Now you have watched this, you can’t say you weren’t warned 🙂 That’s why I’m adding another poly tunnel in the garden!!
Common Juniper
I have a love hate relationship with this tree!! I collected it from a cliff face back in 1998.
After initial strong growth, this was the first styling.
Things progressed well. This is it in 2000.
I got an Ian Baillie pot made for the tree in 2003.
Then it all went ‘Pete Tong’ I had a disaster with a conifer fertilizer that killed 7 of my best trees 😦 A few others suffered but survived. This was one of them. I lost a few main branches at the apex. Needless to say, I wasn’t in any mood to photograph the tree at this point!
As with most Common Junipers collected from the wild, this one has ‘Rust’ Fungus. This became more dominant and I lost a few minor branches here and there.
It was planted in a wash hand basin in a very open mix. This was it in 2009. No styling since 2005. The lost apex branches are there for all to see 😦
I decided to put it back into its Ian B. pot. I kept the tree in the poly tunnel for the last 1 1/2 years and growth has been good.
Last week I lifted it out while I was reorganising things in the tunnel. Of course I forgot to put it back in! That night we had major gusts of wind and when I spotted it on the bench the following day it was at a new angle not selected by me!! I have now added a support and am giving serious thought it transferring it to a bigger pot for a few years. This is it now.
The Bonsai Art of Japan Episode 17
The latest episode from The Bonsai Art of Japan. An interview with a gentleman is probably the best way to describe it. Very interesting.
Shohin Maple Finally Showing Colour
This is it yesterday from a few angles.
And this was it on the same date in 2010 for comparison.
I think about one more week should bring me this colour for 2011.
Down Hill but only half way
As predicted, the collected Escallonia from last week is showing a few signs of death. Appropriate for Halloween!
Of the two live branches, one is fading fast. I knew that by cutting a major root that was going under a concrete path, chances were that it would die. The good news is that the other branch is holding it’s own [kiss of death]
This one is on it’s way out
Fingers crossed that this one will make it.
Larch Group Autumn Colour
This Larch group is reaching its peak. The one in the middle is usually a little later than the other two, this year it’s managed to keep up!
Ginkgo Last Hurrah
This Ginkgo is past it’s best Autumn colour after a few windy days battering the leaves. This is a final show of colour for the year.
BSA Website & Blog
The New British Shohin Association Website and Blog is now up and running. Lots of great images in the gallery to flick through for all the shohin lovers out there.
It is now easy to join as well. I have been threatening to do it for years and took the plunge today and paid via paypal. I tried to get over to the Shohin Off Show this year, but a death in the family changed all my plans. However I do plan to make it over to the 2012 Show.
Link to site by clicking on the image below.
New Tunnel Ordered
I took the plunge today and ordered a new Poly Tunnel for added space for over Wintering my trees. This year I hope to have everything tucked away somewhere. This is what should be delivered next Tuesday.
It’s the slightly stronger version with heavier frame. I rang the company to order it and told them I had seen the same one on ebay cheaper. Turns out that the ebay site is theirs as well. He gave it to me for the cheaper ebay price but, as usual, living in Northern Ireland, even though we are still part of the UK, I had to pay an extra £10 postage [grumble grumble, pet hate] That said, all in, postage and all, it only cost me £82.
One of my benches is on it’s last legs and will be taken apart this weekend to make room of its arrival. Anybody free on Wednesday to help me put it up? No harm in asking 😀
Futter with Trees
A few months back at the start of the Summer we got a new club member. Michael came to us after having gone through a few wilderness years with his trees. I had a few years like that myself and was keen to get him up and running again. I’m delighted to say that not only has he jumped back in with both feet, he’s even started his own blog! He’ll probably hate me for posting this link to it but, if he even gets a fraction of the enjoyment from it that I have gotten from mine, he’ll forgive me 😀
By way of explanation, ‘futter’ in Northern Ireland, roughly translated means, ‘to play around with’, not to be confused with some of the other global meanings out there! I googled it and was rather surprised!! As I call myself an eejit, I can connect with his regional blog name 😀
Anyway, here’s a link to his blog, give him some encouragement and lets hope he’s still talking to me after this 😀
Bonsai Eejit 