Apr 4 2012

Shohin Japanese Maple

This little maple is about to come into leaf.

I recently read somewhere that if you remove the stipules from the bud as it opens it allows the stalk to dry out faster which causes the inter-nodal length to become shorter. A desirable feature in shohin maples.

Here you see the stipules at the point of my scissors.

This is how it looks with the stipules removed. I will hold judgement on the technique until I see if there is any beneficial results.

Anybody used this technique before?

Apr 3 2012

Yearly Task

This recovering Japanese Maple has a big area of deadwood at the base extending up the trunk. It was extremely rotten when I got it and it requires a lot of attention with wood hardener to keep it as is. I added another coat of hardener a few days ago.

Apr 3 2012

Oak Air Layer Removal

I layered this oak last year and decided to leave it in place over the Winter. All the other layers last year had produced enough root to allow for an Autumn removal. This oak however was lacking in roots at that stage. Some where visible but not enough in my opinion.

Today I removed the cover and was happy with what I saw. The layer was budding very strongly and the roots in the moss were moving again as white tips were showing.

This was my first layer on an oak and was more about gaining knowledge than producing a great tree. Both the parent tree and the layer are nothing special but at least I know it’s worth giving oak a go in the future.

Apr 2 2012

Time Lapse Video

Another time lapse video worth watching.

Apr 2 2012

Heads in the Sun

A few Trees in the Sun. I usually take photos in the garage but sometimes it nice to get a little natural light on the tree.

Japanese Larch

Shohin Hawthorn

Another Hawthorn

Fuji Cherry Finished Flowering

Apr 2 2012

Malus Coming Into Flower

Here are a few photos taken of 3 Malus that I have just coming into flower.

A few other Spring photos to enjoy too.

Apr 1 2012

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.

Mar 31 2012

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.

Mar 30 2012

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.

Mar 29 2012

Cork Bark Elm Air layer Repot

Another Air Layer from last year. I decided to repot this one also. I was amazed just how flared the nebari had become in a short time.

This was the layer last year, full post HERE

This was it at the weekend before repotting.

Again with the roots raked out and the layering moss removed.

Before potting up I was able to removed the stump at the bottom. This helps flare out the nebari even more.

Due to the roots still being delicate, I used bamboo canes over the outer spread to hold the tree in place. These will eventually rot away in the pot.