Pathfinder July 2005

HORTICULTURE -- Richmond African Violet Society meets the first Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. at Overbrook Presbyterian Church, 2605 Dumbarton Road. Details: 323-1734. Richmond Bonsai Society meets the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at Imperial Plaza, 1717 Bellevue Ave. Details: 359-2041.

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Green Stuff Contra Costa

Bonsai and Suiseki Display Garden Fifty bonsai trees and suiseki viewing stones on permanent display. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Today-Fri., 10 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Sat., noon-3:45 p.m. Sun. Bellevue Ave., Lakeside Park, Oakland. (510) 763-8409.

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Garden Resource

Classes

Bonsai Classes: 10 a.m. Saturdays; Exotic Bonsai Gardens, 1214 N. Mills Ave., Orlando; free; 407- 897-3352, exoticbonsaigarden.com.

Plant societies

Bonsai: Central Florida Bonsai Club, 407-331-4122.

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Jobs For Youth Fund Kicks Off With Breakfast In San Mateo

BONSAI EXHIBIT — South San Francisco Cultural Arts Commission is sponsoring a free Bonsai exhibit from 7 to 9 p.m. on July 8 and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 9 and 10 at the Betty Weber Gallery, Municipal Services Building, 33 Arroyo Drive, in SSF.

Bonsai is the art of dwarfing trees or plants and developing them into an aesthetically appealing shape by growing, pruning and training them in containers according to prescribed techniques.

On July 10, the program will feature a demonstration by Bonsai master Paul Serizawa at 1 p.m. Free Bonsai door prizes will be raffled off afterwards.

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One Man Cross-pollinates His Love Of Science And Nature In A Glorious Garden

A garden mirrors the gardener. Peek at Michael Lee's garden, and you'll see an architect's fascination with art and science and his passion for collecting plants — daylilies, iris, fruit trees and bonsai. Lee has a knack for crossing blooms, so his collections are colored with his own creations.
Look again at this expansive, established place, and you'll also see that Lee is a bit compulsive — a necessity, he says, to keep it all going.
When Lee purchased his colonial-style house and 2 1/2 lots in Riverside Terrace 20 years ago, he tapped his understanding of spatial concepts. Over time, he phased in a pleasing series of outdoor rooms to surround the two-story home. He sculpted walls with massed shrubs and trees. He furnished the exterior spaces with vast collections that reflect his shifting interests, accessorizing with recycled stone and architectural follies.
The front garden is somewhat symmetrical, halved by a broad walkway of recycled, light-colored clay tiles softened by dark-green tufts of dwarf mondo. In spring, the garden is a spectacle of orange and yellow daffodils, red lapeirousia (Freesia laxa) and a magnificent Mexican plum.
As a cedar elm, the third largest listed in The Park People's 2005 Harris County Tree Registry, and other deciduous trees leaf out, Japanese maples and pentas color the understory shade.
The large arbor and brick patio just outside the home's living room offers shaded outdoor seating and a full view of Lee's "Allée of Planets," an orderly, intriguing space carved from a jungle of plants.
Bold, parallel lines of Bradford pears carry the eye to an amusing focal point: At the allée's end stand two pediments, each perched on a pair of columns. Large round concrete orbs — the planets — are placed among the classical ruins. The jungle that serves as the green backdrop is negative space to enhance the allée, Lee explains.
Framing one side of the allée are spiral and hydechium gingers (among them a Lee favorite, 'Fiesta', that doesn't flop in the shade). Ferns and brunsfelsia crowd a path of stone remnants salvaged from an old chemistry building at Rice University.
More gingers, bauhinias and crinums are massed along the path to the koi pond.
A monkey puzzle tree and mountain thistle are among the pathside notables on the way to a 25-foot brick-and-gravel circular garden behind Lee's home. At its heart, an enormous aviary houses exotic birds, including Spanish phantoms that roam free during the day, along with an unexpected companion, a 10-year-old red-foot tortoise from Brazil.
Lee's love of gardening began with childhood visits to his grandmother's farm. Also shaped by his adult interests and friends, his garden is a timeline of his fascination with daylilies, bonsai and fruit trees. Scientist JoAnn Trial, he says, sparked his interest in rainlilies, Louisiana iris, Freesia laxa, citrus, grafting and plant genetics. As a result, Lee has generated enough iris to fill a wetland.
Friend Chuck Gulick, he says, taught him to love fragrant old roses such as the yellow blooms of a massive 10-year 'Mermaid'.
Lee says the art of bonsai — the meticulous, meditative practice of growing miniaturized plants in containers — has sharpened his artistic, scientific and gardening skills. "I've killed my fair share of trees," he says. "You plant a tree that wants to be a 30-foot giant into a 12-inch-diamenter pot. Keeping it alive and making it beautiful are a challenge. You need to be compulsive. If this little tree is not watered daily, it is history."
To discourage the bonsai pots from drying rapidly when it's hot, Lee designed a piece of functional art — a tall, long table with a shallow pool as a top — to display his bonsai collection.
Lee also maintains an acre along an old railroad easement beyond his back gate. Lee and his neighbors planted it years ago to deter crime. It might not be there forever; the city and Texas Department of Transportation want to put a bike trail there.
But for now, it's lovely. Lee has framed a long grassy strip with roses; oleanders; his daylily, amaryllis and iris crosses; and citrus, pomegranates, plums, apples, figs, persimmons, peaches and loquats grown from seed. The north end is anchored with an enormous Confederate rose.
Benches, half-buried bits of stone and other recycled architectural elements add whimsical character to the broad, linear space. Other pieces serve as memorial plaques. Most striking is an 18-foot column, constructed from pieces found scattered in a stone yard, that honors friends Lee has lost to AIDS.

