We will be working on the bonsai collection at the Rural Life Museum Gardens at the LSU Burden Museums and Gardens, 4560 Essen Lane.  We are out there to work on the collection every Thursday morning, 10:00 to 12:00, except the last Thursday of each month, and there to work on them the last Saturday of each month.  I would like to thank all the Louisiana Bonsai Society club members that have been helping and invite all members to come out and help when they can.  This is a great learning experience.    

Thanks,

Lowell Tilley

lowelltilley@gmail.com

 

You are invited Jan. 21, 22, and 23 to attend the Louisiana Bonsai Society Annual Midwinter Bonsai Workshop Conference featuring world class bonsai artists and four bonsai vendors selling bonsai supplies.  This year we have two special workshops offered by vendors list below.

Bonsai Workshop by Dana Quattlebaum Special Workshop--Group planting of five Kingsville boxwoods (8- to 15-year-old true Kingsville boxwoods, not dwarf Saunders) on a slab for $150 limited to six (6) people.  The boxwoods are worth more than $150, this is a $300 or more workshop.

Special Bonsai Workshop by Evan Pardue   Evan will be providing Black Pines grown from seed and ready for repotting. He will focus on how to repot young JBP and how to grow for future bonsai. Materials provided will include the tree, soil, and training pot. Fee is $125, limited to 4 participants.

Call 225-241-2396 to reserve a slot, then send a check payable to LBS to Lowell Tilley, 520 Laurie Lynn Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70819. 

 

Mid-Winter Workshop Conference

 January 21, 22, 23, 2022

Featuring Brussel Martin, Dana Quattlebaum, and Evan Pardue

Baton Rouge Garden Center

7950 Independence Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA

 

Bonsai Display

Participants are welcome to bring a limited number of bonsai to display just for fun.

 

Bonsai Critique

To improve further development/refinement, members may bring 1-2 bonsai trees from your collection for suggestions by a professional bonsai artist at no charge.

 

Four Super Vendors

 Little River Bonsai Nursery https://www.facebook.com/danabonsai, Quality Nursery Materials-Dana Quattlebaum will also conduct a workshop on planting Kingsville boxwood forest on a slab. All materials included.

 

Underhill Bonsai Nursery https://underhillbonsai.com/, Evan Pardue will also conduct a special workshop on planting, repotting Black pines. All materials included.

 

Bayou Bonsai Concepts http://www.billsbayou.com/ , makers of fine bonsai soil products and bonsai planting stones for growers in Southeast Louisiana.

 

Myrick Bonsai Pottery https://www.myrickbonsaipottery.com/ , handcrafted pottery made by Bryon Myrick who has a lifetime of experience making pottery.

 

Admission

Daily admission $10 at the door.  LBS members free, and fee waived if registered for a workshop.

 

Pre-bonsai Available

All workshops (except for Evan’s and Dana’s) are BYOT (bring-your-own-tree) or you can purchase a club pre-bonsai tree from our limited supply.  Reserve your tree by calling Lowell Tilley at (225) 241-2396. The club also has some very good bonsai pots for sale.

Schedule of Events

 

Friday January 21, 2022

 

12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Bonsai Workshop by Dana Quattlebaum Special Workshop--Group planting of five Kingsville boxwoods (8- to 15-year-old true Kingsville boxwoods, not dwarf Saunders) on a slab for $150 limited to six (6) people.  The boxwoods are worth more than $150, this is a $300 or more workshop.

Call to reserve a slot, then send a check payable to LBS to Lowell Tilley, 520 Laurie Lynn Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70819. 

 

Supper social to follow-$15

5:00 p.m.

Demonstration by Brussel Martin

  

Saturday, January 22, 2022

 

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Bonsai “BYOT” Workshop by Brussel Martin Workshop $45 (LBS members $35).  Limited to 8 participants

 

Lunch to follow-$15

 

1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Special Bonsai Workshop by Evan Pardue   Evan will be providing Black Pines grown from seed and ready for repotting. He will focus on how to repot young JBP and how to grow for future bonsai. Materials provided will include the tree, soil, and training pot. Fee is $125, limited to 4 participants.

 

1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Bonsai “BYOT” Workshop by Brussel Martin Workshop $45 (LBS members $35).  Limited to 8 participants

           

Supper social to follow-$15

 

 6:00 p.m.

Demonstration by Brussel Martin

 

 

Sunday January 23, 2022

 

9:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Bonsai “BYOT” Workshop by Brussel Martin  Workshop $45 (LBS members

$35).  Limited to 8 participants

 

12:00 p.m.

Raffle of Demonstration Trees  Raffle tickets are $5 per ticket or $20 for 5 tickets.  Need not be present to win.

