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

As Chairman of LSBF 2014, Donald Green handed out all awards (Photo: J. McCoy)

The next meeting of the Houston Bonsai Society will be on Wednesday August 5th, 2015 at the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion in Hermann Park, off of Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030. Refreshments at 7 PM, meeting starts at 7:30 PM.

Wednesday, August 5th, HBS monthly meeting: “Trunk Chopping 101” with Scott Barboza. Come learn how to chop trunk and develop deciduous bonsai. For Show & Tell with Ray, please bring your skillfully altered and expertly aged bonsai.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, August 8th, Saturday Study Group at Timeless Trees in Rosenberg, TX, 9AM – 12 Noon, Free, refreshments provided.

Saturday, August 15th, Basic Bonsai Class #2 at Timeless Trees, 9AM – 1 PM, $60. Focus will be on styling and wiring a tree. Tree, wire, handout and wire cutter provided.

Saturday, August 22nd, Tropical Shohin Workshop at Timeless Trees, 9AM – 12 Noon, $75. Choose either a Golden Gate Ficus or a Premna that have been grown for Shohin. Tree, pot, soil and wire provided.

Wednesday, September 2nd, HBS Annual Auction Fundraiser at at Cherie Flores Pavilion in Hermann Park. Pull out those old ugly trees, pots, and books you have already read. This is a great time to get rid of some old projects you have grown tired of, and find some new cheap material to do something with. Bring your checkbook or cash.

Saturday, September 12th, Saturday Study Group at Maas Nursery in Seabrook, TX, 9AM – 12 Noon, Free, refreshments provided.

Saturday, September 19th: Shohin Society of Texas 2015 Annual meeting and tree selection (for LSBF Oct. 9-10 exhibit) at Persimmon Hill Studio, 12001 Red Hawk Cove Austin, TX 78739 - (512) 280-5575. Hands-on workshops with Steven Hendricks and Alisan Clarke with material collected by Alisan.

Volume 44 Number 8 August 2015

IN THIS ISSUE

Upcoming Events

Trunk Chopping 101 by Scott Barboza

Showcase of the Month

Donald Green’s Bonsai

0August Bonsai Care

John Miller

President’s

Letter

Bonsai Bench Note

Pete Parker

Saying Goodbye to

Donald Green

HBS friends

Kathy Shaner Seminar

October 16-18, 2015

Donald Green’s bonsai

August Bonsai Care

During August the temperature will make your job harder. The prime effort is towards keeping the roots cooler and not drying them out. The main culprit is the late afternoon sun. It sneaks in at the hottest part of the day when there is no humidity in the air to buffer some of the heat, and is at an angle that gets under any foliage or awning you may have.

Normally you will need to watch for changing water needs. Porous soil dries faster than soil that is dense or has a high organic content. Wind dries the soil both directly and by taking moisture from the foliage. Heat from the high temps or from the sun heating the pots evaporates the water.

Shade should be provided. Tridents maples, most elms, oaks as well as junipers and pines do well with 30% to 40% shade cloth. Thin leaf trees like Japanese maples are understory species and work with 50% cloth. 60% and higher should be avoided, unless used on the western exposure to protect from the extremely hot late afternoon rays. Local sources (Home Depot, Lowe’s) are high percentage not really useful for plant protection. I order shade cloth from the Internet, and it’s cheaper that way too.

Chopped long fiber sphagnum moss should be used on the soil to help retain moisture. New Zealand moss is the highest quality. South American is almost as good. North American moss usually is poor quality, with lots of debris and breaks down faster. Again order from the Internet. Lowe’s had Miracle-Gro moss which is Chilean and also Mosser-Lee American from Wisconsin. Old cloth, shop towels, or such may be substituted or used to hold the moss if you have a windy location.

Fertilizer should be used sparingly during August. Organic fertilizer cakes are the safest to use, however they should not have any ’hot’ ingredient like rabbit or chicken droppings. After Labor Day, switch to a winterizing type of fertilizer that is high in the third number- potassium. However for tropicals, keep your regular schedule going. Just be sure the soil is cool enough that the chemicals do not burn the roots.

This is a good time to remember to water twice. Dry soil particles, especially clay and organic particles tend to resist absorbing water. This is due to the surface tension of the water. Wait a few minutes after the first watering for the dry soil particles to absorb some of the water on their surface. Then the second watering gets all the particles completely wet. During this period, especially, you should consider foliage spraying. The humidity is usually very low in the afternoon and many junipers close the stoma during the day and open at night to absorb the dew. The foliage spray cools the plant and the environment so it can recover a bit overnight.

