Mar 31 2011

1,169!!

I started putting videos on you tube back in November for a bit of a laugh and in the hope of promoting the club. I just cast my eye over the stats on some of the videos and am amazed that this one has been viewed 1,169 times in nearly 5 months 🙂

Here’s the tree this week by way of update.

Mar 31 2011

Recovering from dog attack!

Last September my dog Smudge took a fancy to the apples on this Malus. He waited for them to ripen first of course 🙂

Here it is before he munched them.

and after…

and the guilty looking culprit.

This is the tree today. A few of the more mauled branches didn’t have any tip buds to open. I have been watching it for signs of new buds and today I founds loads. It looks as if it will back bud strongly, perhaps Smudge did me a favour 🙂

The back budding. Looks like a little pair of but cheeks at the bottom 🙂

and some of the flower buds. I was going to remove them but to be honest the tree is responding that strongly, I don’t think I’ll bother for now. I might remove the fruit if that changes.

Mar 31 2011

Spotted these

Dragged out shopping earlier and I spotted these sitting outside Pounder Stretcher. I’m always on the lookout for decent looking pots to put collected material into. Wash hand basins are a bit unsightly sitting around the place. These were £1.99 each with a nice wide top and a bit of depth to allow for heavy roots at the base. The plastic is hard and has no give in it, ideal for what I want them for. All I need to do is drill them for drainage.

Mar 31 2011

Little Corky

The little Corky Bark Elm I got from Willowbog last time around had budded after repotting into its new pot.

Mar 29 2011

GAWA

That’s Green and White Army in case you are wondering. I took a half day today as I’m going to the Northern Ireland v Slovenia Euro qualifier tonight.

Got the grass cut first and then had time to take a few photos of a few trees opening quite strongly after repotting. First up is Janet’s Juniper. It’s not Janet’s, it’s mine 🙂 I dug it up from my sisters garden 17 years ago just before she emigrated to Perth in Australia. What was once 4 foot tall and 8 foot wide now looks like this.

This maple that I bought as a rescue job last year is responding really well to repotting. Just have to figure out where to go with it!

My little Chuhin Maple is really pushing this week as well.

with Flash!

My Cork Bark Elm is moving faster than the others in the garden too. I just love it’s new (well secondhand) Walsall pot.

I noticed on the Cork bark that some of the wounds need attention to get them to heal right. The one below is sitting a tad proud and will need carved in a little to allow the cambium layer to roll over without causing an ugly bump.

The one below is healing well but the wood at the bottom needs to be reduced to allow it to roll in.

This one is spot on. You can see it’s rolling in evenly the whole way around the wound. Hopefully covered within the year the way this boyo is growing.

I’ll add the Roddie just to keep up the progression of opening flowers.

Mar 28 2011

Slimy critters!!

I checked a Jacqueline Hillier Elm in the dark on Friday night (long story, don’t ask) only to find about 20+ baby slugs eating all the emerging leaves. Never seen this before on an elm in so blatant a fashion. I have liberally scattered the whole garden with pellets in an attempt at revenge!! Get your torches out and get checking!! Little b*%%^&s!!!

Mar 27 2011

Walk and shoot…

Photographs that is 🙂

I took my camera on my usual Sunday morning walk today, always on the lookout for inspiration for my trees. Here’s a few snaps from today. They are all point and shoot as the walk is just about as fast paced as we can make it. Walk from Clandeboye Estate to Bangor in County Down.

I'm fixated with Beech Nebari

Silver Birch

Wild Primula

Twists and turns in the canopy

Wanted to clear some leaves to expose more nebari 🙂

Mighty Oak

Stenna Line leaving Belfast Lough

Panoramic of Grey's Point Beach

Mar 26 2011

Mucker’s Scotty

My bonsai mucker (Belfast term for friend, pal buddy etc.) Phil brought his Pine down to my garage last night for repotting. He didn’t need any help with it, just to use my grit and pop it into my poly tunnel 🙂 Hey, what are friends for.

It’s a Scots Pine in a Semi Cascade style. He’s been trying to repot it for 3 years but at last all the pieces fell into place. It has been in this plastic improvised pot for longer than I can remember.

On removal he was happy to see the amount of mycelium. We kept some to add to any other Pines without it.

A rare sighting of Phil without a hat on, now you know why 🙂

It was a bit of a squeeze to get it into the new pot due to a rather nice surface root. Once he restyles it next year it’ll look fantastic. Now a full cascade but there is an option for a shorter semi cascade.

A few other trees repotted on the night.

Ian’s (not me, another Ian) Larch and Cork bark Elm.

Mar 25 2011

Guest Book Tab

I’ve added a guest book tab. I keep wondering who all these people are who find my day to day bonsai doings of interest. If you want to remain a lurker, that’s ok, if you want to say Hello, then this is the place to do it. Either click on the image or the Tab to leave a message.

Mar 25 2011

Blue Diamond

I repotted this Rhododendron Blue Diamond this year exposing about another inch of trunk base and nebari. The pot is far from ideal, but was the only option I had size wise for it at the time. I was told that I would be better to remove all flowers this year but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it! I did take an hour and go over the tree removing any tips with multiple flower buds. Some tips had 4-5 flowers each. I reckon I have removed about 1/3 to 1/2 of the flowers but I’m still expecting a nice even show of colour. Its just starting to open its first few.