2011, Issue 1

January, 2011

of Greater Clearwater and the surrounding areas

澄んだ水盆栽会

Sundamizu Bonsai Kai

Winter 2010 was a cold, tough one. Oh wait, that’s also how we ended the year too. We spent the

first few months meeting at Dave Collom’s house until we found our new home. I think Dave’s wife

is a VERY understanding woman!

April was a very busy month. First and foremost, we moved into our new home. The people at Moc-

casin Lake Nature Park have made us very welcome and we couldn’t ask for a better facility. We

also have the pleasure of having staff and volunteers join us periodically. We hope to have them join

us even more in 2011.

Much of this year was spent building our club and expanding into the community. Including:

April, we participated in the sister city’s program between Clearwater and Nagano. We had

a display and received many favorable compliments from the visiting Japanese dignitaries.

This also set us up for a long and evolving relationship.

We also participated in the Palm Harbor Newcomer’s Club ―Make, Take, Tell, Sell‖ lunch-

eon. One of our members, Syd Freifeld joined us as a result of this event.

In June, thanks to Clif and Esther Searfoss, we participated in the Natsumatsuri Festival in

Tampa.

July brought a mid-summer festival at Clif’s place. Two full days learning all about Crape

Myrtles. We met new friends from all over the south east from many other clubs.

September, we had our first guest speaker, Jay Beckenbach from Gainesville, shared lots of

fun and ―cheap‖ ways to do bonsai. It was almost as much fun as hearing the ways our own

members do bonsai on the ―cheap‖.

November, of course, was the multi-club auction. Fantastic as usual.

December, we were guest artists at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center.

In addition to all that, we had our regular meetings such as root on rock, propagation, a pottery session

At Bob Apholz studio and much more.

2011 should be even more exciting starting with the open workshop and beginner’s class in on Jan 8th.

Ode to 2010

Open Workshop Saturday, January 8th Open Workshop:

Need to work on one or more

of your favorite trees but can’t

seem to find the time at home?

Want some styling ideas from

other members because you just

don’t know what to do with

your tree?

Or maybe your tree doesn’t

seem to be wintering well.

What should you do?

Come to the open workshop

Saturday. There will be lots of

help available.

Beginner’s Class:

Do you know someone who

wants to learn about bonsai?

Bring them to the beginner’s

class this Saturday. It’s just

$10. They go home with a tree

that he/she styled and they’ll

have made new friends to help

keep it alive.

And don’t forget, lunch follow-

ing for all who can join us.

This Month 1

Year in review 1

Bonsai Factoid 1

Schedule of Events 2

Last Month:

DFAC

2

Feature Article:

Month of the Trees 3/4

Club Info 4

General Info 6

Inside this issue:

Bonsai Factoid Want to make a bonsai candi-

date look better before it’s

ready to be put in a bonsai

pot? You like it enough to

want to do everything you can

to enhance its appearance and

not be just in a training, right?

Well, how about putting it in a

bonsai pot even if it isn’t ready

to be called bonsai? You

would probably want to use a

cheaper one, and definitely

choose a bigger one. There’s

no law, you know? If it is

large enough to allow your

tree to continue vigorous

growth without holding back

the roots it will be, in effect, a

training pot.

Besides, many bonsai are

planted in pots that are too

―large‖ according to the rules.

They will grow faster, their

trunks will thicken up faster,

and they often look better to

boot.

2011, Issue 1 Page 2

Fun at DFAC The Sundamizu Bonsai Kai was the visiting

artist group with a demonstration and sale.

If you haven’t ever visited the Art Center,

you should. There are new exhibits all the

time. They have classes for all levels in

everything art from painting, jewelry,

woodworking, fiber and much more. You

can check it out at dfac.org.

Thanks to Dave, Bob and Clif, we demon-

strated bonsai styling and pottery. We also

had several tree sales.

Our club donated 20% of the profits to the

Art Center for inviting us to participate in

their holiday event.

Thanks also to those who brought in trees

for show.

It was a well attended event by the local

community and we hope to do more with

DFAC in the future. Bonsai is an ancient

art form that has a natural fit with the Art

Center.

2011 Schedule of Events—Local & Out of Town

January 8: Club Meeting– Open workshop & beginner’s class

January 14-16: 9th annual Joy of Bonsai-Kawa Bonsai Society, Flagler County

Extension Office, Bunnel, Fl; contact: mysecretbonsai@me.com or 386-569-

1639

January 29/30: Florida Mid-Winter Conference: The Landscape in Miniature;

see attached flier; Bonsai at Pasiminan, Dade City, Fl

February 11: Club Meeting—slabs

March 2—May 15: Epcot Flower & Garden Festival

April 2-3: Spring festival: Azaleas; Bonsai at Pasiminan, Dade City, Fl

April 9-10: USF Botanical Gardens Annual Spring Plant Festival, Tampa, Fl

April 15-17: Mid-Atlantic Bonsai 28th Annual Spring Festival, Grantville, PA

April 30-May 1: Green Thumb Festival, St. Petersburg, FL

June 10-12: BSF Convention

Bob Apholz caught everyone’s attention with the pottery demon-stration

Bob was able to answer questions while he worked. Amazing!