Deciduous bonsai may be pruned, wired, or styled during this period. Any trees wired in the spring (or earlier) should be carefully checked. If the wire is snug, it should be removed and the tree rewired.

Tropicals are in their glory as long as you keep their roots reasonably cool. Defoliate, wire and prune to your heart’s content. Repotting should have been done earlier.

Summer flowering plants should be fertilized carefully so as to not burn the roots. Remove any seed or fruit that may form as they rob the plant of needed energy. Crepe myrtle need to be deadheaded. Cut them back so the new shoots that form will not be too long. They should bear flowers each time. If you have the America Wisteria (wisteria frutescens), they should rebloom each time you prune them.

Do not prune azaleas any more this year if you want flowers next spring. Buds have been set by now. If you are still developing your azalea, go ahead and prune. Some varieties will set a few buds anyway. In general, when pruning, look for the cluster of twigs at the site of last spring’s bloom. Cut out all and leave two, usually the ones growing horizontally. Be sure to cut back strong growing shoots to a couple of leaves.

The combination of heat and dry conditions are optimum for the growth of spider mites. Scale will be extremely dangerous sucking the sap from the plant. Cedar elm is subject to a very small white scale which is hard to see. Controls for these will generally take care of any other you may have. Be sure you read and follow the manufacturer’s directions for any control you use. Organic controls have no residual action and need to be used on a regular basis. Used regularly, they get to the scale when it is in the reproductive stage outside of the shell. The only way to get scale under the shell is by a systemic poison. For example, Bayer systemic granules are applied to the surface of the soil, watered in, absorbed by the roots and transported by the sap throughout the plant. The bug gets it when it sucks the sap or eats the leaf.

My organic control is one tablespoon of each of liquid seaweed, fish emulsion, 5% apple cider vinegar, and molasses, in one gallon of water. Spray with a fine mist sprayer covering the top and bottom surface of leaves and into crevices in the bark.

Extreme dry conditions will keep fungal problems in check but watch out if we happen to get a few days of rain. Warm and wet means an eruption of leaf spot and mildew. Control them with the 1% hydrogen peroxide spray. I like that because it does not leave a white residue like the baking soda or potassium peroxide.

How much sun should your tree have? That depends on a bunch of things but mostly on the species of tree. Understory trees (e.g. Acer Palmatum) can use a lot of shade, good strong light but only dappled sun. However, again there are no absolutes. For four years, I had been growing 70 old-fashioned green cultivar maples in full afternoon sun with no problem. I find that the ashe juniper

and cedar elm will also take full sun but do better if the pots are covered and they get some afternoon shade. However full sun will bleach the leaves on some of my tridents but others are very happy and healthy in the same general area. I think you need to try to follow the general guidelines, but watch your trees and move them if necessary. I have had problems with Fukien tea in the past but this year, I have them under 60% shade cloth, with copious watering, and they are staying green. I would like to see some articles from local people on their experiences with the different tropicals in this area, covering both their summer and winter care. So how about writing one?

In the real world, plan your soil mix for your average conditions and then tilt the pots if you have a long wet spell, and give an extra watering when hot and dry. Use some loose covering on the pot to shade it from the sun. A windbreak could help with tender leaved trees.

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.

President’s Message

Friends,

These last two months have been a very sad time in the life of our club. Past President, Donald Green suffered an accidental fall in his gym that damaged his spinal cord. He was in the hospital for about a month. He had undergone surgery, and was recovering well. In fact he had his bag packed to move to the Rehab Center when he was taken from us. He suffered a massive heart attack.

Donald’s Memorial Service was held on Saturday, July 11th, and well attended by HBS members, family, and many friends from the various groups Donald taught and worked with. He was a great friend and mentor to many of us. His smile was infectious, and his laugh was contagious. Besides that he was very good at working with Bonsai trees. He has a lot of trees

that are very nice and well developed. Four of his trees have been offered to the Texas State Exhibit. He and Diane want them to go to people who will appreciate and care for them like he did. What a generous gesture on the part of his family!

I would personally like to thank all of those who attended the recent Donald Green Legacy Sale. It was a tremendous success. We sold all of the trees before noon. Many also took home new pots, benches, and other things. Donald would be very pleased that he could share his trees with those who would appreciate them. They went all over Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi. Thanks again for those who helped with the details of the sale: Buddy Allen, Scott Barboza, Ray Gonzalez and Eldon Branham.

