed him on to

Kevin and Hattie Preston for a city tour of San

Antonio before a late lunch then the lecture/demo.

He appeared to be well fed but still jet lagged.

Quietly everyone started the Christmas feast in the

kitchen to allow him some time to rest.

Walter started his session by thanking everyone for

the American hospitality, which always means

feeding him too much good food. He often returns

Walter was dissecting a very impressive Bougainvillea with an

unusual trunk. He suggested that the owner raise the “roof “to

balance the height with nebari width. (Photo: Shawn Nguyen)

home from each American trip at least 5-10 lbs.

heavier but very content.

Everyone who came to greet Walter could not help

asking him the question which begged to be asked:

Why did you leave a well-paying job as an inter-

national management consultant to devote to the

poverty stricken art of bonsai? As director of

mammoth size international companies, Walter got

tired of dealing with brutal business sharks and grew

unhappier every day, in spite of the half a million a

year income with a huge expense account and a

fabulous high life. One day, sitting alone in a five-

star hotel suite, he found himself longing for a

simpler life. A childhood dream popped up in his

mind. At the age of 4, while climbing trees, he

observed Rudolph, the family gardener, prune a

cherry tree. The young man appeared to enjoy his

work. Totally absorbed in the pruning, he whistled

while taking the time to create a very beautiful tree.

Walter was convinced since that moment that such a

job must be the best job in the world.

In the spur of a moment, he decided to leave the

stressful occupation for that “best job in the world”.

He would have no one to please from then on but

himself. He thought he had saved enough to leave

the corporate world to just play with bonsai for the

rest of his life. Little did he expect that gradually,

his retirement funds turned into retirement fun in the

garden. The trade-off allows him to travel the world,

working with what he loves most, trees. He is now

poor but very happy. He is very lucky that the love

of his life came along with him on that uncertain

journey. Today, she still drives her dream car, a

Mercedes sport coupe, still circa 1990.

A collected Ash bush. with Wisteria-like leaves.(Photo: Shawn

Nguyen)

At the age of 19, Walter came to Denver for his

college study for 1 year. He had to learn American

English quickly to catch up with his new friends, for

English was his third language, after Mountain

German and High German. I was blown away by

how eloquent he is in American English, especially

American slangs and jokes. He is also fluent in

many other European languages such as Romanian,

Italian, French, Polish, even Croatian… all Latin

root languages. This skill enables him to teach the

Art of Bonsai throughout many European countries.

His articles and blogs are published in 6 languages.

Today, Walter still travels a lot. At the age of 70, he

has taken roughly 100 trips to the US, to 48 states.

On average, he kisses good-bye and says “I love

you” to his wife of 46 years several times a week,

and she responds in kind, always in English. It’s not

common to say the same in their own language.

German folks and most non-French and non-Italian

people are not romantic enough to say I love you as

often as he has observed among the Americans. On

the other hand though, the stern Europeans are

known for their legendary will to compromise, so

they don’t engage in heated arguments as much.

After all he suspects his wife stays all these years

because she does not have to put up with him full-

time. He’s always away or in the garden.

Walter boldly joked about his long marriage: If one

kills somebody in Germany, the jail sentence would

be 25 years but with good behavior, he can get out in

15. Hence his marriage has lasted longer than the jail

terms for killing 3 people. The couple met at the age

of 13 and married right out of high school. Both are

from Austria, from the region of Tyrol. Today, they

are no longer Austrian because they live in

Germany. But they are not German because they

were born Tyrolean. Confusing or confused?

Walter’s recommendations

Looking at raw collected material from all angles,

one should not use his eyes but his mind to see the

beautiful tree within. All confusing details need to

be cleared first to reveal the trunk or the silhouette.

To recognize the best potential of a tree, turn it

slowly to find a movement and emphasize the

elegant line or curvatures when selecting the front.

A good place to start is to reduce the optical weight

and expose the beauty of the trunk.

He remembers John Naka’s adage: Try to make your

bonsai look like a tree. Consequently Walter often

ignores the traditional Japanese rules as well as the

triangular shaped foliage pads, especially on

boxwood and broadleaf trees. Most trees don’t grow

into a conic hat or triangular shape at the apex, but

more likely in broccoli-like form. Poodles or

topiaries never look natural and are best avoided. To

enhance the optical illusion of old nebari and large

trunks, use thin or flat pots and lighten up the apex

and foliage.