Registration

Each day’s admission will be $10 for observation only, (LBS members free) payable at the door, but admission fee will be waived if registering for a workshop. To assure enough food for everyone, supper social meals on Friday and Saturday, and lunch on Saturday, should be reserved ahead of the conference but will be paid for at the door along with admission fee. Workshops are first come, first served with limited available slots.

 

To register, please e-mail Lowell Tilley lowelltilley@gmail.com or call (225)-241-2396 and include the following info:

1.      Which meals you plan to purchase, $15 each

2.      Which workshops you want to register for

3.      If you want to purchase a club tree

 

Send a check payable to LBS to Lowell Tilley, 520 Laurie Lynn, Baton Rouge, LA 70819. To hold your workshop slot/s, payment should be received no later than 01/14/22.

Nov. 16 - Japanese Black Pine, Broadleaf, and Japanese Maple Continuing Bonsai Classes

  

The Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation is continuing its membership drive, with a focus on preserving legacy specimen bonsai for the next generation. This will begin with a permanent public bonsai exhibit at the Burden Museum and Gardens, 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, for which members are needed for bonsai care and visitor education. The first step is to help members develop their own bonsai collection, so you will have bonsai to show and loan to the collection.  With enough members, this specimen bonsai collection can function on a rotational basis to keep the display fresh and interesting, thereby attracting members into joining not only the Foundation, but local bonsai clubs, like the Louisiana Bonsai Society, Bonsai Society of the Acadiana, Greater New Orleans Bonsai, and others as well to support the exhibit. An agreement with the LSU AgCenter and Foundation has already been established, providing space for the exhibit and tax-deductible donations for garden maintenance. When we grow enough, they will hire a curator.   

To help you develop your bonsai collection, you can improve one or more of your specimens over the course of several workshops hosted by the foundation and guided by some of the best bonsai-teaching experts in the world: Lawrence LeClaire specializes in pine and juniper bonsai, Joe Day specializes in broadleaf evergreen and deciduous (including azaleas) bonsai, and Randy Bennett will teaching Japanese maples and bald cypress. Saturday November 16^th we will host a three “bring your own tree” workshops, with special attention given to Japanese black pine/juniper, broadleaf, and Japanese maple. These Continuing Bonsai Workshops will take place at Waddill Outdoor Educational Center, 4142 Flannery Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70814.  Registration starts at 8:00 and workshops start at 9:00, Saturday, November 16.

The workshops will be divided into three sections, pines, broadleaf bonsai, and Japanese maples so everyone can participate in all three sections.  The workshops will start at 9:00 AM.  We will start the workshops by having three short lectures/seminars reviewing the workshop trees, discussing specific bonsai development plans and caring for bonsai.  Each participant can listen to any or all the lectures, while silently working on their tree, then as each lecturer is finished with his lecture he will be coming around to assist each participant.  This is setup so all participants can listen to all the lectures and maximize the learning experience for the observers.  We are trying increase bonsai information exchange while not boring anyone or wasting their time.

Lawrence LeClaire, who has many years’ experience and an impressive Japanese black pine and juniper bonsai collection, will conduct the “bring your own tree” pine/juniper workshop. He has concentrated his study on the needs and habits of pines and junipers at each stage and season of development to bring your bonsai to the next stage.  He will spend one to two hours reviewing each pine/juniper tree and conducting a class/seminar on pine/juniper bonsai explaining development, horticulture, and specific development plans for your trees

Then Joe Day, who has over thirty years’ experience teaching bonsai workshops and has developed many innovative techniques – you would be hard-pressed to find someone who knows more about caring for bonsai in our climate, much less developing them step-by-step into very fine specimens – something exemplified by his large, and high-quality collection.  He will spend one to two hours reviewing the trees in broadleaf workshop and conduct the broadleaf bonsai class/seminar.

Randy Bennett, who learned bonsai by participating in Vaughn Banting workshops and bonsai study groups. He has conducted workshops, classes, and study groups for decades and developed a very impressive bonsai collection that was unfortunately destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. He specializes in Japanese maple bonsai and has grown pre-bonsai Japanese maples for more than thirty years. As most of you know, growing and developing Japanese maples in our climate is a challenge and there is no one more capable of ensuring your success. 

We encourage you to bring your pine or juniper, broadleaf, and/or Japanese maple bonsai you have worked on in previous classes to develop them to the next level, but you are also able to start a new bonsai. This makes it possible for new students to start at any stage and continue to Stage Nine. These workshops/seminars are designed for both observers and participants to learn new bonsai techniques regardless of experience level. While 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; however, you can get development suggestions on the additional bonsai.

It’s advisable to bring the same bonsai back to the session for the next step in its development, but anyone can start with a new or different bonsai at any workshop/class. Likewise, there is no restriction on attendance – if you miss one session, you can simply come to the next one. All classes are open for new students, with the only requirement being that you have a bonsai or pre-bonsai plant. These classes are custom-made for the bonsai hobbyist (weekend warrior) with hands-on learning to help you develop your collection.

