Flex your shari, sing the blues...

Spent this past Saturday at Flex's home. At the recent BSSJ holiday party Flex was asking around if anyone was into doing some carving work and I jumped at the chance. I brought 3 trees: my big fat maple project, a "blue mist" spirea I collected this past summer, and a euonymous I've had for a few years.

Flex took one look at my big maple project and frankly told me not to waste my time. I had my suspicions the tree would never become great bonsai, and Flex confirmed this. So I will just grow it and enjoy it, applying bonsai techniques and see what I can make of it.

On the other hand, Flex really took to my Spirea (caryopteris - pics coming soon)...I dug this up from a neighbor's yard when they were considering tossing it. I dug it out rather clumsily, and left too much foliage top-side and so it was rather an unnecessary battle keeping it alive for the first few weeks in the shade. But Spirea is a real trooper, so when I saw some new growth I started hacking back the big stuff and the new growth really took off. When I went to move it for fall cleanup I noticed roots had grown through the bottom of the plastic pot and that is always a good sign! Now this spirea had a lot of thick chunky bark on it, a perfect candidate for cleaning and carving.

Flex immediately pointed out some tiny fungus on the bark, indicating we definitely had some dead wood to work with. And so we began...carefully flaking off old bark with a small knife, dental pick and a soft toothbrush. While cleaning up the tree Flex pointed out some things that helped me get a good read on it's health and habit. Flex's analytical process was fascinating to observe, and itself taught me new approaches to looking at things. As we slowly revealed the "tree within", we discovered gorgeous twisting, undulating veins, subtle healing scars, old knots and other details that help create the "character" we tend to look for in great bonsai. By the end of the spirea's session, it's appearance had improved dramatically. My hopes have therefore improved beyond what I had originally imagined for this tree. Of course time will tell, but it's off to a great start as bonsai.

We also worked on my euonymous...this tree has patiently hung around my bench for the past few seasons, waiting for me to decide what the heck to do with it. Last year I hacked it down to the main trunks and a profusion of new branches erupted from the cuts. I've trimmed them all back to one or two buds for winter, leaving actual branch selection for spring. A few larger buds here and there show great promise...

Since there wasn't much deadwood carving to be done on this tree, Flex and I took a step back and looked at basic design. We soon revealed a long-ish branch that had a healing cut in just the right spot for developing an interesting uro. So, out came the power tools and Flex walked me through the detailed process for creating a realistic uro feature. It was all very "graham potter" and great fun. A bit of careful wiring and branch bending and the euonymous now has a defined future, again much better than what I had in mind initially.

Finally, Flex put his 200+ year old rocky mountain juniper on the bench for some jin work. I stood back and simply watched the master at work. He explained his intentions and talked me through the process so I understood exactly what he was doing and why. Fascinating stuff, and I am interested to keep an eye on that tree as accomplishes what he has in mind for it.

So big thanks to Flex for his time and generous teaching this weekend. I would encourage anyone to learn what they can from him as his technical expertise and vision combine to offer valuable lessons from which we can all benefit. Thanks Flex!

Partay at the veeps house

cross-posted from www.southjerseybonsai.com:

Greetings Bonsai Enthusiasts!!!

If you'll indulge me...

I am priviledged to be the first to say our Holiday Party was a smashing success!!!

We all gathered at Dr. Karen's lovely creek-side house in Mt. Holly, each of us sharing our holiday cheer and a covered dish. The evening was spent chatting, laughing, eating and drinking, and much merriment was had by all.

Great thanks to Dr. Karen and her husband Mike who were absolutely perfect hosts, and made us all feel thoroughly welcome and comfortable! Sincerest thanks to you both!

Additional thanks go to all those who brought covered dishes to share. The numerous and varied hors d'oeuvres were fresh and tasty, and I believe everyone could find something that suited them. The various entree's (with special mention of the barbeque pork sandwiches, perfectly baked ham, and home-made lasagna!) were so great they will likely be raved about as the season progresses.

The desserts were fantastic, too! The trifle! The creampuffs! homemade pizzelles and on and on.

But of course none of these compared to the company of our fine friends of the South Jersey Bonsai Society. Everyone was so cheerful, healthy, smiling and bright. Here there and everywhere were intriguing conversation, great stories, random outbreaks of cheerful laughter, and thoughtful well wishes.

It was also a great pleasure to meet some of the friends and spouses of members who each brought their own charm and smiles to the occasion.

