ACBS's Annual Virtual Fall Show

The Akron Canton Bonsai Society invites all of our internet friends to view our fourth annual Virtual Fall Show over on our gallery site: http://picasaweb.google.com/akroncantonbonsai

by Michael Rusnak
Why a virtual show?  It's mostly because of the timing.  While our club typically exhibits trees during the growing season, in past years, many members have talked about the idea of having a fall show.  Many species of bonsai, especially the maples and larches can be more fully appreciated if they are seen in their amazing fall colors.  However, because the species come into their colors at different times, sometimes weeks apart, it would be difficult to find a date for an exhibit. Additionally, the window of time when the colors are at their height in only a few days long, so one species might be at its height, while others would have already emptied their leaves.

Crab apple with its fall fruit

And so we present instead a "virtual" fall show, made possible through the magic of the internet.

By bringing trees to eye level, bonsai alters the human perspective. In this way, bonsai helps change attitudes, and shows the world the incredible beauty, strength, staying power and other illustrious qualities of trees. It is a type of life that is so different from us, yet how it reacts, survives and perseveres is the kind of stuff that lends itself to so many proverbs, symbolism and legends across many cultures.  This is but one reason why we love our bonsai, and present them here in photographs for others to enjoy.
Again we invite you to view our gallery:
http://picasaweb.google.com/akroncantonbonsai

 

Frank Leads Cotoneaster Workshop

Frank demos initial pruning (R) and one that has grown a bit (L)

by Michael Rusnak
At the July meeting ACBS members began creating bonsai from sizable cotoneaster nursery stock.  ACBS member Frank Mihalic lead the workshop.
The raw material was nursery stock that had be left to grow wild for the first half of this season.   Most were in 3 or 5 gallon containers and were sprawling with lots of long overgrown branches.

Frank first cut away the top couple of inches of the plastic nursery pot and pulled loose soil away from the trunk in order to expose a little more of the trunk, and at the same time allow for better viewing of the plant itself.  After studying the plant, he explained what he might cut away in order to create a skeleton for the bonsai.   He then pruned away several unnecessary branches and produced what will eventually become the trunk outline with some side branches --the basic structure for the bonsai.

The raw material

Turing the plant so that it could be viewed from multiple angles, he also explained that the next step was to feed the plant and let it recover and grow for the balance of the season.  This should allow the plant to respond with some foliage and begin to fill in the outline.  He also mentioned that it would be best to do any re-potting next spring at the start of the new growing season, after the pant had recovered.

The kids at play

Following his initial demo, Frank then worked individually with members, helping them study their raw material and suggesting what areas might be used to create the trunk-line and skeleton for branches, and what areas might be cut away.

It was great to see that much of the collaborative spirit from the club's benjing project carried over into the cotoneasters.  At one point much of the club was huddled around one of the trees.  A brief VIDEO of Frank working with members can be seen at this link.

Collaboration or How many ACBS members does it take to make a bonsai?

2013 June Exhibit Features Full Penjing Landscape & Fine Bonsai

Eleven section penjng landscape

The June 2013 ACBS showcase exhibit featured the first ever exhibit of our composite penjing landscape, as  well as number of fine member trees, many of which just get better every year.  In addition to photographs, our gallery site also contains a brief video walk-through of the exhibit.

Trident Forest

Outstanding Elm

Visitors to the exhibit were greeted by the wide expanse of the full eleven section penjing landscape that was the club project for this year. It was the last step in a design conceived by ACBS member Carlton Buck who back in September first proposed doing tray plantings that be viewed separately or assembled to form one large landscape.   The ongoing project has been written about here on this blog as it progressed though the winter and spring months.  In addition to photos on our gallery site, the video walk through posted there gives a little bit better indication of just how cool the completed penjing looks.

Two concord grape vines

Large Juniper

The exhibit also contained bonsai from members at all skill levels with nearly twenty participating members.  Among the visitor favorites were the trident maple forest, the large junipers, the miniature mame plantings, tropicals, several
pines and the two grape vines. You can see photos of all trees in the exhibit as well as a short video walk thought on our galley spot at this link. Enjoy.

Material for Bonsai: from Trash to Exhibit

by Michael Rusnak
ACBS Newsletter Editor

Some of the bonsai trees in our club's June exhibit were created out of shrubs, stumps and other material that was destined for a trash heap or the wood chipper. If the discarded shrubbery is “usable” and is successfully transplanted to a pot, it can have a new life as a bonsai.