We could all take a lesson from that, and we should all come up with a game plan for our trees as we get older. They are living things, and not capable of taking care of themselves, especially in the dry July heat. I will miss Donald for the many things he showed me.

LSBF just brought Owen Reich into Houston last weekend. What a great demo and workshops! Owen has great fundamentals, beginning with a degree in Horticulture from the University of Georgia. He has completed a couple of years working with Mr. Keiichi Fujikawa, which is also the Sensei (master) of Bjorn Bjorholm. Bjorn will be our club guest speaker in November. Owen’s website is called Bonsai Unearthed. (http://bonsaiunearthed.com) His laid back approach and teaching style was very well received. I look forward to working with him again in the future.

We also have our Annual Auction coming up in the regular stated meeting on September 2nd. This is our only fundraiser that helps us pay for the things we need, like bringing in speakers, providing snacks, etc. So plan on looking for

things to donate, anything Bonsai related. Once again, we will have the regular auction of donated materials to benefit the club. We will also have a Silent Auction of better quality trees, (minimum value of $100.00) that will be an 80%/20% split with the owners. You must be a paid up member of the Houston Bonsai Society to bid (or we will charge $25.00 for a bidding paddle, and make you a member).

The details for the LSBF State Educational Seminar are set for October 9th and 10th, at the Kingwood Community Center and La Quinta Hotel. Events will start at 1 PM on Friday and run through a demo ending at 5:30 PM on Saturday. Matt Reel will be the headlining artist, and will focus on Bunjin and display. There will be a few workshops, and demos. Of course there will be vendors, an exhibit of some of the best Bunjin trees in our state, Emerging Talent Contest, and raffles. Look for one of the hand-outs at the meeting or check online at: http://www.lonestarbonsai.org/convention/.

Thanks for all your support; your participation is always appreciated.

Hurley

Donald Green coaching a new HBS member Nandita D’Souza at a Saturday Study Group at Cabrera’s Bonsai Nursery. For over a decade, this kind and patient teacher has spread his joy of bonsai to many HBS members, and enriched the life of countless others.

(Photo: Shawn Nguyen)

Bonsai Bench Note Pete Parker

My bonsai area contains a series of benches of varying designs. After finally filling the area with benches, the design being used (Figure 1) provides for good air circulation around the plants, two sided access so that two rows of trees are placed on each bench, and is relatively efficient in the use of materials. There have been a couple of requests for the design of this bench, hence this note.

Figure 1. Bonsai bench in service

The bench is constructed using treated pine lumber and deck screws. Any place that I use screws, I pre-drill the holes to prevent splitting of the wood. It takes about 3 ½ hours to build one of these benches by yourself and about 2 hours if you have a co-worker. Materials list 2 – 4”x4”x7’ (These are the fence posts used for most Houston privacy fences) 3 – 2”x6”x8’ 3 – 2”x4”x8’ 13 – 2”x2”x8’ 2 ½” deck screws Thompson’s Water Seal 1. Cut each of the 4”x4” posts into three 28” pieces for the legs. 2. Cut 2 36” pieces from one of the 2”x6” boards. 3. Attach 3 of the 4”x4” legs to each of the 2”x6”x8’ sides.

a. End legs should be flush with the end of the 2”x6” and the middle leg centered.

b. The top of each leg should be recessed by about 1 ¼” so that a 2”x2” board laid on top of the leg will be flush with the top of the 2”x6” side. I just use a piece of scrap 2”x2” as a guide.

c. Attach each leg with 5 deck screws as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Attachment of side board to leg.

4. Make the basic table frame by attaching the 2”x6”x3 6” pieces to the end of the sides using four screws as shown in Figure 3 (three in the end of the side piece and one into the 4”x4” leg). This is the hardest part of the construction to do by yourself. I recommend having a friend help if at all possible.

Figure 3. Details of end attachment

5. Cut each of the 2”x4”s into three equal lengths (32” each). 6. Attach the 2”x4” pieces as cross braces. The top three should be flush with the tops of the 4”x4” legs. They will not quite be long enough to reach from one side of the bench to the other, but it isn’t necessary for them to do so, they just need to be attach firmly to the 4”x4”s with 2 screws in each end of the 2”x4”. 7. Attach the three lower cross braces such that the top is around 8” off of the ground. 8.Trim the 2”x2”s so that they fit comfortably lying across the cross braces and covering the length of the table. It usually requires removing anywhere from nothing to about 1/8” for them to fit. 9. Attach the 2”x2”s to the 2”x4” cross braces using three screws per 2”x2”. Spread the 2”x2”s evenly across the surface as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 4. Attachment of 2”x2” pieces to form surface

