bonsai common european Ash (fraxinus excelsior) revisited 09.07.2015

Tiny common European Ash, Fraxinus Excelsior. After partial leaf removal, pruning, some 2 weeks ago, a new flush of green is ready to burst out of those beautiful buds. In a couple of years time there will be an 'acceptable' canopy for this small sized Ash. I dont really need a huge amount of ramification on this one. Ever seen the growth habitus of a European Ash in its natural environment, its rather a sparse and spiky ramification.

Note:
The notorious Ash-disease responsable for possible severe dieback on Ash, called Chalara Fraxinea (fungus) has not stroke this one yet. I hope it never does, because there is no cure and you can only observe, possibly cut back, and hope. On bonsai the threat surely exists as well, but because of the size or our trees, the fungus has more difficulty reaching them offcourse, even in areas where the disease has struck in forests, solitary trees...

Prunus Subhirtella 'autumnalis rosea' update 14.06.2015

Just a little update of still other tiny 'raw material': Prunus Subhirtella, variety 'autumnalis rosea'.

Offcourse still building up.

Wanted to show how the graft I made a month ago, is healing up quickly. This looks promising, good callousing, it looks like this entire wound will be closed rapidly. Maybe there will be succes, lets wait and see in next spring.

Malus bonsai update 14.06.2015

Update of my Malus (pre)bonsai.

This raw material, prebonsai-training, or raw prebonsai?, was repotted this year in a bigger plastic trainingpot. It flushed out a few new shoots, got pruned back here and there and started a new flush about 3weeks ago. A while back in the season, elas my oldest son (5yo) thought one branch was a useful toy and broke it off the tree. Lucky for me (and the tree) there were a few buds left so a new shoot emerged a few weeks later, the one on the lower right hand side.
I only slightly pruned back, and wired a few shoots now they're still soft. Anybody working with apples knows that wiring branches or even branchlets that have hardened off, is very precarious.

Many more years building up ahead! Obviously I have more than 1 good option with regards to inclination. I prefer the first one, maybe level it so that the main roots are horizontal. A too big an inclination reminds me too much of the typical/boring japanese bonsai-look: the triangle, the right-left combination...too boring.

Hawthorn (Crataegus Monogyna) revisited 25.05.2015

This weekend I cleared out the tree a little bit. Too much buds in unwanted places, to much chaotic branchlets, branchlets and twigs in awkward places and positions. A little less chaos now, a little more space for the other 'good' parts of the tree. Yes, refining can start and it will be a little challenge in some places in the tree. It is flowering since last year, and some parts don't have enough new growth so I will have to make sure I prune correctly and at the right time to encourage growth in stead of short spiky twigs and flowering buds. Good feeding scheme will/shoud help too.

This tree is about 20 years old. I got it as no more than a trunk with twigs of no more than 1 year old, back in 2007. Certainly not the worst buy ever, for 45 EURO. In a few years it should start to look more refined. The top right part needs more growth, to broaden/widen that part of the canopy. That way it will look more natural, bushy, like a real hawthorn looks like.

 

Tiny Common Ash (fraxinus excelsior) prebonsai

Prebonsai, perhaps raw material suits this small Common Ash better. It is about 25cm (trunk).
Goal is about 30 tot 40cm, perhaps a more oval canopy, in a more naturalistic style.
As raw material, trained to be a proper prebonsai, strong growth is needed for several purposes, thickening of existing braches and trunk, gaining vigor and creating a healthy growing plant, produce enough energetic shoots, buds...to pick from and train in the future.

In 2 or 3 years, refining can start because in this small size I dont need a huge amount of branches to be able to start and form a canopy.

European Hornbeam, Carpinus Betulus revisited 23.05.2015

You can find more about this tree using the 'robot' search engine in the upper right section of my blog.

This is European Hornbeam, Carpinus Betulus. It was dug out from a +/- 18 tot 20 year old hedge, back in early march 2012. It spent that year in the ground in my brother's garden. In 2013 I put it in this big growing container. In 2014 I carved the trunk, without finishing it off. This will come later, when I finish the carving (in about 2 years maybe).

This prebonsai/raw material will spend this year and maybe next year in this big plastic container. After that, a flat and wide training pot. In maybe 5 years, I hope to get it in pot, but there's much work to be done in the future with the roots (corrections in the rootwork below the surface, and grafting at the nebari).

But, after only such a short period, one can allready see the possibilities at least. I love working with projects, even (if not mainly) with mediocre raw material. There is much joy bringing such material a step higher, you learn a lot (personally and horticulturally) when dealing with impossibilities, flaws, imperfections, setbacks.

Field Maple revisited 10.05.2015

I do post about this tree quite a lot each year...I love field maples, and this is selfdeveloped and partly self-grown material. The good temperates, quite a lot of sun, and the feeding scheme...makes this little Field Maple very happy. Still needs lots of ramification, but I focus on growth for at least another 1 or 2 seasons (see the big leaves and long leaf stems). I just pruned away some shoots, and cut back a little in the top 1 or 2 weeks ago, so its ready for more 'directed' growth now. Next (selective) pruning in a month or so.