AABC 2019 'The Photos'

[Gerard]

Victorian Native Bonsai Club Inc
in conjunction with
the 32nd Australian Association of Bonsai Clubs Convention
presents

Australian Natives Breaking Through the Bonsai Ceiling

18th – 19th May 2019
Mantra Bell City
Melbourne

Welcome to the 2019 Exhibition of Bonsai by the Victorian Native Bonsai Club as part of the 32nd National Convention of the Australian Association of Bonsai Clubs.

The ancient art of bonsai growing has spread far and wide across the world in modern times. While many of the traditional northern hemisphere plant species have provided the early backbone for bonsai development in Australia and many other countries, there has long been keen interest in exploring how other species found throughout the world could be used for bonsai growing.



We have such an extraordinary wealth of native plant species which are indigenous to Australia, across many ecosystems and climatic conditions, ranging from alpine areas to rainforests, coasts, open plains and deserts. The potential for growing this exciting range of plants as bonsai continues to be actively explored throughout the country.

This exhibition is intended to highlight a number of excellent examples of what has been achieved in transforming many Australian native species into outstanding bonsai, and to demonstrate the potential of some of the wide range of native plant species for combining the long-established principles of bonsai development with the unique growth habits and characteristics of our native plant species to achieve great bonsai.

For many of these trees, their own particular characteristics and their places in the landscape provide inspiration for their development as bonsai, while using the established principles, history and art of bonsai to bring out the best in each tree to match what can be found elsewhere around the world.

For this exhibition, we have brought together a diverse range of plant species, found both locally in Victoria as well as more widely across Australia, in a range of different bonsai styles, which we hope will inspire the viewers to continue to innovate and explore what can be achieved in using our native plant inheritance to grow outstanding bonsai.

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1. Tristaniopsis laurina
Water gum

This Water Gum started as garden nursery stock just prior to the year 2000. It was purchased by the current owner around the start of 2017 as pre bonsai material from a fellow club member. Since that time the tree has had several small trunks removed from the clump style and has had its design set and refined. The tree in the space of 2 years has had significant roots removed to be able to get it into a Bonsai pot. This variety of tree exhibits great traits to be further explored as Bonsai material. Water Gum is very vigorous and can endure defoliation to reduce leaf size. The secondary branching on this tree and the silhouette has all been developed in the space of 2 years. The final stages of design would see the tree set in a shallow oval pot to compliment the wide spread of foliage. The tree currently sits in a Murrumbung Studio Ceramics pot locally made by Tracey Francis.

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2. Agonis flexuosa
Willow myrtle

Grown from seed collected in 1994, the parent tree portrays characteristics of advanced age, including dense foliage and fissured bark. The tree exhibits strength and presence.

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. Melaleuca incana
Grey honeymyrtle

Grown from tubestock (2001). A large lower branch was removed (2010) in a restyling. With graceful form, this tree encapsulates two opposites seamlessly - toughness and softness.

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4. Sannantha bidwillii (syn Sannantha virgata)
previously known as Baeckea

Grown from tubestock in 2008, this delicate looking little tree belies its toughness. A profusion of tiny white flowers in Spring.

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5. Leptospermum polygalifolium
“Pink Cascade”

Collected as urban Yamadori in 2016. Showed at the 6th Symposium on Australian Native Plants as Bonsai in 2017 after only 8 months training. Flowers profusely at the end of winter with an amazing display of delicate, light pink flowers. In the winter of 2018, it was badly frost bitten and 50% of foliage was lost, it appeared like it would not recover but made a full come back with no major losses even though the species is known not to bud back on old wood where no foliage appears.

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6. Melaleuca gibbosa
Slender honeymyrtle
Nursery stock plant, styled at the 4th Symposium on Australian Native Plants as Bonsai in 2015. Potted into current ornamental container in 2018. Small grey foliage is attractive and gives a good miniature characteristic. It responds well to tip pruning, root pruning and wiring. Currently attempting to push growth back to create denser canopy.

