by Midge Goeth

Remember a couple months ago when I talked about the garden tour and my five stages of garden development? In part of that discussion I mentioned I had two senior citizen bonsai that looked rather undernourished and probably needed to go back into the ground to re-vitalize their root systems. Well, guess what? They now look great and here is why I believe they do. (I never did get around to putting them back into the ground -- 2 week vacation, broken arm, etc.) Listening to two of our club experts, I dressed ALL my trees with a sprinkle of 14-14-14 Osmocote and VOILA!! New growth, healthy looking trees, and a smiling gardener who just keeps pruning and trimming. Thanks Lee Squires and Earl Ekman for that tip. By the way, I have applied the same Osmocote 14-14-14 around all the perennials in the yard and dramatically reduced the need for weekly fertilizers. The lilies, phlox, cone flower, croscosmia, anenome, rudebecia, etc. all look great and are blooming their little hearts out. Not to mention what a slow release fertilizer does for all the annuals and container plantings. Almost as good as backyard grown heirloom tomatoes?

The Art of Bonsai

I'm sure all of you readers are familiar with the art of bonsai. However, I for one, sometimes have to be reminded of the basic premise of "the art of bonsai". Let me hit upon some of the rudimental elements.

Bonsai is essentially the art of choosing a plant which has the potential of becoming a great bonsai. Then it must be grown under constant, complete, and affectionate care so that it blends with the container in which it is planted. This hopefully will express the natural beauty of the tree. Of course, adequate sunshine, water, fertilizer, and suitable soil are necessary for healthy growth. At the same time, careful pruning, trimming, repotting, wiring and other techniques are required to form the tree into the desired shape. The result of this care, of course, is the desired miniature growth and a specimen tree that expresses the creativity of the artist.

Yes, being a hobbyists of bonsai takes a lot of dedication, education, patience, enthusiasm, and a willingness to share our successes and failures with other hobbyist. This newsletter is by far the best tool we have as a bonsai society to share success and failures as well as new techniques, information from other clubs, and a forum for what is going on outside our greater Louisville area.

New Mentoring Program

Several months ago, two of our newest members who had taken a beginners workshop and managed to keep their new trees alive through the winter and spring, wanted some help with pruning and styling. (Remember how intimidating that was on your first tree?) So the three of us got together on Friday evening to prune and wire and talk about fertilizers, sun/shade requirements, watering, looking through books for inspiration, and just general bonsai conversation. It was such a positive and fun experience they signed up for the tropical plant workshop and now have a new challenge with an indoor tree.

Mentoring does not necessarily have to be on the beginner level. We have members who will share their knowledge on all levels of experience. I would like to begin a list of members who are willing to lend a helping hand and another list of those who want some one on one help. I will put people in touch with one another. For those needing help, please email or call me with your name, phone number or email address and a brief notation of your request. For those willing to be a mentor, email or call me with a notation of how you can be reached. Remember, there are no dumb questions when it comes to bonsai. Avoid a mistake that may damage or kill you favorite tree. Ask for help.