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Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 08:13 pm EST : |   
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Could you both please post pics of where you keep your bonsai. And what they look like. Thanks.
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Greth
| | Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 10:58 pm EST : |
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This is the shadehouse last April. the bonsai are mostly living at the end of the bench in pic 1. Against the house and on the steps in pic 1 is now home to six big trays of plants - things ready for sale.At the right of pic 2 are my cutting troughs, on the left of same pic is a double kitchen sink now doing duty as a potting bench. The long wall is the north side, which you note is the side for winter sun in the southern hemisphere. The house has large glass windows along the north side, used to be horribly hot in summer - walking barefoot on the tiles inside would burn your feet! The shadehouse cools this area in summer, much better. Water is pretty basic, I drag a hose in thru the sliding door inbetween the two areas shown. Hubby favours a mist system, I prefer watering by hand.
This is where olive 1 is at
The flowering ash has been cut back and wired horizontally, looking for a semi cascade for this one. It has new shoots back along the stem, not quite where I want them, but hopeful.
The willow will just be sitting until next spring, then gonna get a serious haircut.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Greth
| | Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 11:23 pm EST : |
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Oh, technical details. The shadehouse is 17.5 metres long (think yards if you can't think metres), 2.5 m wide. The shadecloth is quite heavy, lets only about 50% of light thru, which is quite enough in summer. In winter I put the plants which are possum proof outside. Those green wire benches are actually stainless steel mesh, very strong and sturdy. Most of my plants go on top of them, where there is excellent drainage. Also a great height for working. The ground level still gets good amounts of sun, less well drained, so here most of my mints live. When we had problems with possums, all my sale plants lived under the bench in pic 1, which was sealed with old flyscreens. We found the final hole the possums were using, now as long as the doors are shut the whole shadehouse is safe from varmints. Jessie has her sandpit in the shadehouse too, don't have to worry about hats and she has her own trowel and some pots and labels to play with!
Its actually quite an ugly addition to the house, but it is very practical and works well for us.
We will be building new shadehouses up the slope from the house, so this will become a fernery and summer sitting area, maybe still a nursery for my cuttings and precious stuff.
This is my coldframe, which I use to start tomato and basil seeds in late winter. Keeps the frost off them and they grow much better in the warmth. It is defended by a toddler and a killer cat.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Monday, April 23, 2007 - 12:24 pm EST : |
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To bad it's all aussie weather. lol. I'm looking to keep things from the sudden and late frosts we have. (and I caught that metric system line you threw in up there :P)
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 09:14 am EST : |
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Well, I dont have any olive or willow yet, and my bonsai are just waking up in the garden(theyre not in pots yet)
The red maples leaves good great tho, like little red parasols just unfurling.
Heres some pics I just took:
Hornbeam:
Beech:
Oak:
Little Privet after pruning, now awakening:
And heres my favourite at the monmet,been working on this one for a few years:
Its a Black Alder:
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
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Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 02:12 pm EST : |
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So, I've not heard from any of you in a while and was wondering how you all are doing. How are the tree's coming along? I've been doing a touch of walking and looking and have noticed the large amounts of trees that grow on rocks. Bloomington Indiana really has tons and tons of limestone. So, we have old abandoned quarries and just limestone literally everywhere. And I've been surprised by all the stunted tree's I've seen growing on these rocks with 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 inches of dirt.
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 03:56 pm EST : |
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Hi Jesse, the trees are coming along nicely, but those in the bed will take years and years before they can be called bonsai.
My Black Alder looks most promising tho-i will post pics in the summer as it hasnt really changed much since the last posting.
Oh I thought you may be interest5wed in these basic How to videos I found.
The guy is seen putting a very young tree in a pot but ideally that would be a more mature looking plant with a thicker trunk, but it gives you the idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Fxi2lkfhQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmkLGCtr6O4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sC2U1B3J8
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
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Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 04:20 pm EST : |
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I think I know the video you're talking about. Me and my computer are fighting at the time and before I can build a new one or buy a laptop I'm not going to pay to have it fixed. So I can't watch those videos. But, like I said I've watched one with a gent who repotted a little bush or tree thing and stuffed it in the pot and soaked it for I think something like 30 min.
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Greth
| | Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 06:29 pm EST : |
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Do lots of walking, Jesse. You can pull up some good trees in your area. Look at them carefully, and assess them as prebonsai, and only dig the best. Do ask permission.
I would really recommend looking at the bonsai sites, I've learnt a lot from the one I visit.
Nothing is growing much now, slowing down for Autumn. I will get more photos when we can get hold of the camera again, sigh.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, June 29, 2007 - 12:00 am EST : |
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Wow. How I have neglected you guys. I feel bad. :( How's life treating you all and how are those little trees doing?
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Greth
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 03, 2007 - 06:08 pm EST : |
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Doing well here, Jesse. Its mostly cold and wet and most of my outdoor activities involve cutting firewood or pulling weeds for now. Little trees are happy, nothing much I can do with them for now.
The large olive (base about 8" diameter) has survived being collected and has grown plenty of new roots in its shallow box, so must find a pot for it at some stage.
The flowering ash is still in a normal pot, but now is a semi cascade. I want it to thicken up a bit before I start training the roots.
It is still growing away, the oaks, elms willow and hawthorn have all done the deciduous bit (or they are dead!) Still not sure how many olive bits are alive, some certainly are, others may still shoot later, so leaving them for a while now.
Here is my happy helper at 2 1/2 years
And here is my midwinter garden - you can see why I am not a fan of snow.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 11:57 am EST : |
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She's getting old. ;0)
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Greth
| | Posted on Monday, July 09, 2007 - 07:21 am EST : |
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Here's the Flowering Ash, as it was
And as it is
No further pruning for the moment, it is growing only slowly over winter, and needs to put some bulk on, anyway.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Friday, July 13, 2007 - 10:24 am EST : |
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Going for a cascade style eh
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
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Greth
| | Posted on Friday, July 13, 2007 - 08:25 pm EST : |
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Yes, I want to be looking at those lovely glossy leaves from above. This plant I am told is semi deciduous. Seems to mean 'not deciduous in South Australia', but I can't be quite sure yet. Semi deciduous things can be annoying here, you spend months waiting to see if the leaves really are gonna drop, and by the time you decide they aint, the thing is covered in spring shoots and its too late to prune, sigh. Lemon verbena is a classic for that trick, too. Mid July (absolute dead middle of winter), and its covered with leaves and flowers. About 5/10 roses are flowering too, who has the heart to prune off buds and flowering branches?
I had already done the deed with the ash before you suggested a literati style. It was a $3 plant, if it turns out a failure, it won't be the worst mistake I ever made, and I hope I learn something along the way. I'll stick it in the garden somewhere and tell visitors wild stories about the wind storms around here.
I really really want a shoot at the top of the arch, I talk to it often, but I only got that lower one, will leave it to thicken up the trunk for a while.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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