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Martha Stewart Expanding Product Line

Bonsai workshop is today at Butler museum

People can attend a bonsai workshop today at the Maridon Museum in Butler.
The workshop, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is designed for people who are interested in the Japanese art of creating miniature tree sculptures. Attendees don't have to know anything about bonsai or gardening.
People will get to create their own bonsai tree sculpture. The instructors are experts in bonsai from the Phipps Conservatory and the Pittsburgh Bonsai Society.
Admission is $35 for Maridon members and $40 for nonmembers. The fee includes a plant, bonsai pot, soil, care instructions and a box lunch.
Maridon, at 322 N. McKean St., is a museum dedicated to Asian art.

Details: 724-282-0123.

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Bonsai-obsessed Braam Takes Jazz On A Wild Ride

You’ve got to love a country where marijuana is tolerated but cellphones are strictly controlled. Such seems to be the case in the Netherlands—or so it seemed last week when I interviewed bandleader Michiel Braam. I reached him in his car, on his way home from the Arnhem Conservatory, where he’s head of the jazz department. But we’d barely had time to introduce ourselves before he told me that he was going to have to cut our chat short.
“There’s police driving behind me, and I’m without my headset,” he explained. “The problem is we can’t drive here while telephoning, so can you call me in five minutes? The fines are pretty high.”
Fortunately for music lovers, Braam has less respect for the laws of jazz. His 13-member Bik Bent Braam, which plays a free Gastown Jazz show on Sunday (June 26) before headlining at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre on Tuesday (June 28), is an anarchistic gang of some of Holland’s finest improvisers, yet their leader has found a way to channel their abandon into music that sounds surprisingly focused.
Braam’s strategy, as he explained once we reconnected, is to start by writing an assortment of brief, modular pieces, which can then be assembled at the whim of the musicians. “We don’t make set lists, so everybody can start a piece at his own tempo and the rest can either follow or do something completely different,” he said. “On [the 2004 CD] Growing Pains, for instance, there are some pieces played simultaneously: the saxophones play something totally different from the brass. So everybody can start pieces, end pieces, change pieces—whatever they want—and try to get other people to join them.”
Braam calls his mini-compositions “bonsai”, after the Japanese art of living sculpture. Like bonsai trees, his tunes are short and twisted yet surprisingly lovely. At times, Bik Bent Braam sounds like the Count Basie Orchestra after a long and raucous party; even at its wildest, it retains some of the joyous polyphony of early jazz. Anchored by Braam’s own piano, which displays a strong Thelonious Monk influence, the band’s music is kaleidoscopic, adventurous, and, most of all, highly entertaining.
“We try to make it very rich,” Braam said. “We try to make what we give to the listener to be as rich as possible so he can make his own choices. In fact, the listener is bonsai-ing with the material too. He can think, ‘Now I think it’s going this way,’ and then, of course, we’ll try to direct it another way in hopes that he’ll be surprised.”

