Monthly Archives: September 2023

President’s Letter for October 2023Winding down 2023We just passed the technically accurate first day of fall. A lot of the discussion now is centered around spraying trees to get them ready for winter quarters, buying new lighting for the tropicals,and setting up tables to hold them (wherever your spouse will agree). We still have some timeaccording to the forecasts, but it is clear that time is running out for this season.  I need to do a little work clearing out the window wells where many of my semi-hardy trees…

Colorado Blue Spruce Also known under its scientific name Picea pungens “glauca,” the Colorado Blue Spruce is a popular bonsai tree in the United States. This evergreen is native to cool weather forest regions in the Northern Hemisphere. The Colorado blue spruce has attractive silvery blue/green needles. This cone bearing evergreen (conifer) has thin, scratched looking bark with beautiful blue-hued evergreen needles. This bonsai has a traditional tree shape and a pointed peak making it one of the most popular Christmas trees around. The Blue Spruce bonsai is native to the Rocky Mountains…

HELPFUL IDEAS FOR PUTTING AWAY YOUR TREES FOR WINTER These are a couple of things that may help you when you start to put your trees into winter quarters. This is from our president, Craig. Craig says, “This is how I store my hardy trees for winter in my wife's garden. I wrap a piece of lawn fabric (after making a cut halfway through) around each tree and secure it with a lawn staple. Then, when I bury the pot, I put some dirt on top. All the dirt comes off…

Outdoor: This is a time to be preparing for the coming winter.  Decide where and how you will protect your trees; mulch bed, cold storage house, cold greenhouse, etc. Acquire any needed materials now so that you are not caught without needed supplies when it is time to store the trees. Keep trees outdoors on cool fall nights.  Do not bring winter-hardy trees indoors. Adjust watering to the changing temperatures. The soil is likely to stay damp longer on cool, and in particular cloudy, days. Fertilization with a very…

Just a few short weeks ago we had our biggest event of the  year, the Prairie State Bonsai Society Exhibit at Destination Asia.The exhibit is a culmination of a year’s worth of work involving many people. In fact, we would never have been able to put the show together if it weren’t for the generosity of our volunteers. Thanks again to all the volunteers this year; you all helped us to have asuccessful and extremely busy show!