Such material is like having a blank canvass from which something spectacular can be created over several seasons. 

Akron-Canton Bonsai Society member Dan Tullius collected a massive juniper from a park that was being renovated in 1994. After successfully transplanting it into a training pot, Dan has worked to create some spectacular results. 

The juniper just gets better every year, and like many good trees, it can be viewed from either side.  It has many interesting shapes and movement all around it's sizable trunk.  

What was once thrown-away has found a new life as a bonsai, and in this case Dan has created a real specimen tree.

Piecing Together the Penjing Project

At its May meeting ACBS members began planting some of the dwarf

Dwarf evergreens and other plant material

evergreens into the rock hollows and land features of the pejing.

It was obvious even in just setting down the plants in their nursery containers that their colors would work to add a sense of unity from one section to another.  So a little coordination was necessary. Form a little distance, the colors of the plants stand out quite well against the earthy shades of the rock features and the dark blue of the tray.  In short it worked visually.  In just completing two or three section the foliage color accented and highlighted these features.

Two adjoining sections of the ACBS penjing

Given that many of the ACBS members participating in the project have little or no experience working with tray plantings, one question presented itself:  what kind of soil to use? It seemed that such small plants would have difficulty surviving in typical, fast-draining bonsai soil.  The land features are quite shallow, and the space in the rock hollows is limited. Most choose to use the same heavily organic mix from the nursery containers, and then add some type of top dressing like haydite which has good earthy tones. We'll need to keep and eye on the watering situation,

 So now the only trick will be keeping things alive.

Spring exhibits and ACBS is Named "Artist of the Month"

The ACBS Named was recently named "Artist of the Month" and will be presenting two exhibits in the coming weeks.

The first exhibit will feature about 20-25 trees at the Yoga Place in North Canton, Ohio from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2nd.    In addition to regular classes in yoga, meditation, and fitness, the Yoga Place studio frequently sponsors cultural events.  ACBS was invited to present an exhibit on this special weekend which also features music and a tea ceremony.  In appreciation, the Yoga Place has named the Akron-Canton Bonsai Society its"Artist of the Month." Such recognition is greatly appreciated. You can see the posting on the Yoga Place's website and blog at this link.

ACBS will also present its annual June show at the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center June 7 through June 9.  Hours will run concurrent with the Irish Fest 2131 Front Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221-3219. 
Photographs from previous exhibits can be seen on our gallery site:
at http://picasaweb.google.com/akroncantonbonsai

             The

Akron–Canton

Bonsai Society 

presents a

Bonsai 
Exhibition

June 7^th,8^th and 9^th

Cuyahoga Valley Art Center

2131 Front Street

 Admission: free

 Hours concurrent with Irish Fest

The exhibition will feature local bonsai artists and contain examples of various bonsai styles and species, including pines, elms, flowering and tropical trees.

Penjing Project: Weekend Garage Work Adds Frames for Land Features

by Michael Rusnak
Over a couple of weekends, a group of ACBS members-  -Gib, Carlton and Dan showed their handyman skills--and used oodles of C-clamps  to meticulously build "frames" that will support land features on each section of the penjing project.  Such frames are necessary to support soil, moss and small plants that may occupy the features.

The frames were cut from   angled rails of aluminum. In order to correctly size all of the the aluminum for individual tray sections, and, at the same time, ensure that each section fit neatly into any other sections, it was necessary to work with the entire composition.  Each length of the aluminum was measured and cut with a miter saw at an appropriate angle.
 The aluminum was then fitted so that it would fit flush along the desired edge. In addition, the tray section was checked against its joining section to test that mitered angles matched, and that the soil section correctly aligned  with that of any neighboring tray.



   Rails were cemented with epoxy resin and clamped into place. No doubt this was a time-consuming task, but it was an important step to completing the project.  Fitting the frames in this way, holds the unity of the composition.
Next,  members may start adding the individual plantings in the rock hollows and fill-in and sculpt soil features.  It was   reassuring to see that with all of the sections pieced together on the level garage floor, they accomplished a neat and consistent fit.  Of course, once soil and moss are in place, those shiny aluminium pieces that support it will be covered not be visible in the final landscape. 

With this task accomplished, it is entirely possible that the tray planting will be at the point where it can be displayed at the ACBS annual June exhibition. 

Much thanks to Gib, Carlton and Dan for offering to build these sections. 