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The Culture And Art Of Japan

...is the subject of a special afternoon of activities at Stevenage Museum on Saturday (June 25).
Visitors can join in a tea ceremony, try origami and calligraphy, look at bonsai trees, learn about Japanese gardens and see a display of Samurai armour and weapons.
The afternoon is linked to the One Book for Stevenage promotion which encourages everyone in the town to read Lian Hearn's novel Across The Nightingale Floor, set in a mythical Medieval Japan.
The free events run from noon until 4pm and there will be a £1 sushi demonstration and tasting at 2.30pm. For more details and to book for the talk call 01438 218881

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Garden Show And Sale Dubbed Westward Hoe

Seal Rock Garden Club's annual plant sale and flower show, this year titled "Westward Hoe," celebrates Oregon gardening history, is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Bulbs and shrubs from members' gardens will be available. Bonsai display, raffle prizes, refreshments also available. The Clubhouse is located on the east side of U.S. Highway 101, next to the Seal Rock Fires Station, 563-5130.

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Gardening Ground That Is Not Yours Improving Landscape, Providing Therapy Just A Few Of The Advantages For Landlords And Tenants Alike

I've identified three types of renter-gardeners. I'm an urban farmer, willing to live with a certain amount of chaos on the fringes of my field in order to cultivate food along with the flowers; to the urban farmer, design and looks aren't everything. My sister Karyn is the true landscape artist: She sees a neglected patch of land and imagines Versailles. Ramble-shamble becomes a Zen peace garden. My boss Russell is yet another type of renter-gardener, a pot 'n' barrel gardener, who grows most things in transportable containers; Russ specializes in bonsai but also grows vegetables, herbs and flowering plants in pots.
However, the backyard also features a two-tiered deck that gets sun and allows for enchanting outdoor evenings. Most of Russ' gardening is done in pots, and he has excelled at the Japanese art of bonsai. Having grown up in Orange County when it was still orchard country, Russ missed working with trees.
He now has 40 maples in containers and many fruit-bearing bonsai trees. Replacing the front yard, a high priority, did not break the bank, he says. They spent about $40 on salvaged granite for stepping-stones and installed the new turf with help from neighbors.
Gardening is excellent exercise and mood therapy, and he likes the science aspect of working with soil, plants and climate. Because their work is transportable, they plan to take the pots and bonsais with them if they must move. Any renter-gardener knows that day will come, when we must leave a place and a garden that we have come to know intimately, a place that has been worked, loved and cherished. My sister has poured heart, soul and money into her garden.

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Bickelhaupt Hosts Solstice Event

Quad-City Bonsai auction is June 30

The Quad-City Bonsai club will hold its annual auction beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at the Deere-Wiman Carriage House, 817 11th Ave., Moline.

Club members will donate trees from their stock.

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Home & Garden Calendar

Upcoming

Bonsai exhibit and sale: The Indianapolis Bonsai Club will have an exhibit and sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 25-26 in Garfield Park Conservatory, 2450 Shelby St. The club also will have a workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. June 25 in the conference room. Cost for the workshop is $45, which includes a free bonsai tree and pot. For questions and workshop reservations, call (317) 327-7184.

