Joint project on growing Australian plants as bonsai

[Steven]

Joint AB.c – APAB project on growing Australian plants as bonsai

Today, Steven Hantos and Roger Hnatiuk are announcing the beginning of a joint project between AusBonsai.com (AB.c) and Australian Plants as Bonsai Study Group (APAB). The project aims to bring together all of the knowledge that members of each group have contributed over the past many years. We will be forming a working group of interested people to help with this project. Please read on for details of how you can be involved.

The Aims

The aims of the project are to consolidate what is known about:
Which species of Australian plants can you grow as bonsai?
How do you grow them?
What shapes and inspirations can be used as models for these miniature trees?

The Leaders

Steven brings the might of the internet to this project. In 2008 Steven launched AusBonsai.com, with many innovative capacities and great reach of membership which has in a short time built up an impressive amount of information about growing Australian species as bonsai.

Roger is bringing a decade of contributions from keen and capable members of the Study Group, from across Australia, plus a variety of publishing and organisational skills. He’s also a bit passionate about the subject!

By combining the capabilities of the two groups, Steven and Roger are looking to produce a modern source of information and inspiration to this rapidly expanding area of interest.

Steven has been studying bonsai on and off since the early 80’s and has become more passionate as the years pass. He has a particular adoration for Australian natives as bonsai due to their unique characteristics and his love of the Aussie bush. He also has access to considerable depth of computing skills in the operation of the AB.c website. A capacity that will make the production of the combined set of information dynamic and allowing rapid and wide involvement of all who are interested to contribute.

Roger has been involved with bonsai for nearly half a century and for over half of that he has focussed on the use of Australian species. He has a strong professional background in botany and vegetation ecology, plus many years coordinating national programs. He was also the second Director of the Australian National Botanic Gardens in the early 1990s. For those who are interested in detailed bios, you can see more at: http://www.anbg.gov.au/biography/hnatiu ... james.html . In 2001 he established the Australian Plants as Bonsai Study Group, and in 2003 he initiated a process that resulted in the establishment of the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection of Australia, where he chairs the Bonsai Management Committee.

The Project

The project aims are given above. How we plan to achieve them falls into several stages:
1. Many people have already contributed greatly to this project via both AB.c and APAB. To go the next step it is vital that people in both groups have opportunities to continue their involvement. There are many tasks to do, and many hands make light work.
2. The consolidation of the APAB database only requires an updating of recent contributions. The list of species, varieties etc that are grown will now be made available on the web via AB.c in order to expand the list to be as comprehensive as possible of what is currently known.
3. Complete the summarising of the horticultural information in the APAB database and have it ready to add to the combined database.
4. Extract, consolidate and clean the horticultural and taxonomic information currently in the AB.c website files.
5. Identify any unusual records and try to verify them.
6. Turn the consolidated information from the above steps into appropriate text, tables and other formats.
7. Check clarity and authenticity of the material.
8. Seek further pictures of both mature bonsai and full-size trees as inspirational material for the publication.
9. Prepare in a form ready for publication, in both standard book format as well as species guide format on AusBonsai.
10. PUBLISH.

We both know that the involvement of enthused, capable members from both groups continues to be vital to this project. We have both worked so far to make it possible for as many interested people to work together to accomplish what could not have done by any one person. We don’t want to lose that link to the bonsai community.

The project needs a range of interested and capable people, from AB.c and APAB, to contribute to its development. We will be making calls for interested people to identify themselves now and at various stages along the way. We will need those who can do the basic research to find the relevant information and turn it into a standard format for processing in the next step of consolidation. We will need those who can take a set of rather disjointed information and turn it into something understandable and which again follows a standard format. We will need someone to handle some ‘on-line’ polls when we are seeking to fill gaps or maybe check blocks of text. Nature photographers or those with an interest in mature native specimens will be invited to take part in specific projects that will attract contributors. Later, someone with good web-publishing skills would be most welcome as we get to the point of discussing the prospects for web publishing. Someone with ‘book publishing’ skills would also be welcome.

Another aspect of the project will be that Roger will be identified as a ‘moderator’ on the site. This is necessary in order to give him access to a number of forum functions that will allow processing of existing information.

We welcome your comments and inputs to this project and hope that you will like it and support it. Members wishing to assist and join the working group should post their interest in this forum or by sending a PM to Roger or Steven.

Yours in bonsai,
Steven and Roger

[shibui]

Good move guys. Look forward to contributing data and seeing what trends and generalisations emerge so we can go much further with Aussie natives as bonsai.

