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The Bonsai Epitaph

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

QUICK SNIPS

SEPTEMBER MINUTES

ARCHIVAL GALLERY

BONSAI SUPPLY LOCATIONS &LINKS

CONTACT INFORMATION

CLUB INFORMATION

UP COMING EVENTS

NATAL PLUM PIX HISTORY

ARTISANS BONSAI Scouting trip

Officers:ACTING PRESIDENT - SallyMolsick & Jack Yost

ACTING VICE PRESIDENT -Sally Molsick

TREASURER - John Goff

SECRETARY/BSF DISTRICT 5TRUSTEE - Sally Molsick

DIRECTORS:Programs - Doris Burn & LindaGibbonsSupplies - Joe Bruni

Webmaster - John Goff & son

Historian - Ruth Osganian

Communications - Joan Lindsay

Hospitality/Facebook Admin - Cathy Wolfe

Newsletter Editor - Jack Yost

Librarian - Audrey Ashline

Suncoast Bonsai Society

For the second timealready this centurywe are having a best

dead bonsai show toremind ourselves that weall have stories to tell ofbonsai that have moved onto the great compost pile.

It Halloween season after all and this will be acelebration (wake?). Feel free to decorate them asbefits the occasion. Prizes to be determined…

October 2014

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Quick Snips by JyOctober 2014

My first encounter with abonsai database tookplace back when theGhostbuster films werethe fun movies to see.Before that, in the early to mid-1980s, I tried to keep track of my trees in a loose leaf notebook.This was way before digital cameras so there was just a plastic photo page in the binder to holdpictures, and they had to actually be developed!

Eventually it occurred to me that I was always either behind in my record keeping or spendingmore time with the notebook than the trees, or so it seemed. As fate would have it about thistime a Victor 9000 computer showed up in my basement. It was fancy, the blinking curser wasamber rather than green. In those days computer makers were still fighting for floppy diskstandards. The Victor lost, but I digress. I got hold of a database program called PCfileDB andwhile my memory is a bit foggy I remember it as more of a tool box, like Excel, only fordatabases. In other words you had to build the database by creating input fields and calculatedfields etc. If I thought I was wasting time with a notebook I had really advanced along the timewasting path with the advent of the computer. However, it would print lists of trees in whateverorder I wanted, such as in order of favoritism, age, last repot etc. Of course these lists were onlyaccurate if the database was up to date, which it never was.

So in the end I quit using a database or a notebook and for the last 20 years or so the onlyrecords I have are mail order receipts and the tag in the pot that lists the year I got the plant, itsname and repotting dates. This is fine as long as the tag isn’t lost or illegible or crumbled intodust.

Which brings me back to the purpose of this article. The sammler:bonsai database. For those ofyou who are both obsessive and able to follow through with things, you need a database. Thesedays pictures are digital and easy enough to get into the computer and hooked up to a database,and you no longer have to build it from scratch. I had hoped to investigate a bunch of databasesbut so far this is the only one I have looked at. Perhaps someone else could review one or morebonsai databases for a future article. If you go into the Windows Store (the icon with theshopping bag) and type in “bonsai database” the sammler:database comes up. The free trialversion is limited to seven records but otherwise not crippled. There is no help, or FAQs, but it is

Bonsai Database

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pretty straight forward with a bit of tinkering. It is visually attractive andaccommodates pictures with no trouble. However pictures cannot be reorderedonce they are loaded so if you want them in chronological order (or any other)you would have to load them in that order. Generally that would happen naturally once beyondthe original setup. Another more serious problem is that several input fields are limited to dropdown menus rather than user input. The most annoying is the “bonsai type” which meansspecies and has almost none of the trees listed that we actually use here in Florida. Also the“bonsai size” is preprogramed with such things as “Komono 15-25 cm”. OK, I admit that I havebeen slow to convert to metric but I don’t really mind centimeters since the rest of the world hasbeen metric just about forever and I might as well get on with it. However, I don’t really want tolearn Japanese, bonsai is a worldwide hobby/craft/art form now and I don’t feel the need to call asmall bonsai a mame or an informal upright a moyogi just to impress someone or pay homage tothe Japanese. Hey, the Chinese were there too in the old old days. This is not to say that I donot have great respect for the Japanese artists, I just don’t want to adopt jargon that onlyconfuses things. The Japanese use these terms because they are, well, Japanese, it is theirlanguage.