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To Do Today

Bonsai and Asian Arts Festival— 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Cummings Art Center, Connecticut College, New London; Charles Chu will be the featured guest at this festival offering workshops, videos and vendors of bonsai; the exhibit will also feature China Trade Bonsai Society members' Bonsai and Penjing displays and Asian art from the Chu-Griffis Asian Art collection at the College; $5 arboretum members, $6 at the door for general public; 439-5060.

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A Spiritual Quest In Miniature

Ganapathi Sachichidananda Swamiji of Avadhoota Datta Peetha in Mysore has a special interest in nature and ecology. Being a keen nature lover, the seer has developed spiritual gardens in his ashram premises in Mysore, thereby enlightening people about the divinity of Mother Nature.

Navagraha Garden, Sapta Rishi Garden, Nakshatra (stars) Garden and Rashi (Zodiac signs) Garden stand testimony to the seer’s zeal and zest for evolving new paradigms for worshipping nature.

The seer, who began the ritual of caring and nurturing the world renowned collection of Bonsai plants over several years, can now boast of having India’s largest collection of Bonsai trees at his ashram on Mysore-Ooty Road.

The carefully shaped and miniaturized trees are beautifully displayed on oriental gardens and facilities set against the backdrop of Chinese garden environment in the foothills of Chamundi. The garden, established in one acre of land, has been named as ‘Kiskhindha Moolika Bonsai Garden’. According to the swamiji, there is a mention of a ‘miniature forest’ in Ramayana. It is the ‘Kishkindha Vana’ developed by Dadhimukha, the maternal uncle of King Sugriva. Kishkindha was the name of a mountain. Kishkindha was also an army base during the rule of Sugriva. It was indeed a challenge for Dadhimukha, the developer of ‘Kishkindha Vana’, to keep the monkey-army from plundering his garden full of fruits, flowers and nuts.

Legend behind

It is said that Dadhimukha developed a fascinating technique by which he could ensure that the trees did not grow so tall as to draw the attention of the monkey-army, at the same time, retain all the characteristics of those trees.

More than 200 varieties of Bonsai plants have been displayed at the garden. Some trees are as old as 150 years. The ashram procured Bonsai trees from countries such as China, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, West Indies, Canada, Thailand, Australia.

Some of the devotees of the ashram, who are Bonsai enthusiasts, have presented their plants to the garden.

“The garden has not been developed only for ornamental purpose. The prime aim is to create awareness on the medicinal properties of these plants,” the seer explains.

Some rare varieties of Bonsai trees including Wrightia Religiosa (from Thailand and Malaysia), Golden Casurina, Ficus Microcarpa (China and Australia) and Acer Buegerianum (Maple leaves from China) are in the garden. Casuarina Equisetifolia (Burma, Australia and Malaysia) dates back to 1825. This is the oldest tree in garden which has many exquisite collections of Bonsai varieties.

Says Hyderabad-based Bonsai consultant P V Govindaraju, “the garden has some of the best collections with trees perfected in various Bonsai traditions. They include Bunjin, Saikei, Penjing, Formal and Informal Upright, Cascade, Single, Double and Multi-trunk and Wind Swept styles.”

The seer says that Bonsai technique allows us to preserve plant species that are on the verge of becoming extinct. To develop a miniature garden of rare trees in a small area can be of great educational value.

There are several species of plants that can grow into becoming tall trees in wilderness, but can also grow in limited space. Plants like Audumbara (fig) and neem can be grown in a pot. These plants are known to have great therapeutic value. Audumbara trees have the capacity of reducing atmospheric pollution and removing toxins. Audumbara is known to be a disinfectant also.

