April 2023

Just when we thought that spring has arrived, Mr. Weatherman had a different story for us, with rivers of rain that just keeps coming. Rain has always been a welcome sight for the Bay Area, replenishing our lakes and streams with water that affords us the supply we need for our daily lives. In addition, our bonsai trees are also rewarded, with water that rivals that what comes out of our local water supply and facets.

Complaining today about that refreshing jewel that comes dropping feely out of the sky doesn't seem logical these days after so many drought years with mandatory water restrictions. This year’s rain will allow us to get back to a steadier reliable source of water especially for our mountains streams and greener forest to enjoy.

Our Meeting Attractions For April

So many of us have pines in our bonsai collection that are developed and worked on differently throughout the yearly bonsai season. In addition, to accommodate those many misconceptions regarding how and when pines should be worked on and how we develop them, we asked a Bay Area expert to talk on this topic.

Yes, Jonas Dupuich will be coming to our first Thursday meeting in April to set matters straight regarding progressive pine development. I can't think of a single person that has spent more time over the past 20 years experimenting and growing pines from seedlings to these larger trunked bonsai beauties. Jonas has always enjoyed sharing bonsai knowledge with bonsai enthusiasts, his bonsai blog Bonsai Tonight has enlightened us all with a variety subjects that keeps us informed with what he's working on weekly. And for him to be coming to our first Thursday meeting will be a real treat for us all that attend that evening.

Jonas plans to bring in trees he has developed over the years, including trees that show the various stages of development, and how he has arrived at each. Getting started correctly with pines is crucial, and making the right move progressively will shorten the many years it takes to develop these heavily barked kings of bonsai.

In addition, Jonas asks that all club members please bring in your pines that you may have questions for, at the end of his presentation he will spend time reviewing and answering any question you may have.

Our Third Thursday meeting will be devoted to helping all in the club with their bonsai trees brought in and helped by senior club members. In addition, if you plan to present a tree at our Cherry Blossom Festival, this would be a great time to bring it in and get help to finalize its presentation.

our Cherry Blossom Festival

Spring’s cherry blossoms are presently in full bloom all around the valley. And with that, our club's yearly bonsai show we participate in with great anticipation and opportunities to show off our bonsai trees. Club members, this is a show you don't want to miss. With great artistic Japanese displays and crafts of all kinds, with live music and dancing throughout the two day festivities.

Best of all, we have a fine presentation of bonsai to display that helps to blend in with the activities that continues inside and outside the park with many venders and social activities.

How Can You Take Part?

Since this is a two-day event, we will need bonsai trees, their display tables, and accents, and it would be nice to be able to rotate in different trees if possible each day. A club sign-up sheet will be available at each meeting this month. Normally, we present around 7-8 medium to larger trees with the main table presentation, with side tables that can accommodate smaller sized trees.

In addition, we have a presentation table up front with club literature and additional accent plants that supports our clubs bonsai opportunities and programs.

All trees for each day will need to arrive the Quinlan Center by 9:00am. Saturday, the truck will need to be there with the display backgrounds by 8:00am, with the opening up of the building. There will be a predetermined group of club members that will need to be there in order to unload the truck and bring in all materials that need to be assemble and set up. All the bonsai trees and display tables at that time will be arranged and positioned in place.

Bring in Your Trees to be Worked On!

There will be two tables available in our area that is set aside for club members to bring in their trees to be worked on. You'll need your bag of tools, wire, and any other items you'll need to support the trees you plan to work on for the day. Plan on having to interact with attendees that filter in that may have questions regarding what you’re doing with your tree at the time. This is a great opportunity to share your love of bonsai with the community and assist them in any way you can, pointing out how our club can get them started.

We will have club information materials available on our center table for those that show interest. The Community Center does provide for people like us to enjoy coffee, various drinks, and refreshments throughout the day free of charge. If you desire to purchase a lunch locally there are a variety of venders outside in the park.

The show details

Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30, 2023

Quinlan Community Center
10185 North Stelling Rd.
Cupertino, Ca. 95014

Backdrop set-up and unloading of truck begins Saturday 8:00am.
The opening festivities starts at 10:00am, ending at 5:00pm both days.
All trees must arrive by 9:00am each day

For Sunday:

Show closes 5:00pm. We will need a work party there to assist the breakdown of displays along with the removal of all trees and club members materials.
We will need assistance with the truck display materials to be unloaded and stored away at Gerry Fields’ home.

Up and Coming Bonsai Nursery Trip

In the month of May, our club is planning a bonsai nursery trip to potential bonsai nurseries. We would like to hear from you regarding where you would like to travel and visit. We are open to any and all suggestions, please let me know at our up and coming meetings!

Have a great month doing bonsai everyone! 🌳