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CBS Newsletter April 2008: Full Image Version

"A Pinch of this..."

Don't be foolish

Term of the month: GRAVITAS

Bonsai is generally known primarily for this property. Gravitas simply holds
everything about the physical weight, the maturity, sense of dignity and the illusion of
mass that are all unique to these miniature potted trees.

Well, as so many of us do at this time, I find myself with mentally crossed
fingers. Hoping and praying that my trees will have survived the majority of winter, and
wondering when it will be safe to bring them completely out of hiding. After all, here in
Central Ohio we have been known to get frosts as late as Memorial Day. All the same,
we are hoping that the elms we will be working on with Kelly Adkins this month will
be able to be "potted up" at the same time.
I am afraid that my photos from last months meeting did not come out so well
so, I only have one photo and it is best in Grayscale. So as always, feel free to send any
photos you have from workshops or meetings to me at ruhrick@otterbein.edu

This month's program

On April 20, 2008 we will be honored by the presence of yet another regional practitioner in the
person of Kelley Adkins. Kelley Adkins took his first bonsai class from Keith Scott at the Cleveland
Botanic Garden in 1974. Soon afterwards he began helping Keith at his nursery, and has been working
with him ever since. Another important teacher was Toshio Saburamuru (Tosh) who he worked with
annually for several years. He has been President of both the Cleveland Bonsai Club and the Midwest
Bonsai Society. He has presented programs to Bonsai groups throughout the Midwest, and has been a
featured speaker at several conventions and Bonsai symposiums. His favorite plants for bonsai are elms
and pines.

President's Message- Mark Passerrello
We are on roll! The March meeting of CBS was the third in a row with room filling attendance and
enthusiastic participation for a great program. I want to thank Jose Cueto for sharing his time and expertise with
us once again, and give a shout out to Sandy and Ken Schoenfeld, who ran the sales table and the hospitality
table. It always makes the meeting go that much more smoothly if the sales table is organized, and folks always
feel welcome when the coffee is hot and there is something to munch on. If you as a member would like to
contribute a bit of time to your club, please let me know-I would like to sign up to assist with either of these
duties for our regular meeting.
We have some exciting events to look forward to in the months ahead. In April, Kelly Adkins is joining
us for a smooth bark Elm workshop. I've seen pics of Kelly's work but never met him, but his mentor Keith
Scott speaks very highly of him, so I am looking forward to this meeting. I know we will keep our trend of great
topics and enthusiastic participation going.
Looking ahead to June, we have a show coming up on June 21. As much of our club focus is going
towards the big, big special event we are putting on in October, the Ohio Bonsai Expo, it would be easy to skip
over participating in or talking up? The June show. That would be a missed opportunity for us to publicize the
club and the bonsai hobby, and frankly, a great chance to hang out and enjoy the day with fellows bonsai
enthusiasts.
Our June show this year replaces our regular meeting; it will be on Saturday the 21st, NOT on Sunday.
It is a one day, casual affair that I'm describing as "come as you are?. There will be no pre-registration for trees
this year, we will get the display area ready the night before, intake trees between 830 and 930 AM and open to
the public at 10, then run till 5,when we will tear down and clean up, then adjourn to a local watering hole. All
members are encouraged to get a tree or three ready for the show, or to bring tools and materials for an ad hock
demo. In addition to the usual display we always host, it would be great to see bonsai work going on all the time
the show is open to the public. As you repot and set up trees after the winter hibernation, be thinking about
projects that might wait till June, so they can be done at the show. Perhaps we will see the return of the "Iron
Bonsai Challenge" in the afternoon.
Our May meeting was to be an Azalea workshop, but as we are having trouble, sourcing good stock and
so are changing focus just a bit. Tom McCormick from the Cincinnati club is joining us to lead the Azalea
session, and we are making it a "bring your own" meeting, so any one with an azalea, of any species, size or
level of completion, can come and talk and ask questions. Those who toured Tom's bonsai collection in
Cincinnati a few years ago report that the Azaleas in Tom's collection are outstanding specimens. Tom has
served on the Boards of ABS, BCI and MABA. He is a talented artist and his skills well known through out the
bonsai community.

Tree of the Month

Ulmus parvifolia "Catlin"

Ken Schultz is in Japan this month so this is a reprint
from the March 2008 Newsletter of the Greater Louisville
Bonsai Society written by Randy Davis and a basic care
sheet.

