REDDITCH BONSAI
www.midlandbonsai.org www.redditchbonsai.co.uk
Edition of March 2026.
EDITOR’S REMARKS.
Well, so far February has been a bit of a wash out in more than one respect. Angela and I have been trying to shake off a nasty virus for the last 2 weeks or so and frankly the weather has not been good enough to venture outside anyway. We can’t remember when we last went to the allotment and bonsai re-potting has been halted until things warm up a bit. We are pleased that our winter quarters for the trees has kept the rain off them and, so far at least, there hasn’t been that much frost.
So, overall a poor start to 2026 after the MBS January meeting was snowed off and because there were so many Redditch members away, poorly or without transport their February meeting was also cancelled!
The Three Musketeers, that’s Sven, Julio and the Redditch Chair David, are still enjoying their jolly in Japan. We are looking forward to a full report when they return. Dave Haw tells me that he has a multitude of photographs to share. Sounds good to me.
We are pleased to say that we have four potential new members showing interest in joining Redditch. This will keep Wes happy, if nothing else!
COMING UP AT THE MBS.
The March meeting on the 5th will involve a presentation from IAN HOMER from WALSALL BONSAI STUDIO on FOREST PLANTING and will involve:-
-Discussing clump/ vs group vs/ forest planting
– Styling tips for harmonious canopy creation
– The ideal pots/containers
– Practical demo on preparing trees, then planting.
– Pots and stock available for purchase without any obligation.
Ian says that he will be quite happy if some of you want to have a go at creating a group which he will help with and then invite the audience to select the best result! So, come prepared.
COMING UP AT REDDITCH.
The March meeting on 19th of the month features the AGM and this is followed by a BRING & BUY/AUCTION. So, bring along anything bonsai related that you want to get rid of. No sales until after the AGM.
We always consider the AGM to be a most important meeting as it gives an opportunity to members to raise issues for the consideration of the whole societyin a formal setting. Do try and attend.
GARDENING TIP OF THE MONTH.
If you have been enjoying your AMARYLLIS flowering this winter then please don’t just throw away the bulb after flowering. They can be kept going for years. Here’s the procedure:-
And here we have an Amaryllis bulb which decided not to grow but nevertheless still produced a flower. Or two. It really wanted to be a bonsai all along!
It’s time to start setting seed for your garden this year. Here are some suggestions:- Sweet peas, Chilli, Antirrhinum majus, Scabious and Achillea to name but a few. Have a look at the Chiltern Seeds catalogue – they have a vast range to choose from.
BONSAI TIP OF THE MONTH.
If you can get outside despite the cold and wet weather we imagine that you will be re-potting your trees apace now. We managed to get quite a few done before we were confined to quarters so for us all is not lost. The weather would appear to be warming up again (it’s 19/2 today) so fingers crossed. Do give re-potted trees some protection for a few weeks after the job is done.
You can also have a go at air layering in March, so have a look at your trees and see if any would be suitable candidates. If you want to know how to actually create an air layer let us know.
Do come along to the March MBS meeting if you can. It should be interesting. We find groups of trees particularly satisfactory in many respects.
SWINDON WINTER SHOW.
On Sunday 15th Brian, Tony, Tarun, Jonathan Moult and I visited the Swindon Winter Bonsai Show. A very good display was put on by several clubs including Swindon, Bristol, Twickenham and a few others which I can’t now recall!
There was also a display by UK Mini Bonsai of which society Tarun and I are members. They are a Mame and Shohin organisation with high quality trees.
They will be running another mini bonsai show in August 2026, the venue to be confirmed. Last year it was at Dave Cheshire’s nursery.
We all had a great time and some of us came away with purchases!
I would recommend a visit next year to club members as it is always good to see how other clubs run a show.
Many thanks, Dave Attwood.
One of the several pictures taken by Dave at the Show.
Editor’s Note. Tarun tells us that all the exhibits at the show can be viewed at:-
MBS LETTERHEAD.
Being a bit “old school” we still send “letters” from time to time As a result it won’t be long before we run out of the current stock of printed letterheads which feature:-
The two items are coloured green.
We think it’s time for a change. Would any of you like to have a go at designing a new letterhead? Do think about it and let us have your suggestions.
OLD FRIENDS.
Whilst we were doing some “filing/tidying” on our computer here at home the other day we came across several pictures taken some years ago at the Redditch show. We thought that you might like to see one in particular, not because of the tree, which is a nice specimen, but because the late Jo and Bob Lewis, who helped to found Redditch all those years ago, are to be seen in the background, hiding behind the larch on the left. This picture was taken in 2007.
Copyright © Redditch Bonsai Society 2026