Dave kicked things off for us.

Joe Spencer brought in a flowering bougainvillea

Clif carried on the styling demo.

Some of our club members’ display trees

We had some excellent trees for sale. They made great holiday gifts.

2011, Issue 1 Page 3

This month, instead of profiling a tree of

the month, given the weather experiences

we’ve all had recently, it seemed more

appropriate to outline the month.

In other words, there are times when it

seems reasonable to step back and think,

not of specific trees for bonsai, but the

more general considerations which lead us

to think about growing a particular plant, or

kind of plant, for bonsai.

Of course, there are all the considerations

about the look of particular trees, and their

growth habits: size of leaves and flowers,

displayed color, vines versus hard trunks,

bark texture, and so on, and there are con-

siderations about diseases and their treat-

ment, and soil choice, and watering, etc.

But there is one consideration that we may

think paramount at this time of year, and

particularly this year: hardiness and tem-

perature considerations.

So much for global warming!

Actually, in the choice of any material for

use as bonsai, in any environment, hardi-

ness (or lack thereof) needs to be consid-

ered strongly. For example, if you know

that a plant is plenty hardy for where you

live, will it survive the summer heat, or the

related consideration of humidity? And, of

course, if you plant to leave it outside, will

it survive the winter?

In the meantime there are so many things

we can do to help a tree live beyond its

normal ―USDA‖ approved hardiness zone

limits. Too hot? Some mist in the hottest

parts of the summer days, or placing it

where there is often a breeze, or plenty of

shade (if the plant can take it) can make a

large difference.

When I first moved to this part of Florida, I

had a number of Zelkova, and the books

said Zelkova wouldn’t take the heat. Well,

they will take some shade, so I planted

most of them (to keep the roots cooler) and/

or put them on a shady side of the house,

and they all did fine.

We’re right on the edge of being too hot for

most Japanese maples, but some do well.

Others, by mist, shade and picking your

microenvironment in your yard carefully,

may well flourish also.

And many other trees, too, can take more

heat (or lack of winter cold which is neces-

sary for some plants) than recommended.

We know of deciduous trees like Japanese

flowering apricot, and trident maples thriv-

ing as far south as well below Sarasota.

Don’t experiment recklessly, but there is

great latitude to where you can grow a

plant by being thoughtful.

Mist on the coldest winter nights will not

only help the tree stay warmer but keep

your pipes/hoses from cracking as well by

the slight but constant water flow. Orange

growers keep their trees toasty by spraying

ground water temperature under them. It

may build up ice but the constantly added

water will keep the ice (and the tree) at

only freezing temperature. Since most

orange trees aren’t damaged until the tem-

perature hits 28⁰, they , or at least the inte-

rior of the foliage and the lower trunk (the

most important part of the orange tree –

and bonsai – will stay well. With bonsai,

the whole tree will be safe, with the right

choice of mistheads. We’ve talked about

the use of mistheads for bonsai before, and

this is perhaps the most important one.

Your citrus bonsai will be fine, as will

many only marginally hardy plants. The

lavender star flower, Grewia occidentalis, a

wonderful choice for bonsai, will take

some cold, but not down to 20⁰ and below,

which we’ve experienced recently. We’ve

kept ours outdoors, though and with mist

they’ve stayed healthy.

Of course, putting your not so hardy plants

on the ground on the cold nights, and, even

better, mulching them in, will help tremen-

dously. In the super hard freeze of 1983, I

found out how hardy the southern indica

azaleas were. Even put on the ground and

mulched heavily, they didn’t survive the 12

night of December 24. However, they

survived 20⁰ the next year, and again re-

cently quite well. It’s good to be overcau-

tious, though.

Even if you plan on growing your bonsai

indoors, it’s still helpful to consider the

temperatures in which your plants will

grow best. Simply cooling a fully tropical

plant can shock it into dormancy or at least

non-growth. So keep your indoor button-

woods, for example, in as much sun as

possible, and a warm window or room.

Another way to protect plants is to make a

small tent over one or more of them; it’s

amazing how much the heat from the

ground can help. There is even a material

marketed as ―frost‖ protection you can buy

to help keep your bonsai warm, and avail-

able from a number of hardware stores and

garden centers, but cheap thin film plastic

sheeting does almost as well. If using the

plastic sheeting, though, make sure you

remove it in the morning before the sun

cooks the bonsai beneath. Further, you

might discover a little burn from the cold

on the outermost foliage which was touch-

ing the plastic, if any was. Still, what’s the

loss of a few leaves relative to the loss of

the tree.

If you are farther to the south than Tampa,

you may think yourself fairly secure, but

even as far south as Fort Myers, they were

under threat of frost recently, so it’s wise to

take precautions.

More importantly still, is the fact that the

last few years’ weather has seemed to be

much more volatile than previously.

