Czech Yamadori

2013 2015 14.11.2017  Exactly 4 years of growth since the first image. 5° tip to the right I am about to make a light pruning later this week.  Just the terminal buds and a smaller section of the twigs.  No wiring.  I leave that for a spring just before the new growth starts to think about lignification.  Then I will do some pruning and wiring.  Later in the  summer after the second flush I will consider a defoliation to get the third flush. Well, just  laud thinking.  It is the tree who is in charge... Then I hope we will get closer to the new pot.  Masculine and a bit lighter then the current one.

Autumn is the greatest period for all the deciduous bonsai folks.   Great fall colors, much less or even no manual watering as the nature is taking care of  it..  Love it. Winter is no worse than the Autumn.   After a good number of months you can see the fruits of your labor ( potting, wiring and pruning/pinching, watering, fertilising, pests fighting, excuses making ... ) in the past growth season.  Yes,  the branch structure.   The best what you can do is to make a good number of pictures of your trees taken from all sides.  A good camera is a merciless critic showing the things you may overlook with your naked eyes.    Spring is the best time for a Yamadori hunter though.    I have spent a number of days in the last year on my knees, pushing my way through the undergrowth. Hoovering ticks from the grass and shrubs ( If I am "lucky" I can have even 5 or more in a single day).  All that effort driven by a single, simple motive.  Finding a tree that kicks my imag

Best fall colours I have ever seen on this slanting birch. 

Another sloe in my bonsai  collection.  One that fits into the shohin category.   Nicely twisted Yamadori.  With a top jin mirroring the movement of the trunk.  Well,  maybe not so nice one... Damned.  It looks far too dominant, in fact.  Dremel?!! Before After Thinned and hollowed.  With a bit more emphasis on its natural movement. Now I will leave it alone to digest the latest update and to get a bit weathered. Then I will come back with a can of acrylic resin to fortify the deadwood.

Collected:  2009 Current height: 17 cm Working with the root runners proves to be more challenging than I thought.  I have left the little chubby pear in its airy container for another season hoping to develop more rounded crown.  Well,  it  seems  there is a bit better branch structure then last year.  But what is more striking - the beautiful weathered pot that makes a perfect match with the rough beauty of this tree... 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 A great autumn in 2016. Pears do have one of the best autumn dress.

Merely an eye-candy at this point, quite large wych elm ( Ulmus glabra ) collected in 2014 in central Bohemia.    Very nice Yamadori with great movements and textured bark. The initial styling has been started in Spring 2016. Just creating the basic structure of the lowest branches.   The main task now is to build a reasonably tapered apex and to add some roots on the surface.   The coming winter is a good time to think about the best way to convert this beautiful yamadorin into high quality bonsai.  Target height: +65 cm  

2015 2017 Height: 38 cm Width:  50 cm