by John Callaway

I would like to thank Midge Goeth and Earl Cormney for taking the time to put together two great slide presentations. Earl showed pictures of his trip to Longwood Gardens. Midge put together a great slide presentation of her trip to the Indianapolis club show last year.

The Indianapolis Bonsai Club puts together a great show at the White River Garden Conservatory, located next to the Indianapolis Zoo. This year they will have their trees on display from September 22nd until November 11th. For more information you can check out their website, http://www.indybonsai.org or contact the White River Garden Conservatory by calling (317) 630-2001.

The Greater Louisville Bonsai Society Fall Colors show will once again be held at Green Tree Mall. The display will be setup in the center of the mall where we expect to get plenty of traffi c. There are always quite a few curious observers with plenty of questions. This is our chance to inform people about bonsai and about our club. If you haven't attended this event in the past, be sure to make a point to attend this year. We can always use more volunteers to work the tables to help answer questions or pass out literature. If you would like to show a tree in this show, be sure to contact Gene Sewell at (502) 635-7704. We will also be having a Beginner Workshop on Oct. 23rd at the Bon Air Library. Participants and volunteers may sign up at the Green Tree show.

If you are planning on displaying a tree, be sure to take the time to properly prepare for the show. Soil should be clean and free of weeds and other debris. If you like, you can place a fi ne layer of top dressing on the soil. Foliage should be healthy. If your tree has started to display fall color, be sure that any already fallen leaves have been removed from the pot. The pot itself should be cleaned prior to the show. You might use a mild soapy solution to clean the pot and may consider using a light oil coating on unglazed containers. Any wire on the tree should be neat and uniform, so as not to distract the viewer. A proper display stand should be chosen to accent the tree.

Next month we will be including the calendar of events for 2008. We have listed some of the events on page two to whet your curiosity. There are some really great programs planned for next year. Be sure to update your calendars and try your best to make as many of these events as you can.

Directions to Green Tree Mall: From I-65 take exit 4 (Lewis & Clark Parkway) and turn West. Go to Signal 4, turn right and you are in the parking lot!