Living Art Bonsai Society (LABS): May 1st 2007 Meeting

Sunday, May 6, 2007

May 1st 2007 Meeting

36 attendees were present for the May 1st meeting, including several visitors and new members. Welcome, Essie, Wesley, Norma, Juliana, Rachael, Thomas, Catherine and Stacey!

The door prize was a pair of bonsai trimming shears-remember that you have to be present to win and we always have something related to bonsai for a door prize or member give-a-way.

Minutes of the previous meeting and the Treasurer's report were approved by members.

Old Business:
Review of the LABS Show was discussed including the Treasurer's report presented by Olga regarding income from the show. Dennis Coad said there is no excuse not to have an entry next year. You have one year to develop your bonsai for the 2008 show or buy one to enter before next year.

New Business:
Carol and Lee Bates will offer a 4 hour workshop June 9th and June 23rd (tentative dates) on wiring and styling bonsai. The workshops will be first come, first serve to LABS members. The workshops will be at the Huntsville Botanical Garden in the same room LABS uses for monthly meetings. More details will be announced closer to the event.

Reminder by Phil that LABS is responsible for keeping the Huntsville Botanical Garden Railroad Garden area clean. Next workday is May 26th (Saturday) from 9 until NOON.

Joyce (Maam) and Bob continue their LABS work sessions at their home on the 3rd Sat of each month thru the summer. Please contact Maam for directions or more information. An officer will be happy to get you in touch with the Whites. See the officer e-mail information at the bottom of the blog.

Program:
John Mullins gave an excellent presentation regarding styling bonsai. He went over the basic 5 types (formal upright, informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade and windswept) and touched on literati that defies an easy category. He talked about the rule of thirds plus how eye-pleasing triangles are for bonsai stylists. He shared the Intro to Bonsai, A Course Syllabus 4th Edition by Thomas L. Zane which delves deeper into the subject.

The June meeting will be a work session - bring anything - since The Bates will have the wiring/styling classes in June.

LABS Future Programs and Events:
May 19th Worksession at the Whites home, 2 p.m until 6 p.m. If you have a dessert or snack to share, feel free to bring it. Otherwise, just come as you are with your bonsai.

May 26th Railroad Garden Cleanup 9 a.m. - NOON

June 5th LABS meeting at Huntsville Botanical Garden

June 9th and June 23rd (tentative dates) Carol and Lee Bates present wiring and styling bonsai workshops at the Huntsville Botanical Garden.

For more information regarding bonsai, visit our blog: http://livingartsbonsaisociety.blogspot.com/ . You will find several links to other bonsai-related sites there as well as bonsai events in the Southeast

2008-2009 Living Art Bonsai Society (LABS) Officers

President is Phil Terry and he may be contacted at pnterry2 at mmm dot com. Vice President is Tony George and he may be contacted at Tony George georgeaj01 at comcast dot net. Secretary is Joyce White and she may be contacted at Jmaam6226 at yahoo dot com. Treasurers are Char & Wes Harris and may be contacted at Wharris945 at yahoo dot com. Show chair is Dennis Coad and Tony George. Dennis may be contacted at dlcoad at knology dot net. Work Sessions are scheduled by Maam (Joyce) White and she may be contacted at jmaam6226 at yahoo dot com. Note: To prevent online data harvesting by spammers and junk mail companies, the above addresses are presented without symbols. Substitute "@" for at and "." for dot when trying to contact an officer.

Club Information

Living Art Bonsai Society (LABS) is the place to learn the art of bonsai and to share the joys of this ancient art. Membership in the club is available to anyone interested in bonsai. Annual dues are $20 per person or family, payable on or before the meeting in January. The dues for new members joining after the first quarter of the year are reduced by $5 per quarter, and the full membership dues become due again in January. Monthly newsletters, bonsai programs, exhibits and other activities as well as a web site are provided to members. Bonsai is an exciting and rewarding hobby. Membership in the Society will allow you to share that excitement with others.

What is a Bonsai?

Bonsai (pronounced bone-sigh), the art of growing miniaturized trees or shrubs in containers, is a living art, constantly changing throughout the seasons. The bonsai artist may choose from numerous species of trees or shrubs to create a design to resemble a mature tree in nature. Through the practice of bonsai training and maintenance techniques, the tree improves with each year in culture, and the grower advances in knowledge and skills with each year of study and experience. From its beginning in China and its later refinement in Japan, the art of bonsai has spread around the globe. To qualify as a bonsai, the trained tree must be planted in an appropriate bonsai container. Bonsai are usually grown in shallow containers, though some styles are best displayed in deep containers. Bonsai can also be planted on rocks or slabs. It is very important to have adequate drainage holes in all bonsai containers and a planting mix that drains well. Most small leaved trees and shrubs that tolerate pot culture make good bonsai subjects. Bonsai created from tropical plants may be grown indoors. Hardy evergreen and deciduous trees require a cold dormant period to remain healthy, therefore they must be grown outdoors most all year. Some winter protection may be necessary during severe cold periods. Miniaturization is accomplished by restricting the growing area to a small container, regular trimming of foliage and roots and applying appropriate watering and fertilizing techniques. The position and direction of trunk and branches are controlled with the use of aluminum or annealed copper wire which is coiled around the trunk or branches before bending them to the desired position. As wired areas expand with growth, the wires should be removed to avoid damage to the trunk and branches.

Living Art Bonsai Society (LABS)

Sunday, May 6, 2007

May 1st 2007 Meeting

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