NEXT MEETING:
November 12th
“Officer Election/Year End Business/Plan 2010 Events”
More information below >
Monthly Meetings
Meetings are at 6:30-8:30 pm (workshops go until 9 pm) on the second Thursday of every month at Olbrich Botanical Gardens (3330 Atwood Avenue, Madison, WI), except for January and July when the club has special dinner meetings.
In addition to monthly meetings, which cover a wide range of subjects of interest to bonsai enthusiast, many special events are held. These include workshops, lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions, collecting trips, and instructions on the art of bonsai.
Workshops
Most workshop instructions are free, but you will be required to pay for the material you use. At times we are able to get a master or instructor for a special workshop or demonstration, and there will be a fee for those events. We try to keep the cost down so everyone can afford to join in. Often the workshops are limited to ten people.
2009 Meeting Schedule
November 12th
“Officer Election/Year End Business/Plan 2010 Events”
This is the yearly business meeting for the club. We hold nominations/elections for officer seats. Our club president is stepping down from his post after 2009, creating a unique opportunity for someone to fill the roll. We will also begin mapping out the 2010 activities calendar.
December 12th
“o Tannenbaum”
Join us as we take in the holiday cheer and try to shake off the cold. If you haven’t offered your bonsai protection from the WI winter, do not delay any longer! As most things are frozen solid in Wisconsin during December, we bonsai enthusiasts are left to do things like eat cookies and talk about next spring. Sure, there’s tropical plants to work on, but who wants to risk the elements?*
Past 2009 Events:
January 8th
“Annual Dinner”
Held at Imperial Gardens Madison
February 12th
“Carving Techniques”
Ron showed club members various carving techniques using hand and power tools.
March 12th
“Soil and Repotting”
At the March meeting we will focus on repotting your trees and the different soil make-ups for different types of trees. We will also discuss the benefits of proper fertilization, and the components that make up common plant fertilizer.
April 9th
“Bring what’s thawed out”
As spring starts to pop, some trees are ready for attention. Bring in your tree(s) to work on in a group setting. Ask questions, get advice & have fun. We will also discuss proper dressing of cuts/wounds and the benefits of cut paste and wound sealer.
May 14th
“Propagation Techniques; focus on air layering”
Air Layering is a time honored form of plant propagation. Ron, club president, will give a demonstration on one of his Japanese Maples. Also, as we get ready for our annual show on May 16th and 17th, we will discuss proper display for bonsai shows, how to clean your pots and any last minute business before the weekend show
May 16–17th (Annual Show)
On May 16th and 17th the club members will be displaying their best trees. Demonstrations by club members will be held at 11 am and pm both days. All visitors will be offered the opportunity to vote on their favorite tree. Results will appear here. Admission to the show is free; however, we do accept donations. More Information…
June 11th
“Hands-on Workshop”
The club will hold a workshop this evening that will run until 9 pm. Participants can purchase plant material to work on – either Kingsville Boxwood (Buxus microphylla compacta) or Shimpaku Juniper (Juniperus chinesis). The event will be open to the public, but club members have priority seating. If you are not working on a tree, this is still a wonderful opportunity to watch others as they prune, style and wire trees. However, it’s also a chance to get your hands on mature bonsai material. The boxwoods have an estimated age of 15-20 years old and the boxwoods are about 5-10 years old. The trees were lovingly brought up as potential bonsai at Brussel’s Bonsai Nursery in Olive Branch, MS. These are not shrubs that you’d want to put in the ground, they have been given extra special attention to their pruning from the time they were seedlings in order to send them on their way to becoming bonsai masterpieces.
Please contact info@badgerbonsai.net if you are interested. Materials can be bought on site, the cost for trees is $80 each – SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED.
Note: This workshop will be focusing on pruning and styling only. We will not be repotting (that is recommended for March or April). There will be a follow-up meeting early next spring when we will repot these trees into proper bonsai containers
July – no meeting
August 13th
“State Fair Field Trip”
For August, the club will be taking a group trip to the WI State Fair in Milwaukee. The state fair has a bonsai display in the Horticulture Building with approximately 20-30 show quality trees. MEETING AGENDA: View and critique the Bonsai on display, observe the judges critiques and try to see what the judges saw. Hope to see you there!
September 10th
“Work on your own tree(s)”
Please bring in your own tree(s) to work on. With fall just around the corner, September can be a good time to do some last minute pruning, wiring and winter preparation. Remove wire before it cuts the bark, remove undesirable branches to conserve energy next spring. All club members are encouraged to bring at least one tree to work on and visitors are welcome to bring in a tree and ask for advice. This is a great opportunity for novices to pick up new skills and information.
October 8th
“Discuss Winter Preparation”
Bring in your own tree(s). Leaves are falling so the cold is coming! In October, we will discuss overwintering techniques for WI bonsai. What might work in California just won’t keep a bonsai alive through a Wisconsin Winter. And remember, next moth is officer elections. October is a good time to put your name in the hat for next month.
