Sunday, December 30, 2018

Mid-Winter Workshop


Mid-Winter Workshop
Baton Rouge Garden Center
7950 Independence Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA

Friday January 18, 2019
Bonsai Workshop 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Workshop $30 (LBS members $25)..  Limited to 8 participants.  Supper social to follow $12.
Demonstration by Mr. David DeGroot 5:00

Saturday, January 19, 2019
Bonsai Workshop 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Workshop $45 (LBS members $35).  Limited to 8 participants. Lunch $12. Observer $10 (LBS members-Free)
Bonsai Workshop 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Workshop $40 (LBS members $30). Limited to 8.  Supper social $12.  Observer $10 (LBS members-Free)

Sunday January 20, 2019
Bonsai Program 9:00 a.m. to 12:00
Workshop $30 (LBS Members $25). Limited to 8 participants. Lunch $12. Observer $10 (LBS members-Free)
Raffle of Demonstration Tree 12:00
Raffle tickets are $5 per ticket or $20 for 5 tickets.  Need not be present to win.

Featured Artist and Workshop Leader

Mr. David DeGroot
LBS welcomes back David DeGroot.  He has been practicing bonsai for nearly fifty years.  David De Groot is Curator Emeritus of the Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way, WA where he served as managing curator for 25 years. He is an award-winning designer and author, who has been studying and practicing bonsai since 1972.
He has studied bonsai in Japan with Yasuo Mitsuya at Tokai-en Bonsai Nursery. He studied satsuki (azaleas) with Tatemori Gondo and Hayata Nakayama at Suisho Nakayama Nursery, and formal bonsai display with Uhaku Sudo. at Chikufu-en Bonsai Nursery.
His educational journal articles have been published throughout the U.S. and in eight other countries, and he is author of two books published by the American Bonsai Society - Basic Bonsai Design and Principles of Bonsai Design, now in its second printing.
David travels widely to lecture, and has presented programs on five continents. He is active with several bonsai organizations in the Puget Sound area and serves as Secretary for Bonsai Clubs International.

Dave is an excellent teacher who understands growing bonsai in Gulf Coast Climate.  We decided he was too good for just a one day program and one club, so we extended it to three days and are inviting other bonsai club members to participate.  This a convention quality event, at club prices.

The workshops are customized to fulfill the needs of accomplished bonsai artist or members just starting to learn about bonsai. The workshops are multi-species, bring your own tree workshops.  If you don’t have a tree, we have some starter material you can purchase at cost.  Just checkout the list and if you don’t see what you want, I will help you find the material you are looking for.  We will have some accomplished bonsai artists to assist Dave with beginners so the workshop doesn’t get held back by some of the basics.


Monday, December 3, 2018

LBS Christmas Party Tuesday 6:00 PM, December 18

The next Louisiana Bonsai Society (LBS) meeting will be Tuesday December 18, 6:00 PM, at the Baton Rouge Garden Center, 7950 Independence Blvd.  The next meeting will be the Christmas Party and we plan to have a jolly time.  Please bring your favorite snack or desert to share, the club will provide a sandwich tray, fruit tray, and drinks.  Happy hour (setup) will start at 6:00 and the meeting will start at 7:00.  The program will be a slide show

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Japanese Black Pine and Broadleaf Continuing Bonsai Classes


The Japanese Black Pine/juniper and broadleaf Continuing Bonsai Classes/Seminars are scheduled for December 8 at Waddill Outdoor Educational Center, 4142 Flannery Rd., Baton Rouge, LA 70814.  The class/workshops will be divided into two sections, pines and broadleaf bonsai with morning classes and afternoon classes to enable everyone to participate in both pines and broadleaf bonsai workshops.  The classes will start at 9:00.  Lawrence LeClaire who has many years’ experience and has a very good Japanese black pine and juniper bonsai collection, will conduct the “bring your own tree” workshop.  Lawrence has concentrated his study on exactly what needs to be done on pines and junipers at each stage and season of development to bring your bonsai to the next stage. 

Joe Day is conducting the broadleaf bonsai class/seminar who is a bonsai expert that has been teaching bonsai and art for about 30 years.  He has many years’ experience conducting bonsai workshops and has developed many innovative bonsai techniques. It would be very hard to find someone who knows more about developing and caring for bonsai in our climate.  He has developed a system of developing bonsai in stages to develop very fine bonsai.  He also has a very large and very good bonsai collection.

The plan is to bring your pine or juniper and your broadleaf bonsai you have worked on in previous classes to continue to develop your bonsai to the next level, however you can start a new bonsai.  This makes is possible for new students to start at any stage and continue until it reaches stage 9.  These workshop/seminars are designed for the observer and participates to learn new bonsai technique regardless of level of bonsai experience.  You may bring more than one bonsai for each class.  You may not be able to work on more than one bonsai due to time constraints, but you can get development suggestions on the additional bonsai.