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7. Melaleuca linariifolia
Snow in summer

Collected in the Spring of 2016 from a local walking track, it began with few roots and once potted up developed roots very easily. The canopy has grown prolifically and has responded extremely well to hard pruning. It freely buds back on old wood and even down onto the old trunks. Still in training with a view to maintain the same shape and style.

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8. Kunzea ambigua
White kunzea, Tick bush

Collected in NSW in Aug 2016 by Hugh Grant, first styled March 2017 at the 6th Symposium on Australian Native Plants as Bonsai. Tree is old with good character and movement, shoots back on old wood, weeping nature. Pot: Marg Fenn

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9. Kunzea peduncularis
Burgan
burgan (Woi Wurrung)

Collected from the Seymour, Victoria, area 2 - 3 years ago, one of my few early collected survivors. Collection results have improved considerably since then with the aid of a misted greenhouse for recovery. Styled in a Literati style. Pot: Marg Fenn

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10. Leptospermum laevigatum
Coastal tea tree
nowart (Ganai)
The tree was purchased from a local bonsai club sale day 3 - 4 years ago. Origin unknown, possibly nursery stock grown from seed. The unique bend in the trunk required a pot with a difference. Planted on natural slate, retaining wall created out of clay and moss. The moss on the surface prevents the wall from drying out and cracking.

[Gerard]

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11. Banksia integrifolia
Coast banksia “Roller Coaster”

Full cascade bonsai created from advanced nursery stock selected at the Goldfields Revegetation Nursery. First styled at a workshop with Rui Ferreira, hosted by Bendigo Bonsai Club mid-2017. Partially defoliated twice since. Repotted Oct 2018 from the original 50cm nursery tub into matte-glazed green hexagonal cascade pot by Mariusz Folda (Poland). Mariusz trained in horticulture in Sydney, NSW, and loves Australian native trees.

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12. Eucalyptus pulchella
Tasmanian white peppermint

Purchased from Will Fletcher at the 2016 AABC Convention in Hobart, I loved the species but was unsure how to go about styling because there were very few low branches. I was inspired by a Marc Neolanders presentation at the 2017 AABC Convention in Brisbane, to bring the branches lower to exaggerate the slight weeping growth habit. This has required frequent wiring to achieve the desired result. This tree has AABC in its DNA.

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13. Leptospermum laevigatum
Coastal tea tree
nowart (Ganai)

About eight years ago this tree was a seedling on the club raffle table. It was first styled two or three years later in the early days of the VNBC. Pot by Marg Fenn.

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14. Melaleuca ericifolia
Swamp paperbark
ballan (Ganai)

A very rewarding species to work with, this tree has seen very rapid development since purchased as nursery stock in 2015 from Will Fletcher in Hobart.

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15. Wollemia nobilis
Wollemi Pine

The Wollemi Pine is one of the world’s oldest and rarest tree species belonging to a 200 million-year-old plant family. It was known from fossil records and presumed extinct until it was discovered in 1994 by a bushwalker in the Wollemi National park near Sydney. Some of the older adult Wollemi Pines may be more than 1000 years old. With less than 100 adult trees known to exist in the wild, the Wollemi Pine is now the focus of extensive research to safeguard its survival. Cuts and new buds are protected by a white waxy coating (Polar caps) which will fall off in spring. Male and female cones are produced by the same tree on the tips of separate branches. This tree was purchased in 2006 – one of the first batch on sale -. It has lived through heavy frost and 40+ degrees in partial sun. Trimming has been done by trial and error.

