Innholdsfortegnelse for AUGUST SEPTEMBER 2016 - 83 i Esprit Bonsai International

The bonsaistsof Hungary and Eastern Europe certainly aren’t lacking in talent! They made this clear at the 32nd convention of the European Bonsai Association (EBA) and European Suiseki Association (ESA), which was held in Hungary from 20 to 22 May 2016. Although European bonsai and suiseki conventions ought to bring together a selection of trees from bonsai lovers all over Europe, they often mainly showcase the skill of one country, and a few of its neighbours, in the art of bonsai. This scenario was repeated for the 2016 edition. It was a fine, well-organised event, and the demonstrations and talks had a richly European flavour. However, despite its beauty, the display of trees was not representative of the diversity and expertise of all countries that are members of the EBA…

A “real” congresswas held by the Fédération Française de bonsai (FFB), not only was it an exhibition with demonstrations and other activities, but it also included its annual general meeting – the federation’s pulse – which assembles all its members together for important decision-making. So the 2016 annual exhibition, at the Palacium in Villeneuve D’Ascq, was a vintage year that combined all the ingredients required for a congress. Furthermore, Philippe Massard was elected as the new president and will succeed Jean-Marc Pouillon. It’s a pity that there were too few visitors of the sort one hoped to see at this type of meeting. No doubt, it was the scarcity of petrol during the various strikes that disrupted France at this time that discouraged people from taking to the road. This…

For the ancient Chinese, rocks were like bones that the earth reveals here and there, allowing us to see scraps of its skeleton. In times gone by, they often combined soft plants and strange, hard rocks in their gardens and paintings, composing a subtle symbolic duet, for which they drew inspiration from their own life experiences and from famous sites. The order of the Universe was thus expressed through the combination of these two elements which, though contrasting, have clearly and crucially complementary roles for there to be life rather than nothingness. This objective reality, which in China is translated into the union of yin and yang, can be experienced and felt by anyone, in any circumstances. All that you need for this is to slip away into neglected corners…

If you have noticed that pesticides are progressively disappearing from the garden centres, it is because the sale of chemical plant-care products will soon be prohibited for private use in France. To lead into this ecological transition, our habits and knowhow have to evolve. Like any living organism, our bonsai are subject to a perpetual battle against disease. So does the solution lie in taking preventive measures? As horticulturalist, it is difficult for me to state categorically that one can completely stop using chemical plant-care products. The extreme solution of burning sick plants and destroying years of work is unacceptable, which is why thinking up alternatives is becoming urgent. Whether chemical or biological, any product will have an effect on the environment. Even if everyone is relieved about the interdiction…

Most of my visitors have been very doubtful about my choice when it comes to this Scots pine that I collected in Lozère a few years ago. Certainly, with a length of nearly five feet, foliage at the extremities and a slender trunk without any particular movement, it is a far cry from my usual criteria when selecting a tree. However, since the art of yamadori consists of transforming the faults in a tree to create bonsai with a unique character, let’s take a more positive look at this pine. The second half of the trunk with its length and slenderness, are points in its favour, and will allow for the creation of new movements to harmonise the contours and will encourage the foliage to concentrate close to the trunk.…

The growing season is already well advanced. Budding has produced new foliage, roots have developed and the tree has “grown”. The intense activity period of the plant’s annual cycle is drawing to a close. Depending on how the season progresses, particularly if temperatures are between 32°C and 35°C, the various organs slow down and to a greater or lesser extent, any significant activity will be halted. The plant’s activities are transmuted, but will return to normal at the beginning of autumn when temperatures drop. Any interventions that have not yet been made can be carried out this month to return the tree to the required shape. Interventions It can never be stressed enough that intervention must only be carried out on robust trees. Intervening on weak or sick trees, will…

Smallbonsai have several advantages over large ones, but they also have some disadvantages, especially where their sensitivity to cold and heat is concerned. Tasks such as pruning, changing soil and creating a bonsai can be more quickly done on shohin. These small trees are also easier to transport: in Japan, many elderly people exchange their large trees for small ones, because they are no longer able to carry large, cumbersome trees or repot them. On the other hand, small trees require more particular attention in terms of watering and protection from very high or low temperatures. Still, shohin trees are bonsai and therefore require the same treatments as their larger cousins; just with a bit more care. Frequent watering The most important aspect of shohin maintenance is watering. Small pots…

This Casuarina equisetifolia is a tropical yamadori that was collected at Lombang, on Madura Island, east of Java. Like many tropical trees, it is a species that requires a lot of attention. It is very fast growing and has a tendency to direct its tiny, scale-like leaves towards the top. So it has to be constantly pruned and wired. The tree has been worked on since 2006 by Budi Sulistyo, an Indonesian bonsai artist who is very involved with Bonsai Club International (BCI). He will also be giving a demonstration at the world congress which will take place at Mulhouse (France) in October, 2018. As well as this, Budi Sulistyo is also famous for his collection of antique pots and has chosen a Chinese Guangdong pot for his Casuarina equisetifolia.…