Medicinal purposes

The beneficial properties of neem is known to the entire world today. The smoke emanating by burning dried leaves of neem can kill micro-organisms. These plants can be grown in a miniature form in every house, he explains.

“We are not much enthused about considering Bonsai as a mere decorative art. We are also exploring the possibility of using for medicinal purposes, the leaves, twigs, bark, flowers and fruits that wither from these Bonsai plants.” He adds further, “performing pooja and meditation in the close vicinity of certain trees is known to be highly beneficial in one’s sadhana. We do not suggest that Bonsai plants are substitutes for natural forests. Nor do we suggest that everyone should indulge in developing Bonsai gardens. We are only suggesting to take up the concept as a novel way of preserving and exhibiting the vast flora of our planet in an amazingly small space.”

Some authorities believe that ayurvedic medicine had a great influence on traditional Chinese medicine. The travelling Chinese medicine men used to carry with them living plants to treat ailing people. In order to make their transportation easier, these plants were constantly trimmed. Eventually the medicine men realised that this treatment of constant trimming reduced the plants’ leaf size, as well as encouraged the plants to develop dense twigs.

This art is now immensely popular in Japan, China, Indonesia and many other oriental cultures.

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The Stunning Art Of Deformity

Perry Bain carefully clipped a bit of new growth from his prized tree, 25 years old, yet only two feet tall.

“A tree like this that is 25 years old has received a lot of love and care in its time,” he said.

Such is the art of bonsai (pronounced “bone-sai”), the ancient Chinese art of dwarfing trees. The art was brought to Japan sometime between 1150 and 1330 A.D. Since then, generals and samurai, and more recently affluent business-types, have displayed the tiny trees on specifically designed shelves.

An ancient scroll from that long-ago time, known now as the Kamakura period, laid out the then-emperor’s feelings on bonsai.

“To appreciate and find pleasure in curiously curved potted trees is to love deformity,” it read.

Nobody knows for sure if that line is a compliment or not, but Bain likes bonsai just fine, thank you. His business, Bonsai Center of Robbinsdale, is based on the little trees, which he said help many people relax from their busy lives.

“A lot of people are trying to get more in tune with nature. People who work in cubicles don’t always get to see so much nature,” he said. “These are good trees for homes and offices, because they don’t all need so much light.”

Growing a bonsai is truly an exercise in patience and resolve. The grower starts by wrapping a young tree’s individual branches with wire, manipulating the direction of its growth. The wires must remain in place for at least a year for the branch to take shape.

After a year, during which the tree’s new growth is consistently pruned, the grower removes the bonsai from its decorative pot and trims its roots back. New wires are later applied, and the process continues indefinitely.

Nature, by its nature, is unrestrained. Bain said the results aren’t always as good as the grower hopes. But then the bonsai’s real beauty comes into view.

“I’ve made mistakes, because it’s not that easy,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll do one and I don’t like the shape it takes, but my wife does.”

Although purists maintain that only certain trees can be made into bonsai – junipers, for instance – the art can be successfully applied to a number of trees, even other plants.

“All the books I have say you can pretty much bonsai any tree,” Bain said. “Bonsai is just the process of keeping a tree small.”

For the lesser-skilled grower, it can be the process of just keeping the tree alive. Bonsai are very particular about moving around, and must be kept sopping wet. A healthy bonsai has moss at its base.

Bain’s business is doing well, as he’s almost constantly on the road, setting up at craft shows and flea markets. But he’s looking to expand into the professional market. He said a lot of doctors’ and lawyers’ offices could benefit from a bonsai.

“They make great conversation pieces, especially if you’re sitting and waiting,” Bain said. “They’re really something to talk about.”

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Small But Perfect...