This db does not produce a record number as far as I can tell. That would only matter if youwant to tag your trees with it, like in the bottom of the pot for example, as a backup id. Ofcourse if you have a picture that would seem to take care of that. The db records can be listedand ordered in a number of ways but I didn’t see that you could print from that screen. Thereare no generic user input fields that could then be searched or listed, such as rank order butunless you have way too many trees, like I do, I doubt that lack is significant.

IN SUMMARY. I have been in contact with the creator of this app (in Germany) and he is makingsome changes that address some of the issues above. He expects to have an updated WindowsStore app perhaps as soon as November. The trial version is free and the unlimited version is areasonable $15. If you would like to experiment with a fairly simple database this is a good placeto start and might just satisfy your needs withoutfurther investigation. Archival Club Member Tree

Club Photo Night October 2003

If this is your tree please mention it and takecredit!

● We need ideas for future meetings.● We need ideas for a club show, probably

paired with some other group or event.● The newsletter needs articles and photos

don’t be shy.● A collecting site for a club field trip● STORAGE FOR TABLES● OFFICERS for 2015 and beyond

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Club meeting minutes from September 27, 2014

October 2014

The September meeting took place in the delightful back yard of Doris Burns, and was formallybrought to order by Jack Yost, who opened with a quote from John Naka:“Don’t make your trees look like bonsai, make your bonsai look like trees!”

He announced that thanks to John Goff, we now have an official website up and running, athttp://suncoastbonsaisociety.com/.

Jack then recommended American Bonsai to beginners for bonsai tools, and he let us know thatJene’s Nursery is having a bonsai sale on October 4.

Guests introduced themselves - Richard Ellman and John Girton, who were in our Beginner’sClass, and Sharon DiSano, who was at Green Thumb. All are now members!

Jack talked about our next meeting, at the library in Seminole. It will be, in honor of Halloween,a “Dead Bonsai Show,” with members bringing their dead bonsai. A prize will be given to the“best” one.

An informal meeting of the Club Night Committee took place immediately after the meeting. Jackbrought our club project, in its beginning stages.

Jack then introduced our guest speaker, Mike Cartrett, who has been in bonsai since 1969, and iswell known as a nurseryman and vendor at the BSF conventions, where he’ll be in 2015. Hecritiqued trees of many different varieties brought by members, from pre-bonsai to those that tome looked gorgeous enough to show anywhere. I learned that my little ficus is a “fiddle leafficus.” Mike also brought some great pre-bonsai material for sale at very reasonable prices.

After Mike’s program, our gracious and “culinarily” talented hostess (that’s a word I just made up,which means Doris is a great cook) brought out some chili and home-made brownies, and we alldug in.

We then had a good representation for Show and Tell, among which was the lovely tree Ruth isentering in the BSF Convention exhibit. We then had our raffle, and the Club Night Committeemet and threw great ideas back and forth, and made lots of progress.

Everything wound up at about 1:30, and a good time was had by all.

See you all at the Dead Bonsai Show!

