Warminster Bonsai Club

This is our annual trip to Lodders Bonsai open weekend which coincides with their new imports for this year.

The shear number and variety of bonsai on offer is mind boggling and he still had two containers to come, Gerrit also invites other people associated with bonsai to put up a stand in their loading bay where you will find several potters, scroll suppliers, carving tools, sushi, bronzes amongst other Japanese themed products.

It attracts large numbers of Bonsai enthusiasts and on Saturday there was three coaches parked up which made it amusing watching the loading up as people took advantage of the space.

I say this many times if you get this experience you keep coming back we do and it is brilliant.

I took just some general views of his main greenhouse before the public came in, he has a greenhouse devoted to tropicals, and another overspill/quarantine greenhouse.

The photos are just a snippet of what he has which includes an area devoted to pots and soils.

Busy meeting with repotting on all tables as we try to catch up before trees start to break bud.

Amelia ran a repotting demo using Larches and Scott’s as a reminder on the basics for repotting.

TOTM

Only two trees this month everyone occupied with the repotting.

Just a short posting of our club display at this years show.

January

First meeting of the new year and the weather leading up to Thursday was typical for January freezing over night then warming up last couple of days, conditions which can make repotting a difficult choice.

Never the less some members were happy to repot able to give some protection if the temperatures changed, the rest of us were involved with holding a dummy run to help Clive H in choosing the trees for our display for the coming Swindon Winter image show.

Our display

TOTM

I give you all a chance to have a closer view of these unique and inspirational creations.

The December meeting is our AGM and Decorated tree competition, the AGM usually doesn’t take much time we end it when we can hear snoring or members start throwing things at us.

This year in a break from tradition it was decided we would have a Christmas themed Penjing competition and the winner to be presented with the much coveted trophy.

So it was with many thanks to Amelia who scoured the materials for the Penjing that as soon as we wrapped up the AGM there was a rush to pick your pot, tree or trees, rocks and assorted tasteful? decorations.

And the design juices were allowed to flow ( I noted how quiet the room went ). See below the intense concentration this art requires.

And finally see how the many years of studying and workshops on bonsai produced such high end results easily worthy of exhibiting in an exclusive London gallery. I let you decide.

Competition result

Winner of the Tree Of The Month Competition

Well done Geoff

And the one you have been waiting for the best Penjing

Awkward time of year for trees many have turned and colours fading and some have dropped their leaves but lots of rain making compost sodden so not much brought in to work.

Still we had a chance to talk about the Decembers meet which is our AGM and how we have an alternative to the now famous decorated tree competition.

TOTM

Due to commitments that cropped up during the year only four of us could make the date so we filled our cars with trees, two reasons Lee can work through trees at an amazing rate and this is an opportunity to have your trees assessed for styling and refinement.

I have recommended to club members even if you think your trees are not good enough just come along as an observer you will learn so much about each species, control of pests, styling and refinement in just one day.
You also learn more about how the Japanese grow and develop their trees and how Lee has to adapt these methods for our climate,

I must try to encourage members to pop in on the next Saturday we have Lee, he should not be missed.

Needless to say we all enjoyed the day and never stop learning.

This is one of my Junipers I took in on the workshop but had to work on it at home.

This is its initial styling, it will now be aloud to develop the live lines to the remaining branches, then repotting and further refinement carving next year.

Busy meeting good time to reassess both mature and newer tree surprising how mature trees change requiring some form of restyling over the years.

TOTM

We had booked this Saturday workshop with Dan very early in the year and had looked forward to this for quite some time especially as Dan had offered to bring along his potters wheel for anyone to try out.

We were able to lay out the ten tables one for each person and an area for the wheel, Dan started off with the basics of rolling out a base, rolling out the walls, the preparation to score the surfaces to join each together.

He also covered free forming a thumb pot and how he makes feet for his pots.

Some of us had already had measurements and even a plan of the particular shape they had in mind for a particular tree or trees. some decided to go down the art pottery route and why not.

This included not only more formal pots but a slab for a forest planting and one member wanted a crescent pot ( thats the one which had to be shaped upside down in the photos ).

With that Dan assisted by his partner Carly lets us loose on the clay, between them they circulated amongst helping, advising throughout the day and credit to them everyone achieved the pots they had in mind.

I had a large pot in mind and as Dan advised you can lose 10% shrinkage in firing it did come out very large in its raw state and did I take some flak for this with comments like is this your new bath/hot tub and which end are the taps going and the drainage holes look like they will take a bath plug to mention just a few but I rose above this as I like my pot Polly ( named because of all the derogatory comments ), only hope Dan can get it in his kiln and more importantly I get it in my car.

After making our formal pots we all then went free form on the clay left over.

Dan provided everything needed for the pottery workshop he took away our pots and will carry out any finessing, he will glaze and fire the pots hopefully no failures and we will meet him to collect the results which I hope will be another posting later on to see how they all turned out.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the day I have never known our group so quiet concentrating,many thanks to Dan and Carly for a brilliant day.

I have included many photos of the day

Start of the day

During the day

The wheel ( disappointment Michael McIntyre could not make ) and no one feel off.

Finally the results of our artistic talent ( eat your hearts out Great Pottery Throw Down ) no clay was harmed in making these pieces of art.