FOR 28 years the Leyland Bonsai Society has been creating living works of art, which capture the imagination of both young and old alike.
Since 1977, the society has continuously promoted the ancient art of Bonsai and its members regularly take part in national events, as well as local flower shows, festivals and demonstrations.
The intricate art is often a mystery to many people, but the society members are keen to introduce bonsai to new people.
Alan Iddon, who has been a member of the society for 12 years, said: "We try to bring the art of bonsai to the wider public and introduce the society to the community.
"We do lots of demonstrations and shows at local churches, festivals and garden centres, and get a lot of interest from the people who come to see us."
Alan believes that many people are put of by the image that starting bonsai is too expensive, but says that it doesn't have to cost the earth.
He added: "People think that it is an expensive pastime, but it doesn't have to be.
"When you are starting out you can get a small bonsai for a couple of pounds or you could get a large tree for a few hundred. It depends how much you want to spend. You could even start with a small cutting and develop it from there."
"I have bonsai in a variety of sizes up to about 4ft tall, but there is one called a Mami which would fit in a six inch pot."
The society has members with years of experience who are very willing to show newcomers the ropes during workshops and society meetings.
Alan said: "During the meetings we have workshops where members bring in their bonsai and can work alongside some of our more experienced members to develop their tree.
"It really does help to have that sort of advice available to you, because it can be quite a time consuming job.
"You have to keep looking after your tree, watering it, cutting it, brushing the soil from the roots and wiring the branches, but it is very worthwhile. You can create whatever style of tree you want."
The society meets on the last Tuesday of every month, at Prospect House, Leyland, at 7.30pm. New members are welcome. For more details, contact Alan on 01772 422867.

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Asian Moon

WHAT'S NEW

Bonsai workshops. The Japanese bonsai is one of the most exquisite and expensive plants on the market. But at Asian Moon this weekend, you can learn how to tend to the potted tree and keep it for just $40. The lessons will be led by the Milwaukee Bonsai Society Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. near the Potawatomi Stage. With a lesson normally going for $80, and space limitation this weekend of 25 people per day, pre-registration is suggested. Call (414) 324-0727 for more information.

ASIAN MOON FESTIVAL

Friday through Sunday at Maier Festival Park, 200 N. Harbor Drive. Hours: 5-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $8 in advance or $9 at the gate; children under 12 admitted free when accompanied by an adult ($1 from each ticket goes to tsunami relief). Bonsai workshops at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; registration required. (414) 483-8530 or www.asianmoonfestival.com.

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Bulletin Board

BONSAI AND ASIAN ARTS FESTIVAL, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Cummings Art Center, Connecticut College, 270 Mohegan Ave., NEW LONDON. Bonsai demonstrations, art exhibits and vendor sales. $6 per person at the door, $5 in advance. Information: 439-5060 or 663-4260.

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Students Try Their Hand At Unusual Co-curricular Activities

At Hua Yu Secondary, students are kept busy looking after more than two hundred bonsai trees.

The school started the garden in 1968 as part of the government's "Use Your Hands Campaign" and some of these trees are more than thirty years old.

Said Kong Yen Fong, principal of Hua Yi Secondary School, "They require a lot of tender loving care, so in the course of their CCAs they have to put in a lot of time and effort nurturing the plants. We hope that along the way they learn to appreciate patience, perseverance and commitment in completing tasks."

The students use their artistic eye to shape the trees and the unusual miniatures draw in members.

Said Debra Cheah, chairman of the Bonsai Club at Hua Yi Secondary, "I was curious as it's a different CCA from other schools. It's not sports, and I love plants and science."

With all these green fingers hard at work, the bonsai garden has a good chance of thriving for another thirty years.

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Garden Calendar

BONSAI/FLOWER SHOW

Cleveland Bonsai Club. Bonsai Show. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Rockefeller Park Gardens and Greenhouse, 750 East 88th St., Cleveland. Free.

