Here are a few photos taken of 3 Malus that I have just coming into flower.
A few other Spring photos to enjoy too.
Category My Bonsai
Never Make a Shohin This One
This is the first photos of a Zelkova that I’m starting to work on. Grown from a cutting!! Eight years in open ground resulted in this 25 foot tree being chopped down to the bottom branch. A very fast growing tree that actually got away on me for a while. It’s been in this tub for 2 years now and I feel it safe to do a little pruning. It also needs carving on the chop mark to make it more convincing. It was carved back a little last year to allow the wood to dry out and stop it producing 100’s of shoots around the wound.
Me for scale
The chop
A little pruning to stop the apex getting carried away again. Bottom branches will need many years to thicken to the right size.
Many Hands Make Light Work
I dread to think how I would have potted up the Escallonia last night without help from John, Ben, Michael and Ben. Yes, there was two Bens 🙂
It was getting dark so many of the photos are crap but you get the drift.
Getting a bit of glare off the top of the old shiny head there 🙂
This was it today in the Tunnel. I added a top layer of Sphagnum moss to aid humidity and keep the surface roots moist.
Escallonia Dig
I decided to collect this Escallonia from my Dad’s garden today. I had chopped it back last year in March in preparation for collecting this year. You can see posts about this HERE and HERE.
I forgot to lift my camera and had to resort to the mobile phone for photos. Below you can see my 85 year old Dad hard at work, something he’s done all his life. He’s fitter than I am!!
We also had another helper, Bobby the Robin was in around our feet lifting grubs to feed it’s first brood of the year. My Dad has about 20+ next boxes up around the place!
I’ve still to pot this up and am hoping that a few mates will being coming over tonight to give me a hand!! Photos to follow tomorrow.
Cotoneaster Air Layer Repot
Some of you following the blog may remember me air layering this cotoneaster last year.
The original Post can be viewed HERE
Today I decided to repot the layer to allow spreading of roots and to get it into a more suitable pot. I had picked up a Stone Monkey Pot for it at the BSA Auction and was keen to get it potted up.
This is it after 7 months after removal in a training pot.
I was able to comb out the roots and remove the bulk of the layering sphagnum moss. It had even issued roots from the lower branches into the soil! This is the Stone Monkey pot ready for the tree. What I love about this little pot is that even though it’s small time has been taken to add wire holes. A big help.
And the little tree potted up. It needs clipped in a little further but I’ll let it settle in it’s new home for a few months before I do anything else.
For the Record…
Just wanted to make a note on the blog that today was the first feed of the year for my trees. This is after all meant to be my bonsai diary, or that’s what it started out as 😀
Everything that hadn’t been repotted and was showing signs of growth got some green dream today.
Missed it!
When I was busy last week I missed this maple opening and now it has extended further than I had wanted! Last year this tree was weak after years of neglect from its previous owner. This year seems to show signs of renewed vigour. It was bought as part of a mercy mission and has a way to go but I think it has enough character to be an interesting tree. Older posts about this tree HERE and HERE.
Trident Update
My Root Over Rock Trident Maple is pushing hard after it’s repot.
My other Trident, not repotted this year is also at a similar stage.
Hawthorn Bursting and Back Budding
I seem to have prolific back budding on some collected Hawthorn this year. This first one was the air layer taken back in 2010.
Suckers from the base!
This one is slighter further on.
These had to be rubbed off.
This little Shohin is starting to back bud well too. A ways to go yet though.
Fuji Flowers
Grabbed a few photos of my Fuji Cherry today. Had to be today as this year sees it pushing leaves after the flower very quickly. It’ll need a trim after flowering but the vigour this year seems to be even stronger than previous years.
Bonsai Eejit 