A Visit to Bebop Bonsai & His 3 Tips for Alberta Spruce Bonsai

Source material: June 8, 2024

            Last weekend when I was vending at the Pittsburgh Bonsai Society's excellent show (more pictures to come from that in a later post), their club president kindly invited my Columbus Bonsai Society associate and I over to his place after the first day of the show to chat and see trees. Needless to say, we had such a good time talking that I almost didn't think to take pictures of his trees until it was getting dark and time to go. Here are those few shots at Bebop Bonsai located just south of Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Ian Evans is their club president and the curator of this cozy backyard garden. Ian also has a long history as a jazz drummer hence the name of his bonsai business, but more recently he has launched into bonsai through offering services in his area such as maintenance tasks, tree boarding, and assistance selling/moving trees. You can read more about Ian's bonsai work, see pictures, and find out more about his bonsai services on his website here. Read on for more pictures and 3 species-specific tips for Alberta spruce found in bold in the picture captions below of Ian's Alberta spruce bonsai.

In Vivo Bonsai / Columbus Bonsai Announcements

1. My next workshop is Saturday 6/29, Kevin Faris and I will be teaching beginner-intermediate bonsai styling and care for junipers and yews. For the intermediate level, the junipers we have are unique, aged material (20 years old+), meanwhile for the beginner level we have some nursery stock yews which are flexible to a variety of styles. Sign up and see pictures and full details here and contact me with any questions! There are only 1 beginner and 1 intermediate spot left and observers are welcome.
2. If your local bonsai or garden club is interested in having me talk to your group in 2025, please contact me and we can discuss options. There are now 3 talks on my YouTube channel and a few other subjects I've given but not recorded. Even for subjects I've done before, I always update them with new information as I learn more and develop as a teacher! We can also brainstorm for workshops or an entirely new lecture subject.
3. The Columbus Bonsai Society's next meeting is 7/20-7/21, our 52nd Annual Show. This year it will be held at a new venue - Chadwick Arboretum at Ohio State University near downtown Columbus. More info will be coming this week and can be found here.

Ian's biggest Alberta spruce. This tree is probably 4' tall. I think he said it was a former landscaping tree. Luckily for me, Ian has a number of Alberta spruces he has styled due to their widespread and cheap availability especially around Christmas. I say luckily for me as I just acquired my first one. Ian's main advice on these is to (1.) let the wire bite in hard on the branch before removing it to make sure the branch stays, then with vigorous growth the following year these scars tend to heal well. Many people report that wiring this species is a pain as they go back to the way they were too easily. This seems like a good solution though!

Recapping the 1st Annual Columbus Bonsai Society Invasive Yamadori Dig with the Columbus Metro Parks

Source Material: April 2022

            As spring continues to hum right into summer here in Ohio, let's continue our series on the invasive honeysuckle species common in the eastern US. As already outlined in the previous article in the series, several distinct species of invasive honeysuckle (genus Lonicera) are similar in their characteristics, similarly suitable for bonsai, and have even yielded some show-quality bonsai specimens by prominent artists. These species are the Japanese honeysuckle/Lonicera japonica, Amur honeysuckle/Lonicera maackii, Morrow's honeysuckle/Lonicera morrowii, and Tatarian honeysuckle/Lonicera tatarica (see here for more info on these species and their bonsai suitability). Furthermore, the fact that these species are invasive makes them a doubly attractive candidate for practicing collection of wild bonsai due to their abundance and the many interested landowners who are eager to be rid of them! The topic of collecting these wild prebonsai specimens brings us to today's topic - recapping the creation of a collaborative event with the Columbus Metro Parks to remove these unwanted invasive honeysuckles from city parkland and save them for members of the Columbus Bonsai Society (CBS). This event focused on invasive species removal could be a model for bonsai practitioners in areas where public land does not normally permit tree collection and for those who live in urban areas without access to private land for wild bonsai collection. 

Sections

1. Invasive Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica & related species.) for Bonsai (last time)
1. Examples of Honeysuckle Bonsai
2. Identifying Candidate Honeysuckle for Bonsai
3. Observations & Comments on their Suitability as Bonsai
1. Ability to Ramify
2. Response to Trunk Chops
3. Wood Durability/Deadwood
4. Wiring Branches
5. Shallow Root Systems
2. Recapping the first annual Columbus Bonsai Society Invasive Yamadori Dig with the Columbus Metro Parks (this time)
1. Event Motivation & Creation
2. Event/Collected Trees Album
3. Event Potential for Future Years
3. Invasive Trees & Shrubs with Known Bonsai Potential (next time)
4. Blog Announcements
5. References

The botany professor-style hat proves function > fashion whether digging in the sun or rain! Also pictured, my new 8-foot honeysuckle raft which occupied the entire length of my SUV. This is one bonsai that will likely just live at home permanently, or perhaps in the future, I will divide it into 2 trees that are more portable.