President’s Message

August

🚙 Backyard Tour

After a long hiatus, the Backyard Tour made its return — and what a great day it was. A huge thank‑you to JT, Tamar, and Phil for getting their backyards ready for all of us. I hope everyone had a wonderful time visiting their spaces; I know I did.

It was inspiring to see how each of them works with the unique microclimates in their yards, and it was a treat to see the trees in their collections up close. Days like this remind us how much creativity and care goes into bonsai beyond the workshop table.

🌿 First Thursday — Botany Basics with Megan Swift

For this First Thursday, we’re doing something a little different from our traditional bonsai demo. Megan will be giving a talk on botany basics — how trees function, how they grow, and how understanding their biology helps us make better decisions in our specific growing conditions.

This is the kind of foundational knowledge that strengthens everything we do in bonsai. The more we understand what’s happening inside the tree, the better our wiring, pruning, repotting, and seasonal timing become. I’m really looking forward to her presentation.

 A Little About Megan

Megan is a relatively recent member of the Midori Bonsai Club, and she has caught the bonsai bug bad. Her background makes her a perfect guide for this topic:

·       She holds an AS degree in Environmental Horticulture & Design

·       She’s a Master Composter

·       She’s a member of the Aesthetic Pruning Association

·       She volunteers at the Lake Merritt Bonsai Garden, helping maintain both in‑ground trees and bonsai

·       And just to round things out… she’s also a certified sommelier and a chef

So yes — questions on wine and food are absolutely fair game at this meeting 😁

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone there and learning a little more about what makes our trees tick. This is going to be a fun, informative session that deepens our understanding of the living material we work with every day.

🌳 Midori Annual Show

Our annual show is just around the corner (be sure to put October 3rd on your calendars!) and it will be here before we know it. Now is the time to start preparing the trees you want to display:

·       Clean them up

·       Wire where needed

·       Begin refining silhouettes

‍ ‍Also, start saving the GPS locations of moss you spot around town. It’s a great way to return later and collect some for top‑dressing your show trees.

I found a video with some good ideas on how to encourage moss to grow on our trees — helpful inspiration as we get closer to showtime.

---