These are continuing bonsai classes where continue to bring the same bonsai back to do the next step in their development; however, anyone can start with a new or different bonsai at any class.  There is no restriction on attendance, if you miss one, you come to the next one.  All class are open for new students, the only requirement is that you have a bonsai or pre-bonsai plant.  These classes a custom made for the bonsai hobbyist (weekend warrior).  They designed for hands-on learning to help you develop your bonsai collection.

Saturday, November 17, 2018

2018 Annual Fall Bonsai Show


The Louisiana Bonsai Society (LBS) held their 2018 Annual Fall Bonsai show at the Baton Rouge Main Library on October 27 and 27.  The club members displayed some of their best bonsai to the public and sold so bonsai to support the club’s expert bonsai workshop programs. 

The bonsai lecture/demo on Saturday October 27 was done by Jim Scarton, Louisiana Bonsai Society President.  Jim did a bald cypress bonsai lecture/demo was about refining one of his bald cypress bonsai that he collected and has worked on for several years.


      Photo by Ray Schell
Jim Scarton’s bald cypress bonsai before       


      Photo by Ray Schell

Jim Scarton’s bald cypress bonsai after


The bonsai lecture/demo on Sunday was very different.  Lowell Tilley, Vice President, did eastern red cedar group planting bonsai lecture/demo on October 28.
         
Photo by Ray Schell
Lowell Tilley’s Eastern Read Cedars 
Photo by Ray Schell
Lowell Tilley’s Eastern Read Cedars            Eastern Red Cedar Group Planting                              

The red cedars group are planted on rocks to add an additional artistic element to create the illusion of a forest on a mountain top.  There will be follow-up lecture/demos next year.


Photo by Ray Schell
Lowell Tilley, LBS Vice President, Walter Imahara, Founder of Imahara Landscaping and Developer of Saint Francis Imahara Botanical Gardens, and Jim Scarton, LBS President

At the show on Sunday, Walter Imahara presented a wood plaque to the Louisiana Bonsai Society carved by James Imahara, Walter’s father who was a charter member of the Louisiana Bonsai Society.  The plaque says “bonsai” in Japanese and was carved in cypress wood for the bonsai club that they founded.  James Imahara and Steele Burden were two of the charter members of Louisiana Bonsai Society.

The next LBS meeting will be November 20, 7:00, will be a special workshop on developing accent plants used in bonsai shows conducted by Lee Vanderpool, a member of the Fort Walton Beach Bonsai Society, from Florida,

They meet on the third Tuesday of each month at the Baton Rouge Garden Center, 7950 Independence Blvd.  Visitors are welcome, for more information call Lowell Tilley, 272-6744


Wednesday, March 14, 2018


Please Note the Louisiana Bonsai Society will meet at the “future” Independence Café adjoining the Main Library on Goodwood Blvd. until the Garden Center renovations are complete


Dawn Koetting and Jim Scarton, LBS President


At the last monthly meeting of the Louisiana Bonsai Society (LBS) meeting, February 20, Dawn Koetting did bonsai re-potting lecture/demo explaining some very advanced bonsai techniques.  She lives in Thibodaux and is a long time bonsai club member of LBS and the Treasurer of the Greater New Orleans Bonsai Society, has attended many national bonsai conventions and shows, and has exhibited bonsai in the US Bonsai Exhibit that displays the best bonsai in the US and sponsored by the International bonsai magazine, Rochester, NY.

The next LBS meeting will be March 20, 7:00, at the “future” Independence Café adjoining the Main Library on Goodwood Blvd.  The program will be Techniques to Make Bonsai Look Old and Unique presented by Lowell Tilley in addition to the “bonsai and tell” discussion.

LBS will sponsor a special bonsai workshop conducted by Juan Andrade a world class bonsai expert from Santa Ana, Costa Rica who is one of the touring bonsai artist from the Bonsai Societies of Florida.  The workshop will be March 29, to help bonsai club members to improve their bonsai collections which will be very interesting to observers. Guests and visitors are welcome the costs will be $10.
       
The Louisiana Bonsai Society Annual Spring Bonsai Show will be at the “future” Independence Café adjoining the Main Library on Goodwood Blvd., April 14 and 15, 11:00 to 5:00.  The members will show some of their best bonsai specimen and it is free and open to the public.  There will be a bonsai lecture/demo at 2:00 on both days.  The club will have starter bonsai for sale to raise money for the club.

The Louisiana Bonsai Society is a not for profit organization open to all who are interested in the hobby of bonsai.  They meet on the third Tuesday of each month at the “future” Independence Café adjoining the Main Library on Goodwood Blvd.  Guests and visitors are welcome, for more information call Lowell Tilley, 272-6744 or email lowelltilley@gmail.com .