Whats Going on in Smoke's Backyard?

[Smoke]

Can you tell I love our flag?

 

[Smoke]

Checked out a few things in the backyard and found this semi cascade elm starting to push forth. I really like the way this has developed. From cut off root.

 

[JudyB]

Nice presentation. someday I'll learn how to set up and take good photos of my trees. I have one that is almost ready for the beauty shot this year, I must learn how. (and nice little cascade as well!)

 

[Smoke]

Cleaned up a few shohin tonight. Scissor pinch some shoots to keep the canopy in shape. Cutting off terminal buds keeps foliage compact and short. A good shot of the palmatum with some leaves.

Palmatum, hornbeam, trident, hornbeam and elm.

 

[Smoke]

The ugly gnarly elm is coming along. Did some pinching and pruning to improve it's shape.

The Wizard of Oz trident has some leaves now and piching back here will help me get the twigs I want.

The big trident is really nice this year. Canopy is full and shapely.

 

[Smoke]

Some tridents that I repotted this year that I really went aggressive on. A couple of these I really took the bottom off. One was the maple that I layered all the way around the bottom and cut the entire base off.

 

[Smoke]

This one has sprouted also. I was a little wary on this one. I really cut this one hard with the band saw. Only a few roots left and I was sure it would sprout and then die back. It seems to get stronger every day.

The other plant was the small 1/4 tree that I wacked down to 1/2 off the dirt. It seems to be doing just fine and maybe by fall I will have a leader to play with.

 

[Smoke]

Last...but certainly not least..the pyracantha that I repotted into the shallow oval pot from Yamakki. The tree is doing very well and it looks great with it's new leaves. Hope I get some good flowers this year.

 

[Kiani]

Smoke, I just want to say that all your trees look amazing. Seriously impressive.

 

[tmmason10]

Everything is looking great Al. I really like those hornbeams and the large trident.

 

[JudyB]

Great to see that trident with the root procedure doing so well!
That palmatum and first hornbeam in the first set of pics are wonderful. Tiny trees are so good when they're done well.

 

[sherwoodschwartz]

Last...but certainly not least..the pyracantha that I repotted into the shallow oval pot from Yamakki. The tree is doing very well and it looks great with it's new leaves. Hope I get some good flowers this year.

i really, really love this pyracantha.

 

[milehigh_7]

bump... been a month Al. What's going on back there now???

 

[Smoke]

Been doing two bonsai shows so not much work on trees just grooming. Did start a thread about a couple monkey poles I did over the weekend.

Serious startup this week though. Getting ready for decandling, fertilizer and final maple pruning.

 

[Smoke]

Keeping up with tridents is as time consuming as keeping the Golden Gate Bridge painted. Just when they get to the other side, they start all over and keep up with rust as it springs forth.

This maple is doing quite well and the secondary branching is being ramified with the tertiaries.

 

[Smoke]

This maple too is doing pretty well and will be looking a lot better this year after I removed all the branches and started over. Still will need about 5 years.

 

[Smoke]

This maple made it thru the "Keppler ordeal" OK and is moving along quite nice. Just need to build some branches now. Branch building is easy but building good branches takes experience. It takes many cut backs in a year to build a good branch. Without the appropiriate cut backs one will just have a branch with long internodes and puffs of foliage out on the ends. cutting back very soon after three sets of leaves will insure short internodes and good dense twigs for a good winter look.

 

[Smoke]

The Wizard of Oz maple is growing like a weed also. the primary branches as well as the secondaries were already there. It will be my job to put some twigs on this tree for a good winter look. This tree has been cut back 11 times since bud out.

 

[Smoke]

This may be a good view also. Will have to see when it gets a new repot in 2013.

 

[Dwight]

Does it throw apples ?