LATEST NEWS: YVBS 2021 SHOW 22ND & 23RD MAY - CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FLYER

The YVBS Bonsai Show for 2021 has been confirmed for 22nd and 23rd May at the Chirnside Park Community Hub. This is a much-anticipated event after the forced cancellations of the 2020 Show due to Covid restrictions and the 2019 Show due to venue constraints. The above link contains a promotional flyer with additional details.  We invite all members, other bonsai associates, and the general public to visit the Show to see what our members have achieved in the ancient art of Bonsai.
The April Club meeting featured a very informative demonstration and presentation by Scott Martin of Bonsai Matsu, who gave us great insights into how to style and care for Scots Pines – Pinus sylvestris.  This was a very popular session that attracted a large attendance of members – originally scheduled for 2020, it had to be cancelled then due to Covid restrictions.
The next meeting on Tuesday 11th May will be a presentation/workshop night on Preparing Trees for Show by Club VP Steve M.  Members should bring along their trees to be submitted for the Show, for final advice and tweaking.  Observers are welcome, member and non-member alike, as there will be a lot of valuable information to be shared.
After a final burst of warmish weather in April, we can now say that Autumn is well and truly with us. The glorious sunny days have brought with them cooler temperatures and the nights have been quite cool – we’ve even had a reasonable amount of rainfall. Most deciduous trees are in “colour change, leaf dropping mode” – a sure sign “real” Winter’s not too far away. But for the moment we can continue to enjoy Mother Nature’s colourful displays and shuffling through the fallen leaves on the ground.
As Autumn draws to a close, deciduous trees have completed their growth cycle and are preparing for their Winter dormant period. Evergreen varieties may not stop growing completely, but their growth rate will slow dramatically too.
Deciduous trees once they have shed their leaves show a bare skeleton of trunk and branch. This is good time to consider styling or restyling them. Having their view unobstructed by leaves makes it’s much easier for the bonsai enthusiast to decide what is required to improve the trunk shape and the basic branch structure and ramification of their trees.
Now is also the best time to do heavy pruning and shaping to most conifers. When wiring and bending branches we need to make sure the trees are on the dry side of the watering cycle. This will improve the flexibility of the branches and so reduce cracking and breakages,
From now on it is also important to keep work benches and display areas free of fallen leaves and debris. This will reduce the risk of diseases breeding and spreading amongst your trees, and keep the air circulating around your pots and soil. Also, it removes any potential hiding spots for insects, bugs and creatures that may harm your small trees.
And remember we look forward to catching up with you somewhere in the “world of bonsai” in 2021.