Not only on a seasonal basis, but day by

day, and even hour by hour. NOAA

weather forecasts have been off very

Month of the Trees by Clif Pottberg

2011, Issue 1 Page 4

Month of the Trees by Clif Pottberg frequently this year, for example, in their

highs and lows predictions.

As a result, it is wise to be more careful

and bundle up your bonsai at night more

than you think likely to be necessary. At

least let the ground around your bonsai

(because of a blanket or tent) protect your

bonsai.

Just remember to be doubly careful to wa-

ter your bonsai regularly. If you assume

your trees will hold their moisture because

they are enclosed, you may be right; how-

ever, exposed to heat in the sun they will

need more and will need plenty even under

a hard freeze. Many bonsai have been lost

because the soil in their pots was frozen

and thus filled with water. That is true, but

the water under those circumstances is in

an unusable form. That’s why growers of

bonsai in the north often put their bonsai –

even the hardiest ones which don’t need the

cold protection – into a cold frame (which

should be called a ―not so cold‖ frame) to

keep everything from freezing solid for so

long that the plants can’t drink through

their roots and die by drying out.

The old-timers in Florida used to say that

Florida was ―five months of hell and seven

months of heaven‖; however with the very

cold weather in the middle of winter, the

heaven part is now in two parts: spring and

fall, and the total length of time of the

―heaven‖ part has shrunk, by the evidence

of the last few years, to about six months.

Well, maybe it’s just because I’m getting

more sensitive to the extremes, but wow!

Did anybody else have to go out to check

on their bonsai or greenhouse every night

for a week or more of sub 20⁰ weather

when a few nights each winter of just be-

low freezing is the ―norm‖?

Maybe it’s me, but ―Florida‖ and

―frostbite‖ just don’t seem to rhyme.

Still, armed with this knowledge we can

keep our bonsai secure, safe and warm –

even if our toes are icey!

Make use of Your Club

Many club members are shy to ask what benefits they can make use of besides just coming to

the meetings.

Here are some of them:

Library. It is accruing quickly and you are free to make use of what we have. If you know a

book you want to read and our library doesn’t have it, we’ll ask others of the nearby clubs if

they have a copy we can borrow for you.

Past issues of the Sundamizu Bonsai Kai newsletter/magazine. There is a lot of good infor-

mation on many different subjects. They are all in electronic form, but you are welcome to

ask for downloads of all of them, and you’ll also have a history of the club.

Listings of all bonsai and related activities anywhere around. There is much more going on

than just at Sundamizu. For example, all the other clubs welcome guests, so if you see a

program you like being given somewhere else, feel free to go. If you need more information,

call them or us.

Raffle. We almost always have a raffle where you can win more interesting plants to work

on. Not all of them are just beginner seedlings, either. Some are ready for serious styling. If

there is a kind of plant you’d like to see offered, ask about that too and we’ll try to arrange it.

Please see the attachment about our

midwinter landscape confer-ence

on all aspects and traditions of

the landscape:

bonkei, bonsai, saikei, penjing,

peng t'sai, hon non bo, thiếu

cảnh, cayh cảnh, trough gardens,

and microenvironments,

This will be a conference that

explores all aspects of the total

landscape - the various tradi-

tions, the art of the art, the

plantings, and several demon-

strations.

...as well as a workshop for you

to create your own, with all the

headliners as teachers.

The midwinter landscape con-

ference flier is attached in

Adobe Acrobat format.

...and look for more information

soon about our Spring Festival,

An Extravagance of Azaleas

April 2 and 3, 2011

If you haven’t paid your annual dues

yet, please do so this month.

The dues are $24.00 for individuals or

$36.00 for a family. That’s only $2.00

per month, a real value for so much fun!

Please pay at the next meeting or send

a check to Esther Searfoss (our new

Treasurer) at 920 Jerry Smith Rd, Do-

ver, Florida 33527-5807

Annual Membership Dues

澄んだ水盆栽会

Sundamizu Bonsai Kai

of Greater Clearwater and the surrounding areas

2011, Issue 1 Page 6

Sundamizu Bonsai Kai means Clear Water Bonsai Club

(Pronounced soon‖da mi’ zu) Lois Powell: 727-742-3301

Clif Pottberg: 352-424-6000

lopowell@yahoo.com

clifton@pottberg.com

Meets 2nd Saturday of each Month, 10am

Moccasin Lake Nature Park

2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater

Directions to Moccasin Lake Nature Park

From Southbound US 19 or McMullen Booth Rd (CR 611):

turn west on SR 590 for 0.8 mi

turn left on Calamondin Ln for 0.3 mi

turn right on Edenwood St for 364 ft

turn left onto Beachwood Ave for 0.2 mi

turn right at Park Trail Lane

From Northbound US 19:

turn east on Drew St for 407 ft

turn left on Fairwood Ave/Park Place Blvd for 0.6mi

turn left at Park Trail Lane

Proceed to the back of the parking lot. This is closest to the

classroom. If you have large material/plants you are bringing,

we will open the gate for dropoff and then you can return to lot

to park.

Annual Membership is $24 per individual or $36 per family

and includes:

● Monthly meetings

● New friends

● Lost of fun