American Bonsai Society

2007 Joshua Roth

New Talent Competition Winner

The list of accomplishments is impressive:

Collector of exotic plants

Racer of vintage sports cars

Teacher and competitor in ballroom dancing

Master Gardner Certificate holder

Practicing medical doctor

Junior Olympic basketball coach

Joshua Roth New Talent Bonsai Competition winner

The common thread:

Feliciano Jusay

So how does one individual involve himself and excel in such a diverse assortment of activities?

When you meet Ciano, as he likes to be called, he’ll tell you that any activity or endeavor he undertakes he attacks with passion.

Visit his home and gaze on several acres of cultivated pines, flower beds filled with day lilies and more, and stands loaded with bonsai. You’ll be convinced of his love for all things growing. Ciano’s favorite trees include juniper, Satsuki azalea and white and black pine. He relates especially well to the literati feeling in bonsai and to water and land penjing. From his first bonsai, a cascade-style procumbens juniper, his collection has grown to over 100 individual bonsai and group plantings.

Ciano has learned bonsai by participating in countless workshops and has watched numerous demonstrations by many of the country’s best artists. He says that he and

his developing bonsai skills have been influenced most by Warren Hill, Bill Valavanis and Brook Zhao.

To better feed his passion for bonsai, Ciano belongs to two bonsai clubs: the Hinoki Bonsai Club of Roanoke, VA and the Mid-Appalachian Bonsai Kai of Tennessee, commuting to both from his home in Wytheville, VA.

The love of competition of any kind prompted Ciano to enter the Joshua Roth New Talent Competition. He was doubly thrilled to have his tree selected for the People’s Choice Award winner in addition to the Joshua Roth award. The generous first place prize, round-trip airfare to Japan, will be used to visit Kokufu-ten in Tokyo in February.

Ciano says that as he gains experience he would like to give back to bonsai by teaching others and demonstrating to garden clubs. Let’s think, just when will he have time for that?

Results of the judging for the runner-up new talent award were a tie. The judges’ votes as well as the votes of Symposium attendees were recounted several times; it was only fair to award two runner-up prizes of $100 worth of Joshua Roth tools. The recipients were Scott Hurula of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Eric Newton of Augusta, Michigan. In recognition of their being chosen for the 6^th annual Joshua Roth New Talent Bonsai Competition, each of the eight finalists received a 25% discount on an order of Joshua Roth tools. The other finalists were: Merritt Barnett, Raleigh, NC; Scott Bellows, Hampton, VA; Eric Meneses, E. Patchogue, NY; Ken Nowitzky, Norfolk, VA; and Carter Shaw, Norfolk, VA.

If you have less than ten years’ experience in bonsai, you are eligible to enter the 2008 Joshua Roth New Talent Bonsai Competition. The final competition will be held in San Antonio, Texas as part of “The Many Faces of Bonsai in Texas” ABS Learning Seminar. The New Talent competition will be held from 8:00 AM till 5:00 PM on Thursday, June 18, 2008, at the Symposium site, the El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel, San Antonio. To learn how to enter the New Talent competition, go to the ABS website www.absbonsai.org or review the rules posted elsewhere in this Journal