by George Buehler

March has arrived and will pretty much be gone by the time you get this newsletter. I don't know about you but my bonsai March has been very busy. With the crazy weather we had in late February and early March, a number of my trees started budding and it was time to start repotting. Every year I keep asking myself why I have so many trees that need work in the spring. However, when I see the green budding or the early fiowering, I have the answer. Spring has always been my favorite time of year when it comes to the horticultural area. After the dreary winter, the excitement of new growth is one of the things that keeps me working in bonsai. This year I followed my own advice – I had the new soil ready, the new pots cleaned and ready to go, and a tentative schedule of which trees would be worked on first. I made up this schedule in December based on the notes I had taken in past years – which normally budded first, etc. Surprisingly enough, there were not many changes to my original tentative schedule. I know I have written several times about the importance of keeping records. This is just one instance of the use of these notes. If you haven’t started your record keeping, now is the time to begin.

The winter wasn’t too bad on my collection. It looks like everything made it through except for my shohin five needle pine. The jury is still out on this tree but it doesn’t look good. It was buried outside just like normal. The difference this year is that rather than bury it in a plastic storage container protected by cypress mulch and placed on the deck next to the house, it was buried in the landscape using the cypress mulch. This was a rather expensive experiment – that is if the tree is really lost.

NOTE: are you interested in a T-shirt or golf shirt with the GLBS logo on it? Our webmaster (John Callaway) has set up a link on the GLBS web site (www.louisvillebonsai.org) where you can purchase these as well as mugs, sweatshirts, mouse pads and other items. The club bene. ts from purchases from this site, in addition to your being able to show your support of the club. Take a look. If you need more information or help, give me a call.

The demonstration and workshop conducted by Dana Quattlelbaum was well attended. Dana’s demo was conducted on Tom McCurry’s Shimpaku that he purchased in St. Louis. For those of you who didn’t attend this workshop, you missed a great learning experience as well as the camaraderie of our fellow members.

Next month will be another interesting workshop presented by John Callaway on Phoenix graft. See John’s description on this method on starting on page 2. For those of you who haven’t experienced this type of tree, I would highly recommend participating in this workshop. There will be limited trees available, so call Earl Ekman (222-7419) and get on the list.

Keep an eye on those trees and the weather. If the weatherman predicts below freezing temperatures, take the necessary precautions!