So, I am sure Tom will want to post his official message about the holiday party, and hopefully some great pictures, too. I'll place those here as soon as they are available. In the meantime I hope everyone won't mind my taking liberty on the front page here to express my appreciation to all for a wonderful evening and excellent company!

Happy Holidays!!!

Alec

Dombrovski Retrospective - Season I

I've spent a good portion of the past six weeks with Dombrovski and have no idea where to begin describing the experience. Alas, I will try...

I started in October with basic bonsai knowledge and skills, a good set of tools and an open mind. The plan was to assist Dombrovski through fall re-potting and winterization of his exquisite collection of roughly 150 trees, some of which have been training almost 40 years.

On the very first day, Dombrovski sat me down with a hinoki cypress in a plastic pot, told me to have at it. It felt like one of those expository writing assignments college professors use to determine the skill level of new students. It took me about an hour and a half to wire the tree and prune it out to make it look like something resembling bonsai.

"That is 100% 'by the book' - so, you know what you're doing, that's good..." was teacher's comment. Pretty proud of that. Next thing you know I had re-potted half a dozen crab apples and was being invited to assist at the upcoming Bonsai exhibit at Longwood Gardens. Of course, I would have to join the Brandywine Bonsai Society, and by the way Ron Lang was giving a lecture on pot selection at the next meeting...

I was qualified to become the man's student. Rock on.

Over the next several weeks, we re-potted, pruned, wired and mossed dozens of trees. The secrets of soil composition, root maintenance, branch development and ramification were revealed to me. These were and are as a series of puzzle pieces I needed to assemble for myself with a good memory and thoughtful interpolation. I studied the meticulous records and notes he kept, which documented his daily practice of bonsai over the past 10 years. We discussed and debated the particular merits and criticisms of the masters; Yoshimura, Kimura, Murata, Naka, Pall, Lenz (arguably), etc. We shopped for pots, went "yamadori hunting" and did our best to capture some fall foliage on film. We made plans for spring.

And yet, we have only scratched the surface...and I fully intend to continue learning everything I can from this particular man's interpretation of bonsai, which I find expert, distinct and uniquely sensitive ~ all these to a degree I have not yet seen matched in the Mid-Atlantic region.

They call me "Mr. Moss"

Hahahaha! Looks like I've picked up a nickname at the BSSJ..."Mr. Moss" Hahahaha!

I really felt it today at Dombrovski's. He wanted to take some pictures, but needed to run out and get some film so I asked what I could do while he was gone...he asked me to moss this bonsai:

This bonsai is a pair of Acers growing over a smattering of dramatic rocks with some ferns.  Ski said he did not moss at the most recent re-potting and, after looking over last week's crab apples he really liked the attention to detail I paid on the moss. (They don't call me Mr. Moss for nothin')

So I offered to collect up some moss from the ground, (the stuff grows like crazy on the ground at his place), but he suggested I take nice bits from all the other trees so as not to risk contaminating the tree with either carpet grass or likewise. So I gathered up a handful from various trees. Now you have to understand I'm just a little bonsai grasshopper. How dare I rip up moss from the timeless green velvet laying under masterpieces I would otherwise dare not touch without an extremely good reason...and here is Ski telling me "just chunk some moss out of there and put it in this one."

 Easy for you to say, pal...

So with a deep breath I pluck and pinch and scrape carefully from various trees until I have a good handful. I put the first couple pieces on and instinct quickly took over. For the next hour or so, I placed dozens of tiny dime-sized clumps of moss on the surface; distributed evenly but without any discernable order. Keep in mind there's a process, you can't just slap it on there. Do it right, and your eye is never attracted to focus a single clump. In this way, a bit of "perceptual closure" occurs such that the moss appears to be growing naturally, but not exactly covering the whole surface like a carpet. That's just not how moss grows in the forest, and if it were done that way you'd say "a person did that" which is what, in many cases, modern American bonsai tries to avoid at all costs.

Anyway, over the next several weeks, the little clumps will grow vigorously and spread across the surface of the bonsai soil and grow together, forming a natural looking network of moss clumps you'd swear took years to grow there.

So today I mossed a masterpiece...in some small way I am now part of that bonsai and it is part of me. Sure Dombrovski could have done it in his sleep, but he didn't....I did. And I don't have words for the pride I feel... not for having done it, but for having been trusted to do it by a guy who really doesn't like anyone getting near his trees, let alone touching them, let alone digging in them.

