Minutes of the November 14, 2021 meeting of the Michiana Bonsai Study

Present:    Larry Benjamin, Lisa Chilik, Mary Conner, John Deguara, John DeMaegd, Mary Hesser,

                        Bob Mortenson and Faye Mortenson

Location:    The home of Larry Benjamin

Program:

            While this was primarily a social gathering, some business was conducted. Larry Benjamin was again elected president.

Also, the 2022 club schedule was discussed. Larry announced that Mark Fields will be our guest artist at the March meeting

where he will create a trident maple forest from trees that Larry got as "whips" and has raised in his garden to enhance the

trunk size. It was also announced that 2022 will see two big bonsai events: the ABS Learning Seminars in Olive Branch, Mississippi

(May 26 - 29) and the MABA Convention in Milwaukee (June 22 - 26). And, there is a possibility of another Elkhart show at

Wellfield Botanic Garden in July. All told, with the usual May Michigan All State Show and the August Chicago show as well as

both spring and fall shows in Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne auction & picnic (to which our club is normally invited in July),

2022 appears to be a busy one for bonsai.

      We did welcome a new member to our club, Lisa Chilik. With Lisa we now have six members with 2022 dues paid. Dues for

others will be accepted at our upcoming meetings, starting in February. (See our website for the member list and the tentative

2022 schedule.)

      Mary Hesser provided some additional information about a way to get native tree starts. The Elkhart County Master Gardeners

group will have a sale of native tree seedlings in bunches as small as 5 trees. Early orders are due in January (with a price break).

Tree pick up will be the first week of April. You can go online at the "SWDC" website for details.