Just over a month ago I chopped back two big escallonia cut backs
A month on and the back budding is in full flow.
Bonsai Blogs for Google Reader
I’ve just figured out how to create a bundle within Google Reader to allow me to share all the bonsai Blog I follow. If you use Google Reader, click on the link below to see my list. 108 blogs in various countries and languages 🙂
Bonsai Blogs
Video Catch Up
I’m trying to play catch up with the video clips I have taken over the last few months. As yesterday was a wet one, I spent an hour or so putting together a clip from a recent visit to a friend and club members garden. Josh was my inspiration when I joined the club back in 1993. His trees were the best on offer even back then. His skills and experience in developing bonsai in open ground are amazing. He is also one of the nicest people you could meet.
Click on the photo below to link to the video clip. Enjoy.
Josh in full flow
Issy Update
Well my little Potentilla purchased from Willowbog in February has produced it’s first of many flowers.
Here’s a few links to other posts about this tree. I should really start to put these together in the my bonsai section.
https://bonsaieejit.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/issy/
https://bonsaieejit.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/little-issy-repotted/
Escallonia
I took a few update photos of my escallonia yesterday. They seem to becoming quite popular with all the collected ones being shown on the forums of late. I have two more ready for collection next Spring and I have a secret one that’s rather special up my sleeve too 😉
I repotted this one back in November. This would bother some people, but I have found that all the trees I repotted early this year have done really well even after the horrible Winter we just experienced. It all comes down to after care and protection, and this is were a poly tunnel comes in handy.
Hawthorn Raft
Another one trimmed back today was my Hawthorn raft. It had put out quite a few extension shoots that needed curtailed before they thicken. I also had to rub off numerous adventurous buds popping in all the wrong places.
Multiple Maples
I lifted a few of my maples out of the greenhouse today for a closer look and to check a few bits of wire added during the Winter. Some had long shoots that were removed. This first one is the sick one I bought last year in order to save it. The roots were in shocking order and the trunk base rotting. Base now preserved and I think it’s putting out strong root now it’s in a nice free draining mix. It’s certainly putting out leaves!
Next up is the Chuhin Maple that everyone seems to love, me included. It has also responded really well to a better mix.
and lastly is my Stratford Trident Maple. I have decided to lift it out of the greenhouse now that the leaves have hardened off. I usually de-foliate this one 2-3 times in the year. As it was repotted, I’ll hold back this year and maybe go for 1-2 times.
Accent
Spent a few hours in the sun this afternoon tidying up around the garden and cutting grass. I decided enough was enough and got the camera and scissors out and trimmed back some very strong Spring foliage on my trees.
To keep this diary up to date I’ll split up the days work into a few posts. First up are a few accents. The first one is a weed, but a pretty weed.
Next up is one of my attempts at kusamono. It’s made up of hosta, dwarf aquilegia, dwarf Iris and a bit of mud rock. Most of the stuff is still emerging but the aquilegia is ahead of the game.
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This is a tray of potted hostas that my mate Stephen gave me. About half of them are well on their way. The other half are just starting to poke their noses out. Three different varieties.
De-Flowering Today
Bonsai that is 🙂
My big Rhododendron has started to drop some of it’s flowers and to make sure I get all the seed pods off, I removed the rest by hand today. If you do it at this stage, it’s easy to spot the little red tips and the emerging shoots below are easy to avoid. If you leave it until all the flowers drop of their own accord, seed heads are hard to spot, you tend to knock off new shoots and it stresses the tree even further.
Here’s it before.
These are what I’m removing. Some have already dropped the flower petals leaving the seed heads.
and this is it 45 minutes later.
this is under the bench!
I have given the tree it’s first feed and a good watering in.
What a difference …
…a month makes.
This is a quick snap from the door of my greenhouse on 15th March
and another one taken today.
Bonsai Eejit 