Three
miles
north
of
G e a r h a r t on the east side of
H i g h w a y 101 is a small sign:
"OPEN, Bonsai Trees and More."
My
friend
Bev
and
I
were
curious
as
to
what
"more”
meant. We turned off ont o the
one lane g r a veled r oad next to
the sign,
and d rove thro u g h
thickets
of
t rees
and
underbrush.
J u s t as we were
b e g i n n i n g to w o n d e r if we had
made the wrong turn, we saw a
h ouse w i t h an a t t a c h e d g r e e n
h ouse surr o u n d e d by a lan d
scaped yard.
A young couple g r e e t e d us.
" H i , we
are
Jim
and
Tracy
Fairless." Paths led thro u g h
tables a n d stands filled with
potted bonsai trees. J i m c o n
ducted the tour and e n t h u s i
a s tically exp l a i n e d h o w he had
dev e l o p e d each b o n s a i , the name
of each tree and its age. They
have a c o l l e c t i o n of conifers
and
deciduous
trees,
each
enhanced
with
either
moss,
sedum
or
r o c k s , and
priced
acc o r d i n g
to
size,
age
or
species.
He
also
showed
us
their private collection, each
one
carefully
po t t e d
and
trained to r e s emble a vignette
of
a naturalistic
scene.
I
pointed out a s h a l l o w bonsai
pot filled w ith several small
m a p l e trees g r o u p e d t o g e t h e r to
r e s e m b l e a grove.
The trees
w ere
only
inches
h igh
and
a p p e a r e d to be y oung trees. We
were t old they w e r e older than
they looked.
I asked w h a t "more" m eant
and they showed us a v a r i e t y of
p lant materials for sale and
information to h e l p c u stomers
create their o w n bonsai.
Ji m and T r a c y ' s enth u s i a s m
for
creating
bonsai
had
inspired
me.
"Bev,
maybe
I
could create a bonsai w i t h a
small
twin-berry
tree
that
sprouted in one of my sedum
pots. T w i n - b e r r y trees are easy
to grow. If I am successful I
could come bac k to buy a small
coni f e r to try."
Bev said, "June, d on't you
have enough g a r d e n to attend to
as it is?" My r e p l y was a sigh.
As
we
backed
the
car
around
to
leave,
Jim
said,
"Watch out, d o n ' t run over my
C h e shire
cat."
Startled,
we
looked to w here he was p o i n t
ing. It was an e s c a l l o n i a hedge
trim m e d
to
resemble
a
huge
g r i nning cat g u a r d i n g the paths
to
their
garden.
Jim
also
enjoys the art of topiary.
I laughed a n d said, "Bev,
you know the l o o s e s t r i f e Mary
gave me and c alls 'Goose-Goes-
Walking.' The f l o w e r heads of
these plants r e s e m b l e geese,
and all turn t o g e t h e r each day
to follow the sun. I can t r i m a
small
shrub
next
to
those
plants to r e s e m b l e a c h i c k e n or
a duck!" The o n l y r e s p o n s e from
Bev was a sigh.
If you are i n t e r e s t e d in
learning
the
art
form
of
creating a bonsai, v i s i t J i m
and T racy F a i r l e s s ' s c o l l e c t i o n
of p l a n t s . T h e y w o u l d be mos t
helpful. Phone (503) 738-9018
(P. 0. Box 595, Seaside, OR
97138) .
The
two-syllable
wor d
bonsai means b o n (basin, pot)
sai (to plant) ... the art of
g r o w i n g dwarfed, o r n a m e n t a l l y
shaped
trees
or
shrubs
in
small, shal l o w pots.
Q u o t i n g from S u n s e t Bonsai
Book, "The hist o r y of bonsai is
c e nturies
old
tradition
in
China
and
Japan.
The
first
evide n c e of this art form is
shown
in
paintings.
Chinese
f r e scoes dating s o m etime before
H an's Dyna s t y A.D. 220 clearly
s h o w floral b o n s a i — mor e what
we w o u l d think of as flower
arrangements
in
containers.
T h e s e frescoes wer e d i s c o v e r e d
in
the
1970's.
The
first
depiction
of
bonsai
plants,
r a t h e r than flowers, comes from
T o n g Dynasty tom b mu r a l s da t i n g
A.D. 760.
"The
first
reco r d s
of
bonsai in Japan, like those in
China,
are
pictorial.
The
scro l l s date from the y ear 1185
to 1300.
