July 2020 Bonsai Newsletter
With the Covid-19 spike, it is hard to tell whether we are going forward or closing down. The Westlake Village Community Room is still closed—so no in-person meetings yet for the Conejo Valley Bonsai Society.
As you can see in our Coming Events department (page 8), California’s 2020 bonsai exhibition and convention season has been canceled. But our own annual exhibition venue, Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks, already is partially open (see below) and may reopen inside spaces in time for our originally scheduled October 3 – 4 show. Failing that, we will do a virtual show, so keep working on those exhibition trees.
Two other Southern California clubs already have mounted online exhibitions. The San Diego Bonsai Club (www.sandiegobonsaiclub.com) has an excellent, multi-webpage example well worth visiting. And our good friends over at the Descanso Bonsai Society (www.descanso-bonsai.com) have their own online show, which includes two entries from CVBS Member Ken Martin (see page 8).
I have been checking whether LA-area botanical gardens are open.
The activities for a few of our favorites are:
• The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino is reopening the gardens. Members and guests may attend—but non-members must buy tickets online in advance. And members must reserve tickets online in advance. Face masks required.
• Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge is open 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM. Advance tickets are required for non-members; members may enter without an advance ticket, but visitors and guests not covered under a membership will need advance tickets. No tickets sold at the gardens. Wear a face covering.
• Gardens of the World reopened July 1st with restrictions. New hours of operations are Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last admittance 4:30 PM). Closed Sunday and Monday, most national holidays and during inclement weather. Wear face coverings (for all visitors over age 2).
Editor David Whiteside is going to start a new feature in which club Advisor Ken Fuentes will write about basic bonsai guidelines. The feature will start in our August issue.
Recently, I got a call from Joyce Fujimoto. Her late father was a bonsai enthusiast and had a number of bonsai pots, which she donated to our club (see photo, this page). They will become part of our Holiday Potluck auction in December if the WLV Community Center is open. The family just asks that members who get these pots send them a picture of their tree in the pot.
Stay safe.
