I styled this tree with Ben a few days ago to help explain the use of raffia in making bends. This is the material, not very exciting and needed a little drama added.
Ben at work.
Ready for bending
After initial bending. A first step towards bonsai. A long way to go but a good start.
This is a Contorted Hazel in my care at the moment for a friend who’s on Holiday. This is it’s first year in a pot having been field grown up until this point. Better in Winter or Spring with catkins, but an impressive bonsai of this variety.Best I’ve seen anyway.
Some photos taken at Belfast Rose Show this weekend past. This was Friday night when I was there entering a few bonsai into the exhibition. Sun was on the way down which created some interesting light.
Sedum and Leptinella
Mixed fern and grasses
Hosta Venusta
Chaenorhinum Glareosum
Arthropodium candidum purpureum.
Two more getting their first direction. First is a hawthorn with great bark and second is an unusual variety of privet.
This is another Hawthorn I worded on on Saturday, collected from a hedge a few years ago using a digger and now well established in a pot. Some amazing deadwood that will now be protected. Branch selection and some basic placing done. Raffia on a few of the heavy branches to get the right placement. Leader left to grow free to help with taper. This will be another great tree in a few years time.
I had the pleasure of working on this tree yesterday.
This Pyracantha was a beast collected from a garden a few years ago. It was time to do some branch selection and a little placement with wire where it was required. First though we had to define what was alive on the trunk and define the veins. Most of the trunk was dead but it had two live veins and an impressive base once we uncovered it. Bark was removed from the dead areas but no detailed carving was done for now. The top of the chop would was removed as this wont be needed in any final design. A repot in the Spring and this tree is well on the way to being one of the most impressive Pyracantha I have seen.
My constant shadow these days is Maggie, my Springer Spaniel.
Always wants to be at my feet, no matter what I’m doing. Sometimes that means getting a little messy 🙂
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