Jan 21 2016

Some Day’s Are Made For Collecting

Managed to get out with Phil collecting yesterday and amazingly the sun came out!

To be honest the day was more about getting permissions to collect in place and preparing some trees for collection in a few years time, but it was a successful day all the same with a few new additions to the garden. We have a rather special Hawthorn site that we haven’t used for a few years. The owner has since passed away and we were seeking permission from the new owner. After calling and speaking to his wife we were hopeful of getting back on the site. I was then left a voice mail saying we couldn’t collect. We were gutted! 😦 Then today out of the blue, he rang back to say yes, collect away!!! 😀 I think in all my years collecting I’ve only been turned down once and that was a tree from a garden. I was really gutted to think we’d never get back on this special site. Being able to take your time collecting, being selective and legal is the only way to go.

In case you are wondering, these snaps are not the site 😉

Jan 20 2016

Talking of Sperling….

I’ve had some people asking me about the Sperling Keramic pots after my last post.

As most of the bonsai world, except me, seems to be heading to The Noelanders Trophy at the weekend, you can catch up with them there. Here are some of the pots making there way to the Exhibition.

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Jan 19 2016

Shohin Yew

Yes, another Yew, no fancy yamadori this time. I grew this one from a cutting!

This was it earlier in the year in a training pot.

While over at Bonsai Europa I fell in love with some of the great pots on the Sperling Keramic stand. I had never even heard of Sperling before! A very friendly service with some amazing pots. I picked up this little pot for another tree but wasn’t happy with the match so I’ve decided to use it for this little Yew.

This is it just potted up. A thinning out required this year and some extra shari work.

This was the tree back in 2011 after initial styling.

A few other pots from Sperling Keramic in case you want to see what else came back to Northern Ireland.

Jan 18 2016

Trying Tibolar-RS

Going to give Tibolar-RS this year on a few trees to see how it compares. Only hearing good things about this feed.

Jan 17 2016

Hawthorn – Initial Styling

A totally raw Hawthorn from the sales bench taking it’s first steps.

Jan 16 2016

Final stroll through the Taikan-ten sales area

Jan 15 2016

First Snow of Winter

Today saw me waking up to a light dusting of snow. Nice to see a cold snap for a few days, the trees could do with it, just let it be short lived. I took a few quick snaps before the thaw.

Jan 13 2016

Shimpaku at the Taikan-ten sales area

Jan 12 2016

Connaught Bonsai Club?

Could it be that we could now bring bonsai into the last clubless Provence in Ireland?!

Nearly 3 years ago I, on behalf of the Northern Ireland Bonsai Society, helped start the Munster Bonsai Club and a year year the Leinster Bonsai Club. Both are still going strong. Cork and Dublin are the main anchor cities for these clubs and therefore offer a good population in which to recruit new members.

The hard part of bringing coverage to all of Ireland was always going to be the wild west! Connaught lacks the population density of the rest of Ireland but what a place to go hunting yamadori 🙂 I have contact with a few bonsai enthusiasts over that way in Galway and Sligo but never anyone willing to give setting up a club or study group a go…… until now 🙂

I’ve been contacted via my blog by Tim, who not only wants to try and start a club but also has 40 years experience in bonsai. A great starting point for any club.

So my question is, do you live in Connaught and want to join Tim in starting a Club? Perhaps a study group would be a more accurate description of it to begin with, but from small acorns and all that. Tim is based in Ballaghaderreen in County Roscommon.

As before, I’m more than happy to support Tim in setting up as are the NIBS. All joining the club will be entitled to attend NIBS events as a sister club member.

Interested: Please contact me by replying to this post below or via the CONTACT ME page. I’ll not add a direct contact for Tim here as I don’t want to make his email address visible on the net.

Come on people, this is your chance bonsai in the West of Ireland.

Jan 12 2016

Chuhin Yew – Time for a Change

I’ve had this little Yew since 2002 when I bought it as raw material. That said, it was in this pot even then. I love the pot, Ian Baillie only makes good ones but after all this time I felt either the tree had outgrown the pot or I just needed a change.

This is it in the old pot.

And this is it’s new home for the next few years. A nice Japanese pot I picked up with a bit of age about it.. It’s perhaps a little big but the tree could do with a few years of freer root growth as I will now spend a little more time on improving the overall image of the tree.