It hasn't taken Dombrovski long to let me know he appreciates what I've brought to the table. That, in having selected him I honor him; and having agreed, he honors me even more.

He gave me "the book" today; the notebook containing his daily notes for the past 10 years. It's all there: soil compositions, pot selection, fertilization routine, sketches, bench plans. Odd little scribbles with no relation to bonsai, stains, water damage. The damned thing used to be a spiral notebook, now it's held together with duct tape. 10 years of living bonsai, every day, all day with so many trees there is always something to do and you can never really "catch up".

What a freakin' life! No wonder he doesn't have a phone, that would just complicate things unnecessarily.

Ron Lang, master potter

I was privileged to meet Ron Lang this weekend at the Brandywine Bonsai Club meeting. Ron is a ceramics artist, expert, professor and wouldn't you now it, a bonsai potter. He gave a really insightful presentation to the club about what constitutes a method in terms of bonsai pot selection. Did I say that right? The point being that any bonsai enthusiast can chuck a tree in a pot...but to raise that choice to a considered and complimentary statement in harmony with the overall expression of that particular bonsai is, well...important. At least to me it is...at least to me it's something I am interested in learning about as I progress.

Ron Lang, master potter, gave a presentation on how to do that...not in terms of hard fast rules mind you...but in terms of things to consider when selecting the right pot to help us along the path towards making the statement we want to make. As with all things bonsai, there are technical considerations that influence the range of possible choices we have, yet, ultimately those choices are aesthetic. Ron covered the technical points with good detail, then demonstrated how consciously varying our choices on these technical parameters (overall size, shape, wall profile, color, texture, etc) play into the aesthetic outcomes we, and others, see.

So that was interesting...interesting enough for me to drop a few bucks on some new pots and consider Ron's pots for bonsai. It also looks like his smaller semi-cascade pots could be nice for orchids as well. I potted up an orchid in one of the pots I bought, so we'll see how it goes.

light, hope & tiny little trees...

I am pleased to announce some developments that give me great hope for real growth and attainment in the practice of bonsai.

First, my "Growing Moss for Bonsai" presentation at the October meeting of the Bonsai Society of South Jersey was readily enjoyed by all. I received positive feedback from the other members publicly and privately. Consider this; I lectured to bonsai enthusiasts (some twice my age) for a solid hour about a subject that would put most people to sleep in mere minutes...

Thanks Fairegarden for this pic, one of many I used in my presentation for inspiration!

The group was enthusiastic, asked poignant questions and seemed really engaged. After the presentation, I then moved on to a demonstration of how to actually cultivate / grow / store collected moss in shallow dishes.

Second, I will begin volunteering with Ski Dombrowski this coming week. It's fall maintenance and re-potting time, and I offered my help to Ski with the hopes of watching the master at work and learning everything I can. Looks like we'll be repotting, un-wiring and wiring dozens of crab apples and quince...I can't wait. Ski also invited me to join him as his guest at the October meeting of the Brandywine Bonsai Society. Apparently, Ron Lang (Int'l bonsai potter extraordinaire) will be in attendance and Ski wanted to make the introduction.

AND, if that weren't enough, I've gotten the green light on developing the community website for the Bonsai Society of South Jersey. So, I bought http://www.southjerseybonsai.com/ on behalf of the club and have begun developing the site with basic capabilities. It's a labor of love...

and errr, the deck is getting there...plans have expanded to include lighting, extended patio cover and a 50 gallon rain hog rainwater storage system. Come spring I'll have a killer bonsai garden, folks. Just you wait and see...

There you have it, things are picking up and I feel I am approaching my proper sphere in bonsai.

The real learning can begin...

Free falling

It's fall...

It's getting colder and very wet, and some trees are setting buds. Orchids and tropicals are now indoors. I have a strong drive to get started on fall clean-up / winter prep, but it's just too wet and well, the backyard deck is still under construction.

It's a quiet time to reflect and watch the leaves change color as the wheels turn again in preparation for another season.

I may very well plant mums in desperation...

:)

Faux-konoma

The "tokonoma" is a feature of shoin style Japanese homes since the 14th century. It was historically a small space set in a wall...more like a "false room" where scrolls, flower arrangements and favorite objects could be displayed. In a recent bout of re-decorating at Jen's, I decided to try to integrate the sense of the tokonoma into our space and in a way that wouldn't seem too over-the-top, but still function as a place to practice a somewhat formal display of bonsai.

