Delve into a newbies garden! 😎

[Clorgan]

First purchase of the year!

Prunus kojo-no-mai, intended for a potted tree for the garden... However after seeing this link...

Articles – Bonsai4Me

bonsai4me.com

... I'm tempted by a cute lil mame/shohin. Any thoughts?

Unfortunately wasn't able to dig around for the vase - soil is rock solid

 

[Forsoothe!]

A quick search proves this the first and only thread containing "Delve" in the title.

2 points!

Sorce

Some of us have too much free time. Get back out there and shovel your parking space.

 

[Clorgan]

Some of us have too much free time. Get back out there and shovel your parking space.

Still think delve is a great word

 

[sorce]

-2F today. But the snow is finally clear...ish!

Sorce

 

[HorseloverFat]

“Delve” was in my Senior “quote”..For the yearbook.

My words.. but written and published a few years earlier..

“When faced with nothing to do.. Delve into the murky complexity of the mere thought of ‘nothing’”


Hell yeah! I’d prune-us that WAY back.. make a shohin.. the lines are there.. YOU SEE ‘EM! ..you don’t need any help.. trust your “gut“
”

 

[Clorgan]

“Delve” was in my Senior “quote”..For the yearbook.

My words.. but written and published a few years earlier..

“When faced with nothing to do.. Delve into the murky complexity of the mere thought of ‘nothing’”


Hell yeah! I’d prune-us that WAY back.. make a shohin.. the lines are there.. YOU SEE ‘EM! ..you don’t need any help.. trust your “gut“
”View attachment 354532

Oh I do love your deep mysterious ways!

Right that's settled then! Much to my fella's dismay I'm sure I do love the lines, and it's the chunkiest (still stick like) trunk I've come across on my garden centre mooches. Deep down I think it's Denstone was always going to be bonsai in my hands

 

[HorseloverFat]

dismay

Oh yes! Folks who AREN’T involved in “tinytree” culture are HORRIFIED by our (TinyTree practitioners) “first moves” on material such as this.

It has much potential.. can’t wait to see where you two (You and tree) “end up” after your initial shaping “commune”

 

[Clorgan]

Oh yes! Folks who AREN’T involved in “tinytree” culture are HORRIFIED by our (TinyTree practitioners) “first moves” on material such as this.

It has much potential.. can’t wait to see where you two (You and tree) “end up” after your initial shaping “commune”

Thanks very much! I will keep you updated

 

[Carol 83]

-2F today. But the snow is finally clear...ish!

Sorce

Just wait, we're expecting anywhere from 3-8 inches tonight/tomorrow.

 

[Clorgan]

Nice to see all but one of my projects appear to have made it through the winter (does this increase my noob status?! )

Here's a few I'm looking forward to seeing where they can go...spending the next month or so pondering plans with them all (and others posted previously). Any input/thoughts/ideas on any of them warmly welcome!

Weird but wonderful (many will disagree ) corkscrew Hazel - the bark is pretty cool on this one. I'm just letting it do it's thing for now - no point trying to train it yet with my limited knowledge of it's strange growthy ways.

Chubby lil field maple - good girth but branching leaves a lot to be desired and some hefty scarring going on.

Trident - needs some girth! Will be potted up, or put in raised bed if I decide to make one.

Spirea - already budding. Need to rid a few of those buds/new shoots. Love this little thing.

Fuchsia (in ground) - dealing surprisingly well with the awful soil under there and trunk thickening up a bit! Need to get rid of some branches to get to only two at each point. Will leave in ground a while longer.

Palmatum in the barrel - will most likely be kept as a garden tree (don't think the cultivar is great for bonsai if I remember from last year's research). Not a bad base though.

Box store chinese elm - broom style. Hoping I can make a successful go of this!

Styrax - closest I probably have to an actual bonsai! Won in a raffle last summer. Like it a lot, still undecided what to do about the little stump in the long run. Don't want to chop it as it's the most aged part of the tree.

Showstopper s shaped chinese elm - my first one! Will always love it for that. Considering a chop to attempt to make it something somewhat presentable in the long run. We'll see.

Magnolia stellata - most excited about the flowers really. Currently pondering where to go with it. Not enough girth to be a larger bonsai. May think about shohin.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Now my garden has finally defrosted I can start to work through the rest of my plants.

I think I may have gone a bit overboard last year! (If that's possible)

Here's a photo of my bench and display tables I made last summer. I've got loads of cuttings and a few more plants in the shed waiting to come out too! Busy days ahead

 

[Clorgan]

Now my garden has finally defrosted I can start to work through the rest of my plants.

I think I may have gone a bit overboard last year! (If that's possible)

Here's a photo of my bench and display tables I made last summer. I've got loads of cuttings and a few more plants in the shed waiting to come out too! Busy days ahead

Nice they'll keep you busy for sure!

 

[Clorgan]

So this one will need repotting this year. I'm unsure where to go pot wise - training pot? Or a deeper 'proper' pot, i.e. something like this?

Basket Grey with Movement Round Bonsai Pot – Paul Rogers Ceramics

(Not sure this one would be wide enough though?)

Trunk wise it's the size I want it, but still a long way to go with branch growth...

Struggling with sizing - base of the trunk is 7-8cm ish, so depth of pot should be around this? Haven't dug for the nebari yet, went to have a quick look earlier but was pretty tricky to get down there. And the tree will probably be just short of 30cm, so the length of the pot should be just short of 20cm (going by the 2/3 rule)?

I'd love to be corrected if I'm wrong!

 

[Esolin]

Can't offer any advice, but those are some nice trees you've got!

 

[Clorgan]

Can't offer any advice, but those are some nice trees you've got!

Thanks very much, very kind! Definitely excited to get going with them properly

 

[Clorgan]

Betula nana 'golden treasure' added to the collection! I thought it looked interesting and remember seeing an interesting thread on here about them. And that they apparently have very small leaves.

Here are my thoughts...

Looks to me to have OK root spread? Except that large root on left of first photo is too high (chop? Not yet, but when buds?)

Trunk seems to continue down beneath these large surface roots, haven't dug very deep.

Slight inverse taper, doesn't look as bad from certain angles. Too many branches at that joint I'm thinking - possibly remove some?

Anyone have experience with this species? I know they are prone to die back if chopped and are slow growers

 

[Clorgan]

Last one...for now Freebie - euonymus alatus. Pruned hard as poisonous and my dog is a gannit, I don't trust him not to nibble! Very compacted roots, making it very difficult to dig for the base.

 

[Clorgan]

Very happy with how the garden is shaping up!

Got both my kojo no mai into the grow bed now - think they one could turn out pretty nice, particularly the first. Flowers are so lovely too

Also have a new fuchsia (already posted in separate thread but bunging it in here too for progression) - £13 at my local bonsai nursery. Big base drew me in.

 

[Clorgan]

Hoping to put the hornbeam in the bed tomorrow. Thinking a board will be needed, roots are not ideal from what I can see. I think I need to find something bigger for a board than what I've used for the others. Will be doing a chop too (and sealing!) Here it is from a few angles, and a virt of Yannick's chop suggestions.

Also need to repot the potentilla (assuming around now is a good time as it's budding?) Will probably put it into the hornbeam pot until it's a bit developed. Was going to go for just akadama, good choice? I know they're thirsty buggers.

 

[Clorgan]

One more! Ordered this Japanese elm, 30cm high including pot to give some idea of side. Hard to tell how thick the trunk will be, but I love the general shape.

Had some helpful tips from @BobbyLane (thanks again ), will likely go for a chop around here, due to the bulge near the top and generally being drawn more towards smaller trees. Hopefully will be a nice multi trunk in the making!