Figure 5. Close-up of finished corner

10. Spray thoroughly with Thompson’s Water Seal or a similar sealant. I like to take 2-3 landscape timbers and lay them a cross the lower cross braces to make a temporary storage shelf for pots, watering cans... Overall I like this design. It uses all of the materials except for a 2’ section of 2”x6”, provides good air flow underneath the plants and is reasonably attractive (at least compared to my previous cinder block and board configuration). The biggest drawback seems to be that the open surface allows pot legs to catch or slip through the opening making it hard to rotate pots and some times hard to get all of the legs on hard surface. Good luck!!

This very large narrow-leaf ficus forest (Ficus Nerifolia) is one of the four valuable bonsai donated by Donald Green to The Texas State Bonsai Exhibit (TTSBE). It was displayed with a new haircut in the LSBF 2014 exhibit in Houston, shown on page 2.

(Photo from SNIPS N’ CLIPS, San Antonio Bonsai club’s newsletter)

It’s Too Hard to Say Goodbye to

Dr. Donald Ray Green, age 77, died at Memorial Hermann Southwest in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Born June 7, 1938, in Whitehouse, Texas. He lived in Houston, Texas and was recently retired from the Houston Community College System as a Psychology professor for 25 years.

In 1962, Donald Green earned his bachelor’s degree from Fisk University where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He obtained his master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1964 and received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Arizona State University in 1969.

One of Donald's favorite passions was for bonsai. His love for the art began when his daughter gave him his first bonsai tree 15 years ago. Donald was an active member of the Houston Bonsai Society where he served as president from 2005 through 2008 and as current BCI Ambassador Chairman. During his years of doing bonsai, he had amassed over 200 trees and currently has 108 in his personal collection.

Survivors include his wife Diane Green; daughter Donata Green of Atlanta, GA, and son Michael Green of Katy, Texas. Other surviving relatives include two grandchildren, Austin Green, Kynedi Stevens and one younger sister Mauvoylynne Blaylock of Dallas, Texas.

Donald was a calm, steady force with everything he seemed to be involved in. He was a joy to work with and will be missed.

Chuck Ware, Wimberley, Texas (Photos: Shawn Nguyen)

Donald, my friend, you will be missed. No one ever knows the lunches we shared, the places we went, and the hours we spent working on your trees. It's hard to say goodbye.

My prayers will be with you.

Buddy Allen, Missouri City, Texas

Our prayers are with the family and friends of Donald. He has meant so much to so many of us. He has been a mentor, a teacher and most of all a friend. His patience and passion are attributes that we all strive for. He has taught much too many. Being his friend is an honor.

Hurley Johnson, Rosenberg, Texas

I arrived at Donald Green's house for the

bonsai sale bright and early Saturday morning.

I think I got there close to 8:45. There were

already 13 or 14 people in line. And just as

Hurley Johnson's instructions given out prior to

the sale said, I had to wait while the first ten

people went in. While we were waiting, some

of us moved out of the sun and we sort of

worried about losing our place in line.

Hurley came out before the first ten went

in to reiterate instructions and make sure there

wouldn't be any melee. Someone even joked

that he didn't have to worry, this wasn't

Walmart. Thankfully, Hurley had the entire sale

so very well organized.

And what a beautiful selection of trees! You

could tell Donald had given a lot of love and

attention to each and every one.

I remember at a workshop not too long

ago, I chatted with Donald about working on

trees. I told him I liked to go to nurseries to find

a plant on sale that might make a good bonsai.

He told me he used to do that but these days, he

just liked to purchase and maintain quality,

already styled trees. I asked him why. He said,

"Because I don't have time." I pondered the

multitude of plants still in nursery pots sitting

around my yard that I plan to get around to

working on "one of these days" and realized

what good advice that was.

I am glad Diane realized that she couldn't

care for the plants and shouldn't try. Bonsai

isn't for everyone. She did the right thing in

trusting his collection to the most avid bonsai

lovers in Texas.

They will be cared for and will remain a legacy

to Donald's love of the art of bonsai.

Barbara Adams

I met Donald some years ago at a Bonsai event and I found him a gentle, steady soul and of kind heart. We reunited at a bonsai workshop a few weeks ago. I will miss him. To Donald's family..."As many fishes that are in the sea, are how many kinds wishes I give to thee."

