Purchase
Area Master Gardener Association
(PAMGA)
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(PAMGA) |
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Bonsai
Master Gardener Sally Wilkins and teacher Cindy Glisson take a closer look at a specimen from the bonsai collection of Randy Davis. March 30 the class request for a bonsai session came to fruition as Randy Davis from Lynnewood Gardens brought several specimens from his personal collection. Davis's interest in bonsai began when he was just 15 and worked at a nursery in Southern California. In time he worked with a bonsai master and today practices this enthralling art form as both a business and a hobby in Boaz, Kentucky. The session began with a discussion of how to pronounce the word. It's pronounced BONE - ZI, with emphasis on the second syllable. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary it means, "a potted plant (as a tree) dwarfed and trained to an artistic shape by special methods of culture; also : the art of growing such a plant." The word comes from the Japanese language and its literal meaning is "tray planting." Davis stresses the "art" of the pruning
techniques
Davis displayed a "hornbeam" he has trained as a bonsai. Hornbeam is a type of birch native to Kentucky. He collected the plant (10 feet tall at the time) from the wild in 2001 and made no changes for a full year. Then he went to work and produced the intriguing specimen at right which is just five years old today. Davis's vast collection spends most of the time outdoors. Some plants may receive twice-daily waterings. Because he hand waters he can keep a close eye on moisture conditions. After years of experience he "just knows" when more water is needed. He does have greenhouse in which to overwinter plants where he keeps the temperature a cool 38 degrees. The class also had the opportunity to see ulmus parvifolia.
For those wanting to try their hand at bonsai, Davis recommends collecting seed from red maples, growing seedlings and beginning to train them. And, don't be discouraged if you see gnarled, dead wood on a specimen. In bonsai it is called "jin" and highly prized. Patience and diligence are probably good qualities for a bonsai enthusiast too. Davis told of a pine tree planted in Japan 400 years ago. The specimen has been passed from generation to generation and today is part of the Japanese National Collection.
Class ended with an up close and personal viewing session of the plants. The boys were obviously enthusiastic about the topic and the unusual shapes that result from pruning.
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Purchase Area Master Gardener Association, 2705 Olivet Church Road, Paducah, Ky 42001 270/554-9520 FAX 270/554-8283 www.pamga.org |
When Master Gardeners met with Cindy
Glisson's second module Life Science Class for the first time on January 12,
2005, the boys had one overwhelming request. They wanted to learn about
bonsai. That topic was not part of our original agenda, but we try to
please and explore a well-rounded curriculum.
which
are, for the most part, the same techniques used on full-size trees planted in a
yard.
According to Davis, the challenge with bonsai is "making a young tree look
mature."
It is a Chinese Elm with the smallest elm leaves in the world. The Chinese
Elm Davis holds at right is 10 years old. According to Davis, bonsai is
a form of "legal torture" since you are manipulating branches, sometimes with the
help of a metal armature, to emulate age.
After the students
left for their next class, it was time for the Master Gardeners and teachers to ask more
questions and get an even closer look at the specimens. That's an obvious
benefit for the volunteers choosing to work with the Plant a Seed project.
As adults we continue our own learning process and enjoy access to various
experts that enable us to improve our own gardens and gardening skills.