Alders cleanup

A bit of 'cleanup' for 2 common Alders (Alnus Glutinosa).
First one was 'cleaned' 2 weeks ago. Second one, on 27 august during bonsai-tour demo in Deinze, Belgium, organisde by the Flemish Bonsai Association for the 40th anniversary.

Still prebonsai, don't mind leaf size etc..

front of first tree

back of first tree

European Hornbeam - update and virtual

This is my prebonsai European Hornbeam (carpinus betulus) that I cleaned up a bit during the bonsai-tour of the Flemish Bonsai Assocation (VBV) in Deinze on the very sunny sunday of 27 August.

Yesterday I took 5 minutes to create very basic virtual in windows Paint. This is approx the overall image I want this tree to have. Hopefully in 5 years it will get close to this, and by then branches will also have thickened a bit.

40 years Flemish Bonsai Association (VBV) - local happening

Local happening of the club 'De Leie', part of the Flemish Bonsai Association, because of the 40th anniversary this year. Focus is on introducing the visitors in the hobby and also showing the several stages of bonsai, the work behind the bonsai, the road behind the 'finished bonsai'. With small demo's (maintenance, wiring, perhaps some carving, etc..)

I'll be there too, with several prebonsai, raw material, almost-bonsai, at one of the tents alongside the bonsai-tour (approx 2km in total).

Where? => city of Deinze, in the province of East-Flanders (Oost-Vlaanderen), Belgium
When? => 27th August 2017. From 10hr am to 17hr pm

https://www.vlaamsebonsai.be/kalender/199/bonsai-langs-de-leie

Fluttering Elm or European White Elm seedlings

Yes, I also start trees up from seedlings...
This species, ulmus laevis, has become (very) rare in Flanders, and many parts of Europe because they depend on 'dynamic' river systems, where they grow in hardwood-riverwoods. The 'dynamics' of most of our rivers have been altered.
Real, genetically-endemic, trees are rare to find, in Flanders maybe 10 'hotspots' acknowledged.

So, these seedlings were harvested as seed from the trees, in the Walloon-part of Belgium.
I got 12 of them from a friend/collegue and just put them gently in a separte little pot.
I'll probably use one or several for a future root-over-rock project (another one..), the rest I'll see.

Hawthorn (crataegus monogyna) update july 2017

First picture I share since it was repotted and airlayered in early spring this year.
Airlayer has not yet produced sufficient roots. We'll check in late autumn or early spring next year.
Has had its first pruning this year, a week ago, still ok.

Two 'natural' stones

Stones, I like it simple and natural. No itoigawa here...I hate them actually.

These two smaller ones are the typical rocks you would find in parts of Belgium. Natural, and that does it for me. I'm happy if I can just find a workable combination for a future bonsai root-over-rock purpose. Perhaps a native Elm species (Ulmus Laevis or U.Glabra), or a Field Maple (acer Campestre). These species produce many and strong roots, and certainly the acer roots would fuse too. The only sure thing about such a project is that it would be another long-term project. Nice.

In the last picture you get an idea of size.

pinus mugo

Very small size.
Pinus Mugo, start way back in 1997 from a very small nursery plant. It has always been kept in pot, hence the thin trunk. I just honour one of my first bonsai attempts, no big plans.