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16. Allocasuarina littoralis
Black sheoak
turrun (Woi Wurrung)

This tree was the piece that triggered the idea for me that there was a great deal of untapped quality and versatility in native trees for bonsai. This tree has allowed me to explore and create a solid methodology of working with Casuarina & Allocasaurina seasonally as a genus and in particular the A. littoralis as a species. This tree represents the unique way these trees will deal with weight. Many larger trees when presented with adverse circumstances or competition will extend rapidly in length, weighing themselves down and taking on a slouched effect. The trees that are strongest and win this battle will build enough girth to be able to support their new shape and rise again as strong confident individuals. Due to these adversaries though, they forever are posed in an unimaginable array of crippled forms. This piece of material enabled me to explore this phenomenon I had been so intrigued by on so many occasions when exploring the coastal Allocasuarina forests.

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17. Allocasuarina littoralis
Black sheoak
turrun (Woi Wurrung)

This tree was a humble reject at a nursery for its peculiar subtle intricacies. I took the material on noticing the suggestive tale it told of casuarina in a dense forest setting. It’s an interesting concept to take a tree and display it singularly in the form it might have if growing tightly in amongst other trees or objects. I wanted to concentrate on the appreciation of the line and accentuate the feeling of height. The delicate dispersal of foliage is a minimalistic representational of sparse canopies. I enjoy the quirk of the base of the tree, reminding us that beginnings are not always so clear but true strength is a product of time. This tree, in my eyes, is a true rendition, or maybe call it a reinterpretation of the form and intent of literati design.

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18. Leptospermum trinervium
Flaky-barked tea tree

This tree explores the ecosystem this species occupies. It offered the opportunity to explore what a tea tree foliage mass might look like. This species will form rather flat, cloud like foliage masses that are often streamline in shape. They grow as long mid-story trees most of the time and will resemble this elongated padded structure. Their range includes coastal escarpments to highland plateaus where these trees take on the characteristics of wind affected forms that cope and adapt very well based on their foliage characteristics. I wanted to respond to these things and make a tree that explores both the species specificity and of the elemental influences that might shape this unique foliage display.

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19. Melaleuca bracteata
River, or Black, tea tree “Revolution Green”

I bought this tree from the general nursery at Bunnings about 7 years ago when I had been learning bonsai techniques for about 1 year. I wanted something I could play with without spending a lot of money. I firstly wired up the trunk to give movement (it was very supple then), I then gradually wired the branches and worked on ramification of those branches. I took it to one of the Victorian Native Bonsai Club meetings and was asked to exhibit it at the first show in the city. It has recently been repotted into the current pot.

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20. Lophostemon confertus
Brush Box
The tree was originally grown by Ted Poynton and I acquired it from one of his former employees almost ten years ago. It is in the vicinity of 40-50 years old. It has had a stint at the national arboretum, where it was touched by Camilla Parker Bowles on the Royal tour and has been worked on by Quentin on many occasions at workshops and the like. It is potted in a commissioned Lorraine Simpson pot specifically to suit this tree.

[Gerard]

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21. Baeckea linifolia
Weeping baeckea
Purchased from Hugh Grant at VNBC in November 2015. I removed top branch and styled the major bends using a steel rod to hold the shape in place. Potted into a bonsai pot in January 2016.

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22. Banksia aemula
Wallum banksia
Nursery stock October 2006. Trunk diameter 40 mm. I allowed it to grow freely to increase the girth. The sacrifice branches were removed in October 2010.

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23. Leptospermum laevigatum
Coastal tea tree
nowart (Ganai)
Free tube stock from VNBC. I decided to make a group planting. I got my inspiration from seeing the old coastal tea trees on the sand belt golf courses of Melbourne with twisted trunks low to the ground.

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24. Acacia howittii
Sticky wattle “Green Wave”

Purchased as a small potted nursery plant in 2013, the natural habit of sinuous trunk and branches continues to be developed with pruning and pinching. A very vigorous growing tree, this species has pale yellow clusters of small flowers in spring. Pot by Lorraine Simpson.

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25. Eucalyptus polyanthemos
Red box
birrbirr (Woi Wurrung)

Red box is a eucalypt species which is normally found growing in the drier hills in SE Australia. This tree began as a tubed nursery plant in 1982, and was grown for many years in a large pot with some training work on trunk and branches. Revitalised by foliage burning in 2012 resulting in a number of new branches and better crown structure, this tree continues to develop a crown which will complement its great trunk form and bark. Pot by Tom Cockram.