Respectfully submitted,

Sally Molsick, SecretaryWe are a proud

member of BonsaiSocieties of Florida

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October 2014

12501 Indian Rocks Road Largo, Fl 727-595-2073

6251 34th Street NPinellas Park, FL 727-688-2898727-481-2898

4407 49th Street NSt. Petersburg, FL 727-522-2594

4950 38th Ave NSt. Petersburg, FL 727-527-5418

(for rock)5612 56th Commerce Park BlvdTampa, FL 33610 813-622-7031

(for Turface)6782 118th Ave NLargo, FL 727-531-3180

(club member)For club soil mix and pine bark finesHm Ph 727-596-7244Cell: 727-698-2997e-mail: jbruni3@tampabay.rr.com

9353 E Fowler AveThonotosassa, FL 33592 (800) 438-9614

www.pasiminan.com/

www.plantplace.com/

www.evesgardengifts.com

for wire & tools etcwww.stonelantern.com/

We are back on the web! Check it outsuncoastbonsaisociety.com - bookmark it -

Local Sources for bonsai materials

CONTACT INFORMATIONSally Molsick - Vice President/Secretaryemail: rmolsick@tampabay.rr.comPhone: 727-360-6483

Joan Lindsey - Communicationsemail: bonsailady611@gmail.com

Jack Yost - Newsletter EditorEmail:oldtreemaker@suncoastbonsaisociety.com

CLUB INFORMATION

LIBRARY: We have a club library of Bonsairelated books. Members are encouraged tosign one out, read it, and return it thefollowing month. Bonsai Books donations aregreatly appreciated.

RAFFLE TABLE: Raffle tickets, $1.00 each.Bonsai related items are donated by clubmembers. Please identify the plant material sowe know how to take care of them!

BONSAI SOIL: Bonsai soil is available @ $20per 5 gallon bag. The club makes a generalpurpose bonsai soil for members. Please letDoris know ahead of time if you need soilbrought to the next meeting.

Founded in 1965 we are the second oldest clubin Florida

Note that thesesources will bereworked, as timepermits now thatthe Website is upand running. Thiswill save space andredundancy in theNewsletter.

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October 2014

October Meet - DEAD BONSAI SHOW to honor all of our trees that are now compost. Dress up yourdead as you see fit…. You will have to tell your sad tale. BUT there will, of course, be a prize!

November - We proud to announce that our own Robert Yarbrough will be the feature of this meeting.Robert’s focus is on show quality trees and he has been doing bonsai for at least the whole century.

December - Christmas Party at the Hibachi Grill Sunday the 14th at 1 pm MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE DUE

January - Mike Fiduccia will be on hand. Details to be announced

February - Ideas or volunteers welcome.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Natal Plum Pictorial

There are two types (and several varieties) of natal plum, one more prostrate and one moreupright. This is the more prostrate variety. I got it two years ago from Willow Tree and put it intoan oversize training pot. The nursery soil was in such good shape that I just used that. The smallpiece on the table did not survive being unceremoniously ripped loose.

Jy

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October 2014

Plum continued

Above is an interim picture and onthe right the “finished” product. Allon the same day. October 14, 2012.This is more or less a three linecascade. I rather liked thewindswept top over the cascadebottom.

Moving forward to January 2014 you can see how it filled back out to the point of beingovergrown. I’m not saying this is the best way to do this… If you look close at the picture aboveright you can see that it is now a two line cascade, courtesy of birds or critters or other nefariousbeasties.

14 months later…

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October 2014

Even more plum picturesOh Oh, more what not to do. Note the wirescutting in.

Back on track as of last January

Overgrown once again. In something of a hurryto get it ready for this newsletter. At this point Igot tired of trying to reconcile the cascadebranch that comes out from behind. So OFFWITH IT. For better or worse. On to the future.

Below is current, as of October 14, 2014.

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October 2014

Scouting Trip to Artisans Bonsai

Located NE of Tampa on E Fowler East of I 75Artisans offers both stock and reasonablyfinished bonsai. Above is part of the “For Sale”display area and to the right is a huge bougie,maybe 4’ tall.

John Goff acquired this nice piece of juniperprocumbens nana stock. Both pictures.Artisans Bonsai has several large juniperswaiting for a horti-sculptor to turn them into Art.

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The Mike Cartrett event at Doris’s last month

Mike explaining why Jack’s ixora is dying.

Richard Sanderson’s very nice juniper, not quitecaptured to it’s best advantage in this picture.Noa Spector-Flock paying attention, above.

The rest of us below doing our best

This group is a little perkier.