A tiny crab apple tree growing in a pot on a Japanese hotel's reservation desk grabbed the attention of Dave and Gayle Radlinski in the early 1970s, sending them on a quest to buy and grow a bonsai tree.

Dave Radlinski, and his wife, Gayle, care for 70 to 80 bonsai trees. (Tony Jones photos) | ZOOM |

        “We bought a couple books and I managed to kill that tree and get another one,” says Mr. Radlinski, a retired salesman from Clermont County's Miami Township.

        The couple's fascination with bonsai (pronounced bone-sigh) went dormant until 1979, when their daughter bought them a tree for a Christmas present. Later, they joined the Bonsai Society of Greater Cincinnati to learn more.

        “We're both in the hobby,” says Mrs. Radlinski, a retired teacher. “He just does all the work and I admire them, enjoy them and encourage him.”

        Bonsai trees start the same as any tree or shrub. The difference is that they live in small pots. ( Bonsai is a Japanese word that roughly translates to “cultivated in pots.”) Bonsai artists carefully prune and wire the small plants to achieve the desired shape and small stature, says Mr. Radlinski, president of the Bonsai Society.

The Korean Horn Bean tree is part of the Radlinsks' bonsai collection. | ZOOM |

        Just like the leaves of larger trees, the leaves of a maple bonsai turn crimson, yellow or orange before dropping each fall. Azaleas greet spring with masses of red, pink, purple and white flowers.

        Seventy to 80 bonsai trees grow on benches in the Radlinski yard. Some are decades old, yet shorter than 2 feet.

        “It's a very ancient art and it's just one of those that always intrigued me,” he says.

        He starts with a tree or shrub from a nursery and trims the roots and branches before carefully repotting it in a porous mixture of pine bark, rock and hard-fired clay. He wires the branches to train the plant as it grows.

        A Korean boxwood in his collection sports clouds of foliage, carefully developed by years of pruning and wiring.

TO LEARN MORE

• The Bonsai Society of Greater Cincinnati meets 7:30 p.m. the third Thursday of the month, except December, at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, 2715 Reading Road, Avondale. The society sponsors workshops for beginners every winter and sells hard-to-find bonsai supplies before each meeting.     Information: www.cincinnatibonsai.com. • Get a close look at 60 to 70 bonsai trees during the society's fall show Oct. 25-26 at Krohn Conservatory. Can't make the show? There is a smaller permanent display of bonsai trees at Krohn, 1501 Eden Park Drive. • The Mid-American Bonsai Alliance and the Bonsai Society of Greater Cincinnati convention, July 3-6 in Mason, will feature bonsai artists from the United States, Italy and England. Details will be available on the Web site. Inquiries also may be sent to the society at P.O. Box 451, Milford 45150.

        “It's not a hurry-up-and-get-it-done process,” Mr. Radlinski says.

        The front of each tree bows toward visitors.

        “It's kind of a "hello, how are you and thank you for looking,' ” he says.

        Bonsai enthusiasts work hard to keep their plants healthy. Mr. Radlinski fertilizes twice a month, rotating brands to give his trees different trace elements. He waters daily, at the same time guarding against overwatering. When the Radlinskis go on vacation, another bonsai grower visits each day to tend the plants.

        “If you neglect it for a week, you can lose a lot of your trees,” Mrs. Radlinski says.

        Despite meticulous care, the Radlinskis lose some plants each year.

        Before winter sets in, Mr. Radlinski wraps his hardy trees in foam and stores them in a cold frame. He brings semi-hardy plants into the garage. Tropical plants grow in the basement, where sheets of plastic, florescent lights and a humidifier mimic the tropics.

        An artist who creates a painting will complete the project at some point, he says. However, a bonsai tree is always a work in progress.

        “The art of bonsai just carries on,” he says. “If you are complete, the tree is dead. You're working with nature the whole time. It's an interesting hobby.”
       

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