Photographs from February 2006 Tour

I want you to know how successful and well received your workshops and demo presentations
were when you and your lovely wife, Svetlana, visited the Puget Sound Bonsai Association in Seattle in late February.

I received numerous emails and phone calls commending your presentations and asking when you might return.
You were particularly effective in the workshops with your teaching skills and horticultural knowledge that riveted every participant's attention.

I hope that you will always think as well of us as we think of you.

Puget Sound Bonsai Association

Puget Sound has some wonderful Bonsai folk in their area. These include the superb Dan Robinson, Dave De Groot and Peter Adams. In addition there are a great many extremely experienced growers and authorities such as Sharon Muth and the Muth family who run Bonsai North West. Dave De Groot and Don Guilliams took Svetlana and me around the Pacific Northwest Bonsai Collection and I was very happy to see so many wonderful Bonsai.. I was also especially happy to see my book being sold in the Bookshop as well. Diane Robinson and daughter Shanna Neims picked Svetlana up and took her away while I went for lunch with Dave and Don and onto the workshops in the afternoon.

I got a Scots Pine from Sharon for my demo. This was a pretty overgrown example which was perfect for the demo.

I started by wiring immediately prior to the demo with help from other folk . I normally like between three and four hours to prep a tree prior to a demo. This allows me to study the tree, wire everything on the tree and then I can talk about Bonsai design as opposed to spending the time wiring and boring everyone. My style is natural style of Bonsai-more tree like as opposed to abstract styles or off the wall styles.

While I was in this lovely area I also gave some workshops that were great fun. Some lovely trees were created during these workshops. I was especially pleased with the trees created for Don Guillie which was just as well as he is the President of the club.

The demo took place in the round. This is a technique used for some theatre productions. The audience sits around the performers and there is no back to the performance area. Don wanted to get the audience more involved and by doing this it allows the speaker to constantly move around the tree and as long as they do that, then delivery will work. While I had that to contend with I also managed to insert a bit of humor into the talk and tricked the audience into the last part of the demo by pretending to leave a length of branch that was far too long and while wring that actually removed it at the last minute of the demo and showed the actual image on the final stroke. I only regret not meeting Dan Robinson during this visit and I was also disappointed that my old teacher Peter Adams was unable to make the meeting.

Svetlana and I come back to Seattle for one afternoon on May during our Vancouver and Alaskan trip so I can see Elandan Gardens at last

AFTERCARE: Spray three times a day for at least six weeks to keep the humidity levels up (like a giant cutting) and water to keep the soil damp. Please note that if this regime is NOT kept up then some of the finer growing wired tips will dry out and the tree will check .

Don't feed for six weeks and then half strength high nitrogen every two weeks to assist in bud growth. Read my books to learn about feeding and watering regimes.

Dear Craig,
Thank you once again for your magnificent lecture and demonstration to the Akron - Canton Bonsai Society.
Ohio is considered the “heartland” of the USA, traditional middle America.
Unlike folks on the east and west coasts, Ohioans in general have heard little and know less about bonsai and penjing.

Your lecture and demo were great! You explained the history and techniques in ways that everyone could understand.
Your humor really helped to set folks at ease while you prepared a wonderful group planting of Shimpaku junipers.
You stimulated a number of people to join our club, former members to renew their membership, and we’re beginning to give classes for beginners.
Your appearance was a real shot in the arm for popularizing bonsai in our region.
Warmest regards,
Bob Heath
President, ACBS
Link to the Akron and Wildwood demos

Other Craig Coussins photo pages on this website. Some are 2min downloads. If it comes up with page not found simply refresh the page and it will reappear for you.

Please visit some of my other images at:
http://www.photobox.co.uk/craig.coussins@btinternet.com
With regard to one of my albums
titled California- Black and White Images/ California and Utah
One viewer made the following comments:
Emotionally powerful. Takes you outside yourself in an instant.
Even over the internet this comes across.
Thank you for sharing such spectacular work, Ann Thomas