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26. Leptospermum flavescens
Tea tree “Cardwell Pink”

Grown from a nursery plant purchased in 1983, this tree has transformed over time, through loss of lower branches and continuing development of the crown, from an ornamental pot plant to its current sinuous and shapely form. This form and the continuing crown movement have inspired my own name for the tree – “Dancing in the Wind”. The tree flowers profusely in Spring with a spectacular cover of small white flowers containing a pink interior. Pot by Marg Fenn.

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27. Allocasuarina torulosa
Rose sheoak

This tree was purchased from a bonsai nursery, although its age is unknown. It has been developed as a semi-cascade style over the past four years.

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28. Callitris glaucophylla
White cypress pine, Murray pine
marung (Wemba Wemba)

Nursery stock originally, and purchased about 10 years ago, the tree has been developed as a bonsai plant over the past five years.

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29. Baeckea gunniana
Alpine baeckea

Purchased as raw nursery stock in Tasmania. At the time of its first styling I decided to keep the looping branch where I always envisage a small bird using it as a perch. This species is very slow growing but also very rewarding for its tiny foliage and white flowers

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30. Callistemon viminalis
Bottlebrush “Captain Cook”

Approx age 35 yrs plus. This tree was dug out from a home garden. I acquired it in very poor health in early 2013 with barely any branching. After repotting and feeding and letting the tree recover for a year, I started to set out its future path. It has come along rapidly and flowers profusely over spring and early summer with the Wattle birds keeping a keen eye on the flowers. I often imagine myself sitting underneath the hollowed trunk and root canopy watching the world go by.

[Gerard]

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31. Calytrix tetragona
Fringe myrtle “Rocky Cape spreader”

Purchased from a club member as raw stock, it was mainly used as a trial species as I have tried this species before and had lost it. So far it has reacted well to all bonsai treatment and it rewards with tiny white flowers

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32. Kunzea ambigua
White kunzea

I acquired the tree in mid-2016 in poor health and minimal branching. I decided to root prune the tree and repot into fresh mix and the tree has developed since then. It was used for a demo as part of a segment on natives as bonsai in Gardening Australia in 2017. It has since been repotted into a pot made by me.

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33. Kunzea peduncularis
Burgan
burgan ((Woi Wurrung)

Collected at one of the Club digs at Seymour in 2014, the major branches were removed at collection time and then the tree was allowed to recover and develop new branches. The main trunk was carved out to add some interest. It was recently repotted into this pot made by me. I have found that the suckers which grow from the base of this species are beneficial at webbing caterpillar time as they focus all their attention on those lower branches and don’t move up the tree at all.

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34. Leptospermum rupestre
Alpine tea tree

Purchased as raw nursery stock in Tasmania in 2016, it had been attacked by wombats so was not in ideal health but the trunk and its twists and turns attracted me to this tree. It is slow growing but a very rewarding species to bonsai. It has nice white flowers in the cooler months.

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35. Melaleuca styphelioides
Prickly paperbark

Approx age 35 to 40 yrs. I acquired this tree in very poor health in early 2013, it had lost a lot of branches and was very hungry and thirsty. I set out to get this tree back to health by repotting and gradually feeding. It has turned into one of my favourite trees and lately I’ve started appreciating a lighter canopy rather than a full crown, I just think the tree has a more natural feeling looking like this.

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36. Acacia howittii
Sticky Wattle

This tree was originally purchased as part of a group of 5 trees. It is about 27 years old. All the 5 trees within the group were sold off separately as single trees. After the tree was removed from the group it needed vast developing on the branch structures and ramification due to being in a group. Side branches needed developing. After many years of developing it. This tree has been in many shows and continues to improve each year. Last season it was potted into a slightly larger Japanese quality pot that compliments the tree. I was fortunate enough to purchase this tree from a great friend and mentor about 2 years ago.

