Another Personal Post, Not Bonsai-Related

     July 19 was my mother's birthday. Today, for the first time, she spent her birthday in the presence of the Savior whom she served for almost 70 years, in joy and wholeness that I can't begin to imagine! She passed away in May; by the providence of God, all four of her children were in the local area at the time. (The older of my sisters still lives in Ecuador; but she and her husband "happened" to be in northern Indiana then.)

Ft. Wayne Workshop with Adam Lavigne, Part 2.

     I was one of those who asked Adam to bring along some dwarf yaupon holly - Ilex vomitoria 'Schilling's Dwarf.' Here's the one I chose.

This will make a nice multi-trunk clump if I can do it justice.

Closeup of the base.

When asked, Adam was happy to tell us a bit about Ilex vomitoria, and 'Schilling's Dwarf' specifically. Between what he said and what I learned from other sources, here are some facts.

• Yaupon holly is native to the southeastern United States, from central Florida north to the Carolinas and west to eastern Oklahoma and Texas. It is rated cold-hardy, in the ground, to USDA Zone 7, which means temperatures down to 0° F (-17.8° C) in a typical winter.
• The species grows up to 20 feet high (6 meters) in the wild, and is prone to form thickets. There are a number of named cultivars, each with its own points of appeal.
• The species adapts to a wide range of conditions, but does best in well-drained sandy soils that are moist to wet, and full sun. Optimum soil pH is 4.5 to 7. It is sufficiently salt tolerant to do well in coastal areas.
• Ilex vomitoria is the only native North American plant that contains caffeine. Various Native American peoples used a tea made from the leaves, socially and in certain ceremonies. It was long thought that the tea induces vomiting; thus the plant's species name vomitoria. But this has now been disproved. The berries, produced by female plants, provide food for many kinds of wildlife but are reported to be mildly toxic to humans.
• 'Schilling's Dwarf" is a male variety - like many hollies, yaupon is dioecious - that is slow-growing and popular for low hedges in the southeastern USA. In fact, Adam told us, the trees we were working on had come into his possession when a local church replaced one of its hedges!

My tree was a clump-style just waiting to happen, and the primary trunk has an uro that I want to develop into a feature. I chose to do most of the work myself, with Adam providing advice and pointers - for example, that yaupon wood is brittle, but partly-broken twigs usually heal well. It took me a little while to start to realize how brittle, and I'm relieved that several thicker twigs can be expected to heal over the next year or two! Clip-and-grow seems to be the logical choice as the primary shaping method for this species.

Styling finished for this year. The yellow arrow points to the uro I want to feature.

My tree presently has seven trunks (count 'em), with a nice variation in the trunks' girths. Adam and I had a difference of opinion about the best front. My choice makes it easier to appreciate the uro, but leaves two of the lesser trunks almost invisible to the viewer; Adam advised me to rotate the tree a few degrees, so that all the trunks can be seen. I accepted his advice for the present, and over the next couple of years I'll decide which front I finally prefer.

The blue arrows point to the auxiliary trunks that may be removed in the future.

This tree will be a shohin; partly because I'm happy with the size as it is, and partly because it will need to overwinter in our mudroom. Ilex 'Schilling' (as Adam usually refers to it) is only half-hardy here in northern Indiana. At present it is on our deck for as much sun as I can give it.

Mulched with sphagnum, and with a couple of rape-seed cakes.

Almost four weeks after the workshop, the tree is flushing out very satisfactorily. Let me leave you with a picture of the new growth.

Eye-pleasing colors on the new leaves! ☺

:-)  :-)  :-)

Bonsai Stolen - Toronto

     We sometimes see alerts about bonsai stolen in Europe, but - sadly! - it happens here in North America too. Please click on the link to the information at Lakeshore Bonsai:

STOLEN AMERICAN LARCH BONSAI

Here's a picture, from Lakeshore Bonsai. Please be alert for this bonsai; a tree of this quality will not just blend into the typical backyard in the USA or Canada. Nor will it be easy to dispose of if the bonsai community, and our friends, are on the watch.

American larch bonsai (Larix laricina,) stolen in Toronto, Ontario on June 23, 2014. Photo from Lakeshore Bonsai.

If you have your own blog, especially in the USA or Canada, please pass on this alert! I learned of this theft from Ian Young's Bonsai Eejit. Ian learned of it from Lakeshore Bonsai. You get the idea. And writing this post has taken me all of about 15 minutes, link, picture, and all. Not much to ask, in my opinion.

}:-(   }:-(   }:-(

Ft. Wayne Workshop with Adam Lavigne, Part 1.

     This past Tuesday, June 17, the Fort Wayne Bonsai Club had a workshop with Adam Lavigne of Orlando, Florida. Adam is the owner of  a studio and nursery (painting and bonsai,) gives classes, leads workshops, and writes a humorous and knowledgeable blog. If I understand correctly, we were part of his inaugural bonsai-teaching tour in this part of the USA.

Adam brought along a good variety of styling-ready stock. Some people bought trees from him for the workshop, some brought trees they already had, and some did both. (I was in the first group; more on that in my next post.) Adam styled trees for whose who wanted him to do so; for those who wanted coaching and tips as they worked on their trees themselves, he did that.

Since Adam is from Florida and works a lot with tropicals, it's no surprise that several tropical trees were brought to the workshop, including Bruce Kennedy's Florida buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus.). My camera caught Adam just as he was listening to the question: "How much of a buttonwood's rootball can safely be removed at a point like this?" (That's not annoyance on his face; it's careful attention.) 

Florida buttonwood is a good subject for artificial deadwood.

He answered the question a moment later -- !

About half the rootball was removed, as Jeff Calder held the patient.

Becky Dull's juniper (shimpaku, I believe) was one of the most promising pieces of raw material there, in my opinion.

Adam works on Becky's juniper as Ed, Tony and Angie also watch.

Explaining something to Becky about separating layers of foliage.

This tree will be a prize-winner in a few years!

One of Adam's specialties is dwarf yaupon holly, Ilex vomitoria 'Schilling's Dwarf.' Several of us asked in advance that Adam reserve 'Schillings' for us, which he did.

Discussing options with Bruce Kennedy for Bruce's 'Schilling' yaupon holly.

Finished for now. This is actually the back, but it looks good from here too!

Adam was also promoting a new tool company, American Bonsai Tool and Supply. I'm not sure if he has a formal arrangement with them, but he definitely thinks well of their tools! (I intend to check them out.)

He even cuts wire with his scissors, though he doesn't recommend that others do so.

Among the trees Adam brought along were Ficus microcarpa and Ficus salicaria, and some of each species were bearing fruit. He drew our attention to the fact that on the F. salicaria fruit the distal stomas were all open, but on many of the F. microcarpa figs, the stomas had closed. That happens when the fruit has been successfully pollinated. The specific wasp that pollinates F. microcarpa, Adam told us, has found its way to Florida, and microcarpa seedlings have begun to appear in the landscape!

Very interesting!

For Adam's Art and Bonsai, please click here.

For his side of his visit to Fort Wayne, please click here.

:-)  :-)  :-)