The Re-potting Continues

At our midweek get together, Gerry and I continued with the re-potting and maintenance work that we started last week.

First up, were a few of Gerry’s shohin trees. Some of these were discussed in an earlier post, this is how they look at the moment after a re-pot.

This malus was removed from its’ plastic training pot and placed into a nice blue ceramic one. The white flowers in summer will work well with this pot.

This trident over rock was re-potted into a sky blue ceramic rectangular pot.

This seka hinoki needed a change in the planting angle and a slightly deeper pot. The pot we used is not ideal but it has the correct dimensions and depth.

And to finish today I thought I would share a picture of another recent acquisition. It’s a viewing stone that I found on a local beach last week. I am always on the look out for these when I go to the beach but I rarely find anything that I would want to take home.

 

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Shohin Cherries in Flower

My 2 shohin cherries, Prunus Incisa kojo no mai, have come into flower this week a little earlier than last year. Both trees have been in development from nursery stock for about 3 years.

Last year the second one peaked before the first, this year its the other way round. The second one was re-potted last season and that seems to have slowed down its’ start this year. I have noticed this with many of the trees I re-potted last year.

 

A New Display Table for my Blauws Juniper

I acquired a Japanese display table yesterday which will work well with my Blauws Juniper. This tree, which I have been working on for about 4 years is nearing completion and I am now thinking about getting it ready for its first show sometime in the next year.

Its come a long way in the time I have had it. If you would like to see detailed posts on its progression click the following links. Part 1, Part 2  Part 3 and the re-pot.

Shohin Cotoneasters at the end of the Season

I thought I would show a few record pictures,taken today, of some cotoneasters, which have come through the winter without losing any of their leaves or berries. They are all the same variety. I’m not sure of its’ name but it has a slightly larger leaf and berry than microphylla. They have all been developed from material collected in my garden. The 2 on the left were originally one tree and the 2 on the right were started from cuttings.

Here are some more detailed photographs

In the coming week I will be removing the old berries and preparing the trees for the new season

Midweek Getogether with Gerry

My good friend Gerry paid me a visit today to catch up on the local bonsai news and to see how my trees have been progressing in the early spring sunshine. Gerry and I live about 75 miles apart and the climate in both our backyards is quite different. I have had a little more sun recently so my trees are slightly ahead of his.

Here are a few trees that had our attention today.

One of my shohin hawthorns. This tree was re-potted last year so it only required some weeding, moss removal and refreshment of the top layer of soil.

This kiyohime maple was also re-potted last year so only required a clean up today.

Gerry brought along a small trident over rock and a seka hinoki for discussion. The trident has some nice ramification already but the new growth in the lower right branch needs to be developed outward to accentuate the movement in that direction. I think he’s also planning to re-pot it next week.

This little hinoki definitely needs a change in planting angle this year.

This is one possibility that we considered. It might also benefit from a slightly deeper pot.

Gerry also brought me news that Wattston Bonsai will be receiving their new stock from Japan on Friday. I will certainly have to make a trip up there this weekend.

Repotting Some Shohin Hawthorns

Today has been the hottest day of the year so far, in fact it almost felt like Spring was on the way. I remember thinking that this time last year just before the temperatures plummeted and we went into the coldest Spring since records began. Ever the optimist, I decided that now is the time to begin the new seasons’ repotting. If I’ve miss-timed this I can always invest in a portable heater for the greenhouse. The first to be dealt with are 3  hawthorns They were collected from the hedge which surrounds my garden and have been in training as shohin bonsai for about 4 years.

This little group are beginning to show some promise and will make nice shohin trees in a few years time.

Some of My Evergreen Shohin Trees

Here is a recent picture of some of my evergreen shohin trees. Now that the days are getting longer and a little warmer it wont be long before they awake from their winter rest. Remarkably, the cotoneaster  at the top right hasn’t lost a single leave or berry this winter.

Lanarkshire Bonsai Club Meeting 6/3/2016

Here are a few photographs from yesterday’s monthly meeting of the Lanarkshire Bonsai Club held at Wattston Bonsai.  It’s still a little cold here to begin re-potting so while we wait for Dougie’s new stock to arrive from Japan ( it’s expected next week ,by the way), most work was confined to pruning and wiring.

Here are some of the trees that were worked on today.

Nice shohin azalea with a thick trunk

Cork Bark Elm

Shohin Trident Maple

Deciduous Shohin in Late Winter

Now that the winter maintenance on my larches has been completed for another year it’s time to start work on my deciduous trees. Here is a group picture of some of the better ones I will be working on this week, weather permitting of course.

The daytime temperatures in my greenhouse are beginning to rise and the buds are starting to swell but with night time temperatures likely to fall below zero, extra vigilance is required to ensure that no damage is done. This is the riskiest time of year for small trees in small pots.