Donna Dobberfuhl, San Antonio, Texas

I never knew a kinder person than Donald. He was easy to talk to and he was a real gentleman. He will be greatly missed. After

knowing his wife and daughter, I wish them the very best.

Michael McCluskey, Houston, Texas Our condolences to Don's family. He is remembered as a gentle well spoken person, and had done great works promoting bonsai in Houston. He will be missed by many of his bonsai friends, and anyone touched by his kindness.

Hoe Chuah, Houston, Texas Donald, my dearest HBS friend, my shrink, my motivator and my second father, I have never known anyone more gentle, more caring who warmed my heart and touched my soul.

Your teaching of Psychology, of bonsai or just of loving kindness, is how you give to everyone who crosses your path and shares your journey. How lucky I was to be one of them.

As you fulfilled your destiny, you have also fulfilled the life of countless students, myself included, by not only what you do but also who you are.

Your sense of humor and motivation, your quiet smile and serene Zen demeanor will always remain an inspiration to me and many of us at HBS.

Shawn Nguyen

It is hard to say goodbye, Donald. You were a wonderful friend and mentor and leave behind many lives enriched from having known you. My thoughts are with your family as they grapple with this terrible loss. You will be missed.

Scott Barboza, Houston, Texas

Calendar of Events

2015

AUG 5 HBS monthly meeting: “Trunk Chopping 101” by Scott Barboza at Hermann Park. Refreshments.

AUG 8 Saturday Study Group at Timeless Trees in 9AM – 12 Noon, Free, refreshments provided.

AUG 15 Basic Bonsai Class #2 at Timeless Trees 9AM – 1PM, $60 with tree, wire, handout and wire cutter.

AUG 22 Tropical Shohin Workshop at Timeless Trees, 9AM – 12 Noon, $75 with choice of tree, pot, soil and wire

SEP 2 HBS Annual Auction Fundraiser at Hermann Park. Great time to trade in old trees, pots, books and find some new ones. Bring your checkbook.

SEP 12 Saturday Study Group at Maas Nursery in Seabrook, TX, 9AM – 12 Noon, Free, refreshments provided.

SEP 18-21 2015 International Convention & Asia-Pacific Bonsai Conference in Guangzhou at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and the Guangdong Science Hall, hosted by BCI and Guangzhou Government. For details, visit http://www.gzbci2015.com.

SEP 19 SSOT 2015 Annual meeting and tree selection for the October 9-10 LSBF exhibit, at Persimmon Hill Studio, 12001

Red Hawk Cove, Austin, TX 78739 - (512) 280-5575

SEP 26 Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens Fall Show. Vendors are invited to sell their plants and goods. Cost: $50 (Vendors keep the rest of the proceeds.) Contact Carol Scraper: 832-233-6563.

OCT 1-3 73rd Annual Bulb & Plant Mart sponsored by the

Garden Club at the St. John the Divine Church at 2450 River Oaks at Westheimer, Houston. Thursday 4:30- 7:30PM, $20 adm. patio party with mariachi. Saturday 9AM-5 PM and Sunday 9AM-2PM; both admission and parking free. Info at gchouston.org.

OCT 7 HBS monthly meeting: Ficus Rock Plantings with Pete Parker at Hermann Park.

OCT 9-10 LSBF State Learning Seminar, “Bunjin & Display: The REEL Deal”, Kingwood Community Center, Kingwood, Texas, workshops, lectures/demos, exhibit and vendors. Pick up a handout at the HBS meetings or go to the LSBF website for details.

OCT 16-18 Kathy Shaner Seminar at the conference center at Cabela’s, the Outfitter Emporium, 15570 S. I-35 in Buda, Texas. See ad below for more details and to register early.

Check out timeless-trees.com and get on the mailing list for Weekly by very knowledgeable artists and masters. Huge selection of bonsai, pots, tools, supplies and soils.

Welcome Quality Feed & Garden in downtown Houston. Ken Cousino is ready to help HBS with all bonsai supplies.

Come stock up on bonsai soils, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers. Don’t forget to ask for a 10% HBS discount.

Gift giving for the bonsai lovers on your list or yourself is easy with Pineywoods Easy-Care artistic bonsai. Ask Larry and Judy to send you photos to choose from. Shipping is available.

Summer is here at JRN Nursery II. Come enjoy the exotic flowers and tropical bonsai. Don’t forget the 10% HBS member discount.

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

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 markyscott@me.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.

