We will be having two meetings of the Study Group this weekend.  For this round of meetings we will primarily be focusing on Japanese Black Pine Pinus thunbergii (黒松 kuromatsu) and Satsuki Azaleas.  Now is the perfect time of year to perform very specific tasks to improve your bonsai, particularly these two species.  We can learn a lot about bonsai and tree care in general from studying the growth habits of pines and azaleas.  One is apical dominant, the other basal dominant.  

For Japanese Black Pine we will be working on decandling and needle pulling.  It's all about energy balance and working towards a specific goal.  Timing is everything, and that's what we'll be discussing.

Satsuki Azaleas may still be in flower, but now is the time to remove the flowers and trim back to 2 shoots, 2 leaves.  Being basal dominant means that the top may not be as strong, so we'll leave 3 leaves towards the top and in weaker areas.

We can learn a lot by working with these two great species.  Energy balance is key in all bonsai.  Thinning and branch placement is a lesson well learned, and couldn't be easier with Japanese Black Pine and Satsuki Azaleas.

If you have something else you would prefer to work on, please feel free to bring those.  It's a great time of year to work on tropicals, Japanese Maples, Trident Maples, Junipers, and just about anything else. Be sure to bring plenty to work on to keep you busy for the full day.

If you're lacking material to work on I would be happy to have you work on one of my own trees.  There's plenty to do and I could use the help.

We'll break for lunch around noon, so either bring a lunch or plan on joining us at a local fast food restaraunt.

• June 13th - Saturday 10am - 5pm
• June 14th - Sunday 10am - 5pm

Please, do your best to be on time.