Podocarpus update

You might recall back in March 2014 we had Rob Kempinski visit from the US and do a demonstration on a Podocarpus. I think it's a Podocarpus macrophyllus, the Japanese/Chinese native rather than the Australian P. elatus. 

It is a club tree and has been in the care of one of our members since the demo. I thought you might be interested in one of those "what ever happened to?" stories, so here is the latest.
The plan has been to develop it a little further before we raffle it off at the right time. This post is to provide an update on the tree's progress since that demo in 2014.

This was the tree before Rob started work on it. It was a fairly wild challenging specimen having been ground grown and put in the pot some time before the demo, without a lot of training.

And this was the result at the end of the afternoon. Having been ground grown the larger branches were quite straight and a challenge to restyle. The smaller ones though like all conifers were reasonably flexible.
Some were a little disappointed in the outcome but Rob did say at the time that he only wanted to do so much, recognizing that the tree needed to recover for a dramatic pruning and recharge before the next stage of its conversion into a bonsai. Too many demos try to do it all at once, resulting in a pretty picture at the end but also a tree that may not survive.

By the spring of late 2014 (7 months after demo)  it had started to re-shoot again but only in a limited way and it seemed like as good time as any to address the tree's roots. When removed from the pot it was clear that not much was done when it was dug out of the ground; basically put in the pot with some fill around the edges. The rootball was a thoroughly packed lump of red muddy soil, which had to be removed if the tree was to develop well into the future. Fortunatley there was a good supply of close feeder roots. It also had a real knobbly trunk and no flare in the nebari. All the more reason to promote vigorous root growth from the trunk area by getting it into decent bonsai soil.

Suffice to say the tree wasn't too happy with being left with not too many roots, and being bare rooted, but it had to be done.  It was going to set the tree back again but it had to be done. Future root pruning, for an evergreen like this, should see a core of the the root mass retained and undisturbed. 
It sat there and did nothing but survive for a very long time. It wasn't until October 2015 (19 months after the demo, and 12 months after the root work) that it really produced a lot of new shoots.
Ground growing is promoted as a way to expedite a tree's development but you have to also allow for recovery times for both the major branch pruning and root renovation and these can be substantial. These transitions can also be terminal.

 

Here it was in early December 2015 with the flush of this season's growth. It was time to get that growth under control and set it up for another run through the summer. Let the pruning begin.

This is another view down into the canopy.

Here the work begins with the two lower branches; reducing extension, removing the clutter of excess secondary and tertiary branches, and then wiring to introduce some movement.

Moving up through the tree not taking anything out until it was clearly not needed.

And then getting to the top.

This was the cutting room floor with probably more there than remaining on the tree.

After the work the tree has good proportion in the branch weight and good depth, balance and branch density. The vigor of the lower branches matches the upper part of the tree, which will support future development. The priority now is to build a rounded canopy, more ramification and bring in the lower branches a little. With the momentum the tree currently has, much of this may be achieved this season. Perhaps next spring/summer (just another 12 months!) will call for a smaller pot and a raffle!!

Monthly meeting December 2015

 Our last meeting of the year was a workshop with a day focussing on figs. It was good to see a number of new members and visitors turn up.

Here's Rhett making his opening comments.

Jenny offering some advice on a very un-ficus acer. 

A little demo on the sideline.

Julie brought her recent purchase, a beautiful tiger-bark, but wasn't sure she wanted to do what she knew was needed.

But eventually it got done. Now for a little wire and recovery before doing it again.

The attentive audience looking for gems in the critique of displayed trees.

Visit to the Sunshine Coast Bonsai Show

Redlands held its annual bus trip to visit the Sunshine Coast Bonsai Society annual show, reciprocating their visit to our show just a couple of weeks ago. The annual bus trip is usually quite an expedition which rolls in lunch at the Yandina Ginger Factory (and tourist extravaganza)  as well as the Bonsai Northside Nursery on the way home. Our kind Treasurer ensured that the spoils from our recent show sales were put in our hands as we got on the bus, just in case there were some irresistible purchases to make on the trip.

 Our hosts put on an exception spread to welcome us to the show. No one is going to need lunch after this. Thanks Sunshine Coast Bonsai you've really set the standard.

 

 The centre-piece of the display, placed to be seen as you walk in the door was this amazingly architectural Schefflera - dwarf umbrella tree.

 An amazing privet.

 The awards had not yet been made but this Bougainvillea was a certainty for the People's choice if nothing else.

 A very sweet little black pine on a gorgeous stand.

 The only one unfortunately but a very high standard miniature group stand.

The first of two very nice junipers

 The show was held in the Memorial Hall at Buderim. A great old place on top of the hill and well set out for a show. The club has a very high standard of layout and presentation.

 This is a Chinese Elm

 

 Hard to tell from the picture but its a great miniature.

 Celtis

 Juniper demo

 Lunch at the Ginger Factory

 And finally at the nursery. As you see from the careful contemplation and the trolley some of those show sale gains were effectively recycled.

2015 Annual Bonsai Show - more pictures

The RBS Annual Exhibition of the ancient art of bonsai was held at the Donald Simpson Center in Cleveland on October 11, showcasing the work of members and offering an opportunity to trade and buy bonsai materials from tubestock through to mature bonsai as well as pots and other accessories.

The show is always well patronized and its reputation among enthusiasts in South East Queensland draws visitors from far and wide. Attendance at our one day event this year was a record 460 guests. 
The previous post showed some of the establishment. In this post we have pictures from the opening and of a good selection, but not all, of the trees on show.

Click on the pictures to see a gallery of enlarged images.

The massive sales area in full flight.

Visitors to the main display auditorium.

Kitchen at the ready and look at all that great food.

And now a sample of the trees in the exhibition.

First up has to be the Best Tree in Show which was also the winner in the Intermediate 450 to 650mm size, a Melaleuca linarifolia. Great to see a local Australian native take the gong.

Next is the winner in the large category (over 650mm), a fine Lilly Pilly. So one and two for Australian trees.

This Blauuw Juniper was the winner in the Small tree 250 to 450mm category.

And in the Miniature category the winner was this Melaleuca Irbyana, clearly in windswept style, and looking like it could slide off that table at any moment. That makes 3 out of the 4 winners to Open categories awarded to Australian Natives. Is this a trend?

The People's Choice went to this Graptophyllum excelsium or Native Fuschia.

 The winning Novice tree was this Ficus nerifolia. Great work and it looks like it was time anyway for its owner to move into the open class.

 This very fine Black Pine was given pride of place in the entrance foyer.

 In case you are wondering it is a Swamp Cypress, a big triple trunker, very impressive up close.

 

 

 

 

We ran two demos on the day of the show. Averil worked on a mature Clerodendrum and for the other a club member transformed a neglected Chinese Elm group into a spooky old forest.

 This wasn't exactly the start but we caught this one after the leaves were stripped.

 

And then after wiring, styling and re-positioning, the finished result - for now. Two hours well spent.

 That's the wrap for this year.