interesting tree

This tree caught my eye the other day. I think it could serve as a good model for a bonsai. Slightly windswept broom. Nice flared trunk and nebari too. I forgot to check which species and I can't tell from the photo now. Either ash or sycamore I think.

interesting tree

daffodil

catkins

Spring time hazelnut catkins.

Corylus avellana

Corylus avellana 'Contorta'

bark, moss and lichens

In my parents garden are several old apple and pear trees which are not in leaf yet, but absolutely covered with moss and lichens. Also a birch showing some maturing of the bark.

march meeting munster club

Last Friday night saw our March meeting. There were a few interesting trees, including Mark's new Pine and a brilliant Lonicera. I got some advice on my juniper and some gentle encouragement to reconsider my potting mix. Apparently spongy peaty mixes are a bit passe. 

Also for discussion was the April workshop which poses some challenges for some of us with regard to work commitments. The January workshop was hugely enjoyable and more importantly, highly educational. Ian and Phil are highly knowledgeable and experienced, but very down to earth and whatever your level of experience a workshop with them is highly rewarding. Anyone interested is welcome, just click the below link for more info...

MUNSTER BONSAI CLUB APRIL WORKSHOP

country lanes

On Sunday morning myself and my daughter took a quiet cycle along some local country lanes. This was our first cycle of the year and hopefully not the last.

my biggest bonsai mistake (so far)

I found this picture recently of one of my first ever bonsai trees. It was a pine that was grown from a small sapling handed out free during national tree week back in 1990. I grew it on and at some stage I decided to try to make it into a bonsai. I can't say it was particularly fantastic, but when this image was taken in about 2006 it had some potential. This was before I knew anything about wiring or styling. It survived a lot of neglect until one day, when it was very weedy I sprayed the base carefully with round-up. I wiped out all the weeds alright, but after about a month the tree began to turn yellow, followed by brown until the tree was completely dead. Maybe a few weeds are better than a dead tree....

potting season in the glasshouse

So the first delivery of the season came last sunday and I am beginning the potting on, first of geraniums, and then petunias, fuchsias, begonias, lobelia and so many more....

plug tray of geraniums from holland

freshly potted geraniums in 13cm pots

recent garden

I completed this garden over the last few weeks. It was a fairly steeply slope lawn overhung by some very mature Leylandii trees in a neighbouring garden, and very, very wet. The budget was tight and weather conditions far from ideal, but we got there in the end with a practical, useable little garden.

fruit tree root stocks

Absolutely brilliant post on Root Stocks for pretty much all fruit trees from the Oxford College of Garden Design blog.

All about Fruit Root Stocks...

the tree that ate the church

Reblogged from Stone Art Blog

The Tree that ate the Church