NABF Newsletter #8

Feature #4

Bonsai in Northern Nevada

By Patrick Flynn
Reno, Nevada

The evolution of bonsai in Northern Nevada is not dissimilar from that in other areas of the country where post World War II interest was sparked by returning servicemen as well as the resident Japanese emigrants who settled on the West Coast in the early 20th century. Until about the late 1970’s, there were no organized clubs in the area and instructions were primarily obtained from Northern California bonsai enthusiasts. George Yamasaki from Auburn, California, one of the pioneers of bonsai in California, would travel to Reno along with other bonsai devotees to instruct informal groups seeking to learn the art. The leaders of the early attempts to learn bonsai were Wilson Makabe and attorney Chuck Glattley. Wilson Makabe was a respected member of the renowned 442nd Regimental Combat Team and served in Italy where he was severely wounded and lost his left leg. For those of us that knew Wilson, he was a true gentleman and loved bonsai. He longed to go to the mountains to collect “shimpaku”, but since he was essentially confined to a wheelchair, he was forced to allow friends to do his collecting for him.

There are currently two active clubs in the Reno-Sparks area, the Tackoa Bonsai Club and Yukiyama Bonsai Kai. Although Tackoa has been in existence for over 25 years, it has experienced some periods of inactivity, which led to the formation of Yukiyama Bonsai Kai about 8 years ago.

As with any area, there are specific climatic conditions in Northern Nevada that challenge the bonsai enthusiast. Reno is at 4,200 feet (1,300 m) elevation, and even though it is considered “high desert”, it can experience some rather cold sub-zero temperatures during the winter that necessitate plant protection. Summer temperatures infrequently exceed 100 °F (38 °C). However, the dry desert air and afternoon winds mean frequent watering is necessary and moss is not something that abounds on pot coverings. In addition, there are many “micro-climates” within the local valleys which mean that gardens only a couple of miles apart may have as much as 10 °F (5.5 °C) difference in morning lows. Consequently, one needs to develop an understanding of his or her own environment to be a successful bonsai grower.

There are many native plants available for the bonsai collector since the Sierra Nevada Mountains border the western edge of Reno and Sparks (Truckee Meadows). Sierra Junipers, Lodgepole Pines, Jeffery Pines, Hemlock, and Oaks are among the more popular bonsai materials in the Sierra. Once one moves East across the Truckee Meadows to the Virginia Range, the terrain continues to be mountainous, but the flora changes significantly. A few Jeffery Pines can still be found, but now the predominant species include Utah Junipers, Pinion Pines, and in the valleys, Tamarisk. Although Utah Junipers are similar in appearance to the famous California Junipers, they grow at a higher elevation, and are more cold resistant than their Southern California neighbors. Collecting Utahs has several challenges, first of course, is getting there. There are plenty of junipers growing throughout the state, but the better “bonsai quality” ones are at the higher elevations, so often roads are limited. Once you get there, it seems as though the best trees have found a way to squeeze their tap roots between two rocks that are too big to move. And once you get them home, survival can be a problem if you don’t have a good misting system since the dry climate is always stressing a collected plant. Currently there are only a few members that currently take advantage of the natural material, so most of the bonsai groomed by the members are generated from nursery stock –- domestic and imported.

Throughout the year, Yukiyama club meetings are directed at improving bonsai quality and helping the bonsai neophyte to understand the artistic as well as the horticultural aspects of growing bonsai. Yukiyama, like most clubs, is largely composed of beginners; however, there is a nucleus of a half dozen “seasoned” bonsai talents that total 200 years of aggregate experience. Although Yukiyama has typically held only one meeting per month, this year during the spring season, several meetings per month were held to give participants more time to work on plants and receive the help needed. Being close to California, and being an associate member of the Golden Sate Bonsai Federation (GSBF), has been of significant benefit. Over the years, Yukiyama club members have been fortunate to attend club-sponsored events featuring Dennis Makishima, Mas Imazumi, Johnny Uchida, Cheryl Manning, Boon Manakativipart, and Ted Matson. In addition, in 2002 the club was very fortunate to host Ayumu Fukano from Yorozuen Bonsai Nursery in Japan and Marco Invernizzi from Italy.

Over the past few years, Yukiyama Bonsai Kai has started to develop a program of cooperation with others clubs in California to share resources. In August 2003, members of the Sacramento Bonsai Club were hosted for a tufa hunt in the Nevada desert. These stones have been used by the Sacramento clubs for several rock planting demonstrations and were also used in a demonstration held at the Yukiyama show in June of 2004.

Nevada is currently one of the fastest growing states in the United States, and Northern Nevada is experiencing a grow rate of about 10% per year. Consequently, many bonsai enthusiasts are moving into the area, particularly from California. Unfortunately, they are not adequately prepared and suffer some unnecessary plant losses during the winter cold or from hot dry winds. We would, therefore, strongly recommend that anyone planning on moving into the area contact us at either BonsaiReno@charter.net or (775) 826-7377.

Acknowledgement: A special thank you to Mary Sakaishi of Sacramento for the information she had regarding the efforts of George Yamasaki and others in Sacramento to bring Bonsai to Northern Nevada and for the picture of the Makabes.