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37. Araucaria cunninghamii
Hoop pine, “Old Prickly”

This tree is close to 60 years old, having been grown as a bonsai in various stages of development since its early days. Nicknamed “Old Prickly” due to the nature of its juvenile leaves, which are always the primary foliage because of the continual pruning and trimming required to maintain the crown. The Hoop pine grows in nature into a tall forest tree, but as this tree demonstrates, can be quite readily maintained as a most interesting bonsai.

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38. Brachychiton populneus
Kurrajong

This tree was bought from the estate of a former Bendigo nurseryman in 1975, and was estimated to be five years old then. It was grown on in its original coiled style for many years, but was restyled as a semi-cascade in 2003. Defoliation does not reduce leaf size in this species.

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39. Leptospermum madidum ssp.sativum
Silver weeping tea tree

This tree was bought as nursery stock in 1995 (sold in error as Leptospermum brachyandrum), and has been grown as a bonsai since then. Root growth is vigorous. It has peeling cinnamon bark over green inner bark, weeping grey green foliage, and small white flowers in late spring.

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[Gerard]

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40. Leptospermum laevigatum
Coastal tea tree
nowart (Ganai)

I purchased the tree at the 2018 AABC convention. The tree wasn’t originally intended as part of this display, but its rapid development saw it out shine the other contender for its spot. Originally grown as an upright tree, it was planted as displayed to maximise the movement and tension in the trunk line. The container was a thrift shop find, drilled out and repurposed for bonsai.

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41. Leptospermum polygalifolium var montanum
Mountain tea tree

I purchased this tree at a presentation given to the VNBC mid-2018. An uncommon species, the tree had been grown from seed collected in Smoky Cape, NSW. At the time I purchased it (and possibly even until now) we were unsure of the species, but some serious sleuthing online led to me settling here. A naturally pendulous tree, it lends itself well to having its branches wired down in a weeping style. Container by the team at Chojo Feature Trees.

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42. Leptospermum flavescens
Tea Tree “Cardwell Pink”

This tree was purchased at the 2018 AABC convention. Chosen for the fantastic movement put into it early on, the tree has come a long way in a short time. The naturally small leaves and foliage colours make this variety a fantastic species for bonsai cultivation. They also handle root reduction extremely well, this tree was reduced from a 2-gallon nursery pot to its current home, while structural and foliage development was taking place. Container was custom made by Tracey Francis of Murrumbung Studio Ceramics.

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43. Ficus rubiginosa
Port Jackson fig

Very old fig, which came from Ballarat. Japanese Pot

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44. Leptospermum laevigatum
Coastal tea tree
nowart (Ganai)

This group was put together around 1998 from tubestock. Mica Pot

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Leptospermum laevigatum
Coastal tea tree
nowart (Ganai)This tea tree came from Richard Salvado’s collection, and is planted in a Japanese Pot

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46. Melaleuca linariifolia
Paperbark “Claret Tops”

Purchased from general plant nursery, the tree had its first styling done 2013. Japanese Pot

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Brachychiton rupestris
Queensland bottle tree

What a spectacular sight it was when driving up through the centre of Qld to Cairns, cresting a hill and seeing these trees for the first time in the paddocks. My aim is to recreate these trees as bonsai.

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Brachychiton bidwillii
Little kurrajong
A deciduous tree. The first year it dropped its leaves, I thought it had died, but 2 months later flower buds appeared and opened followed by a new growth of leaves. 10 years from nursery stock.

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49. Leptospermum continentale
Prickly tea tree
Farm collected. The tree was cut back to the stump and it regrew. It has now started flowering each December. Dug up 5 years ago.