Although most bonsai aficionados have the tendency

to imitate or repeat the same shapes as they have

seen before, art is about doing new things.

A gentleman from the crowd inquired about the

reason why most bonsai photos show moss covered

soil and trunks. Walter responded: Although mosses

save on watering in high heat, which ironically kills

them in the summer, some aggressive mosses may

ruin the tree bark with constant humidity, rot and

pests. They need to be removed.

Since most American bonsai lovers don’t exhibit

their trees in a tokonoma, bonsai should not be

styled as a two-dimensional works of art. Walter

suggests putting more trees in round or oval pots and

making them beautiful on all sides, to be enjoyed

from all angles.

Walter noticed that in the U.S., most incorrectly

classify the opposite of Deciduous trees as Conifers.

It should be Evergreen and not all evergreen species

are conifers. Instead of the word Style, which means

a general impression or appearance, such as abstract

vs. realistic, Baroque vs. Zen minimalist, he

recommends using the correct term which is Form.

To make the pots disappear, opt for neutral earth

tone colors yellow, ivory, gray and taupe in soft

glazes.

Apical dominance can be reduced to avoid ruining

the design, for the apex grows too strong, often at

the expense of the lower branches. Cut the apex but

allow the lower branches to grow long to fatten them

up. In 20 years, the trees will become masterpieces.

The demo Juniper after a 5-minute pruning. The Before photo is

shown on page 1. (Photo: Shawn Nguyen)

The San Antonio club had prepared a full Juniper for

the lecture-demo. Walter explained his vision of the

future tree and quickly pruned the branches down to

a fraction. He chose to spend most the allocated

time to examine the members’ trees and give them

valuable suggestions they can carry out at home.

Looking at close to 50 trees crowding the tables, he

exclaimed: Bring me your dogs, the uglier the better.

I don’t need to see beautiful trees and tell you they

are nice. Instantly, the number of trees is drastically

reduced.

The first tree was an Anaqua or Ehretia Anacua, also

known as Sandpaper tree, a native broadleaf of

Texas. Overall this species resembles the Fukien

Tea. This specific yamadori has a triple very straight

trunk without any taper, quite difficult to work with.

Walter touched on his favorite style, which is

naturalistic. To him, Naturalistic doesn’t mean leave

the collected tree just the way it was found. Most of

his naturalistic trees took numerous hours from raw

stock to beauty, yet they appear as if no human hand

had ever touched them.

Since this straight triple trunk tree cannot be left as

is, Walter recommended reducing those trunks down

to about 4”, to get some back budding, then intro-

duce some taper into the new growth, and develop

new ramification. Timing for this kind of severe

pruning is critical. He recommends studying the

species carefully before proceeding. The big hole at

the base probably will never close off, so he gave the

go ahead on carving it to make the wound wider and

uglier, even though it’s a NO NO in Japanese

schools. Broadleaf trees cannot have holes.

Phoenix graft of Sea Green Juniper on petrified

deadwood

Walter appeared to dislike this Tanuki, mentioning

harsh terms such as badger, crook, cheater, all I

believe were coined by the Japanese who frowned

upon deceit. One word of consolation: He

complimented the fine deadwood as very cool! He

suggested removing thin branches, bring the

upwards branches down to increase the appearance

of age, then wire some thin branches to form thicker

clouds. In 10 years, it will look very good, he

concluded.

A real tree with partial deadwood that looks

more like a Tanuki than the previous Tanuki.

We had a good laugh when Walter called this

peculiar raft a real hairdo that looks more like a

wig! Since the bark is so smooth and the trunks so

thin, wiring should be avoided. Guy wires can be

used to over bend the 2 trunks in the same direction,

way below the intended position. Once the guy wires

are removed, the trunks will bounce back half way

and will look just right.

An umbrella like Juniper

Too balanced may not be considered attractive for

evergreens, conifers or junipers. Walter suggested

removing one side of the umbrella and restyling the

tree to graciously sweep in just one direction. Since

it’s an old looking tree, he recommends using an

equally old looking pot. Masculine trees such as

Pines, Junipers and Podocarpus need masculine

unglazed brown pots. Elegant and dancing feminine

trees need dainty rounded or oval pots. Raft or

forests look their best in shallow pots or stone slabs.

