by George Buehler

I was pleasantly surprised by the success of the Yew Dell and Art In The Arbor shows last month. Not only did the club sell a lot of plant material - which helped our bank account - but more importantly, we had about 22 people sign up for the beginner workshops and we had two people sign up for full membership. Everyone who signed up for the beginner workshop received a membership to the GLBS with an electronic copy of this newsletter for the balance of the year. I hope that these 22 people will find both the club and the programs we have planned for the rest of the year useful and will renew their membership next year. It is up to us, the old members, to welcome these new people, and to make their experience with bonsai both educational and enjoyable.

For you new members, look at the club calendar on the left and plan on coming to the meetings and workshops. I think you will learn a lot and you will be able to meet other members, ask questions and get help with your trees.

Spring has been a very busy time for the old editor of this newsletter. My trees have been keeping me very busy! A number needed replanting, and the rest seem to be growing like weeds. I have been trying to keep up with the trimming to increase the ramification, and to maintain the overall desired shape. With the warm weather we had in mid-May and then the cool nights, the growth spurts have been amazing. I started carrying my scissors and clippers with me whenever I go out to the garden. This way, as I look at my trees, I can make some needed 'snips' right away. My maples have needed trimming almost every week.

My azaleas have been blooming like crazy. I have been trying to remove the blooms from the ones that were transplanted to conserve the plants' energy. Unfortunately I didn't count the blooms, but I estimate that I must have removed four dozen blooms on my small Kozan azalea, and the blooms keep appearing. I have also started trimming the ones that are done producing blooms. In my notebook, I have made the note to remember to trim the apex of the azaleas less severely than the rest of the plant, since the apex is generally less vigorous.

Thinking about trimming, one technique I started using is to examine the tree to determine if a particular branch needs to be repositioned. I then wire the branch into position, and then trim it. I don't know how many times over the years, that after trimming and then wiring, I ended up with a branch that was too short or I had removed the wrong branchlet. It sometimes takes a long time to fill in void in your tree's canopy. So plan ahead during your trimming sessions. You might save yourself a lot of frustrations.

I put up a lot of new stands last fall for my bonsai. I have tried to group my trees into those that need more water and those that need less. Since I use an automatic watering system, I use a very fast draining soil. This watering system is 'tweaked' every season to balance the amount of water each plant receives. I know a number of bonsai artists think an automatic watering system is not an acceptable way to water trees. I firmly believe that the type of soil used dictates whether an automatic system works.

Don't forget we have another 'show' coming up in July - Old Louisville Garden Tour. This is another new venue for the GLBS. We will need a number of trees in all stages of development to show the people who are on the tour how we develop our trees. So when Gene Sewell calls you, don't say I don't have anything good enough to exhibit. We want to show the public a broad spectrum of trees. Hopefully, we can get more people interested in joining the club.

One last thing. Last month I asked if anyone had anything to donate to the ABS Learning Seminar raffle. Almost any bonsai items are welcome as long as they are in good condition. The seminar starts June 22. If you have something to donate, give me a call and I will pick it up and take it with me to Virginia. Additionally, for those of you who are not ABS members, why don't you consider joining? You get four issues of their journal that contains a lot of very interesting articles. It is well worth the small investment!