"China
and
Japan
wer e
c l o s e d to E u ropeans for c e n
turies,
and
Western
cont a c t
w i t h A sian cult u r e was at a
minimum. H i s t o r y goes on until
in 1900 records s how tha t there
was
a
bonsai
collection
at
W i n d s o r Ca s t l e in England. The
first serious p r a c t i t i o n e r s of
bonsai
in
the
U.S.
wer e
J a p a n e s e - A m e r i c a n r e sidents wh o
brought
their
knowledge
and
a p p r e c i a t i o n of the art w i t h
t h e m w h e n they sett l e d on the
w e s t c oast in the early decades
of
the
20 th
century.
Wha t
o r i g i n a t e d as an ex o t i c A sian
art form has c a p t u r e d the fancy
of
c u l tures
far
beyond
its
homeland, for bonsai is mor e
t h a n simply e v i dence of the
gardener's
abil i t y
to
c opy
nature. To m a n y it r e presents
the
esse n c e
of
the
natural
w o r l d ."
Today
bonsai
s o c ieties
abound t h r o u g h o u t the U n i t e d
States.
For further i n f o r m a
tion,
S u n set's
ne w
1996
edit i o n
on
bonsai
is
an
e x c ellent
source
to
expl a i n
step-by-step
how
to
create
d i f f e r e n t styles of bonsai.
Ou r v i s i t to F a irless's
nursery tu g g e d at my m e m o r i e s
of years past w h e n my husband,
Les, raised bonsai. I use d to
kid him that the time he spent
caring for an d n u r t u r i n g his
collection
reminded
me
of
caring for a h e r d of m i l k cows.
Bonsai also n e e d d a i l y a t t e n
tion
to
survive.
I
always
encouraged h i m to c o n t i n u e to
gro w these plants, even t h o u g h
we would h a v e to g e t a p lant
sitter if w e w e r e to go on an
e x t ended t r i p ... or tha t our
di n i n g
roo m
tu r n e d
into
a
potting
shed,
the
t able
at
times filled w i t h plants, pots
and
soil
...
as
he
ha d
a
natural
ability
to
copy
in
m i n i a t u r e the m a n y scenes from
the years he spent fly fishing
in
rivers
and
stre a m s
of
O r e g o n ' s forests.
A scene I'll n ever forget
is w h e n we c a m p e d a l o n g the
M c K e n z i e R i v e r in September. A
scarlet-leafed
vine
m aple
a p p e a r e d to be g r o w i n g ou t of a
huge rock c o v e r e d w i t h emer a l d
g r e e n moss w h i c h was c o n s t a n t l y
spra y e d by m ist from the falls.
Les n ever d u p l i c a t e d e x a c t l y
this scene lacking a waterfall,
but was successful c r e a t i n g a
bonsai w i t h rocks an d moss.
Arcadia
laodscapin
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TRILLIUM
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A
City
247 N. Hemlock Cannon Beach
503 436-2210
)
A
TS? <
The
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M IR T H
id a s t
Plus
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1 3 9 N H e m lo c k
P .O . B o x 9 0 9
C a n n o n B each, O R 97110
S
8
o
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u
li m
If you are all wrapped
up In yourself, you are
overdressed.
The original comfort shoe.
hav e
found
just
the
r i g h t rock and s h a l l o w c o n
tainer,
and I c o u l d c o l l e c t
m o s s t hat g rows in my lawn, and
the tiny t w i n - b e r r y tree is
still small e n o u g h to train. I
w o n d e r if I can find a p lace in
my c o t t a g e g a r d e n for a bonsai.
I'll
forget the art of
topiary. The l o o s e strife goose-
g o e s - w a Iking"
has
sent
out
runners. Inst e a d of one goose,
I n o w hav e a ga g g l e of geese.
T h a t ' s e n o u g h fowl for m y small
garden.
•
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Please
send
your
questions,
comments
and
suggestions
to
J u n e ' s Garden, P. O. Box 74,
C a n n o n Beach, O R
97110.
ir g li
oriP iO H I
A
joMi S H*
t or *<
▼ vT AN»
— ------
IK AfTQRlA I
R /
, R
r T . H 9
a '
. »
w
«
- •»••*!
O
RieeW C T » 9« M t O * M T
‘
I
t • —
H t '
r T
»
«OttORj
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G R A M IC C I P A N T S & S H O R T S
In s ta n t C o m fo rt For M en
W e
& W om en
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C m iiw ii PtaJi
urrtRllfTtW. AUGUST w
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fintlm
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i
(503) 436 2832
239 N Hemlock « P O Bo» 905
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