AusBonsai

Hi Lindsay
Its great to see you here at last (now that is a hard thing for a NSw person to say about a Vic person )

Good to see some of the "stuff"from the old days....

Talking of old days, I reckon either your 'rithmetic has gone amoc, or you were 1 year old when you started Bonsai

Thanks for your contributions here and I look forward to more of your videos one day when you get some time.

Regards
Steve

Hi Steve,
Nice to finally catch up with you in our own backyard. I actually began bonsai when still in Mothers womb. Do you have any old Australian publications. Thanks for your anticipation and patience with the forthcoming bonsai video series. Soon. I promise
Cheers
Lindsay

Lindsay,

I've recently pushed the "orange pot" origin back a little. The last line in this 1889 French article http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/1800Refs/Maury.html reads:
"M. Vallot rappelle, à propos des observations de M. Maury, qu'on a décrit dans la Revue horticole, il y a quelques années, le procédé suivant qu'emploient les Japonais: on sème les graines dans une orange évidée remplie de terre de filasse de coco et de charbon, on laisse la peau de l'orange se dessécher, et, quand les racines viennent à traverser l'enveloppe, on les coupe sans cesse, de manière à réduire au minimum la nourriture absorbée."

A rough translation using BabelFish is
"Mr. Vallot recalls, in connection with the observations of Mr. Maury, that described in the Revue Horticole, a few years ago, the following process which the Japanese employ: one sows seeds in a hollow orange filled with ground of oakum of coconut and of coal, one leaves the skin of the orange to desiccate itself, and, when the roots have suddenly crossed the wrap, one cuts them unceasingly, so as to the minimum reduce absorptive food."

I'm trying to track down the slightly older original Revue horticole article.

Robert

Robert,
That's fascinating. I really spent the greater part of my bonsai life thinking that this was an old wives tale. ( no offence intended to old wives)
I'll await further insight with anticipation.
WorldOfBonsai series 2 starts on October 1. We will release 5 episodes in October celebrating the worlds most sustainable bonsai community in Shikoku, Japan. Episode 1 takes us to a bonsai auction where we see first hand the profound impact that the GFC has had on Japanese bonsai.
Mitsuo Matsuda is a young Shikoku bonsai pro with a keen interest in history and good English. I think that he would be a willing participant to shed more light on Shikoku bonsai history and further evolve your fantastic gift to our community. I'll pm his contact to you.
Cheers
Lindsay

My first attempt at growing Bonsai was the seedling in an orange, because I read it in a newspaper article.
Just after this there was a small pull out book published in the Womens Weekly, by Dorothy and Vita Koreshoff and this has lead me onto a life of growing Bonsai. I have this original publication and quite a few other old ones that I will dig out and put on here.
Cheers,
Jonden

I'd love to see them Jonden.
Cheers
Lindsay

Lindsay,

Series 2 looks extremely promising. I wish I could attend and/or afford a visit to the auction house. The Takasago-en footage was awesome.

I've added this series to our Book of Days project, http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/Days/DaysOct.html , Oct. 1.

Cordially,
Robert

Thanks for your kind words Robert. I really appreciate it as I consider your work to be of enormous and enduring value to our global community.
The Takasago -en footage is excellent. It is an extraordinary place. A bit like Huang Shan, Point the camera make adjustments and shoot. Poetic imagery every where. I think that the music adds greatly. It's nice to get my son away from Robbie Williams, Shakira, Jeff Beck, Jamiriquoi and all the others he works with to provide some sounds.
When the Shikoku episodes complete the series will morph into a fast track bonsai creation series which I hope will entertain, inform and inspire.
Thanks for "book of days" the listing Robert.
The series is also posted at the Japanese newspaper bonsai site of the Shikoku Shimbun.
http://bonsai.shikoku-np.co.jp/en/map/takamatsu.html
I don't know if it's a first but I'm delighted to have this affiliation.
Thanks again for the wonderful and selfless work that you contribute.
Cheers
Lindsay

I recently purchased a copy of Your Garden from September 1966 which includes a quaint section on 'Bonsai Made Easy' by Alf Heaver.
The following 5 pictures are the cover and 4 pages of the bonsai article.

Here is another issue of Your Garden from June 1969 which has an interesting article on Australian Native Bonsai. There is also reference to an all native bonsai exhibition held at the Rural Bank, Martin Place Sydney on the 4th to 6th June 1969!
Regards,
Steven

Great stuff Steven

I've been reading up on the history of the SA Bonsai Society (because I'm so cool like that) and Google brought me here - Alf Heaver, the author of the article that Steven posted above, was the person who initially got the society started as The Thebarton Garden Bonsai Club, back in 1964 - the first bonsai club in Australia.

greg27 wrote: ↑October 12th, 2021, 7:54 am I've been reading up on the history of the SA Bonsai Society (because I'm so cool like that) and Google brought me here...

... nice.
Seriously though - it was a bit of an interesting thread to browse through ... dusting off the archives!

bone-sigh....

Page 21 of Your Garden Sep 1966 -

" After potting spray the foilage at least once a day .
This not only keeps them healthy but guards against most of the wogs . "

Wondering if this was a typo or someone was trying to be funny .