[Roger]

thanks for the support shibui. All help is welcome at this stage.
Those willing and able to spend the time on the summarising are much needed now. It would be good if people posted their experience on any/all species they can asap, so that they can be caught up in the research being started on the site now. People will have a good chance to add stuff in later too, as I know not everyone can spare the time.
Cheers
Roger

[Webos]

I'm certainly happy to contribute as a photographer

[Roger]

Great offer Webbos
We'll get back shortly on what we are after. Must go for family business this Sat night.

[GavinG]

Count me in. PM sent.

Gavin

[Bretts]

Happy to put my support behind ya's. I was a member of the APAB at one stage but fell out as I was not sure where it was heading. If ya give me some direction I should be some help with searching and summarizing information at least.
Bailey looking over my shoulder said are you going to do that one to say we are from Australia so lets make it two

[Handy Mick]

Its great when the left hand talks to the right.
I'm not great at much of those jobs on offer, but will certainly keep an eye out on what i could do.
Great job guys, nice to meet you today at the NBPCA Roger, i love that place in winter.

Mick

[Roger]

Hi Mick
Great to meet you today. Your new group on the Southern Highlands sounds really great. All the best with it.

Thanks for the offer of help at some point. Just keep an eye on this topic as it unfolds. Many hands will make light work.
Cheers
Roger

[Roger]

Hi Bretts
Much appreciate your offer of help. With many people assisting the job should move along quite smartly.

I intend to send out some 'how to' notes tomorrow to those who have said they would help. There are some detailed notes on methods, which have been tested by a couple of the Moderators and they have come through with flying colours.

Excuse my ignorance, but I don't 'know' 'Bailey', but if he/she can help with the tasks, that would be most welcome.

Cheers and thanks again
Roger

[dennismc]

Hi Roger

What a wonderful project. Will complement the National Collection perfectly.

As you will be aware Natives as bonsai are my greatest passion. Since I completed my Bsc in Botany in 1985 I have been studying the subject for over 25 years and have developed considerable practical and theoretical understanding of the subject. Hopefully, I can be of some help. If so, you can contact me at dennismc@bigpond.net.au.

regards
Dennis Mc

[Bretts]

Hi Bretts


Excuse my ignorance, but I don't 'know' 'Bailey', but if he/she can help with the tasks, that would be most welcome.

Cheers and thanks again
Roger

Bailey is my 5 year old son.

[Joel]

Hey guys,

Love the idea. Was thinking about something similar a few weeks ago and going to ask Steven about it. This sounds better though.

My bonsai knowledge is limited in that i have only been doing it for about 10 years (and not very well), but i have been experimenting in the few years i have been playing with them. I am studying horticulture and due to my job i have several contacts enabling me to get my hands on some more unusual stock, or species not easy to find.

I LOVE NATIVES!

Joel

[Pekers]

I can offer some computing skills and as a keen photographer may be I can help there as well, in addition I have a a little knowledge of natives as Bonsai but happy to assist where ever I can. Perhaps the best I can achieve is to gee up those I know with the knowledge and skills to contribute. >

[Roger]

Hi All
I think there are about 11 who have put their hands up to help with this project in one way or another. This is a fantastic response. Many thanks to each of you.

Most have indicated that they are willing to help with the big task of 'searching' for posts with relevant information and transforming these into an Excel worksheet. Some have indicated their interest in other aspects such as photos, which is excellent. Some are coming with limited bonsai experience while others have great stores of it. After the 'search and find' step, we will need writers and readers.

I'd like to get the proejct underway now. The search technique has been trialled with two of the 'moderators', Bougy Fan and andrewm. They are now ready to start with the real thing. I will send a PM to each of you with instructions on how to proceed. Some of you are starting with basic Word and Excel skills, and there is a detailed set of step by step instructions for you to learn from. Others of you are starting with high level skills. I will write out a short-form of instructions for you very soon. Once each of you has tried out the process and is comfortable with it, including sending me copies to check, I will assign you a set of species or 'key words' for you to search on. With so many people, I don't think this step will take too long. Once you have learned the basic skills, and they are not difficult, the most challenging part is reading each post and tagging it in the Excel version for its particular content, such as 'pruning' or 'repotting'. It's not difficult, just a bit time consuming and needing some concentration.

I'm free to help at any time and with any questions, even ones you have asked before and still need help with.

If someone reads this post and has not registered, or heard from me in the next few hours and should have because they have put their hand up already, please contact me either via this topic or with a PM. You have not been excluded for any reason other than 'it just happened'!

Cheers
Roger