My adventure at AABC Adelaide "simply bonsai"

Asus101

Well I woke at 5:30 am sat morning to hope I made it in time. Its a 3 hour drive to Adelaide, and a half 5 start is not fun (oh i didn't go to bed until about 2am...), but i was still excited.

So what is AABC? I think its Australian Associated Bonsai something something. Its an annual conference help in may, hosted by a different club per year in aus.

So I arrived at 8:45 am, my sympathy for chemicals was strong at this time as you can imagine.
I had a quick blast through the display tree's with a few catching my eye before sitting down for my first demo.
It was a triple threat cage match, first blood. In contention the World wrestling monopoly championship. wait, that was the mirco nap taken thanks to sleep deprivation....
It was however a triple demo showing three different slab constructions, planted with three different groups.
Olives on concrete (this was one massive clump that fell apart after collection when it rolled down a hill...), Junipers in foam and elm "clusters" in fibreglass. I tried taking photo's but alas it was too dark and they came out fuzzy. Ill post them later anyway to show you all. They showed a use of accent plantings in the forests, and outlined a few methods to create a natural forrest. One big thing was to make use of any dead seedlings, cross branches, tree scaling ect. The best way to do it, is to not aim for a work of perfect art, but to work for a realistic setting. If it looks real, then you have your piece of perfect art.

With my brain screaming for caffeine i welcomed morning tea, but I got caught up networking and missed out. I was not looking forward to the next 1.5hours...

Tony Bebb took the stage. He was going to restyle a juniper procumbens that was once styled full cascade, but never completed.
It was interesting to watch a tree transform, but I felt that the trunk rose to high before making the bend into a semi cascade.
He outlined that the standard procumbens was more flexible than the nana or nana something something.... anyway it was useful to pick up.

I spent lunch looking through the display trees, but unfortunately most of the images i took did not save to the flash card. However there were some decent tree's and some sadly not so decent tree's. It wasn't the styling in some cases that was the let down, but the house keeping on some of them. There were two stunning Melaluca longifolia's that captured the out back in every possible way. Im kicking myself that these didn't save.

Tony Bebb and Mick Balzery did a critique of some of the display tree's, and I'm happy to say, some of the things I picked up on they also commented on. things like tree placement, foliage pads, trunk features covered were some of the things i noticed. I also came to the realisation that perfect foliage pad are not always best. Its something you often see done with cascades. Perfect little foliage pads that don't look realistic. If you are aiming for that ancient look, add some bumps, dips and gaps in the foliage pads. When do you see a tree with perfectly rounded pads? Some wont agree, but take a walk in the forest. Aim for you pad to look like cumulus clouds, because perfect oval orbs in my eye looks unrealistic and (to use an aussie term) sh!thouse..

The final demo for the day was the sue of jade's and how easy they are to turn into good looking tree's. For those thinking about giving them ago, aim to take cuttings, but before potting the cuttings let them dry for a month first. Don't pot jade cuttings into damp soil. Also before you tip prune, get your shape set first, then start tip pruning. As you shape leave a stump about 2cm long.

IM going to sign it off here, ill pick up the rest later.

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"All your pinus is belong to us!"

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Asus101

Day 2.

Damn, caffeine detox SUCKS!

After fighting my brain over lack of sleep and coffee I settled down for day two. Today I was starting off learning about black pines. I love a good pine, like every one does ( except those heathen deciduous only purists heathens..... you know how you are...) and Mike Balzery knows his pines. I look forward to the day I get to see his collection. His collection includes balitic pine, red/black/white/yellow/blue/green/cyan pine, mugo's to the humble radiata. He loves his pines. He was working on a forest setting of literati black pines. They were about 3 years old, healthy and had good movement. I was very upset that I forgot the camera, but a gain he made a point to remind people to not worry about crossing branches. Watching him shape those tree's gave me so many idea's and made me realise how simple it is to get the shape i keep thinking of. I look forward to finding me some young pines.

morning tea came and passed, still no caffeine....

Carving. Its been a bit of a topic here and I was please to have Tony Bebb Take to the stage and carve some olive. For those Aussies wanting arbortech that's were to get it, check the sales page to buy locally. I learned that when carving olive to carve in a slight groove to allow the new forming bark to get a grip with, and if its a large wound, don't seal it all, it wont heal over the entire wound.
I got to speak to Tony afterwards, he's a top bloke and I look forward to bombarding him with as many questions as I can possibly think of (I'm taking requests just in case I run out of my own).

I also got to meet Dorothy Koreshoff, while Tony was at work. She is a very nice lady.

during Lunch I had A surprising talk to two older ladies who asked me if I was the young lad who was working on a tree via the internet with a ginko winner. It came up a few times after that, dot and Tony both made mention of it as well, I'm not sure who started it.