There are many special occasions in Japan that call for ikebana flower arrangements giving practitioners the chance to rekindle their passion and to continue in their art. The luxuriousness and richness of the material that engenders the practice of ikebana, is provided by the abundance and diversity of the plants that nature offers throughout the seasons. The shape of the flowers and the wealth of different varieties – carried by the winds, from temperate or stormy climates, from harsh escarpments, or gentle plains and valleys – offer the contrasts that are the source of the rhythms and of the picturesque that inspire our creations. Aside from the many sources, one of the great difficulties in the practice of ikebana, a profoundly complex art, is that the habits formed by repetitive…

Theendof the 18th century saw a reaction among the Japanese, stirred up by the snobbishness of aristocrats and by the undisciplined ease of the new privileged classes. A group of creative individuals who were seeking something more from ikebana than a meaningless decorative activity breathed new life into this art of flowers. They were scholars – bunjinin Japanese – who were very aware of the models that Japan inherited from China and wanted to renew the artistic links with Chinese aesthetics: poetry, painting and flower arranging. They therefore instigated a style inspired by these aesthetics: bunjin-ike, which threw off the shackles of excessive codification and sought to rediscover the spontaneity, naturalness and, above all, refinement of Chinese art. Three types In fact, while bunjinrefers to Chinese tradition, it also links…

Based in Érd, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Budapest, Marczika András has been a bonsai enthusiast since childhood. He trained in the UK under Harry Thomlinson, among others, and set up in business in 1990 after studying at university. The market in Hungary isn’t easy, because there are still relatively few bonsai lovers. The comparatively low standard of living in Hungary is also an obstacle to practising bonsai, as hobbyists rarely have the means to buy good-quality material to work with. Marczika András is the only professional in the Budapest area. He therefore offers bonsai for all budgets, to satisfy the demands of the general public and – why not? – also try to win over new enthusiasts. At his nursery, bonsai imported since last year from China,…

Esprit Bonsai International - When did you start Bonsai? Katsushi Miura – I was the second son of a farming family in eastern Hyogo Prefecture. My father grew garden trees and flowers. In Japan, traditionally, the first son inherits a family business, so I had to think of ways of becoming independent from my family’s work. After graduating from Osaka prefectural horticulture high school, I worked as a salesman for a food colouring and flavouring company for 11 months. I quickly realised I couldn’t become president of that company because I didn’t go to university. In Japan, it is very hard to advance in one’s career with only a high school diploma. I always liked horticulture, and when I was 19, I worked in a big flower shop called Sato,…

Whatsolutions have bonsaists come up with to ensure their charges’ well-being so that they can leave on holiday without worrying? Between finding a carer to make sure the trees don’t dry out and installing an automatic watering system, there are other possible solutions from the simplest to the most sophisticated. 1 Finding a carer The first answer is, of course, to ask someone to look after them. There are bonsai specialists who offer care services. This is a viable solution mostly for small bonsai collections, as the trees have to be transported to the specialist and then collected afterwards. Asking a family member or a friend to look after them is not easy, as it is a big responsibility with the added difficulty of watering correctly – ideally this person…

Scots pines are very tolerant conifers and are able to withstand sometimes harsh conditions. They grow as easily on plains as on mountains and often on rocky, difficult terrain. Collecting a pine is always a delicate operation, as recovery time varies enormously from one tree to another and from one area to another. This tree was cultivated for three years to ensure its recovery before being attached to a grey limestone rock that was found near the tree’s collection point. Once the tree is in good health and has established a firm grip on rock, work on shaping the tree can start in earnest. It would have been pointless to force the tree before this without being sure it could cope with severe pruning and wiring. Deep cleaning Correcting the…

One aspect of bonsai appreciation and practice that is sadly lacking outside of Japan is the world of satsuki azaleas. They differ in many subtle ways from the standard species that we commonly use, but not so much that they are impossible to master. With a little guidance, a slight change of thought process, and understanding of the horticultural requirements, then success can be quickly achieved. We all look at the first steps of doing that with this tree, a semi-styled Osakazuki, recently imported from Japan. Growing azaleas is more of a horticultural challenge than an aesthetic one. There is a limit to how much branches can be bent: anything thicker than your finger becomes very hard to manipulate, meaning that it is often a case of working with the…

Tony Remington masters textural tricks like no-one else. A ceramicist specialising in bonsai pots, he moulds, beats, carves and sculpts stoneware and porcelain to mark his creations with motifs reminiscent of rocks or old weatherbeaten bark. It’s a technique that requires a great deal of work and experience. For some twenty years, Tony has been producing pots in understated designs and natural colours, ranging from a rather raw and almost rustic style to one that is traditional and refined. Creative freedom Tony is 64 years old and lives in Yorkshire in the North of England, in the industrial city of Sheffield. He teaches pottery three days a week in an occupational therapy programme, and spends the rest of his time at home making bonsai pots in a garden shed which…

Although it has officially only existed since 29 October 2014, Bonsaï Toulouse was born out of a split in an earlier Toulouse association, L’Arbre en Pot. “In the early 1990s, the then club was on the point of closing down. I was its president for 12 years,” explains the president, Gabriel Gardelle. According to him, Bonsaï Toulouse “follows in a long tradition of the city of Toulouse which was one of the first in France to have a bonsai club within its walls. The split of the then club in 2014 left 10 members wanting to stay in Toulouse, and they asked me to set up a new association. It’s the same for clubs as it is for trees: sometimes it’s healthy to cut off a branch …” Gabriel Gardelle’s…