The end of summer and the start of autumn have been pleasant in the Sydney area. We have had occasional rain, but plenty of warm, sunny days to get out amongst our bonsai collections. During the heat of summer, it’s more difficult for many to work outdoors, particularly in the hot afternoons, myself included. For […]
A bonsai exhibition of solely Australian native plants is always a pleasure. Seeing the species that grow around us is exciting, and the Canberra Bonsai Society’s show did not disappoint. This year’s theme, ‘The Australian landscape in the palm of your hand’ displayed 31 trees. Below are some, with their catalogue descriptions. Alpine Baeckea Baeckea
Last month’s workshop had fewer attendees than we’ve had in recent months, although there was still plenty to do. Figs were still able to be repotted, as the weather was still quite hot, and there was trimming of excess summer growth to be done as well. Normally it’s too late now to do any more
Well known as a national demonstrator, Joe Morgan-Payler brings a deep knowledge of bonsai and great creativity to all he does. Joe grew up in the temperate rainforests of the Otway Ranges in south-west Victoria and so has always been influenced by the complexity of nature. Interested in bonsai rom his teenage years, Joe eventually went to study in Japan under Mr Urushibata at Taisho-en, to which he has returned many times to refine his skills. A friendly personality combined with insight and knowledge and a background in Fine Arts and Design makes Joe a unique demonstrator and his workshop a great learning experience.
This summer has been very humid and also quite wet. This has meant that I have had plenty of issues with my trees, such as scale of various types (white wax scale being the worst on some natives), the usual caterpillars, and fungal infections on susceptible trees. I’m sure I’m not alone though in facing
Our workshop last month was interesting and well attended, with some new members creating root over rock fig bonsai. Ingrid also showed us how to expose and work to develop further a fig from her collection, which had previously been planted as a root over rock style. Our February workshop isn’t too late in the
All demonstrations below are held at the West Pennant Hills Community Centre, 42 Hill Road, West Pennant Hills and start at 7.30pm
An elder statesman of Australian bonsai, John started bonsai in 1971. He was founding member of the Nepean Bonsai Society (where he continues to teach), an inaugural member of the AABC and its vice-president for many years. John has demonstrated at AABC seminars and conducted workshops and demonstrations all over Australia and New Zealand. John
Although we’ve had some hot days this summer, the rain and resulting high humidity have been very prevalent, sometimes making working outside on our trees unpleasant. Some of you may have an indoor area where you can bring trees into the cool of air conditioning for trimming and general tidying up. I have no such
On the 1st of November 2023, Scott Saddler AM, Executive Branch Manager of the National Arboretum Canberra and Leigh Taafe, Curator at the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection of Australia (NBPCA) travelled to Japan to mark a significant moment in the history of bonsai art. A new collaboration with the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum (OBAM)
