Sandra,s corner August meeting

Our last meeting was a talk & practical by Ritta & Mark Cooper.I hope those of you who joined in enjoyed the evening.The plan (what plan!!) was that the club would pay the difference on the plants & in fact so many of you bought plants that it only cost the club £24!Read more>>

Ritta started by talking about the art of accent planting.How it all started by trying to create the feel of the outside -inside.Some of the plants were brought back on the soil of the trees.It is thought to be older than bonsai.Now they are having displays of accent plants on their own.The planting should not dominate the display.If displaying a flowering bonsai you should not have a flowering accent & visa-verse.

Try to get the plants displayed in the right season.As with groups of bonsai you also have odd numbers of plants in the pot.Do not water Hostas in winter.

I really enjoyed the evening as unlike the bonsai I could get on & do it for myself & not having to ask Clive if what I was doing was right.

Judging by the photos Clive took everyone was either smiling or concentrating!

Thank you to Clive & Amelia for doing the tea/coffee & thanks to Chris & Grahame for washing/drying although you can tell they both have dishwashers as neither of them knew which was a tea-towel!

 

Look closely it looks like a ship!
My second creation
Clive,s attempt

On Sunday 19th Aug Clive & I went to the Bristol Bonsai society show at Failand.The 1st person we met was Adrian Taylor!who looks well & seems settled in the Taunton bonsai club.

It was a nice show with lots of really good trees on display & ofcourse accent plants.Also displaying were Phoenix & Terry from Swindon.There were also some traders including John Trott who was doing a demo later in the day.Ritta & Mark were there as well.

Mark kindly showed us round & talked about each display.I found this just as interesting as when Chris Thomas does his critque.

Well trained Dawn Redwood
Shohin size maple
Coastal image look for the crabs in the sand on the right
Well refined pads on Yew
Nice nebari
Stewartia
One of many diplays
Display on driftwood