Meetings: Posts
BSSF General meetings are on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30pm. The members’ workshop is the following Thursday, 3rd Thursday of the month at 7pm. BSSF Board meetings are held on the Fourth Monday at 7pm. All of the meetings occur in the Hall of Flowers (Strybing Arboretum) at the corner of Ninth Ave and Lincoln Way. Enter through the parking lot at Tenth Ave and Lincoln and walk along the south side of the building to the club room.
by Eric SchraderFree Members’ Workshop - 3rd Thursday
Aug 21st: Bring those trees into workshop for help from Tim Kong, John Edwards, Lawrence LeClaire and others.
If you've been letting your trees grow this spring and summer you will probably be seeing a lot of new growth by this time. Cleaning up trees is the next step. Take a well refined juniper as a good example: clean out foliage that doesn't make up part of the outline of the branches. Remove foliage that is hanging down and that has grown beyond the desired silhouette... read more »
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by Eric SchraderAugust General Meeting - Iron Bonsai Challenge
Aug 14th: Our 2nd Annual Iron Bonsai Challenge will be on
August 14. Master of Ceremonies Tim Kong will narrate
as five BSSF bonsai masters will race against the
clock to create instant bonsai masterpieces from 5
gallon juniper stock. Come watch and see the needles
fly! All trees will be raffled at the end of the meeting.
The shears drop at 7:30PM read more »
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by Lawrence LeClaireJuly 2008 General Meeting - Bonsai Tool Care and Sharpening
Jul 10th: Please join us for our July General Meeting on July 10 at 7:30PM at the Hall of Flowers.The creation and care of bonsai require cutting tools. Scissors, concave cutters, knob cutters, root cutters wire cutters and knives are all used and other sharp edged items may be added to the mix. Almost every tool, old or new, can be improved with cleaning and sharpening. At this month’s meeting we will have a workshop on cleaning and sharpening cutting tools... read more »
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by Lawrence LeClaireJune General Meeting - Ruben Guzman and Satsuki Azaleas
Jun 12th: Ruben Guzman was our guest for the June BSSF general meeting. Ruben was invited to the Hall of Flowers to share his experience about growing Satsuki azaleas for bonsai.
The techniques to train Satsuki azaleas for bonsai are very different from raising pine or maple trees. First, azaleas are shrubs, not trees. Trees are top dominant and shrubs are laterally dominant. This means that the weakest growth of an azalea occurs at the top and the strongest growth is to the base and lateral branches of the plant... read more »
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by Lawrence LeClaireBonsai Basics Class May 31
May 31st: BSSF will be holding a Bonsai Basics Class May 31 from 10AM - 2PM. Each participant will be given two trees and instruction by BSSF member Tim Kong. Lunch will be provided. The fee is $65.00 plus club membership. Please contact Lawrence LeClaire (415-200-8967) if you are interested in attending this class and for more information read more »
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by Lawrence LeClaireGordon Deeg and Deciduous Trees for Bonsai
May 8th: For our May General Meeting, Gordon Deeg made an appearance to speak to members about the general culture and care of deciduous trees as bonsai. As you can imagine, this topic is quite encompassing, however Gordon covered some of the basic deciduous tree growing habits and highlighted a few of the many popular species that adapt well to bonsai culture.
As a demonstration, Gordon brought along a young trident maple and prepared it for its future growth as a bonsai... read more »
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by Eric SchraderApril 2008 General Meeting - Cotoneasters
Apr 10th: April General Meeting
Cotoneasters are ideal candidates for small bonsai. Their stems are packed with small leaves and back-bud over the entire trunk. As an added bonus, they produce hundreds of small flowers in the spring that lead to bright red berries the rest of the year. For our April General Meeting, Eric Schrader led members with a workshop/program devoted to using cotoneasters as bonsai. Eric supplied the club with several one gallon cotoneasters of different varieties with compact leaves and variegated foliage... read more »
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by Lawrence LeClaireFebruary 2008 General Meeting - Branch Enhancement - Grafting Junipers with Jim Gremel
Feb 14th: Jim Gremel was our guest for the February General Meeting to demonstrate how to graft shimpaku foliage onto juniper stock. Jim is known all around the Bay Area and California as an expert grafter and for his superb trees. It was our great pleasure to have Jim as a guest and make the long drive down from Occidental on a rainy Thursday night.
Of the many useful techniques to enhance trees trained for bonsai, grafting is one of the more powerful techniques, allowing addition of new roots, branches, and foliage to a tree... read more »
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by Lawrence LeClaireJanuary 2008 General Meeting – When is Three Not a Crowd? In Bonsai Group Plantings.
Jan 10th: When Is Three Not a Crowd? In Bonsai Group Plantings.
BSSF kicked off the New Year with a tag team panel of club artists composed of John Edwards, Tim Kong, and John Boyce demonstrating group plantings for bonsai. Our two Johns and one Tim displayed their skills by working with two plantings of trident maples and a group of cypress saplings. Throughout the program, the guys used their plantings to explain the basics and guidelines of bonsai group plantings... read more »
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by Eric SchraderMarco Invernizzi Tour 2007
Nov 15th: Our November meeting was consumed by an all-day workshop featuring international bonsai superstar Marco Invernizzi. For the past few years Marco has toured Northern California in the fall, whipping bonsai into shape as he goes. Marco's workshops have become one of the highlights of the year for many BSSF members, and this year members turned out to see Marco working on some very promising stock from many of the clubs most active members... read more »
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