The result is pictured above, what I'm calling our "faux-konoma". We spent a nice day wandering around Philly's chinatown looking for neat little items we could use to accent the trees. We got a couple nice pictoral scrolls, a golden dragon, a double dragon carving, a nice painted silk fan, etc. We also found a really nice porcelain plate covered in dragons. (ok I admit I'm into the chinese dragons since I began collecting 19th century Imperial Chinese Post "coiling dragon" stamps)

Of course these items are all rather obviously Chinese, but they are just fine with me. I don't mind the cultural train wreck. I just think it looks neat and most laypeople probably wouldn't notice the difference anyway. I suppose if anyone wants to argue I can simply call my bonsai "penjing" and end all debate.

Dombrovski's Azalea

Just picked up this incredible azalea from "Ski" Dombrovski. It was my first time meeting him and he made quite an impression! The guy knows his bonsai, period. I don't like the pot, and would rather have something a bit more rustic considering the blood-red flowers...but I'll only re-pot after I see it bloom next year and know for sure. Until then I'm just going to enjoy it as is.

Big Box Azalea

Here's a cheap azalea I got from a big box store while it was absolutely covered in bright purple flowers. I subsequently cut it back to new buds 3 times over the course of the summer, and reduced it to about 1/5 it's original size. There's time to spare to harden off the new growth before winter. It's now ready to grow out in the shape I choose and real root work can begin next year.

Dragon Juniper

This is a 20 year old juniper purchased from Allshapes bonsai. This is the first "finished" bonsai I've ever bought or owned. It just caught my attention and well...there it is...

Large Mugo Pine

May 2010



I bought this mugo pine in preparation for attending my first BSSJ meeting. I wanted to get a tree that I could work on at workshops, and also represent my enthusiasm for having joined the group. At the first workshop I cleaned it up and began pinching the candles. I have since done some additional top side work including the wiring. I'm very pleased with this tree and believe it will be good bonsai.


September 2010



The weather was overcast, humid and not too hot, so I decided to try doing a full repot and styling of this mugo pine, even though it is not really the right time of year for it. Sometimes you can get away with this kind of activity if you time things right and are very careful. I'll be watching this tree very closely to make sure I haven't destroyed it. This thing has been taking it easy, living the good life all summer...time to work, tree!

Small Mugo Pine

This little mugo pine was purchased as pre-bonsai. I cleaned it up and potted it, then did a bit of basic shaping and needle plucking. I find the trunk and roots interesting, and to me it looks pretty nice already, without a lot of work.

Magnolia challenge

Some say magnolia and dogwood are unsuitable for bonsai. I disagree. Therefore I challenged myself to see if I could successfully develop both. I trunk chopped a dogwood at the wrong time early this spring and lost it. I will try dogwood again in time.

But, I've had this Magnolia for about a year now. Got it from home depot specifically because it looked so weak, thin and sickly at the time. I tell you I was determined! Well, it sort of sat there last summer in the garden, 5ft tall in a 5 gallon plastic pot, getting sunburned, abused by birds and basically going nowhere.

It's shown good vigor this year as I have been really pushing organic fertilizer. While doing this, I also made major branch cuts systematically over several weeks to reduce the stress of the process and keep things moving.

So today was the final big branch cut, followed by a quick and very wet repot while disturbing the roots as little as possible. The roots were reduced by about 1/3 and as such I will keep the tree in shade and pretty much sopping wet for at least a week or two watching intently for any signs of trouble.

Also note I was VERY pleasantly surprised to see gorgeous, balanced radiating roots all around an elegant flare at the base (which had been under the soil line thus far). So this one will have an absolutely excellent base of exposed roots.

Topside, I'll "leave it go" for the remainder of the summer, hoping the final round of budding may produce a new branch or two just above the graft line, one of which would become the new leader. Regardless, I will leave the current top so I can enjoy flowers again next spring, then start basic branch development.

There is also the potential to air layer the current apex to make a shohin tree after new branches develop closer to the graft scar. Pulling that off over the next year or 2 would be a great victory for me, as I have always loved Magnolia.

I thumb my nose at the old ghosts who tell us this or that tree is "unsuitable" for bonsai. If you love it, grow it and enjoy it! Can't wait to add a pic of this tree in bloom next spring...