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Baeckea brevifolia
Baeckea
This tree was collected from private land in 2015. Their internal structure is not particularly rigid. Each branch seems to have its own lifeline that extends all the way from the canopy to the roots. As such they tend to twist and collapse on to the ground. I suspect that this lack of internal rigidity will mean this tree will undergo frequent repottings to accommodate changes of angle and positions as it twists and collapses. The position that the tree was growing in made it hard to shape as a bonsai, this was compounded by the fact that the wood is very brittle and requires great care when being wired. My main aim with this tree was to highlight the wonderful curving and twisting life lines.

[Gerard]

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Eucalyptus regnans
Mountain Ash

This tree was collected as a small seedling in the mid 1970’s and has been pot grown since that time. The original top died and is present now as a stub of dead wood. In the wild, most Mountain Ash grow quite close together and grow to enormous heights. Indeed, they have in the past been recorded as the tallest trees in the world. Sadly, many of these giants have been felled. This bonsai probably doesn’t exhibit the normal proportions a Mountain Ash would show but those of you who have seen the Ada tree in East Gippsland may recognise some similarities. That tree was once extremely tall but a storm sometime in the past broke off the top of the tree so that now it is stockier than it once was. Like many eucalypts this tree is not easy to maintain as a bonsai and frequently needs a rethink on the design. The long mature crescent shaped leaves seen in the wild are difficult to achieve in a miniature tree. It does however shed its bark like its larger counterparts, usually a greater shedding occurring every second year.

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52. Lagarostrobus franklinii
Huon pine

This tree was purchased as nursery stock in 2013. It was and old tree and was growing in a 50cm black plastic pot. Despite the warnings that I was given that it wouldn’t survive, it was used in a demonstration in December of that year. Sixty per cent of the foliage was removed, the tree was fully wired, and easily sixty percent of the soil was removed. The tree was then potted in the pot you see it in today. Despite this treatment, in the middle of summer, the tree did not look back. Over summer it is kept under shade cloth and out of hot winds. I have seen Huon Pines in the forests of Tasmania but because they are hemmed in by many other trees, they do not exhibit the shape I have chosen for this tree. Occasionally I have seen trees in parks resembling this shape. My aim with this tree was to get the best bonsai from this particular specimen and not necessarily to shape the tree as it might grow in the wild.

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53. Leptospermum laevigatum
Coastal tea tree
nowart (Ganai)

This tree was collected from a building site. Coastal Tea Trees are difficult to dig from the ground because their root system travels a long way searching for moisture. This tree was growing in a hollow on a rock shelf so the roots were reasonably contained and made the collection process easier. After collection, it was allowed two years to recover and was then shaped as you see it today. It is lucky to be alive though, because I was unable to get home one summer day due to a family emergency, and unable to contact my back up watering helper. The tree dropped all its leaves and I thought it was a goner. Soaking it in Seasol, placing it in a shaded position, and crossing my fingers did the trick, and a fortnight later tiny green buds gradually emerged. The tree gradually came back to life.

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54. Leptospermum lanigerum
Woolly tea tree
balung (Gunai/Kurnai), wuliip (Taungurung)

This tree came into my possession three years ago. It had been collected from the wild in 2008 but a satisfactory design for the tree had eluded the previous owner. I decided to change the front and planting angle of the tree and removed a large proportion of the root ball so that it could be accommodated in its present pot. Once I was sure that the tree had satisfactorily recovered from the re-pot, I set about the long process of wiring the tree to suit the design I had in my head. Any branch greater than 5mm in thickness is quite stiff and can be difficult to bend. However, coming back to that same branch after a day or so enables it to be bent significantly more so that eventually I got the branches into the positions where I wanted them. This species usually grows in quite moist environments so I water it copiously.

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55. Leptospermum polygalifolium var montanum
Mountain tea tree

I bought this tree from the Trading Table at one of the Victorian Native Bonsai Club sale days in 2017. It had been collected from private land in 2015. When it was purchased, the existing planting angle didn’t do any justice to the tree. I decided to turn the tree almost upside down and shape it as a cascading tree. This of course presented difficulties in finding a pot to suit the new planting angle. With a little bit of ingenuity, a portion of an informal pot was removed and the plant is now displayed on a tall stand.

