dragonfly

This guy was unusually placid when I found him yesterday, the day was wet and humid so maybe he was just a bit dozey. Turns out it's probably Libellula quadrimaculata, the Four Spotted Chaser.

Libellula quadrimaculata

hawthorn cut back

 This hawthorn has put on some great growth this spring and is really healthy. So I decide to do a little trim and maybe got a bit carried away. Not really though, because I think it needed a bit of direction. The stem is upright with a bit of a twist midway through and some scarring, which I continued  up along to take in a old cut wound. I'll see what pops out and have a look again in a month or so.

root over rock lonicera

This little lonicera was a self layered shoot from a hedge. The tripod of roots had already some character when I dug it up about a year ago. There was however a long, strong straight shoot which I tried to work on to give a bit of character. I stumbled on a stone that fits the root s fairly well so I stuck it in and repotted. Could be nice. I would love to induce some buds to burst closer to the rock though...

urban garden art in limerick

I stumbled across this garden in Limerick last weekend. I couldn't find out anything about it yet. Kind interesting.

frog's camouflage

I nearly stepped on a frog the other day. I didn't see him at first. Something you might expect in grass, or swampy vegetation. They are naturally camouflaged for their normal surroundings. They have been evolving for 265 million years to do this. But this guy blends in perfectly to the concrete headland in my glasshouse. Which means they are still evolving, or I badly need to power hose the floor.

look closer...

clare gardening festival

Last Sunday I took a stand at the Clare Gardening Festival in Ennis. It is a collection of about sixty Nursery Growers, Artisan Food Producers and various Crafts People. I was selling my Summer Bedding Plants but decided to put in a very modest display of my Bonsai trees. I was pleasantly surprised at the interest shown in them. I met a couple of people who have been doing bonsai for some years in the Clare area. Many people showed and interest, and they seemed to spark the imagination of many children. I was delighted to have some of Phil's starter trees to give/sell to them (the cheque's in the post Phil). I would like to do something better next year and give a bit more thought to the display and have a few more starter trees/pots etc available...  

Munster vs Ulster Replay

So we had another visit from Ian and Phil on Friday evening and Saturday.

On Friday evening we had a demo on a Juniper from Phil which led to a broader discussion on Junipers . Ian led us through a critique of several trees including Mark's Pine, Peter's Larch and my Berberis. He also touched on potting media (of particular relevance to me) and the finer points of sieving grit and akadama into various grades. Ian also talked through deadwood carving tools and their merits.

Saturday saw us relocate to Mark's polytunnel. A big thanks to Mark for the brilliant venue and hearty lunch, (I hope you treated yourself to a small glass of Middleton's finest that night...) Phil got to grips with my collected Larch and quickly identified a great image within the mass of branches, and guided me through the process of deadwood creation and branch selection. After that Ian helped me get to grips with a twin trunk pine and set out a roadmap for it's development. He also cleaned up deadwood on a garden Berberis and offered some sage advice on a fairly disfigured Maple previously tormented by me. A little collected Birch was given a quick once over by Phil and is now better set for some ramification during the growing season. As if all this wasn't enough I witnessed some speed air-layering by Phil, got to have a go at carving Mark's Trident Maple (no major slips), had a demo on vine-weevil detection :-) and learned a bit about Forest/Group composition and planning. I also got to get my hands on some great pots and some akadama. Along with seeing the other guys working on their respective trees I'd say it was a hugely worthwhile weekend. Massive thanks go to Ian and Phil who shouldn't doubt that we appreciate their efforts...

friday evening tree critique

 

some of phil's pots

peter's bargain larch from germany

phil does some initial work in the privet stump

phil and piotr talk through carving of privet

piotr getting to grips with the makita

pause..

what's next....

and off again

mark's beech forest

my larch before any work

and after initial branch selection and deadwood creation

ian tackles my pine

meanwhile phil made one or two air-layers on mark's maples

general discussion about something...

 

mark and ian working on one of mark's really nice pines

lone hawthorn

Someday I'll end up in the ditch. As I drive along these days I'm constantly peering over hedgerows and into fields looking for trees with character. This whitethorn/hawthorn is just on the outskirts of Kilreekil on the old main road between Loughrea and Ballinasloe. The trunk leans slightly into the prevailing wind and then kinks back before straightening out again. 

lone hawthorn near kilreekil

lough atorick, clare

lough atorick, clare

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.