Warminster Bonsai Club

This is the annual show put on by Blackmore Vale Bonsai group three local clubs are invited to display, at their show.

It is a chance to catch up with people you might not see across the year and catch up with the world of bonsai.

This year the standard of trees entered was particularly high and there are awards for best club display and best tree entered, even in past years we always thought who ever judged the show had an unenviable job particularly as the past judges new most of the club members exhibiting.

This year Trevor had the unenviable job of judging and with the even higher standards we thought this was even more difficult however our club display was the one he selected.

It is always down to the people who bring their trees in but especially to our show manager Clive H who has not only the job of selecting the trees to go on our stand but makes many of the display tables many thanks for this.

Good meeting lots of trees being worked on including this tall somewhat awkward looking Oak which required some guy wires to start its initial styling.

TOTM

We have had several Saturday workshops with Dan and Carly Butler which have proved to be popular and entertaining with the members, so the committee thought it would be a good idea for members to bring their pots planted or not into our May meeting.

Thanks to Derek for photography the pots and here are our efforts may be one day seen at the Tate gallery.

This is our club display at the annual show held by the Wiltshire branch of the British Cactus and Succulent Society a show I highly recommend to visit if you like your plants for the shear variety of Cacti and Succulents displayed.

As we did not have a chance to hold our usual dummy run we just brought in a selection of trees and accent plants and Clive H selected them on the run.

Busy time now trees filling out with the flush of spring growth now fully developing this is when we see how our trees we repotted late autumn early winter came through the winter.

The committee thought it would be a good idea for members to bring in the pots they made on the Dan Butler pottery workshop wether planted or not.

I took a couple of photos of the pots grouped on a table I will include a more detailed photos on a separate posting thanks to Derek after the weekend.

We will be at the Cactus & Succulent Show this Saturday 6th in the Assembly Hall, Melksham with our club display please come along for a chat.

TOTM

This is our annual Saturday workshop we have with Chris Thomas, his workshop covers all levels of skill from beginners to those with more experience.

You will see from the accompanying photos you bring your tree up for discussion on what you want to do with it, Chris may offer alternatives something we have found so useful especially when you have had a tree that was styled some years years ago.

You realise trees are never set and for as long as they live they will change as they mature and what you styled them as a young tree now needs to be changed as trunks swell and mature and branches develop more ramifications.

We have found these workshops so worthwhile you go away having gained more knowledge and your trees either styled to set them on their way or restyled to improve them to a higher level of refinement.

Here are photos ( apologies if some look double but there were two of us trying to cover what was going on during the day ) of some of the trees worked on it was a very busy and enjoyable day.

In these photos there are three trees that were styled some years ago and show how they needed restyling and/or refinement, the first is a Larch where the top has thickened and had lost taper.

A branch was rewired and raised to become a new apex which redefines the taper and lose the thick top branches, the old top was used to run a tourniquet to the new raised top and will be removed when the top sets in its position.

The Juniper was originally an informal up right but the owner decided lay the trunk down in the pot so the trunk now requires some substantial bending to bring the top back over to the left.

This was done with the use of rebar for an anchor point, wrapping the trunk in tape to protect it and copper wire tourniquet to bring it over and with some joint bending and yes you could hear cracks it has been brought back to the left.

Further gradual bending over the following weeks bit by bit it is hoped to bring it to the required point.

Finally a Mugo pine bought from a garden centre originally styled to have a long branch growing to the left but Chris suggested now using this as a second trunk raised up to form a twin apex again using rebar as an anchor point.

At last our trees are coming out of winter and pushing out leaves, always a tentative time to see if there are any casualties from the winter.

TOTM

Colin Richardson, one of our members, passed away on Sunday 19th April 2026, from a stroke
Our thoughts are with Gary and his wife.
Colin was a true gentleman and had only just started his journey in Bonsai.
He will be greatly missed by all of us.

More repotting trying to beat trees budding out in our topsy turvy seasons now.

TOTM