RHS Wisley Bonsai

We took a trip to the RHS Wisley today for the Ferns and Carnivorous show and while we were in the gardens we got to walk past the Herons Bonsai display. For those who have not seen it recently, here are a few images of the bonsai on display and the current display includes a Horse Chestnut tree as a bonsai, a range of Maples, Pines, White Beech, Larch, Elm, Common Beech, Junipers, Cedars plus a Fig, Mulberry and Maidenhair tree.

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July meeting

A busy evening with quite a fews trees being worked on.

Few pics of a Larch approx 40cm high from top of pot and 30cm wide.

When obtained it had a natural shari running down the trunk which has been enlarged to give more character, the long extensions now trimmed back to preserve outline.

It will require wiring out now to better define the pads.

Market Lavington Vintage Show 2022

These are the photos of our club display at the Market Lavington show, we tried to show a wide selection of trees that are used for Bonsai including several that would be found as shrubs in the garden the aim being to show people that you don’t have to have exotic material to get good Bonsai.

We also showed trees at varying stages of development from the Larch which is now at a stage of further refinement to the little Cotoneaster which demonstrated that a piece of very young material when wired starts to create an older image and one which will develop into a a creditable image in jus a few short years.

Nice to meet so many people who we could explain what Bonsai are and how we create them, many did not know that we existed in Warminster so good publicity.

And as a bonus there was the Lancaster bomber which flew over the site at low level three times brilliant.

Market Lavington Vintage Meet

The club will have a display stand at this event on Sunday 17th July any members visiting this event hopefully you will find us.

For any non members of Warminster Bonsai club you are more than welcome to come and have a chat about Bonsai in general or if you have a problem tree we may be able to help you, even if you have only one tree.

We are always happy to help anyone who visits our stand.

First show for 2022

Sunday 26th June Blackmore Vale Bonsai Club held its first show post covid and we along with Staverton Bonsai Club and Taunton Bonsai club were invited to put on a club display.

The event was well attended considering the past two years and along with the club displays there were dealer stands as well as outside tree styling demonstrations.

The club displays were also judged by Chris Thomas who in his own words found it very difficult to pick a winner such was the quality and standards of the displays.

We were pleased to find out at the prize giving that Warminster Bonsai Club had won the trophy, I would like to thank all members who brought their trees in at the club meeting to be considered/selected for our display and to those who helped on the day.

A good start for the club.

July posting

Ficus

This is a contribution from one of our members who has a passion for Ficus with his commentary.

All these figs are still a long way off being Bonsai, unfortunately the growing season in the UK is not long enough to get the growth needed to Bonsai the figs.

The light levels are not high enough to achieve shorter internodes and smaller leaves. I am just happy to grow all different species/cultivars of figs.

Air layer

This is an Acer obtained recently grown more as a patio plant, but when seen it had the potential to be a twin trunk if it could be air layered so taking a gamble that there is just enough time to establish it before Autumn sets in it was air layered this month.

As you will see 1st pic is how it was before starting, 2nd pic the top cut on the trunk has been cut just below where the two trunks split and hopefully the new roots will generate from for its new base making sure that the cuts are clean and the trunk scraped to ensure no tissue can form a bridge across the cleaned area.

Pic 3 is the clear plastic packed with moss tight as possible to make good contact with the cut area.

4th pic is the black plastic now wrapped round to keep out the light from any roots forming and to keep a warm environment for them

Will see how this progresses.

This is the thinning out of a Deshojo Acer which was featured in the May posting it has put on tremendous growth with many new shoots but it is time to set the branches for its future so it has been cut back drastically taking out all surplus shoots and any large leaves.

The tree can now put its energy into only the structure that has been left.

June posting

The hot dry conditions of May now going into June are challenging to say the least but trees seem to be putting on good growth some acers are showing signs of leaf scorch possibly not had time to harden off the spring growth.

Posting some pics of members trees in flower and my pics of the first styling to the club project Yew we had.

You may remember that when we had them they looked good but did go back as we went into summer and some have been lost, with my tree I just potted it into a large pot and left it feeding it regularly when I could see it was pushing new growth.

This year as you will see it is looking healthy so decided to carry out initial first styling only to establish an image, will let it rest now for this year and hope it will continue to regrow.

If you have any pics of your club Yews no matter what state would be grateful if you could send them to me, please try to take pics against a plain background.

Have also posted some pics of Lee Verhorevoorts new trees at his nursery, open by appointment only at this moment but you only need to phone him to arrange a visit.

Lee,s Trees

Flowering and thinning out

Few pics of some members trees the shohin Hawthorn is a double red variety which might explain why for its size it outperforms larger Hawthorns for number of flowers,

Now is also the time to be looking at thinning deciduous trees the previous warm weeks have brought on long extension growths and will probably have covered your trees in leaf.

They will require thinning out the old adage of let the light in should me your mantra, if your trees are healthy they will have sprouted long shoots as well as many new shoots particularly Acers.

I look at my trees and access what shoots I want to keep and cut out any that are not in the image I want, they just waste the trees energy, any long shoots be aware of the increasing distance between nodes and cut back to a suitable node, to keep the balance bearing in mind as you work your way up the tree these distances between nodes should get shorter.

The above help let light into the tree but also if you have a large amount of leaves they should be thinned out as well either by cutting off the leaf and leaving a small stalk to die back or cutting large leaves in half.

This is something I do throughout the summer if the tree is vigorous

If you don’t let the light into the tree the shaded shoots will die and you will not get fine ramification.

Here are some before and after pics of thinning out some little acers,