Monthly Archives: February 2024

President's Letter for March 2024Silhouette Show at CantignyOn February 24, 2024, we held our fourth Silhouette Show at the Cantigny Park Visitor Center. The first show was held in 2020, just before the pandemic began. We skipped 2021 and held shows in 2022 and 2023. It seemed that the number of people at the park was lower than last year when we were swamped much of the day. That was likely due to the snow which fell the day before. If the weather had been as warm as Monday…

Bonsai for beginnersBonsai leaf reduction.Just how much will leaf’s reduce in bonsai soil and a bonsai pot?These are both Dwarf Umbrella Trees/ Schefflera Arboricola from cuttings I was given a meeting a year and a half ago. Once rooted the cuttings on the left were planted in a 6” deep pot with potting soil, compost, and sand mixture. The plant on the right was potted in a 2” deep bonsai pot with bonsai soil from BC Bonsai. Significant reduction of leaf size and internodes can be seen on the…

Larch/ Tamarack Photo of club larch from club show Larix laricinaLarch are a deciduous conifer tree that grow in wet areas as far north as Canada and as far south as West Virginia. Bark of mature trees are reddish brown with younger trees showing a smooth gray bark. Needles grown in blue-green clusters and turn a goldish color in fall. Needles and cones are perfect for bonsai as both are small to begin with, the cones are only 1 to 2 cm.Style: are usually grown as informal upright trees.…

THINGS TO DO THIS MONTHOutdoor: The situation here is the same as it was last month. Leave trees in winter for protection and water as needed. Do not fertilize. Deciduous trees and pines may be wired. If your trees can be moved, you may bring them indoors for up to eight hours for work. Be aware of possible flooding in in-ground cold frames.Indoor: Sunlight has been scarce lately, so be sure to give indoor trees as much light as possible. Trees at windowsills could use some supplemental artificial light…

Ground growing optionsIf you want ABS show quality trees with out spending hundreds or thousand of dollars, growing your own trees may be the way to go. If you are willing to put the time and effort in you can grow a tree with good taper and ramification at home. In this article I will discuss the various options to start growing trees to increase trunk diameter. In future articles we will explore the pruning process to create taper over the years and balance energy distribution in the foliage…