April 11th Meeting

Competition Plants – Ron Kok – 

• Ron led us to discuss the competition plants and Ron and Lidy demonstrated how to  prune and disbud them. The existing flowers and buds are removed to encourage growth – the plants will grow bigger, bushier and form more branches. Once the plant has grown out you can allow it to bud out again. Disbudding and pruning at this stage will result in a thicker denser plant with more blooms in July when we are showing them. But don’t pinch after 6 weeks before the competition – or you won’t have flowering in time for the competition.

Garden Tour.  Lidy

Saturday May 31st 11 am – lunch and entry included

• Lidy suggested that we go to the VanDusen Garden for their “Fleurs de Villes Downton Abbey” – a spectacular fresh floral celebration inspired by the famed period drama, created by Vancouver’s talented floral artists. Fleurs de Villes: Vancouver DOWNTON ABBEY 2025, Saturday May 31st (13 out of 17 voted for this date)
  • Lorna proposed that the club should pay for members who wish to join this outing – $15 towards lunch at the Garden Cafe and pay for their admission (regular admission in Summer is adult $15.05, senior $10.55 at the door – available slightly cheaper online) – motion was passed by Terry.
• Lidy suggested we attempt a trip to the UBC Botanical Garden this summer. She has reached out to them about having a group tour. More info to follow.
• Lidy suggested we go to the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific in September to see their hardy fuchsia collection in bloom. Please think about joining this trip. More details to follow
• Program – Ron Kok:  Bonsai Demonstration and PresentationRon gave a great slide show presentation on doing Fuchsia Bonsai. Thanks to Ron and his ‘pinching’ assistant Lidy.  Here are some highlights:

  Bonsai have been around for 3000 years originating in China.

  Wiring

  Fuchsia’s are hard to wire because the branches are brittle when they get old. If you want to wire them, wire young supple branches. Don’t try to wire older branches, because they break easily. 

  Pruning

  Fuchsia are fast growers so they need lots of pruning and you can reduce the root mass occasionally as well. Fuchsias can be pruned into a number of styles including informal uprights, windswept, exposed roots, semi-cascade or full cascade. Full cascade goes below the bottom of the pot. 

  When pruning, cut off the long skinny branches with long internodes. Cut them right down to the main stem and they will grow back again. Cut out multiple stems in the middle of the plant to make it open and airy and as Lidy said, ‘so a bird can fly through it’. Don’t be afraid to prune them, they will grow back very quickly. 

  Propagating

  Although you can do these from cuttings, you can also take old plants out of your garden, cut them right back and use them. You can also air-layer older plants; they’re very easy to root that way. Ron said he liked to use old plants that have been in pots for several years and had thick and gnarly stems. 

  Soil

  You could use a traditional Japanese bonsai soil mix with a lot of volcanic material.  Ron pointed out that there is a lot of different types of volcanic material available in Japan due to all the volcanoes they have. For example, Akadama and Kanuma. You can also use clay, perlite, sand, lava, pumice stone, zeolite and other mineral rocks. These allow for lots of air in the soil. For organic material, you could also use some peat moss, pine bark, and coir or coconut fiber. If you want you can use Pro Mix, a peat perlite mix that’s good for fuchsia as well, as long as it has a lower pH

  Care

  Bonsai need lots of drainage and aeration in the soil but that means they need lots of watering especially in the summer. When you’re starting a bonsai that’s already rooted, take the soil out of the roots as well as you can and then use the bonsai mix to pot them in. Repot every two or three years and when you repot give it a good root pruning. They like cool shade in the summer and in the winter they need lots of protection, probably need to be taken indoors and never allowed to dry out. You can give them a low fertilizer in summer. probably monthly is best. but don’t do too much. 

  Varieties

  Some varieties he suggested are Lotty Hobby, Gemini, Miss California, Tom West, Tom Thumb, Display or hardy Fuchsia magellanica variegata. Lotty Hobby is a dwarf variety which makes it a good choice – but any variety can be used if trained well, however some varieties have flowers that are just too big.

  Demonstration

  Ron demonstrated some of these things he talked about, and he brought in several plants and pots for people to try making their own bonsai!

• Larry Mroz
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• Some Suitable Varieties
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• Upright and wind-swept style.