San Andreas, CA…David Anderson of Pine Grove will present ideas on the care of azaleas and camellias at the Mother Lode Bonsai Club on Saturday, November 5. It will follow the club’s 10:00 a.m. meeting at the San Andreas Central Library, 1299 Gold Hunter Road (off Mountain Ranch Road) in San Andreas. The public is invited to attend the free demonstration.

Among some of America’s favorite bloomers, both varieties are hardy, thrive in acid soil and can be adapted to bonsai. According to Anderson, azaleas can become excellent miniature trees but only a selected number of camellias are suitable candidates. “There are very few dwarf-sized camellias with small enough blooms for use as bonsai,” he said. Anderson will feature the do’s and don’ts of raising these plants with special focus on their limited pruning and trimming at this time of year.

Anderson is a very experienced bonsai grower, expert on bonsai tree design, guest presenter at area community colleges and at local horticultural events, and chairs the sensei (teaching) committee of the Mother Lode Bonsai Club. He attended California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, majoring in horticulture and floral design and has raised bonsai for over 50 years.

Everyone is invited to attend the public demonstration regardless of their levels of experience. Club members, who will be available to provide guests with information on bonsai, come from Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, as well as the Central Valley. For more information, contact Bob Dean at (209) 754-5887 or go online to www.motherlodebonsai.org.