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Mini Trees Displayed At Club's Annual Show

BONSAI tree growers came out in force at the weekend to prove that big is not always better.The patient enthusiasts shared the art of cultivating the miniature trees last Saturday at North Chingford Methodist Church, in Station Road.Tiny Japanese acers, cedars, larches and Lonicera Nitilda's were among the tree types on show at the yearly event organised by Waltham Forest Bonsai club.Experts traded gardening secrets and workshops on pruning, wiring, encouraging sick trees, and where to buy your bonsai tree.Keen grower,Steve Fleming, 46, of Frances Avenue, Chingford, said the show was well attended.He added: "It went really well, I think it was one of our best shows."Mr Fleming, who has been growing bonsais for five years, said he could recommend the pastime to others.He said: "It's just a nice, relaxing hobby, you seem to forget everything else. It does need patience but it is very enjoyable."The Waltham Forest Bonsai Club meets the on third Tuesday of every month at Chestnuts Hall, behind the town hall, between 7.30 and 10.30pm. Everyone is welcome to learn the fine art of Bonsai.

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Businessman Starts Small With New Gardening Service

Brad Greteman is a one-man personal gardening service.
In its first season, which officially started April 1, his service called Gamgee Gardens has enhanced the lawns and porches of several residences and businesses in the Wichita area.
Greteman specializes in small gardens of flowers or vegetables, container gardens and bonsai trees.
Because Greteman provides all the manpower to install and maintain gardens for his clients, he does not consider Gamgee Gardens a full landscaping service.
"It's just me now," he said. "I can't take on a whole lot. If I got some nice-sized contracts, it's a possibility I would get some help."
Greteman said most of his clients are residents who don't have the time, tools or expertise to create or maintain the kinds of gardens they want.
Others are businesses who want to liven up their entrances and patios with potted trees and container gardens.
"I'm really trying to push container gardens at bars and restaurants that have patios," he said.
In addition to creating gardens, Greteman also offers maintenance services, tailored to each of his clients' needs.
A unique aspect of Gamgee Gardens is its bonsai rental service. Greteman said that while bonsai rental is rare in the Midwest, it's common near the East and West coasts.
"What a lot of people don't understand is that bonsai don't survive very long indoors," he said. Each bonsai will live with a client for 30 days, then he will replace it with another, keeping about four bonsai in a constant rotation.

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Bonsai Experts Win 21st Chelsea Gold

LINGFIELD bonsai tree experts Peter and Dawn Chan are in a class of their own - and have 21 gold medals to prove it.The couple, who started exhibiting as amateurs in 1983, are delighted to have won yet another gold medal at this year's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show.Beginning as Peter's hobby many years ago, the couple decided to put their extensive knowledge to good use and opened Herons Bonsai Ltd nursery in 1986. "We thought it would be nice tohave a little business of our own," said mother-of-two Dawn, 60. "We spotted an advertisement in the local newspaper for the land and when we saw the site it was perfect, it was too good a chance to miss."And so Herons Bonsai was born, soon becoming a local and national phenomenon. No other bonsai nursery or grower has ever achieved the record of 21 Chelsea gold medals that Peter has so far claimed.Peter's passion for bonsai has been the driving force behind the business which is in Wire Mill Lane, Newchapel, and the 64-year-old saidhe not ready to give it up just yet. "Bonsai is an art," said Peter, who has published several books and was the chairman of the British Bonsai Association during the early 80s. "It's always nice to achieve gold because you never know what the judges are thinking." * A garden design company based in South Nutfield has won a silver medal at this years Chelsea Show. Scenic Blue achieved success in their first year of exhibiting with a feature called Simon's Garden. This had a recycling theme with an old Land Rover one of the things used in its design.

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Green Stuff East Bay

Bonsai and Suiseki Display Garden 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. today-Fri., 10 a.m. -3:45 p.m. Sat., noon-3:45 p.m. Sun. Bellevue Ave., Lakeside Park, Oakland. (510) 763-8409.

Satsuki Azalea Bonsai Show Demonstrations, benefit drawing and plant sale, more. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Free. Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave. , Oakland. (925) 831-2500.

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