The fees (payable at the door) are as follows:

$45 ($35 for members) to participate in one workshop

$70 ($60 for members) to participate in two workshops

$80 ($70 for members) to participate in three workshops

$12 to observe

Checks should be made payable to Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation. Lunch is included, and there will be door prizes and an auction, so bringing additional cash money and anything you would like to donate for a door prize will be appreciated. The proceeds will go to Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation to help maintain a bonsai collection and develop a bonsai exhibit garden.

These are remarkable workshops! Lawrence, Joe, and Randy are excellent teachers and there will be an inspiring variety of bonsai. If you need some material to use in the workshop, please let me know and I will help you find some starter material. Please RSVP to reserve your spot in the workshop, as space is limited!

For any further questions or suggestions, please contact me. 

Lowell Tilley: 225-272-6744 (Home) or 225-241-2396 (Cell)

Copyediting services provided by T S Harker Editorial Services

GULF COAST BONSAI FOUNDATION

CONTINUING BONSAI WORKSHOPS

Saturday November 16^th, 2019

Waddill Outdoor Educational Center

4142 Flannery Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70814

Bring Your Own Tree for Each Workshop Participation

Registration starts at 8:00 am, Workshop 9:00 am

Featuring Expert Bonsai Artists:

Joe Day-Broadleaf  Bonsai,  Randy Bennett-Japanese Maple Bonsai, Lawrence LeClaire-Pine/Juniper Bonsai

                $45 ($35 for GCBF members) to participate in one workshop.

                $70 ($60 for GCBF members) to participate in two workshops.

                $80 ($70 for GCBF members) to participate in three workshops.

$12 to observe workshops.  Lunch is included in Fee.

Proceeds will go to Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation to maintain a permanent public bonsai exhibit at the Burden Museum and Gardens with a focus on preserving legacy specimen bonsai for the next generation. Members are needed for bonsai care and visitor education.  GCBF membership is $30/yr.

RSVP as space is limited

Lowell Tilley: 225-272-6744 (Home) or 225-241-2396 (Cell)

Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation Membership Drive

We need your help.  The objective of the Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation is to preserve legacy bonsai to pass on to the next generation by training people to develop and care bonsai that will be showed to the public in a bonsai exhibit garden at the Burden Museum and Gardens.  We need members to help take care of the bonsai on exhibit and prepare other bonsai to go on exhibit.  You can also attend bonsai workshop class conducted by the best bonsai teachers in the world.  November 16, we will have bonsai classes conducted by Randy Bennett who specializes on Japanese maples and bald cypress, Lawrence LeClaire who specializes doing Japanese black pines and junipers, and Joe Day who specializes in broad leaf evergreens.   No Bonsai experience is needed to join, just a desire to promote bonsai art and education.  

We hope to get enough members to enable us solicit support from businesses and the public to hire a collection curator.  This will be a very valuable asset to whole Gulf Coast region and the bonsai clubs. 

Contact Robert Reed, rareed@loyno.edu , or Lowell Tilley, lowelltilley@gmail.com, for more information.

Bonsai Classes

The Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation is going forward on developing the bonsai exhibit garden at the LSU Burden Gardens and Museum.  The membership drive is underway and slowly building momentum.  We continuing to develop our training program that is main component of our plan to display and preserve legacy bonsai for future generations.

We are developing three bonsai classes, beginning bonsai, intermediate bonsai and advanced bonsai.  We have three world class bonsai experts, Lawrence LeClaire, Joe Day, and Randy Bennett, teaching and conducting hands-on bonsai workshop for Japanese black pine, junipers, broadleaf, and Japanese maple bonsai.  These continuing bonsai workshops to develop specimen bonsai.  The next advanced bonsai classes will be June 15 for Japanese black pines, junipers, and broadleaf bonsai is set of June 15, time and place TBA.

We have several people signed up for beginning bonsai classes and are working getting instructors, a place, and time.  We are planning to schedule these classes to accommodate bonsai hobbyist who work and have other commitments.  If you are interesting in signing up for beginning bonsai, intermediate bonsai, or advanced bonsai class, please send an email with your name, which class, with what day of the week, and time of day you would like to schedule your class to lowelltilley@gmail.com.  The cost of the class is $40 plus the cost of materials.  Also include any questions or suggestions you have.

We need your support.  Membership is open to anyone who is interested preserving legacy bonsai, developing specimen bonsai, and expanding the art of bonsai to improve our community.  Annual membership is $30.  To join, please send your name and contact information to Robert Reed, membership coordinator, 38298 Oakleigh Lane, Prairieville, LA 70769.  Checks should be payable to Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation.

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.