White Satsuki Azalea

June 2010




This is a white satsuki azalea from Rosade's. The tree was admittedly a bit neglected and really needed some close attention. I immediately removed the grown-in wiring and set the azalea aside in the garden for a couple weeks to determine it's needs. During this time, I did some basic maintenance pruning and thinned out 1 or 2 areas of unrestrained growth.

Well it sort of sat there soaking up water fertilizer and sunshine, and when it began to show tiny buds on the base of the trunk I felt I was ok for some action. Inspiration hit and I whipped out a neat pot with an interesting glaze that I think will really set off the white flowers next year.

So here's the re-pot, new wire and a bit of further trim.


Sept 2010



Just three months later and the tree is beginning to take form. It still hasn't recovered full vigor despite frequent feeding. A bit lower pH seems to have perked it up a bit recently, so I'm feeling better about that. With some careful wiring, and precision pruning with a pair of cuticle scissors (!) this azalea's major branch structure is now in place.

I have to acknowledge a bit of inspiration from John Naka's sketch below. Apparently, the sketch was printed on folding auto windshield sunscreens to raise money for the National Bonsai Foundation.

Mossy Moss

I've volunteered to give a talk on moss at the BSSJ September meeting. I'm not sure how it happened but I'm actually enthusiastic about it. On the one hand I will have to learn everything I can about moss between now and then, and on the other I'll have to know it well enough to explain it to others without sounding like a complete idiot.

So, the first thing I did was head on over to Moss Acres and buy a sampler pack of 4 different species of moss. I have a perfect place to propagate and grow this stuff, nice and shady and wet under my bonsai benches! A great (but expensive) alternative to mulch!

Also, I mentioned the upcoming talk to a friend of mine who led me directly to her mom's backyard where lots of really nice moss grows. I gathered up a few square feet of about 3 different species. One of them looks excellent for bonsai and so I spent some time playing with it this morning. The result is the picture above.

I have three of these plastic trays that look like huge petri dishes. I got them from Wal*Mart just for cultivating moss, drilled holes in the bottom for drainage and so we'll see how it goes.

I haven't really done much with moss except collect it and stick it in my pots...so I have a couple months here to become an expert. Wish me luck!

Rescue Ficus

This ficus was one I picked up at Clover nursery, where Bonsai club meetings are held. While attending my first workshop, this tree was offered for rescue and I gladly accepted it. I will certainly have to find a way to compensate it's previous owner for handing it over.

You can see now it's healthy and happy in a proper pot. I am still of two minds about the single large air root descending straight down from just the wrong place on the second trunk bend...a quandary. Everyone who has seen this tree comments about it, and it is definitely a unique feature. BUT IT'S ALL WRONG!!!

Honestly I can't bring myself to snip it...maybe next year...

Frankie's Ficus

You gotta love this one! I brought my girlfriend's 7 year old son to Rosade's to see if he had any interest in bonsai. He likes watching me fuss with my trees and always wants to "help" so I decided to get him a tree and see how it turns out. He picked out this tree, following some good advice from Tom DeSimone.

Well, you can't really blame a 7 yr old for having a short attention span, and so after I simply kept it watered for a few weeks it's pretty clear baseball and "silly bands" are way more important to a 7 year old than some tree in a pot!

So, I took liberty to repot it without disturbing the roots too much, and integrating a nice piece of Indonesian driftwood for effect. Now, what you're looking at is a picture taken the next day, so it still has significant development ahead of it in this configuration.

Before showing Frankie his restyled tree, I asked him to remember in his mind what it looked like before, and asked him to draw the basic shape. He drew the tree's previous shape with respectable accuracy (remember 7 years old!) and then I showed him what I had done. I guess he liked it, but this was only moments before we were leaving the house for a round of mini-golf and milkshakes, so the little whippersnapper was a bit short on analysis and critique...

Porcelain Berry

June 2010



This porcelain berry was considered a nuisance by it's previous owner. It was rather neglected, but grew a bit out of control before being chopped back to ground in preparation for removing the remaining stump. I was able to save it by carefully digging it up and potting it into a medium-sized flower pot in the spring of 2010. I retained a bit of clay soil around the base of the trunk as I did not want to risk damaging the few, frail remaining roots. Otherwise, I provided generous room for root growth in premium bonsai soil and kept it well watered. I let it sit in shade for a few weeks, then slowly moved it to full sun as the new growth extended top side and early leaves attained full size. I watered and fertilized normally after seeing good vigor.

