I took a few record snaps of these 3 maples yesterday. All 3 were defoliated back in the Spring.
Shohin Japanese Maple
Monthly Archives: August 2011
Ivy
I collected this little Ivy off a Beach back at the start of April See HERE.
It has an unusual gnarly trunk from about half way. Unfortunately the first half is terrible! The plan this year was to allow it to recover and produce roots. It had very few to start with. Next Spring I plan to air layer and create an unusual little Shohin Ivy.
I gave it a trim today to shorten some of the runners.
This is where I will Airlayer.
From this, to this, to this….
Looks as if my squat Cotoneaster stump has survived collection from a garden at the end of April.
From This in April
To this at the end of June..
and today..
Links to the older posts about this material.
Top Shelf Malus
By calling this a top shelf Malus, I am not referring to it’s quality! I’m referring to the fact that I now keep it on the top shelf of my benching to keep my dogs from eating the apples 😀
The story behind this decision can be read here : Recovering from Dog Attack!
This was the tree today. It’s one of my novelty trees. I bought it to add a splash of flowering colour to my collection and an interest in the Autumn with it’s fruit. If the right tree or piece of raw material comes along, I’ll maybe get a better one. It hasn’t quite recovered from the dog attack of last Autumn but I’m just happy it survived.
Get wired into it!
I’ve seen a few actual trees after wiring that looked just like this lol!
Lagan Tow Path
It’s taken a few days to sort these photos out, it’s been a pretty shite week but the mists seem to be clearing 🙂
On Sunday past the usual suspects took a walk along the Lagan Tow Path from Stranmillis to Lisburn. This is about 10 miles on a easy flat surface. I don’t think I’ve posted pictures from this one before. Over the 10 miles we followed the course of the Lagan river and at some points to overgrown canal which used to connect Lough Neigh with Belfast Harbour.
Loads of nice trees to see, but hard to photograph as they are close to you and surrounded by others. Some wildlife around too, I did my best to capture a feel for the walk and as many points of interest as I could.
I’ll start with a few river shots.
Part of the disused canal system that has silted up and in many places overgrown with reeds etc. Great for wildlife but an opportunity missed for tourism.
I love seeing the waterside trees hanging their branches low over the river.
Many old Oak’s in the area. Lots of dead branches poking out of the tops. Don’t think I have ever seen this reflected on a bonsai from the UK.
Spotted this old deadwood on the interior of an oak. The grain was just beautiful.
The path is part of a major cycle network.
Some of the wildlife.
Thought I had spotted an otter!!
Turned out to be my dog Smudge 🙂
Some nice old Beech trees with interesting nebari.
We walked past the old Barbour Threads Mill lying in disuse since 2006. Sad to see but in someways interesting to see nature taking back what was once fields. That glass looks a tad dangerous!!
Stephen’s wee legs just couldn’t keep up 😉
As usual pollution could be seen but on the whole, the waterway was very clear considering it was a stretch of water linking two Cities.
One of the other major issues on this stretch of river is the spread of Japanese or Himalayian Balsam. Any pink flowers you see in the photos are most likely from this plant. At points along the river, it’s 2 metres high and has choked out the native plants. The only place where I saw that it had been sprayed was below the council offices in Lisburn. The RSBP has been working hard in recent years with volunteers.
This is some after spraying.
It’s a great walk and if desired you could walk all the way to Lough Neigh. I’m afraid that wasn’t an option for me!!
Exhibit Critique – Ryan Neil
I found these on You Tube, via ‘ofbonsai Magazine’.
I loved them and I’m sure everyone watching them will find them interesting. They show Ryan Neil doing a tree critique at the Mid West Bonsai Society Show. Each one is over 30 minutes long but they fly through. Very interesting to hear a Westerner balancing what he has learned in Japan with what he likes in Western Bonsai.
Well done also to the Mid West Bonsai Society for putting on an excellent show for us to see. Isn’t the internet fantastic? 🙂
Just click on the images below to see the videos on You Tube.
Part One
Part 2
Golden Escallonia
This is another Escallonia I have my eye on. Again, it’s in my Dad’s garden. Problem with this one is that he really likes it! Up until last Winter it was a big full colourful tree filling an awkward corner where little else would grow due to the wind. As well as having a yellow foliage it has a dark pink/purple flower. A big contrast to the green leaves and pink flowers you usually expect with Escallonia.
And then disaster struck, well for my Dad, not for me 🙂 The extreme and prolonged low temperatures of last Winter took it’s toll and much of the tree died back. My Dad is attempting to salvage it. As you can see below, he has cut it back hoping it’ll come back like the other two I have cut back in his garden. After a few months things aren’t looking much better. I think an offer of a new one of the same variety to replace it might just do the trick 🙂
Eejit Clarification
When I started this blog I honestly didn’t expect many from outside my own circle of friends to be reading it. This has now caused a slight problem as many of you have no notion what an eejit is …..
I thought I would clarify 🙂
URBAN DICIONARY:
eejit;
Irish slang for idiot. Also used in Scotland. Often used affectionately.
eg.
“Paddy you eejit!”
“Don’t touch that! Look what you’ve done now you eejit!”
“George W Bush, what an eejit!”
There are loads of eejit types.
Buck eejit, Complete eejit, Mad eejit, Drunken eejit, and feckin eejit to name a few..
I took the title ‘Bonsai eejit’ as I’m told I tend to be self deprecating both with regards to bonsai and life in general. I personally think it’s because I’m not actually that good at it and have much to learn.
I have no issue with being called an eejit but Ian will also suffice 🙂
Escallonia – Grows like a weed!
Back at the beginning of March I chopped back these two Escallonia in the ground. They are growing in my Dad’s garden and he’s happy for me to steal them. They are long term projects and will eventually require a lot of carving to create an image.
I was totally amazed at there response to being chopped back. The plan was to cut back this year and collect next Spring. The new growth already established on all chopped trunks would hopefully make for better survival odds. Some previous heavy Escallonia’s when cut back hard, have struggled when lifted. This is a bit of an experiment to compare collecting techniques.
Here’s the first one in March before it was chopped.
and after chopping.
A month later in April.
and last week.
This is the second one before the chop.
and after. Not a great shape but you often find hidden wonders under the surface with these.
about a month later.
and this was it last week!!
Hard to believe that I had even cut it back! My Dad even had to trim it again to keep it off the driveway!
Here’s links to the original posts if you are wanting to catch up.
They both appear to be the same variety as my other one below.
I have my eyes on another one of a different variety. More on that in another post.
Bonsai Eejit 