ACBS Penjing Project Moves to Next Phase

At its April meeting ACBS members discussed several different types of plants that might for cascading and upright trees to be planted in the rock cavities. Samples of two varieties of dwarf boxwood, a type of small honeysuckle, juniper and spruce were discussed.   Smaller companion material and types of moss was also
considered to add perspective and differences in height on the composition  be used began working on creating the boundary lines that will help define the land land water features of the tray landscape.

For this feature part of the project, it was important that all members who are developing a section brought their sections so that the feature boundary lines of each section would neatly fold into each of the adjoining sections. This would ensure that the entire composition would flow together when completed.

Working from the master blueprint, guidelines for the
boundaries were drawn freehand on each section. Then a thick bead of construction adhesive was applied over the lines.  Members pressed bits of crushed rock into the adhesive beads to form the shoreline-like ridges.  The crushed rock was chipped off of discarded section  of the same type of tufa-like rock that was used elsewhere on the planting.  In some places this borderline feature already had the appearance of sand as well as a rough textured look. Once the adhesive has dried, the loose pieces and dust will be vacuumed away.  It is important not to rub off the loose material, as it is quite abrasive, and in parts it has scratched the dark blue Corian material that was used to make the trays.

ACBS member Carlton Buck offered to store and begin working making a frame like sections made from aluminium angle edging.  This edging will be attached to some of the sides to hold soil where there are raised land features on the planting.
An architect by profession, it was easy to see where Carlton's professional skills of familiarity with materials, organization, planning and vision have carried over into this composition as a whole.  In other words, it already just looks cool.

ACBS Workshop: Ken Makes Erodium Magic

Just cut erodium in clump style: a new flush of leaves will follow

"For beginners, it is an ideal practice and learn material. You can learn many basic ideas about designing, shaping and refining bonsai from working with erodiums.  You can create any of the traditional styles like and learn how to create some fine branching and how to reduce the size of the leaves--all in a short turn around time."  --Ken Huth

It was almost like the history of bonsai in miniature.  At the March ACBS meeting, Ken led the group through a demonstration on creating a small bonsai from an erodium right out of a nursery container.  This small ground-cover weed lives easily on any kitchen window sill and is known to flower regularly. Ken explained the concept of just learning to take what the plant gives you to create a "mame" or miniature bonsai.  For the demonstration, he showed how to rake out and cut back the roots.   As these plants put out considerable roots for their size, periodic repotting is necessary.   He also explained how to clean out the overgrown foliage to expose the trunks and to begin to create a miniature bonsai.

Ken cut the demonstration examples back pretty far.  He explained that as with other species of trees, heavy pruning forces the tree to respond.  He noted that the erodiums would in  few weeks put on a second flush of smaller leaves.  Then removing the larger ones again would continue to refine the pant.  Over time, a tight small-leafed foliage umbrella would result.  These particular plants bore nice-sized trunks for something right from the nursery, and the heavy foliage yielded a good number of cuttings.

As is typical, the opening each nursery plant is a bit of a surprise. It was a lesson in how to take what the tree gives you, and working with it. Some of the plants worked into small cascade styles, while other members created root-over -rock plantings, and most members also had an ample number of cutting to root up for future projects.

Ken has worked with erodiums now for a number of years, and has grown to love them.  He believes
they are an ideal plant for someone new to bonsai.  On the use of this small plant and what it can he commented that "For beginners, it is an ideal practice and learn material. You can learn many basic ideas about designing, shaping and refining bonsai from working with erodiums.  You can create any of the traditional styles like and learn how to create some fine branching and how to reduce the size of the leaves--all in a short turn around time."

A few club members still had their erodiums from a workshop Ken did for the club about 15 years ago,and have been exhibited in past ACBS shows.  Hopefully, those planted in this workshop will do as well, and we will see some in our next club show this summer --leafed out and in full bloom.

March Meeting will Feature Erodiums with Ken

by Michael Rusnak
In the first years of the club's existence, Ken Huth introduced us all to erodiums, a sort of ground cover weed, to make miniature bonsai.  Some members planted them over rocks, while others just potted them up and let them flower and thrive on their kitchen window sills.  Plus if in the course of pulling off dead or overgrown leaves, you happen to break something, the broken piece will readily propagate.  One of our past presidents had so many cuttings he used to give each new member one from his original plant. From time to time, erodiums from that original club workshop will appear in ACBS exhibits. The photos at the left is Carlton's erodium in a unique copper wire pot, and on the right is Mike R's in a of Dave C's hand-made salt glazed pot. Both very cool. 

