Bonsai  Summer —

As summer winds down, I’ve accomplished some things on my bonsai “to-do” list while others seem to have been moved to my “to-don’t” list. It’s probably no surprise that screening, grading and washing soils for next year’s repotting season is still waiting for a cosmic convergence to get it started. I did, however, finish rebuilding my bonsai benches and I’m pleased with the results. First, I visited Leila Kusumi’s yard and noticed how she had her collection organized. Trees are arranged by size and type and the effect is similar to a commercial bonsai nursery. Next, I visited Gary Ishii, at Chikugo-en, which is a commercial bonsai nursery. He told me about Jones Lumber, in Lynwood where I bought some very nice 2” x 8”, clear heart redwood lumber for the benches. It wasn’t cheap but it looks great and should last longer than I will. Shig Miya looked at the tables where I keep my shohin trees. Since I keep them very moist, he suggested that I cover the tables with roofing material to protect the wood. I like the way it looks and now I can keep the plants as wet as I want while the wood stays dry.

I’ve also made a good start in buying the pots I’ll need for the 2011 repottinging season. I’ve gotten them after visiting many of the local suppliers. One trip to  Bruce & Yaeko Hisayasu was very productive but unfortunately consumed  most of my whole year’s bonsai pot budget in one trip. But I did get some very beautiful old Japanese pots.

Our auction is coming up in October so this is a good time to start thinking about some of the bonsai “stuff” that you have collected over the years that you no longer want to keep. Donating to the Dai Ichi Auction is a great way to make room in your yard and help our club with its major fund raising event.

Happy Bonsai, Herb