Kathy Shaner Seminar October 16th 18th, 2015

Please join us in a seminar with one of the most exciting, knowledgeable and personable bonsai masters—Kathy

Shaner. Kathy completed a full five year apprenticeship in Japan under bonsai master Yasuo Mitsuya and is the

first non Japanese and first woman ever certified by the Nippon Bonsai Association. She is the curator of the

GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt in California and advisor to The Texas State Bonsai Collection. Kathy is a

fantastic teacher with the ability to make you part of everything, not just a note taker. Her seminars increase

bonsai knowledge, raise skill levels and make the wonderful world of bonsai even more enjoyable. Kathy’s

seminars are ideal for beginning and veteran bonsaists alike and are informal from beginning to end.

This year’s Friday workshop will be all about wiring. The wiring workshop is available on a first come basis and

is limited to eight participants. The wiring workshop will be hands-on and you will be wiring practice material in

addition to material you bring. Practice plant material will be available, and workshop participants should bring

wire and at least 1 tree to wire. If you currently use aluminum wire, consider changing to copper wire. This would

be a great opportunity to learn to use copper wire. More details will be provided in the registration

acknowledgement. Observation of the wiring workshop is not available.

Kathy’s themes for this year’s seminar are:

Literati

Cascade and Semi Cascade

Participants are encouraged to bring up to 2 examples of any of the above styles. The more refined the material

you bring in, the more beneficial Kathy’s advice will be. However, you may bring in material at any stage of

development. The material should exhibit the basic characteristics of one of the above styles. As in previous

years, Kathy will select at least one tree from each person and discuss the tree, and possibly style or wire the tree,

depending on the material.

Kathy’s optional Sunday afternoon workshop is limited to six participants on a first come basis. Work on any size

material you like...styled or rough. Kathy asks participants in a prior workshop to bring a tree she has worked on

to continue its development. Silent observation is included in registration.

Location:

This year we will be back at the conference center at Cabela’s, the outfitter emporium, 15570 S I35 in Buda,

Texas just south of Austin’s City limits. Directions will be in your registration acknowledgment.

Schedule:

Friday: The optional wiring workshop begins at 9:00 am at Persimmon Hill Bonsai. The workshop lasts until 4:00

pm and lunch is on your own. More details will be provided to registrants. Persimmon Hill then opens at 5:00

p.m. for refreshments and nibbles for registrants and guests . About 6:30 p.m. we’ll leave for a no host dinner in

the private dining room of a Japanese restaurant. Check the appropriate box on the Registration Form if you plan

to join the Friday dinner group.

Saturday: The seminar begins promptly at 9:30 a.m. in Cabela’s Conference Center and goes to 5:00 p.m.

Saturday’s casual supper, included in the registration fee, is at Persimmon Hill. We’ll begin at 6:30 p.m. and have

some visiting time. If you would like to bring a non-registrant guest to the supper, please sign them up on the

Registration Form. A vegetarian supper will be available only if requested in advance. Please check the

appropriate Registration Form box.

Sunday: Kathy will get underway promptly at 9:30 a.m. We’ll wrap up about noon. Kathy’s optional Sunday

afternoon workshop, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Cabela’s (not at Persimmon Hill as previous years). Any size

or kind of tree may be worked on. Seminar registration includes observing Kathy’s workshop.

Workshop & Cancellation Policies:

Registration for both workshops is on a first come basis. Participants can attend neither, one or both workshops.

There is a maximum of two trees per person for the Sunday afternoon workshop. Workshop status will be in the

acknowledgment. There will be a standby list.

In recent years, both workshops have filled up quickly and have had waiting lists.

Early paid registration will guarantee a seat for the workshops.

Cancellations received on or before Friday, October 2nd

, 2015 will receive a complete refund. No refund on

cancellations received after October 2nd

except for the workshop fee(s) if on the stand by list.

Important General Information:

Registration includes seminar, Friday social, Saturday supper (limited to first 28 registrants), and observing the

Sunday workshop. Seminar and workshop registrations are entered only on receipt of the Registration Form and

payment.

Working with bonsai tools is a hazardous activity. To participate or observe the seminar or workshop, a release

from liability agreement must be signed.

Complete seminar details, driving directions, local hotel accommodations and what to bring will be in your

registration acknowledgment. Please register early. Space is limited. Questions? Contact Collin Murphy at

ckmurphy2000@gmail.com or at (512) 905-9364.

I hope you will be a part of the 20th annual seminar. It’s a wonderful opportunity to have a fantastic bonsai

weekend.

Sincerely,

Collin Murphy