Sep 12 2012

Haw Haw

My Hawthorn Raft didn’t produce too many flowers this year. Not a problem really as it’s a long way to go before it’s the way I want to show it. It dropped most of it’s first flush leaves a week or so ago only leaving the later growth. This made the few haws more noticable.

Sep 11 2012

Small Tortoiseshell

I’m amazed just how many of these Small Tortoiseshell butterflies are in my garden this year. Never seen so many.

Sep 10 2012

Walking Again

You’d think a dodgy shoulder wouldn’t stop you walking, but it did! I have been back at it for a few weeks but didn’t take the camera. Yesterday normal service resumed.

Our usual path on this walk has seen a few changes. Plenty of big beeches have taken a tumble. This one took a smaller one with it.

I love fungi at this time of year. Never miss a chance for a photo.

The green grass of home

Onwards to the beach at Helen’s Bay

Stephen had an extra dog for the walk

and just to repay the favour, here he is contorting himself for a photo.

Sep 9 2012

Rossii?

I swapped a few accents with Xavier back in the Spring and one of them was this chap. I can’t seem to actually find out more about it. It was labelled Mukdenia Rossi. I was expecting the Rossi to refer to red flowers at some point, but as you can see, there appears to be a red tinge to the leaves starting as we come into Autumn. I have since read that it’s now to be called Aceriphyllum rossii. Anybody know any more about it as an accent?

Sep 8 2012

Happy Snapper

A few days ago, I mentioned that I was trying to recover photos from Stephen’s memory card after an accidental delete has wiped out every photo he’d taken since March. [Remember to back up 🙂 ] I was successful.

While I was looking through the recovered photos I noticed that he has been sneaking around on our Sunday walks, taking photos of me taking photos! Here are some of them and a few others besides.

Me getting a shot of the Mourne Mountains from Scrabo Hill, Newtownards

I appear to be getting a shot of some Hawthorn Berries up Cavehill, overlooking Belfast Lough. My Springer Spaniel, Maggie is never far from my side on a walk. My other dog deserts me and ranges ahead.

Taking close up shots of bluebells in Killyneither Woods, Comber.

I think I caught him on in this one 🙂

A colder day walking the beach at Gray’s Point, Helen’s Bay. My squint is probably me trying to spot Smudge running ahead causing havoc, stealing tennis balls from other dogs!

Maggie and I in the Bluebells again.

The best way to discuss bonsai, with a tin of beer in the hand 🙂 Taken at a visit to Josh’s garden.

Taken on our Spring Pine collecting trip.

Cavehill again. Stephen and I walk with my two brothers. That’s them on the path ahead of us. We usually split up as Stephen’s dog and my brother’s dog hate each other!

Capturing Forsythia flowers this time I think.

More plant snapping.

A rare photo of me with my two brothers. As you can see I got all the good looks in the family. Hair is in short supply 😀

I’ll end with this one. It shows the end of one of our walks at Bangor Marina. My dog Smudge’s favourite spot. He’ll race ahead to get in the water waiting for someone, anyone, to throw a stone for him to chase.

Sep 7 2012

Phil’s Garden

Well not quite, some from his and some from his Dad’s place were he keeps a lot of his trees.

Some of the wee ones he keeps at his own place.

And a few bigger ones there for some work.

and now up at his Dad’s place.

Checing the filter to see why the pond has dropped 12″!

A bit of everything

Collected material

The magic tunnel

Some of the smaller trees.

Scots Pine

Yew

Scots Pine

The setting of the sun, time to go home.

Sep 5 2012

Bonsai Baker’s Benches

There used to be a guy called Bonsai Baker, he even started his own blog but despite abuse from those who love him, he hasn’t posted in a while. Perhaps a few pokes and prods to him on his blog Bonsai Baker might stimulate him into action again. 🙂

I had called down to Stephen’s last week to scrounge up a few cardboard boxes for posting trees in. I managed to snap a few photos in his back garden just to keep you up to date until he starts posting again.

His Arakawa Maple

His Repanda Common Juniper root over rock. This has grown vigorously since the styling here at my house earlier in the year.

His ever growing collection of hostas.

Sep 2 2012

Fright Night?

Or should it be Friday night? I think the former looking at this photo 😀

Had a few mates around to play with trees on Friday night. Not a big turn out as I only gave a few days notice. You would think that it would be quiet then but that’s not possible with Michael and Phil in attendance!!

Phil showing his speed trimming technique.

Far too much laughing going on here, you’d think they were actually enjoying themselves!

Bertie’s little berberis got a major haircut. This is the before image.

Some pruning, what a hoot 🙂 Get it?

Ian B’s juniper got a thinning out and is now ready for a refinement wiring.

Michael brought this Japanese White Pine for advice. There was several options. He could keep it full size and just rewire in an attempt to hide some of the faults. He could reduce the height and make a shohin sized tree or even take it back further as Phil was showing below to create a mame/Shohin tree. Not was the right time to do such a drastic chop so Michael has some time to think about it.

Phil brought 3 trees along for me to photograph. He saw I was selling a few on here and asked if I’d add his as well. What are friends for. I’ll add these to the For Sale page. Keep an eye there if you are interested.