It’s been a long wait but at last my Korean Hornbeam is just starting to turn. I’m not expecting a lot of red, just the usual yellow, but for once a little red would be nice 🙂
Monthly Archives: November 2011
Beech Stripped
I was clearing up some of my trees yesterday in preparation for Winter. This Beech was on my list for putting into the Poly Tunnel. This tree is 63 years old. Forestry records 🙂 This is it with the leaves still clinging on.
And this it after Stan and I did a little plucking. I always like to remove the leaves on my Beech over the Winter. This way I can enjoy the branch structure and it leaves fewer places for little beasties to hide.
When Birds Attack…… Moss
Sitting at the computer yesterday, I glanced out the window and saw that a family of Blackbirds had descended on my trees to assist with the removal of moss. A Great Tit also got in on the act but kept getting chased off. I managed to snap a few quick shots out of the window.
Bonsai Clubs?
Made it to the club night last night despite the weather.
Many people in the ‘bonsai Community’ run down the effectiveness of clubs and Societies. Those seeking to attain higher levels of knowledge and skills tend to leave clubs to attend workshops with professionals or skip over them in the first place. I have no problem with this but isn’t there room for both?
I feel that we need to cater for all. Not everyone wants to be a master, or even be that proficient at bonsai. That’s their choice. Many do it as a social thing. Certainly friendship is a big part of what keeps me involved with the club. The more experienced enthusiasts need to give a little back.
My big reason for ensuring the growth of the NIBS is to keep those feelers out there looking for that one person a year that walks through the door, who wants to get into bonsai and take it as far as they can. In Northern Ireland where Bonsai is limited, a persons usual first port of call when searching for bonsai is the NIBS. We are waiting for you 🙂
Club nights are a small part of what we do. Some members are happy with the once a month workshop. However, getting together with others who want to push their limits also happens outside of the club night boundaries. You only have to look back through my blog to see that I regularly get together with others in the club, and outside of it for that matter, to push myself and them forward.
The club will help teach the basics to beginners, as all clubs should but we will also run Bonsai Schools to cover all levels. Next year will see Peter Warren joining us for a few days running workshops for both beginners and the more experienced.
My goodness, I’m rambling on!! I only planned to share a photo or two from last night. Passions running away with me lol. Anyway, what I’m saying is a club, set up the right way, can cater for all. Why not give your local one a chance to prove it’s worth. You might find the whole experience rewarding, or it might be crap 🙂 If you don’t go look, you’ll never know.
Last Night in pics.
Learning and social aspects in action.
Close instruction on how to start thinning a very over grown Juniper.
Nine people discussing options on a nursery stock Juniper. Each has to pick a front and explain their reason for it. A great learning technique.
Needle removal on a Scots Pine in action.
Before
After, ready for wiring.
Maple on Display
A very enjoyable night for me. Maybe it’s just me, but I get a buzz from helping others learn. Definitely one of the best parts of being in a club.
Tree for Club Night
I always try and take a tree along to club night showing something seasonal. Tonight I’m taking along this Maple as it starting to colour up nicely 🙂 As you can see it’s wet, hasn’t stopping raining for hours here. Hope this doesn’t put people off attending the meeting tonight 😦
Remember Them….
It’s the 11th Hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year.
A special moment in time and history. Lets all remember those on all sides who have lost loved ones in War and conflict.
The following photographs were taken during my Tour of the First World War Battlefields in September 2010. One of the most sobering weeks of my life seeing loss of life on such an incomprehensible scale.
Photographs show memorials to British, Irish, German, Canadian, American, Austrian, French soldiers. And as the headstone says, Sacrificed to the fallacy that War can end War.
Flanders Poppy
True words on a grave of an Irish soldier bearing my family name and he even shared my birthday. He is however no relation. It was a special moment finding and reading this.
The Ulster Tower
German Memorial
Irish Peace Tower
The Somme where the 36th Ulster Division suffered heavy losses 
Let us remember them.
Mycelium
At the recent Bonsai School it was discussed about how Mycelium could block drainage holes at the bottom of pots and might cause water logging issues over a wet Winter. This little Pine[ not mine] was examined recently. It’s in a plastic training pot. I think you can clearing see that the Mycelium has filled every single millimetre of space 🙂
I’d be happy to find any of my pines with this amount of Mycelium in the pot!
Sloe Gin?
Michael brought his little Blackthorn over yesterday to show us the berries. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them this big on a Blackthorn. There was more on it but his erratic driving on the way over put an end to that!
Autumn to Winter
I’ve been looking forward to seeing this Root over Rock Trident sans Leaves for the first time. This was it last week with the dregs of the Autumn colour hanging on.
A quick tap and things fell apart 🙂
Today I removed the last few leaves to see the structure and then allow me to pop it into the tunnel for the Winter.
I’m very happy with the ramification and all pruning wounds are perfectly healed over.
Hugh’s Pine
Hugh brought his Scot’s Pine to my place today for styling. This was a recent purchase from Willowbog Bonsai and had a little main branch placement at some point in it’s past.
We had removed the old needles last Friday night and most of the prep for wiring had been done.
We wanted to show off the amazing bark and deadwood that the tree had to offer. A lot of the foliage was leggy and will need to be chased back over the next few years. With that in mind, we wanted to set the main structure of the tree but also wanted to leave most of the branches in place to keep the vigour for back budding. Some reduction took place and a number of unwanted branches were removed.
This was Hughs first time wiring and he showed a good aptitude for it. I did notice that by the end he had a ‘lets get this over with’ attitude 🙂 We have all been there when wiring. For some reason I find myself getting rather fond of wiring[never thought I would say that].
This is it after a few bottom branches had been wired.
And after wiring.
Hugh was happy with the result. I would consider a few alterations at some point. As they say, there’s always options 🙂 The bottom branch may be optional, a choice for Hugh at some point down the line. Once the image fills, there are several other branches that can be removed, but, as it sits, I think it’s a good start.
Bonsai Eejit 