A collected Juniper grove

This grove has 4 trees, 1 of which stands straight

while the other 3 lean to one direction. Walter

suggested cutting off the unattractive straight tree

and wire the other 3 so that their angles are more in

sync with the general movement.

A collected Ash Juniper often called Cedar (Photo: S. Nguyen)

Old collected trees

Like many people who collect yamadori in the

mountains, Walter believes old trees have souls. On

countless occasions when he climbs the Alps for

bonsai material, he stood in awe before the natural

landscapes and extraordinary works of Mother

Nature. He recalled that John Naka recorded in his

books the same reverence Zen Buddhist monks

experienced when they too live close to nature. To

help those who have never seen such beauties

recreate the shapes and forms they admire, these

monks created simple bonsai rules that are easy to

follow. Over the years, Walter witnessed so many

beauties in his own environment, that he recreated

them as close as possible to Nature’s way, without

pre-set aesthetic rules.

Ever changing bonsai fashion and fads

Nowadays, as bonsai trees are created all over the

world, many fashionable styles enjoy a very short

life while those that appear testosterone charged stay

for decades. Standing close to them, one can even

feel the energy vibes of their creator’s ego. While

some other artists invented the Fairy Tale Style, few

Sumo trees morph into grotesque monsters with

double twisted branches like a double summersault

acrobatic pose. Walter has observed quite a few trees

that are so uniquely ugly and grotesque that they

look beautiful in a weird way.

Overall, Walter has the tendency to shy away from

the contrived rules to make his trees rather elegant

and fun. Instead of placid and monotonous

herringbone pattern, he prefers dancing and flying

movements. His Bonsai School does not teach

handwriting but calligraphy, not reporting but

poetry. As a general rule of thumb in the refining

process, short-term and present beauty needs to be

sacrificed for long-term quality in the future.

One by one, Walter analyzes each tree, considers

each tree’s growing habits in nature to redesign or

to maintain its natural shape. For a sumo

Bougainvillea in full bloom, Walter suggested to let

the top grow another canopy to increase the height

of the tree and balance out the weight of the ultra-

thick nebari. A very thick ball like Kingsville

Boxwood needs its top reduced to lighten up its

optical weight. The compact foliage needs to be

thinned out for transparency. The way to start this

seemingly simple procedure is to do what

Michelangelo did when he carved marble blocks into

impressive statues. With an image of the finished

piece firmly implanted in the mind’s eye, the artist

can see through the dense foliage and fine

ramification what to chip away and what to leave.

Overall, his job is to make the raw material turn into

an interesting piece of art.

The artist’s relationship to bonsai trees is no

different than the one with people around him.

Walter believes everything is a compromise.

Humans need to compromise with Nature like they

compromise with their significant others. But when

they have to compromise too much and all the time,

it’s time for a divorce. For hopeless trees that would

not stand a chance to become potensai, he recom-

mended donating to club auctions, cut way down to

the root ball or in small chunks to root for Mame.

The lecture, demo, critique with suggestions ended

with a loud laughter and applause. Walter Pall has

not only given us a wealth of valuable information

about bonsai but also entertained us with his very

quick jokes and anecdotes all evening, without a

single smile on his face. Is this a German or Austrian

thing? (I don’t recall seeing Christopher Plummer

crack a single smile in The Sound of Music.)

Shawn Nguyen

Bring a copy of this ad to Bob during Society Appreciation Week (Feb. 7 – 15, 2015) for a 15% discount on soils, fertilizers, chemicals and garden tools. (It’ 5% above the usual 10% HBS discount).

Visit jrnnursery2.com to view flowers, orchids, fruiting and rare tropical bonsai as well as exotic house plants, bonsai pots, Asian gifts and Japanese garden accessories. 10% discount to HBS members.

Check out timeless-trees.com and get on the mailing list for weekly classes and workshops offered by very knowledgeable artists. Huge selection of tropicals, conifers, evergreen and deciduous pre-bonsai and bonsai as well as supplies and soils.

Visit artist Andrew Sankowski at the Mossrock Studio & Fine Art Gallery for the finest gifts and custom bonsai pots in any shape, form and color.

