February 2023 Bonsai Newsletter

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The Conejo Valley Bonsai Society’s program schedule for 2023 is well on its way. At our January meeting, we spent time outlining club programs and activities for the remainder of the year, but we need every member to help fill out the details.

Our plan is to have two expert demonstrators during 2023. Program Chair Nancy Smeets is reaching out to the bonsai community and putting the schedule of demos together. For her discussions with potential demonstrators, Nancy would appreciate knowing what topics interest you. Please let her know your ideas at the next club meeting.
For most evenings, when we do not have a demonstration, we will carry on with our practice of having 5- to 10-minute discussions on bonsai topics led by experienced members. These discussions will be followed by a workshop. Again, please advise me or Nancy of topics you would like to be included in the discussion program.

Ken Fuentes, our advisor, will be on hand to help members with their bonsai. If you have a club mentor, this would be a good time to work with them.

Rick Boyer has volunteered his nursery for Saturday afternoon workshops. We already have scheduled sessions there on March 4 and May 6. We will meet from 1:00 – 4:00 PM. Please see page 2 for details.

Field Trips & Activities
Chair Damon DuBois has talked to Ted Matson, curator of the bonsai collection at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Ted has agreed to give us a behind-the-scenes tour at the Huntington. We just need to discuss it in the next club meeting, pick a date, and get an exact count for the number of people planning to go.

Please remember the Bonsai-A-Thon at the Huntington February 25 – 26, 2023. I have e-mailed the most recent flyer about this important event from the Huntington to all the club members. Note that advanced tickets are required. See the flier I sent and page 7 of this newsletter for details.

Club Calendars
We have a few of our club’s 2023 calendars left. Please see me at the February meeting. The calendar has photos of member trees taken for our October 2022 virtual bonsai show.

If you have not yet paid the club dues for 2023, please bring it along to our February meeting. The $25.00 for singles/$30.00 for couples is excellent value for the club activities being offered. See page 3 for details.

Meanwhile, the weather in our area sure has been challenging. On the one hand, we have had good rain through January and the start of February. The trees have been loving all the good water. But we also are experiencing some cold and windy weather. I have been having some frostbite on the leaves of my bougainvillea bonsai, so keep an eye on the cold weather. I should have pulled my trees into the garage. I will see if they break out with new growth this spring. On the other hand we have been having some sunny, warm days so I am finding my trees are drying out. It has been either too much or too little rain so keep an eye on your trees.

See you all the evening of Thursday, the 16th of February.