bonsai workshop in clare

Ever since the first Munster Club Bonsai Workshop back in January of last year (it feels like longer), I've hoped to bring a bonsai workshop to Clare. 

On June 20th next, Bud Garden Centre will host a summer workshop. It's an opportunity (and a responsibility) to promote Bonsai in Clare and the West of Ireland generally.

The format will be of a standard workshop, with room also for observers and those who might want to dip their toes in the water. We may hopefully squeeze in a demonstration during the day along with a question and answer session.

As usual Phil & Ian will be on hand shepherding us further along the bonsai road. They have invested a lot of time and energy in Bonsai in Ireland and a successful workshop would be at least some small payback for their efforts.

last yamadori of the season

The weather is expected to take an upturn over the weekend, so I reckon this is the last yamadori of the season. I haven't collected that much really, maybe 4 or 5 trees, but I really didn't want to collect anything I thought I had a good chance with. I went for bigger trees than before and hope that I can get all through to next spring. Lots of potting still to do, hopefully I get at least another 5 or 6 trees repotted before it's too late.

Nice bark, ok nebari just under surface

I expect the main trunk to be deadwood from this joint

possible literati style in future

small pinus contorta

Despite having missed the last two munster bonsai club meetings, I have managed to squeeze in a little bit of bonsai here and there. 

I collected this little lodgepole pine about a year ago. Although it is small in size, it has some nice character; nice bark and good nebari. 

I did a gentle styling on it just to see what direction it might lead me, and there are still a few options. 

As I look back at the pictures, I think the main branch might be deadwooded at some stage. Hopefully some strong growth and maybe some back budding might appear this coming season...

After

Before

Flowering Fuji Cherry

Spring is really in the air when yhe Fuji Cherry blooms open up....

Prunus Koji no mai

bud garden centre

This sunday last we opened our new Garden Centre in Bunratty, County Clare. We are myself and my old friend Andrew. We studied Horticulture together many years ago and followed different career paths until we came upon the idea of setting up a Garden Centre together last summer. 

Several months of hard work followed and Bud Garden Centre was born last sunday. We have a strong location right beside the popular Bunratty Castle. We plan to focus strongly on plants and gardening. 

We also hope to have a modest bonsai offering and maybe some demos and workshops. 

It will be a busy season, and hopefully a rewarding one.

fresh yamadori, daylight pictures

fresh yamadori

I was in Dublin at the weekend and took a short detour on the way home to have a little look. I found these two beside the road just as it was getting dark. It's a mild misty evening so I'll wait til tomorrow to pot them up.

pinus contorta with not straight trunk

very small larch

sunday afternoon bonsai - dwarf spruce

the tree is about 5-6 years old, a dwarf round spruce

the canopy was full of dead shoots and old needles

after a clean out 

it had been growing in a peaty mix albeit with some grit

I managed to remove quite a lot of excess peat

potted up in a nice pot acquired at last weekend's Munster Club workshop,
maybe it'll get some styling at the next one.

another snow day picture

alpine scene in east clare

snow day in east clare

Yesterday we woke to 3 inches of clean white snow. It didn't last long but was beautiful while it did...

Munster Bonsai Club Workshop January 2015

Last Saturday I left a stormy County Clare and headed south towards the first Munster Bonsai Club workshop of 2015. Almost 100 miles later the winds had settled and the sky was blue. Ian & Phil soon arrived with pots, trees and various supplies. After the tea and coffee were made we got straight down to business; 

Kieran's pine

we each picked a front on my larch

Piotr's Pine

Mark's acer needed re-potting

down to work

 While Phil set me up with the wiring of my larch, Mark and Ian were busy repotting.

Mark's Chinese elm 

really washing out the roots well to remove old soil and to clean them

they continued to adjust some of the branches, will be an absolute cracker in early summer

My larch was a yamadori collected barely 12 months ago, and which had received some attention from Phil last April. After a re-analysis of the tree we proposed a provisional front and began to clear away from around the base of the tree to reveal quite a nice base.This confirmed the chosen front an it was decided to be style it as a (kind of a) twin trunk. The obvious unnecessary branches were removed and wiring began.

before styling

phil begins with the lower left branch

there were an abundance of branches to wire

later, after styling, (better photo below)

work continues after dark

finished larch, 3 days later

My larch also repotted in to a temporary pot (Thanks Mark!) and will hopefully settle in. I'm sure we'll do some follow up at another workshop in the future.

I also potted on a couple of trees and got some advice on a few more.

a small lonicera recieved a new pot

my windswept whitethorn in a pot I picked up in Chicago

Class Photo

So another busy day came to an end, a big thanks to Mark for hosting (another fab lunch) and to Ian and Phil for making the journey down again (two seriously gas men if ever there were!)