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56. Melaleuca bracteata
River, or Black, tea tree

This group was put together in the late 1970’s from quite small nursery stock. When I purchased the group in 2009 it was in quite a small pot and the trees were not growing vigorously. The arrangement of the trees was also different. I immediately planted the group into a larger pot and set about making the trees grow so that their growing directions complemented each other. The trees are very thirsty so they are watered pretty much every day. I do seem to get quite a bit of die back of the fine twigs. I haven’t worked out if it’s the moist atmosphere of Melbourne winters that doesn’t suit them.

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57. Melaleuca lanceolata
Moonah
moonah (several indigenous languages)

The bulk of this group was put together from advanced nursery stock in a demonstration that took place during the ‘Fourth Symposium of Australian Native Plant as Bonsai’ that was hosted by the Victorian Native Bonsai Club in April 2015. A couple of years later several smaller plants were added to the planting. The whole planting was re-potted as a single unit from the pot used in the demonstration to the pot you see it in today. The individual plants were all started from seed so they exhibit slightly different growth habits. Some are more densely growing than others. This obviously occurs in nature so this is another thing that I enjoy with this planting. Like most Melaleucas it is extremely thirsty.

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58. Leptospermum nitidum
Tea tree “Copper Sheen”

In Spring, the strongly textured grey bark contrasts beautifully with the bright red new growth that gives the ‘Copper Sheen’ to the crown. The ‘dragon tooth’ pot complements the bark’s texture. Worked on sporadically since acquired as small nursery stock in 2005, this tree now feels calm and settled to me.

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59. Melaleuca styphelioides
Prickly paperbark

Drought-breaking rains have stimulated a burst of fresh new leaves at the ends of branches shaped by cycles of die-back and re-growth. The textured bark and sparse foliage convey a sense of age in this tree, always pot-grown since bought as tube stock in 1999.

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60. Sannantha pluriflora
Tall Baeckea

A wonderful place to rest on a hot summer’s day. As small nursery stock in 2000, I was attracted to the fine, bright green foliage and the curving base of the trunk. In the last year this tree has been allowed to outgrow its former tightly clipped form and extend its graceful weeping foliage, which I will retain and continue to refine.

[Gerard]

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Banksia marginata / Leptospermum laevigatum / Lomandra confertifolia
Silver banksia / Coastal tea tree / native grass
woorike (Woi Wurrung) / nowart (Ganai) /
(3 - Point Display)The Banksia marginata was originally grown from seed in Tasmania and shipped to Victoria approximately 20 years ago. The tree is approximately 50 years old. The container is a commissioned pot from Murrumbung Studio Ceramics (Victoria). The Coastal Tea Tree was purchased as a stock tree from the Victorian Native Bonsai show and was subsequently styled. The pot selected is from Adelaide Bonsai Pottery (South Australia). The accent is an Australian native grass, Lomandra confertifolia, and is in another pot made in Australia by Pat Kennedy (NSW).

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62. Ficus microcarpa
Curtain, or Banyan, Fig

Stock purchased at auction in 2007. Styled to feel like a banyan fig in a park. In this pot since 2014. Bespoke stand by the artist 2019.

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63. Melaleuca bracteata
River, or Black, tea tree

This tree has been developed from a seedling dug from a paddock. After much restyling over the years I am pleased with the design and am now concentrating on pinching and pruning for ramification. Age unknown

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64. Banksia integrifolia
Coast banksia

Developed from nursery stock in the 1980’s, this tree requires constant pinching and pruning to maintain the shape.