Last month [this is part of a series-ED] we delved
into the world of Elms and found that there are many
interesting aspects of that tree genus, including its obtuse
history and entry into the art of Bonsai. This month, through
requests I've received in response to last month's article, it
might be of interest to discuss Ulmus parvifolia in a little
more detail. Ulmus parvifolia, better known by its common
name of "Chinese elm" or "Chinese evergreen elm", is the
most commonly used elm for bonsai not only in the United
States but in fact the world. Owing to it horticultural history
being the most focused on species as a replacement tree that is
resistant to Dutch elm disease, it has had many cultivars
selected over the years and now numbers at least 50 or more.
Along with the species, eight of the cultivars with "Seiju" and
"Corticosa" being the most popular, are used as bonsai. All of
the cultivars fall...into two basic groups; the smooth bark
group and the rough bark group. Within the groups, various
forms exist including large growing, dwarf, contorted and
weeping. As you can tell, it can get quite confusing to the
uninitiated. So let's just dwell on the species and the eight
cultivars, which will give you a good idea of the rich diversity
of this elm.

The Smooth Bark Group

This group has the largest number of cultivars for the
species as a whole, five of which commonly see use as bonsai. The smooth bark group is characterized by the
bark being relatively smooth during the entire life of the tree. The bark is not completely smooth but more
correctly termed "Flaky", as it flakes off as the tree gains age and girth. This flaking of the trunks bark makes
for a mottled effect of predominately Grey with Brownish-red splotches and is the common feature of the
species and all of the cultivars in this group. Trunk girth of this group is rather slow to develop even when
grown in the ground, but more markedly so when grown in a container. It is not uncommon for container-grown
material to be pencil-sized for years in some of the cultivars such as Catlin and Frosty. For bonsai, it is
recommended that this group be grown and developed in the ground for a number of years to develop
reasonable trunk girth in advance of initial bonsai training.

Parvifolia (the species): The species is by far the most used for bonsai and is seen in every bonsai
nursery in the country. More often than not these trees are imported from both China and Korea and are trained
in more of a ?Penjing? style rather than the traditional Japanese bonsai style.

Catlin : This cultivar is very similar to the species but is differentiated by its smaller and more
diminutive leaves. The growth is slower than the species, and girth is very slow to develop. It is not found in the
general nursery trade but can be found at the larger bonsai shows and should be used more often than it is.

Catlin Contorted : This is a very dwarf contorted form of Catlin and is very difficult to find in the
trade. It is available through Evergreen Garden Works on the web, where they also have very good information
on its culture. This is one of those dwarfs that is very slow growing and often only develops a single root, which
must be worked on carefully to develop a well-structured root system.

Drake: I only mention this cultivar in that it was one of the very first cultivars in the United States to
be used on a commercial scale in the nursery trade. It is very similar to the species in growth habit. Monrovia
Nursery, located in Southern California, developed and introduced it in the 1950?s. It is not often used anymore
but examples of it surely exist in the Western part of the United States.

Frosty: One of the only variegated forms of this elm. The growth habit in the ground is a tall thinly
clothed tree. The leaves are the feature of this tree, with the leaves sporting white teeth around the leaf, which
are very prominent in the spring and early summer, and becoming less prominent as the summer progresses.
This cultivar is very slow to develop trunk girth unless grown in the ground.

Bonsai Care Sheet
Species: Common name: Chinese Elm
Botanical name: Ulmus parvifolia
Japanese name: Nire Keyaki

Varieties used as bonsai: Dwarf (Yatsubusa) Chinese Elm, Hokkaido, Seiju,
Catlin, Cork Bark, Korean Weeping, Semper Virens
Advantages: as the varietal name indicates, its small leaves note the Chinese
Elm. Coupled with a twiggy habit, the Chinese Elm lends itself to pinching, root
pruning and growing in a shallow pot. The list goes on: hardy, good fall color,
fascinating exfoliating bark and a tendency to produce a well-spaced root buttress.
Disadvantages: Leaf cutters, red spider, and aphids will dispel with all
other plants to attack a Chinese Elm. Also, the elm seems a haven for sooty mold,
root rot, as well as leaf fungus.
Suitability as bonsai (1 is least suitable 10 is most suitable): 8
Growing location: Full sun
Watering: Water thoroughly and often especially in dry, hot weather. The
elms should not dry out.
Propagation: Primarily the elms grow extremely well from seed, but will
grow well from hard-wood cuttings as well as root cuttings.
Fertilizing: Use a balanced fertilizer weekly during high growth periods and from May 15 to Oct. 15.
Over-wintering: Keep sheltered from wind
Styling: Broom; informal upright; excellent for groves; landscapes but rarely cascade.