Well final demo. The Three amigo's... El Drongo, El Dill-Do (yes it got many laughes, old people can be so gutter bound). they did a three tiers forest setting using juniper and o9ur famous mallie stumps (hard as rock and will last even longer. These things can take days to burn.). It started with wind swept coastal rock setting, moving to the mountain tops into a low-lying forest. Looking at the ease of construction, I believe its the best place for a beginner. you use juvenile stock, and you need very little styling on the tree. Make your muck out of clay, cow poo and spag moss and go for your life. Again dissapointed I didn't have the camera.

That ended day 2, there was the closing and dig details were handed out. I'll get to the dig later today. I have photo's too


Hans my good chum, I tried finding a way to get you here but I have failed you. I need to keep looking!!!

__________________
"All your pinus is belong to us!"

Shrunken heads for all occasions. Collect them, swap them, give them to your witch doctor friend.

Asus101

Day 3. The dig.

I love rain, i really do. I loved the rain more when I found it made the soil nice and soft, perfect digging time. I hated the rain when I slipped off a 4ft rock ledge and was stopped by a tree...

My favourite part of the trip was the dig. I had no idea were is was, but had been told it was olive heaven. I didn't believe it, so was stressing about getting there before the best picks were gone. Well I shoulda had some faith and relaxed a little, because they were not wrong. It was olive AND hawthorn heaven!!! It was a hill side, A very steep hill in fact. it had really set up a tree line with the hawthorn lower and the olives higher up.

Now I hadn't gone on a dig at all and I was a little overwhelmed. I had driven head first ignoring the blackberries and gone searching. I found a few good tree's, but they were not the best idea for a beginner. I walked out of the forest to clear my head and make some choices. That's when I met Bernie. He was an older chap from Geelong hunting for some olive and a hawthorn. He told me to show him my chosen trees and see how suitable they really were. It was great. I had picked two large olives, pointed a few out for him (which he made comment on me having a good eye for yami). He collected three olives and two decent trunk'ed hawthorn.
I dug two 8" hawthorn and about 7 twigs, and two large olives which I saw a few people looking at and commenting on (one guy had to be told by his wilf to leave it, it was someone else's. He argued that if he left $100 that the owner wouldn't mind). I didn't mind taking the fall for a good prize. It hurt a bit, but I was ok. From that first dig I learnt alot. I took note on the tools needed, and methods.

Tony Bebb took a massive olive home, its going to be a massive carving job, one I'm sure he's willing to tackle.

My two olives are still soaking in a seaweed solution ready for next week when I pot them up. My hawthorns had the same soak but only over night. All root wounds got a hormone treatment mainly for the anti-fungal pro pities and was potted up. Although some of the smaller ones didn't have much root, I had seen ones pull through with less.



So that was my trip. I hope you have enjoyed the little read, I'll get those photos done soon.

I think Australian bonsai is still behind the rest of the world. But its only been known in Australia for about 80 years, and while we are not to the same standards as Europe or America we are well on the way. In another ten years things will be very different. I look forward to that time.

For those interested, next may the AABC Conference is being hosted in Brisbane. Bill Valavanis is the guest demonstrator. I hope to make it, and have set plans to ensure i make it there.

__________________
"All your pinus is belong to us!"

Shrunken heads for all occasions. Collect them, swap them, give them to your witch doctor friend.

JayC

Thank you so much for that "write up"? Ben!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and i bet you enjoyed being there even more. I cant wait until i can finally go to such events. One of the teachers at my bonsai club went to the convention and i believe he was also collecting olives while he was there. Im hoping he brings back a few extras

Oh, and looking forward to whatever pics you do have.

JayC

kcpoole

I Concur with what he said, Hope you recover your caffeine levels soon Ben
Cannot wait till you get the photos up

George Reissis is the teacher mentioned by JayC.
Tall, Large Bloke with a quite strong Greek Accent. He is our School Pine Guru and the caretaker and primary person responsible for maintianing the Schools display ( no longer open due to theft) at the Auburn Botanic Gardens.

Ken

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Asus101

I had a hit or more of caffeine. I feel safe again.

__________________
"All your pinus is belong to us!"

Shrunken heads for all occasions. Collect them, swap them, give them to your witch doctor friend.

JayC

George went too? WOW thats 2 people from our school i was reffering to Garry (not sure of his last name).

JayC

anttal63

ace im so pleased your experience was that good; the dig sounds wild i too am hanging to see your trees. are you going to set the ply wood under the base to develope the nebari?

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Antonio . . .
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Asus101

I will, but after the tree's are established again and some roots to live off of. Right now there ain't much there.. Bit like a blonde

__________________
"All your pinus is belong to us!"

Shrunken heads for all occasions. Collect them, swap them, give them to your witch doctor friend.