Nov 9 2011

Hugh’s Pine

Hugh brought his Scot’s Pine to my place today for styling. This was a recent purchase from Willowbog Bonsai and had a little main branch placement at some point in it’s past.

We had removed the old needles last Friday night and most of the prep for wiring had been done.

We wanted to show off the amazing bark and deadwood that the tree had to offer. A lot of the foliage was leggy and will need to be chased back over the next few years. With that in mind, we wanted to set the main structure of the tree but also wanted to leave most of the branches in place to keep the vigour for back budding. Some reduction took place and a number of unwanted branches were removed.

This was Hughs first time wiring and he showed a good aptitude for it. I did notice that by the end he had a ‘lets get this over with’ attitude 🙂 We have all been there when wiring. For some reason I find myself getting rather fond of wiring[never thought I would say that].

This is it after a few bottom branches had been wired.

And after wiring.

Hugh was happy with the result. I would consider a few alterations at some point. As they say, there’s always options 🙂 The bottom branch may be optional, a choice for Hugh at some point down the line. Once the image fills, there are several other branches that can be removed, but, as it sits, I think it’s a good start.

Nov 2 2011

El Tim Blog speaking out

I thought I would mention this Spanish Bonsai Blog that I’ve been following for a while. I’ve just added it to My Favourite Blogs sidebar.

I understand that reading translated Spanish can be a bit of a chore, Google Translate is far from perfect! But sometimes its worth the effort.

If you click on the image link below you will be taken to a recent post about the collection of yamadori in Spain. It is an honest look at the devastation, dare I say rape, of collecting sites in Spain. I have collected yamadori myself, always in manageable numbers with permission. I understand the temptations to go mad and take risks with trees, I’m not blameless in this either. However, the wanton destruction of top quality yamadori as described here is totally unacceptable! Non-collectable trees should be left for everyone to enjoy in-situ.

This isn’t just a Spanish thing either, it’s happens everywhere when there’s money to be made. In my view, it’s bonsai’s dirty little secret. I have no doubt that some day, some news reporter on a slow news day will twig on to this and it will make National News. ‘Bonsai Butchers ruining the environment’, or words to that effect. What a sad day for bonsai that will be! 😦

Nov 1 2011

Common Juniper

I have a love hate relationship with this tree!! I collected it from a cliff face back in 1998.

After initial strong growth, this was the first styling.

Things progressed well. This is it in 2000.

I got an Ian Baillie pot made for the tree in 2003.

Then it all went ‘Pete Tong’ I had a disaster with a conifer fertilizer that killed 7 of my best trees 😦 A few others suffered but survived. This was one of them. I lost a few main branches at the apex. Needless to say, I wasn’t in any mood to photograph the tree at this point!

As with most Common Junipers collected from the wild, this one has ‘Rust’ Fungus. This became more dominant and I lost a few minor branches here and there.

It was planted in a wash hand basin in a very open mix. This was it in 2009. No styling since 2005. The lost apex branches are there for all to see 😦

I decided to put it back into its Ian B. pot. I kept the tree in the poly tunnel for the last 1 1/2 years and growth has been good.

Last week I lifted it out while I was reorganising things in the tunnel. Of course I forgot to put it back in! That night we had major gusts of wind and when I spotted it on the bench the following day it was at a new angle not selected by me!! I have now added a support and am giving serious thought it transferring it to a bigger pot for a few years. This is it now.

Oct 21 2011

Touch and Go

I think it’s going to be touch and go with this Golden variety of Escallonia. I collected it yesterday from my Dad’s garden. He had dug it up a few days before and moved it to another spot until I was ready to collect. His reason for digged it up was the massive damage caused last Winter. It only had 3 live branches on the whole tree and one little shoot appearing at the base.

This is how I found it yesterday.

I cut back a few of the heavy branches that had no foliage on them. All of them were dead. One of the branches was very tall and I was going to have to cut it off it fit it in the car. This branch however had a live bit at the top. When I sawed through the branch, this is what I found in the heart wood.