August 2010



The vine grew vigorously all summer. I twisted the new vines into a swirling form I expect should integrate well with the old gnarled trunk. This required about 3 non-traditional wiring sessions over the course of the summer. Constant but moderate leaf pruning also kept the growth manageable.

Below the surface fine roots grew quickly, filling the medium-sized flower pot from the June 2010 picture. I was pleasantly surprised by the volume of roots, and therefore felt confident trimming out about 20%. This semi-repotting was also a good opportunity to remove the last remnants of heavy clay soil remaining from the original potting.

The current pot had been sitting on the shelf at Rosade's for a long time. I admired it for it's clunky square shape and heavy appearance. I acquired it specifically with this porcelain berry in mind and am glad I did.

Juniper Wave

This guy came straight from nursery stock. I hacked it down to just 3 branches and shaped them in a rather simplistic semi-cascade form. There is obviously nothing formal about the composition but the tree is cute with a hint of windblown and I like it. Also, this is my first juniper so I have set it up this way in order to use it as a test bed for learning juniper techniques (pinching, wiring, etc).

Interestingly the tree is yet too weak to support the weight of the main branch in this configuration, so without wire the whole thing flops down. As such, I have to really keep an eye on the wiring and change it pretty frequently to keep from scarring the trunk and branches. Hey practice makes perfect, no?

Eventually it will need a proper pot and maybe it will turn into something.

Zelkova

This is a Zelkova I picked up from Rosade Bonsai Studio a couple years ago. Last year it suffered a pretty bad episode of leaf spot which made it rather unsightly during the growing season. However it is doing well this year. The tree needs to be lowered and turned in the pot at next year's re-potting order to best show off it's interesting roots. Then, I'll prune and pinch to shape for a year or two, then once I have some good ramification started I'll focus on leaf reduction, etc.

My bonsai story...

My interest in Bonsai began many years ago when I lived in Seoul, South Korea.

I remember visiting a hotel conference center for business. While walking through the lobby of the hotel, I noticed a bonsai exhibit that caused me to slow down to view the incredible trees on display.

I thought, "That is amazing, look at these tiny trees! How do they do it?"

I conducted my business in the hotel and, once finished, I went back to the exhibit to take a longer, closer look. I was fascinated and mesmerized by these tiny trees. I found myself observing individual specimens for a long time, looking at all the tiny details. The whole thing seemed impossible to me. I mean I was laughing out loud and shaking my head at these ridiculously tiny trees! Well, I completely lost track of time and ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in that hotel lobby.

As I viewed each tree, I found myself ascribing emotional adjectives to them as individuals. This one looked happy, this one sad; this one wise and this one fanciful, etc. I was puzzled with my reaction and thought "Whoever did this took a living thing, a tree, and made it art. I cannot imagine how this was done, but nonetheless it has moved me as a painting, sculpture or music might." I was intrigued.

Years later I wound up back in the US and enrolled one of Chase Rosade's "introduction to bonsai" classes. The class was fun, informative and inspiring.

From there I cut, maimed, tortured and outright killed many wonderful species! Unfortunately, at one point my entire "collection" was wiped out from a bout of completely inexcuseable neglect on my part. I felt bad, and put bonsai away for a few years.

Over the past couple years I have come back to bonsai in earnest. I also enjoy general gardening, and have a few orchids as well. I must be doing something right because my trees seem healthy, vigorous and look better and better each year. As long as that is true I will keep doing what I'm doing, assuming "true bonsai" will eventually be the result.

I consider myself a "qualified beginner". I say this because my knowledge of bonsai as ART is still quite naive. In the meantime, I approach bonsai as a "technician" focused primarily on keeping my trees alive, healthy and vigorous. I like to learn the unique growth habit of the species I keep, and experiment with some advanced techniques from time to time. My neighbors believe I have a green thumb. I can tell you quite assuredly I do not. Rather I have something of a keenness for typing words into "Google" and reading what pops up (then remembering it when needed)! I also have LOTS of time on my hands. Time to read, learn, try, make mistakes, and try again. Time to talk, listen, discuss, ask questions, and ask for help and advice.

Introduction

Hello!

I've recently joined the Bonsai Society of South Jersey and thought it might be a good idea to document my own thoughts, activities and achievements individually and as a member of the group. Hope you enjoy!