Vic Native Bonsai

This was another busy workshop night, with many members again braving the cold and bringing in their trees for advice on styling and growing techniques. An interesting range of trees of different species and tree styles were brought to the meeting for discussion and styling work. Some of the trees presented and discussed included Melaleuca decussata, Grevillea robusta, Acacia baileyana (flowering), Kunzea ericoides, and Eucalyptus nicholli.

It was a busy workshop night, with many members braving the cold and bringing in their trees for advice on styling and growing techniques. Below is a selection of some of the trees discussed.

Josh- Grevillea robusta
Collected from a construction site, lifted with few roots. Responded well despite neglect through Summer. Buds back on old wood, the roots tolerated pruning in Summer without setback. General discussion suggests leaf size will reduce with styling cutting back and trimming. They naturally lose a lot of foliage through Summer so should tolerate defoliation well.

Tony– Eucalyptus camaldulensis River Redgum
Tony has noticed that Redgums in nature have sharp bends and curves created where branches that have died and new buds that have shot on old branches. He wires with sharp bends to replicate the natural features. He has found Redgum to be tough, admitting neglect from not watering has seen the tree lose all leaves, later to bud all over signalling recovery.

The May club meeting featured a great presentation by club member, Jason Caruso, on the possibilities of a wide range of eucalypt species.? Jason spoke on the the evolution of the genus, the variations across the genus and the different groupings of eucalypts andtheir particular characteristics, and highlighted a number of species which could be special possibilities for bonsai. He also covered propagation of the various species, and some of the key features and challenges in developing different species as bonsai.

Species featured included Euc. gillii, Euc. synandra, Euc. erythronema, Euc. sepulcralis, Euc. tetraptera, Euc. formanii, Euc. kruseana, Euc. pluricaulis, Euc. orbifolia x websteriana, Euc. vernicosa, and also gave a special longing mention to Corymbia apparrernya (Ghost Gum)and Euc. brachyandra (from cliff faces in northern Australia).

Plants on display at the meeting included the following: