Club Meetings

The November meeting of the VNBC had a very good member attendance, for an evening of demonstrations, discussions and broad information around the topic of Australia’s native conifers as bonsai, presented by Kevin, with repotting and styling demonstration by Marcela. With 40 separate Australian conifer species, from 13 genera and 3 families, covering natural ecosystems from high alpine to wet rainforests to dry inland plains, and ranging from the very tall forest trees to sprawling rock-hugging shrubs, there is a wide range of possibilities for many bonsai styles. There are, however, a number of individual species growth habit challenges to deal with as well.

While Marcela got on with the demonstration repotting of an old Strawberry Pine (MIcrocachrys tetragona), which had long been undisturbed in a hanging basket, into a cascade style bonsai pot, Kevin presented a range of pictures and specimens, including a number brought in by members for display, of many of Australia’s conifers. The trees discussed included, in particular, Huon Pine (Lagarostrobus franklinii), the Tasmanian Pencil Pine (Athrotaxis cupressoides) and Summit Pine (Athrotaxis laxifolia), Mountain Plum Pine (Podocarpus lawrencei), and several species of the Cypress Pines (Callitris spp). Other species which were highlighted in the presentation included the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis), Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii), Bunya Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii), Queensland Kauri (Agathis robusta), Strawberry Pine (Microcachrys tetragona), Celery Top Pine (Phyllocladus asplenifolius), and the Black Pine (Prumnopitys ladei).

Several other trees on the display tables were also highlighted. These include the following…

Tree and shrub species of the Mallee with potential for bonsai was the main topic for the October club meeting following the AGM, although this was preceded by a discussion of a couple of trees which members brought in for display and discussion.

First for review was a River Red Gum, Euc camaldulensis, which had been collected by Val at the Club dig day near Mt Franklin earlier in the year. The tree has survived the excavation, and is showing good promise, with plenty of new leaf and branch shoots.

The second tree reviewed was Chris’ Corymbia citriodora (?), which had a good range of new leaf and branch shoots, ad plenty of interesting options for future development.

The Mallee presentation then included a demonstration of establishing a group planting of young Green Mallee (Eucalyptus viridis) trees by Quentin, assisted by Matt, intended to present a view of a stand of mallee eucalypts as they could appear in nature, even though as young plants needing further development.

While the planting demonstration continued, Kevin presented a discussion on the Mallee region of NW Victoria and adjoining areas of SW NSW, and eastern South Australia, outlining the diversity of eucalypts and other key species of the region, showing photos of the trees in the wild, and what they look like as younger trees being developed for future bonsai.

 

The Annual General Meeting of the VNBC for the 2016-17 year was held on 10th October, and saw the presentation of reports for the 2016-17 year, covering the club’s program and achievements for the year, awards for club members for contributions during the year, and elections of office bearers for the 2017-18 year. The Committee for the new year will consist of President Quentin Valentine, Vice-President Kevin Ritchie, Secretary Marcela Ferriera, Treasurer Tracy Walsh, and Committee members Kerry Wallace and Stuart Caldwell.

Club Recognition Awards were presented to Barry Woods, Bill Kernaghan, and Val Garth, for their service and contributions to the club during the past year, as well as over the longer period since the club’s formation.

The normal monthly club meeting followed the AGM.

This turned into quite an interesting presentation and discussion meeting, as we looked at, firstly, the range of Australian native species which are considered to be deciduous, and then looked across some of the wider native species world to discuss the considerable diversity in leaf shape and colour and the possible uses and challenges of these in bonsai.

While the range of deciduous species is very narrow in Australian natives, there are some intriguing possibilities in species such as the Deciduous Beech of Tasmania Nothofagus gunnii,  (if we can propagate these more readily), with its glorious small leaves and great autumn colours, Melia azedarach (White Cedar) with its compound leaves but great perfumed flowers. Others included in this group were Brachychiton acerifolius (Illawarra Flame Tree), Adansonia gibbosa (Australian Boab Tree), Toona ciliata (Red Cedar), and to some degree, Grevillea robusta (Silky Oak).

Several other species with interesting colour in their leaves, especially in new spring growth, were presented for discussion, including Acacia baileyana “purpurea”, Melaleuca linariifolia “Claret Tops”, and Nothofagus cunninghamiana, with its great bronze-colored new foliage shoots.

The fascinating range and diversity of leaf shapes was discussed, although given the enormous range of possibilities, only some examples could be covered on the night. When we look across various genera, including Eucalyptus, Brachychiton, Hakea, and especially Grevillea, leaf sizes, colours and shapes demonstrate a quite amazing range of diversity. In addition, other groups including the Australian native conifers and the Casuarinas / Allocasuarinas have their own peculiarities and attractions in leaf shapes.

All in all, an interesting discussion of some of the many options, highlighting our opportunities to continue to develop and present Australian native plants as bonsai with leaf features which complement the style and form of good bonsai trees.

 

The August Club meeting was a well-attended workshop night, with plenty of demonstration, discussion, and work carried out on members’ trees.

Barry provided an excellent demonstration of wiring techniques, with plenty of close-up detail to give some valuable pointers on the most appropriate methods and approaches for wiring our Australian native species. The two species used by Barry as part of his demo were a Lemon Scented Tea Tree (Leptospermum petersonii) and a Coastal Tea Tree (Leptospermum laevigatum), both of which made good subjects for the techniques he was demonstrating.

Samples of branches were then distributed for any members who wanted to work on their wiring skills with some specialist input from experienced members.