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65. Ficus rubiginosa
Port Jackson fig

The story of this tree is that I saw it at the Yarra Valley sale day back in Nov 2012. I noticed its beautiful trunk and small leaves, and having a love for cascading trees, I couldn't pass it up. I bought the tree from Michael Simonetto. At the time it looked to be cascading to the right, but since I've had it, I've changed the front and have also made a pot for the tree. The pot took a while to create. I wanted something deep and wide and looked around for some time, but couldn't find anything that I felt really complimented the tree and my creative taste. So, I went to a pottery class and made the pot myself. I feel the blues and greens of the glaze compliment the tree, it being a tropical plant. I also really love those colours. I estimate that it would be roughly 14 to 15 years old. Could be more but not sure.

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66. Melaleuca linariifolia
Paperbark “Claret Tops”

Trees were purchased as nursery stock in Tamworth about 13 years ago. Worked on since under guidance of Lee Wilson, Quentin Valentine and Joe Morgan Payler. Mainly styled by clipping and some wiring where unavoidable as tends to sulk with a lot of wire. Loves lots of water in summer and thrives sitting in a tray of water on very hot spells.

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67. Baeckea brevifolia
Short-leaved baeckea

Yamadori from coastal, central New South Wales. It was transplanted into the bonsai pot in 2017. It is believed to be more than 60 years’ old. The pot is a Marg Fenn creation from Hachinoki Bonsai.

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68. Banksia canei
Mountain banksia

Propagated from cutting and then field grown for several years. It was transplanted into the bonsai pot in Autumn 2017. It has taken several years of pruning to reduce the size of the leaves and develop taper and has never being allowed to flower.

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69. Ficus rubiginosa
Port Jackson fig

3 times rescued from 1990 to 1993. Restyled in 1996, and planted on the rock in 2006.

[Gerard]

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70. Nothofagus cunninghamii
Myrtle beech

The group has been in my garden for about 10 years. It was collected from a pile of rubble after roadworks in a Tasmanian forest. The clump of trees lives in a piece of cork in which it was growing when first collected. I am not sure if the cork is from the same species but it has proven durable. It grows in a shallow tray of water.

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71. Allocasuarina torulosa
Rose sheoak

Nursery stock purchased in 2014. Planted as a group. It buds back on old/bare wood and is easily maintained by pinching new growth.

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[MJL]

Gerard,
Thank you for taking the time to post such a comprehensive set of photos and guidance notes.
Again, to all involved in this conference, thanks for your efforts.
Much appreciated.
Cheers,
Mark


Bonsai teaches me patience.
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[shibui]

These photos and this whole convention really emphasise the potential for our Aussie natives as bonsai.
Lots of really impressive trees in the display, large through to quite small bonsai in a whole range of styles and just a few of the species available.
One of the many things the descriptions emphasised for me is the sped these trees develop. A number of really these good exhibits were started just a few years ago, some from tubes

Kudos to all those growers who have dedicated so much time and effort into finding out what works and what doesn't to bring our Aussie natives into the great game of bonsai cultivation

[Nate.bonsai]

I second that. It adds a great deal to the appreciation of many of these fantastic trees to have an insight into their development.

Seeing them all displayed together, with the species names and being able to identify the sometimes small differences between similar species also helps make a ‘shopping list’ for natives to try in the future.

Thanks again.


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[Watto]

Thanks for the effort Gerard. I had a great time there and I didn't hear one negative regarding the plants.
Great show and a real boost to Australian natives as bonsai.

[TimS]

Though my heart will always belong to the deciduous trees, and i'm not overly interested in growing natives myself, there are some hugely impressive trees there. Thank you for taking the time to share them and some of their history

[melbrackstone]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to post all the photos and the descriptions, Gerard! I just can't stop enthusing about the trees I saw, and now having them all together here is a huge bonus. I'll keep coming back to this page, for sure!

[Rory]

That’s a fantastic effort Gerard. We all appreciate it immensely.

Laughing at Nate.bonsai’s comment on the shopping list, haha

Some of those trees I’d love to own.
Remember people, it is so much fun to experiment with our natives and with such cheap nursery stock available in this country why wouldn’t you.