A Barbie-doll sized one in Ken's greenhouse

A visit to Ken's greenhouse shows that he has developed erodiums into just about every classical style.  Twisty trunks, cascades, literati, root over rock and broom style to name just a few.  Often flowering, their twisted shapes in Barbie-Doll sized pots just look cool.  This section of Ken's green house sort of makes you wonder if Barbie herself didn't talk her boy friend into working with these plants.

Anyway, it turned out the erodiums were just plain fun to work with, especially in the winter months when our hearty trees are put up and you just want to satisfy your hunger for bonsai. Visitors just love them, especially if they catch them with their colorful blossoms. Also, erodiums really are trouble free plants for the most part.  Aside from remembering to water them, you only have to re-pot them a couple of times per year.  This is important because they do put out a lot of roots, but it really only takes minutes to do this small chore.

Ken prepares a root over rock

Ken suggests that members bring a golf ball sized porous rock to the meeting.  The plants can easily be held in place over the rock with with a rubber band.  He recommends using a tall container and completely burying the rock under the soil.  The tall can encourages roots to grow deep and vigorous. Then over time, sections of the upper part of the can and soil can be removed, gradually exposing the roots. Under the right conditions, a healthy erodium will wrap itself on the rock in no time, and will produce an easy root over rock style. 
(And just in case any of you don't think a weed is proper for bonsai, don't forget John Naka himself made a bonsai from a dandelion.)

Newer members to the club will not want to miss this workshop.  These fast shaping projects are an inexpensive way for someone new to the art to begin to learn how to visualize, develop, and care for a bonsai--and at the same time earn a quick and rewarding result. 

Penjing Cemented: A Little Epoxy Does It

Precise placement was the order of the day.  The blueprints were closely followed in order to maintain the overall scheme of the composition. A little scoring of the trays, some epoxy and the landscape rocks were in their positions.This included some rocks that were positioned upright as to give the appearance of steep peeks, an arching rock bridge--central to the composition as a whole--and smaller individual islands.


The next task will be to select and plant the miniature trees into the rock hollows.  Both evergreens and box woods are likely candidates.  Then we will begin to lay out the ground and water features.  It should be an awesome composition  when it is displayed (with a little luck) at our annual June exhibition.   Also, a note to club members: we still have one section in need of someone to develop it. Be a part of this unique project.

Work Continues on ACBS Penjing Landscape Project

At the January meeting, ACBS members began putting together the "nuts and bolts" of the penjing landscape project.  As noted in an earlier post, the landscape project covers a wide area equal to the size of a large counter top, approximately 8 feet by 3 feet.  The area has been divided into 14 different sections, or trays, with each tray to be developed by an ACBS member.  Each tray planting is conceived so that it could stand on its own as a small individual composition, and at the same time, the 14 sections can be fitted together to form one large landscape.

Legs on underside of tray

 The first hurtle was over come as Carlton brought the individual penjing trays to the meeting. Each tray had been cut to size from a single sheet of deep blue Corian, a durable synthetic material used to make kitchen counter tops.  In addition, the underside of the cut trays was fitted like a low table with legs made of stacked Corian.  This raised and supported them as to appear similar to classic penjing trays.  The sides of the trays were neatly sanded and polished flush.  This time consuming task was in itself a noteworthy accomplishment and gave the project a good initial boost.  


Much of the meeting was spent piecing together the landscape in total and selecting areas of the stone where plants would be located.  Some collaboration and visualization was needed to make sure that interesting features in the stones were kept undisturbed, that plants from one section would flow with the next, and the placement of the stones from one section would align itself into the overall design.  Much care was taken to try to maintain the cohesiveness of the overall landscape.

Preparing for the plants required some drilling and gouging in the stones.  Die grinders with a rasp tool and power drills were used to create hollows for small trees and plants, and members took turns doing this task.  In drilling out the hollows, it was important to place the them at a proper angle to allow some plants to cascade over the side of a stone or reach straight upward--and to also to ensure that plants, would not interfere with any of the objects in the adjacent trays.


One issue that has not yet been solved is the problem of finding a material to create the boarders between the land and water feature areas.  Such materials as gorilla glue, silicone window caulk, and others have  been suggested.   Several members are experimenting with how well these materials work and how natural they can be made to look with the addition of sand or soil.

Next up will be the selection of pant materials for the project.  Several small species are being considered, mostly evergreens.  The whole project should begin to take shape as the spring months approach.  Stay tuned; more to come.