You can clearly see that the branch isn’t alive the whole way around the circumference. Escallonia is very similar to juniper in that they have a very defined live vein system in their growth structure. Specific branches correspond with specific roots, cut either off and you loose the other. This left me with two live branches on the tree and one little shoot at the base. Totry and ensure survival, I had to leave both live branches uncut on the tree. As it sits now neither of these branches is usable in any future design but by leaving them I hope to see a bit of back budding lower down the trunk.

I got it home and potted it up. I used a mix of SP Cat Litter, grit and bark. I decided to use bark to add a little more organic material to the mix and aid moisture retention within the pot. This is the bark I used.

and the mix

I selected a pot that would be a reasonably tight fit.

I potted the tree up in the poly tunnel where it will stay until it either dies or shows strong signs of growth next year.

Now I play the waiting game….

Sep 24 2011

Hawthorn Air layer Update

This is the layer that I took off the previously posted Hawthorn last year. I lifted it in to the garage on Thursday to remove unwanted shoots.

This is probably closer to the final potting angle.

I know it doesn’t look like it, but there is some pretty good movement in the trunk line of this tree. The Spring foliage was shortened back in June after it flowered. The new shoots you see are all on a chop made in the middle of the tree. These will all have to be removed as this will have to be carved away.

This was it after removing the unwanted branches. I left the low branch on, I think this might make a nice feature.

This is the stump for carving. By the feel of the pot and how steady the tree is, I think there is sufficient roots for this work to be carried out during the Winter.

Considering I was going to just chop this off and bin it, I’m glad I waited for an Air Layer. I have another big Hawthorn that I now plan to layer next Spring.

Sep 21 2011

Hawthorn Update

This Hawthorn was repotted in the Spring after being the parent plant of an air layer removed last year. I gave it fee growth this year to help it establish roots. Like most of my Hawthorn here, it has come into Autumn early. Only a few tip green leaves remain on some of this seasons late shoots.

The story of how this tree was air layered can be read here. Hawthorn Air Layer

Most of the branches produced this year are now too thick and stiff to position with wire into a desirable shape. Others are in the wrong place. These, for example, are growing from the inside of a bend.

Most of these are unusable as well.

I quite liked this as a possible new front.

I removed the unwanted branches and left those that can still be of use in the design of the tree next year. The area where the air layer had been removed will need carving. It takes away from what is actually nice movement in the tree. Also, some deadwood at the base where old roots had been torn at some point in the trees past.

Now that the tree has become better established in it’s new pot, next year I will direct any new shoots early while they are still flexible. I hope to see plenty of adventurous buds appearing in the Spring.

Jun 10 2011

For Peter…

… and the rest of you as well. 🙂

I had been chatting at the weekend about the photos my niece took during her family tour of America’s West Coast in May this year. Trees seem to have played a big part in their journey. Here are some of my favourites from her 2500+ snaps!!

My Bro 🙂

Tree Stump dance floor!!

My favourite, yamadori heaven

and Lisa, the photographer

I think we can say she has got the hang of that camera 🙂 West Coast USA is now on my ‘to do’ list.

May 11 2011

Escallonia Update

I cut 2 Escallonia back at the start of March with a view to collecting them next Spring.

This is them back in March.

After 2 months this is the growth they have put out. I was hoping to see budding right to the top of each trunk and I wasn’t disappointed.

Apr 15 2011

Cut Backs Update

Just over a month ago I chopped back two big escallonia cut backs

A month on and the back budding is in full flow.

Apr 10 2011

Walking on Sunshine

Had my usual Sunday morning walk today and what a day it was. Only problem was all the fair weather walkers clogging up the beach!! The second part of the walk was in the woods and it was less crowded and a lot cooler. Here’s a few pics from the day including some inspirational uro’s and deadwood.