Ray Mackaway has been involved with bonsai for over 30 years. His interest in bonsai grew out of a need to find a hobby that was completely different from his busy and quite demanding work life. It was on his way home from doing work in Indonesia that he first thought about getting involved in […]
The last few months have been very hot and there’s more of the same ahead, so it’s still important not to let your trees dry out. Some shallow or smaller pots rmay require watering more than once a day at this time of year and should be kept in a more sheltered position for protection
We are having a new look evening with all new games with the aim of raising some funds for your club while having some fun. What to bring: Yourself and a partner or friend for a fun night A plate with some goodies for our Christmas feast. Ingrid is making her famous punch and
Popular School of Bonsai teacher and regular visiting demonstrator to our club, Ray needs no introduction. He has written the definitive article on wisteria as bonsai and we are very lucky to have him come to explain his techniques for producing outstanding trees.
Ficus (or figs) is a genus of close to 1000 different species which include trees, shrubs, vines and epiphytes all belonging to the mulberry family (Moraceae). Some begin life as hemi epiphytes – seeds that are dispersed by birds and animals in crevices in tree tops. Some scientists seem to think that Ficus are an
The subject of wind-burn is a HOT subject in summer and particularly relevant given the windy weather we have been experiencing recently. Actually, the cause of damage to contained plants is NOT necessarily SUN or WIND but lack of moisture to the potting mixture. Vita and myself experimented with this subject (potting mixtures) over many
What a great demonstration Brenda gave last month covering all aspects of training, repotting and caring for azaleas. Brenda brought three azaleas to illustrate her talk; a sentimental choice that needed work, the azalea she worked on at our show a couple of years ago, and a plant that had been missed until six or
Summer is a very busy time for the bonsai enthusiast. For many species, spring growth will continue and one must be mindful of keeping vigorous trees trimmed to encourage short internodes. Watering is the most important task during summer because lack of it and high heat can mean high fatality rates, especially in miniature trees
Kokedama is a traditional Japanese art form that uses moss as a container to hold a plant. Usually used as companion plants for display kokodama are fun to make and easy to maintain. These notes come from a workshop I did earlier in the year and courtesy of the Sydney Flower School. Materials: a plant
Mick has contributed to the bonsai community with articles and demonstrations as visiting tutor for the AABC over many years and has donated bonsai to the NBPCA. Over the past 40 years of bonsai I have learnt a little bit about conifer growing but unfortunately I reside on the far south coast away from the