Andrew Sankowski 26002 Oak Ridge Drive Direct (281) 684-4411 The Woodlands, TX 77380 Fax (281) 363-9032

andy@mossrockstudio.com

Gift giving for the bonsai lovers on your list or yourself is easy with Pineywoods Easy-Care artistic conifers, tropicals, flowering and fruiting bonsai. Simply ask Larry and Judy to send you photos of their selection to choose from. Shipping available.

Calendar of Events

2014

JAN 3 Japanese Black Pine Study Group with Ken Credeur at Timeless Trees, 9 AM – 1 PM, $35. Focus on wiring, and/or re-potting. Wire and soil provided.

JAN 7 HBS monthly meeting on Repotting at the new Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion in Hermann Park. Refreshments at 7PM, meeting starts at 7:30 PM.

JAN 10 Bald Cypress Workshop with Jason Schley at Timeless Trees, 9 AM – 12 Noon, $150 including 1 tree. A great class on winter styling and wiring on Florida Bald Cypresses Jason has grown for years.

and BYO-Tree Workshop with Jason Schley, 1 – 4 PM,

$40. Focus on junipers, pines and cypresses.

JAN 17 Shohin Study Group with Ray Gonzalez at Timeless Trees, $25. Focus on repotting. Soil provided.

JAN 17 Eighth Annual Mid-winter Bonsai Workshop with guest artist Joe Day from Mobile, AL – 8 AM – 5 PM at Baton Rouge Garden Center, 7950 Independence Blvd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Lectures, demos, workshops and vendors.

JAN 31- FEB 1 Study Group with Rodney Clemons at Timeless Trees, 8 AM – 4 PM, $85 per day or $160 for 2 days. Refreshments and lunch provided.

FEB 4 HBS monthly meeting: Repotting Round Table at the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion at Hermann Park. Bring your tree to repot. Refreshments at 7 PM, meeting starts at 7:30 PM.

FEB 8 Saturday Study Group at Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, 9 AM – 12 Noon. Free .

Houston Bonsai Society, Inc. P. O. Box 540727, Houston, Texas 77254-0727

www.houstonbonsai.com

HBS Board Members President Hurley Johnson hurley@all-tex.net

1st Vice President Scott Barboza doma426@gmail.com in charge of Education 2nd Vice President Dean Laumen drlaumen@bechtel.com Secretary Barbara Adams adams.barbara1@embarqmail.com in charge of Membership

Publicity Eldon Branham elmo4635@aol.com

Treasurer Anthony Cutola acutola@gmail.com

Member at Large - O Nandita D’Souza ndas27@gmail.com

Member at Large - O Vern Maddox vmaddox1@comcast.net

Member at Large - O Wayne Malone wayneamalone@gmail.com

Member at Large - O Clyde Holt cmholt11@comcast.net

Member at Large - E Brian Gurrola bgurrola@gurrolareprographics.com

Member at Large - E Ron Ahles carolahles@sbcglobal.net

Delegates Past President Alan Raymond amraymond@suddenlink.net

LSBF Delegate Peter Parker peteparkerbonsai@yahoo.com

LSBF Alternate Terry Dubois tdubois1@comcast.net

BCI Ambassador Donald Green donald.green12@att.net

TTSBE Representative Alan Raymond amraymond@suddenlink.net

Refreshments C.J. Everson c.j.everson@comcast.net

Website/email Gary Teeter houstonbonsai@gmail.com

Newsletter editor Shawn Nguyen hbs.news@yahoo.com

The Bonsai News of Houston is a monthly publication of the Houston Bonsai Society, Inc. Copyright © 2011. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the editor or a member of the Board of Directors. Exceptions exist, however, for certain not-for-profit and non-profit bonsai organizations or associated bonsai and bonsai nursery newsletters, including without limitation the American Bonsai Society. HBS participates fully with reciprocation of contents and material between other LSBF member organizations and others. Authors who submit articles for this newsletter thereby give permission to such organizations to reprint, unless they expressly state otherwise.

Space for advertising in The Bonsai News of Houston can be requested by contacting the newsletter editor or a member of the HBS Board. The rates for a business-card-size ad (approximately 3 1/2" x 2") are $6 per month, $30 for 6 months and $50 per year (12 issues). A full-page ad is $25 per month. Rates are subject to change without notice. 3½" x 2" classified ads are run free of charge for one month once per 12-month period for non-commercial members.

For special requests or questions related to The Bonsai News of Houston, contact the newsletter editor or a member of the HBS Board.