Trees on the display table included the following:

Two of the trees which were on display, which were subject to further scrutiny and discussion were:

The evening began with Marg Fenn, of Hachinoki Pottery, discussing the upcoming pottery workshop for the Saturday September 16^th meeting.

Following this, a little “Show & Tell”. The first tree was Marcela’s Coastal Tea-tree on a tea-pot stand (apparently a last minute arrangement).

Marcela’s Melaleuca linariifolia was next which, at an earlier stage, was a couple of metres tall.

Peter’s Lilly-Pilly was next which displayed nice flaking bark.

Last was Tom’s little Leptospermum sp. from nursery stock.

The main part of the evening was a slideshow presentation by Quentin entitled “Plant Physiology & Structure – How it relates to Bonsai”.

Quentin referred to his Coastal Tea-tree to illustrate the relationship between branches and a lifeline link to a specific root.

Discussion was detailed and covered tree structure, including roots, trunk/branches and flowers, and included plant processes focussing on water uptake from roots to leaves and photosynthesis.

It was a chilly night outside for this June meeting, but there was a good number of members attending from far and wide for the workshop and critique session. Members brought along an interesting range of tree species and styles for display, discussion and for work, and so there was plenty of interest for everyone on the night.

Several trees were presented by members for discussion and / or critique, and quite a few new thoughts on styling of some of these trees were brought forward through good review and debate.

Among the trees presented on the display table, some of which were discussed by the owners, were the following:

 

As one of our highlights for the year, this meeting featured a fascinating presentation by Roger Hnatiuk from Canberra, under the Visiting Tutor Program. With his considerable experience, and his continuing contemplation of the development of bonsai in Australia with native species, Roger’s presentation “Incorrectly styled Australian native bonsai”, or “How to be inspired by nature”, gave us all much food for thought.

The ideas presented by Roger included concepts such as the Art of bonsai, as distinct from the Craft of bonsai, and the development of a person’s bonsai toolkit which includes the horticultural components as well as your artistic concepts, knowledge and experience of nature and your own spirit, voice and personal style. Developing bonsai with Australian native species, says Roger, should include the key elements of respect for country, an understanding of the land, and respect for its story. The pot, or container, is of course also an important component of this story-telling by a bonsai.

The presentation also included a number of images of Australian trees in the landscape, with thoughts about their key features of trunks, roots, branches, foliage and overall growth habits, and the potential for reflecting these features in bonsai.

Roger also provided a very thoughtful critique session for several of the trees on display, highlighting the challenges, strengths and possibilities for each tree.

Some of the trees on display on the night included the following:

 

Our April meeting featured a review of a number of trees which have either been won by club members in raffles at our meetings, or which have been passed on to them from others, over the past three years. In many cases, these trees were taken on while they were still in very early growth stages, and the range of species reviewed was quite diverse. Of particular note, it is evident that the fast growth rate characteristic of many of these native species has enabled growers to develop bonsai with very interesting structure relatively quickly.

The range of species covered in the presentations and discussions included Callitris oblonga, Eucalyptus wimmerensis, Eucalyptus goniocalyx, Leptospermum laevigatum, Leptospermum petersonii,  Leptospermum scoparium, Banksia integrifolia, Grevillea rosmarinifolia, Brachychiton “Small Leaf Paragon”,  Leucopogon, and Allocasuarina littoralis.

 

The trees on the display table on the night included the following:

As promised, this meeting presented the first in a proposed irregular series of reviews of some of the native species suitable for Bonsai found in particular regions across Australia. This first program of the series was a presentation on a number of species found in Tasmania, both endemic to Tassie and found in other areas as well, with which VNBC members have some experience (or hope) in developing as bonsai.

 

The presentation featured pictures of the various species as found in the wild or in cultivation, and as bonsai either in early stages of development or as established bonsai specimens. A number of the tree species discussed were brought in by the various members who are working on them.

 

After a broad review of the landscape and ecosystems of Tasmania, the species presented in the discussion included a number from quite a range of landscapes.

 

From the alpine and sub-alpine areas and associated forests, we saw such species as Pencil Pine (Athrotaxis cuppressoides), Mountain Plum Pine (Podocarpus lawrencei), King Billy Pine (Athrotaxis selaginoides), Celery Top Pine (Phyllocladus asplenifolius), Huon Pine (Lagarostrobus franklinii), Strawberry Pine (Microcachrys tetragona), Varnished Gum (Eucalyptus vernicosa), Alpine Ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis), Alpine Baeckea (Baeckea gunniana), Alpine Tea Tree (Leptospermum rupestre), and Myrtle Beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii, or is it now Lophozonia cunninghamii?).

Other species discussed from across the landscapes of Tasmania included Swamp Paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia), Green Bottlebrush (Callistemon viridiflorus, or now Melaleuca virens), Sallow Wattle (Acacia mucronata), Woolly Tea Tree (Leptospermum lanigerum), Tea Tree “Rocky Rambler” (Leptospermum scoparium var.), White Peppermint (Eucalyptus pulchella), Blackwood Wattle (Acacia melanoxylon), Midlands Wattle (Acacia axillaris), Cape Pillar Sheoak (Allocasuarina crassa), and Necklace Sheoak (Allocasuarina monilifera).

Many of these species present their own particular challenges in developing as bonsai, but there are some outstanding possibilities amongst them as well. The examples brought in by some of the presenters showed that there is quality bonsai stock amongst the species of Tasmania. And this was not an exhaustive review by any means, as we know that there is plenty of development work going on in Tasmanian bonsai circles!

However, it was a great overview, and a good introduction for many members to some of the trees which they had not met previously. It will continue to be interesting to see some of these develop further over time.

 

Some of the trees on the display table at the meeting included the following.