Czech Yamadori

The picture below has been taken in 2018.  Happy days... On this picture you can see the thread graft - on the left side of the trunk.   I was quite optimistic that it is on a good way to make it and that it can be separated  later that year.   Reality? You can see the remains of it on the picture taken in early October 2019.   Bad luck or doing something badly? As you can see I have left this year growth untouched.  Till the early November to be precise... Then a short visit in the barber shop and another meeting with my Dremel.   But that was just a fine tuning. No dramatic change. November 2019 I have left the low branch on the right side in place.  Not sure if I will keep it in the future design.  Height: close to 50 cm

... easy to say that in Czech but how to translate it to English without loosing its meaning? Emotions mean more than admiration?  But emotions seems to be quite generic word. My feeling is that it has multiple meanings while dojetí is fairly straitforward. Being moved means more than admiration , perhaps?   Any help?      Thanks to the help of my friend from Canada there is the translation that fits very well: JOYFUL TEARS MEANS MORE THAN ADMIRATION   Anyway, I have realized the power of this expression while watching young Shinji Suzuki visiting monumental juniper somewhere in national park.  Overwhelmed by the charisma of the tree,  he was full of emotions/tears... Then, thinking more and more about that I have realised that the trigger is not just in the tree.  The other trigger was  hidden somewhere deep in Mr.Suzuki's  brain/heart/soul.  And once these two triggers managed to establish the right connection...

 Nov 2019 The way we were... The pear has been "extracted"  from a nearby small quarry in 2014.  Lower part of its trunk and roots were squashed in a crevice that has formed its shape.    Summer 2016   An air/ground layer  ready to be separated. October 2019 Current height: 48 cm.  Trunk diameter: 90 mm Nicely developed alligator skin November 2019 ... with the remains of this year carnival dress...

Mahaleb cherries are hardworking trees.  At least the ones around my place.  These pictures have been taken in mid Nov and as you can see - bright green leaves, eagerly absorbing sunrays to fill the tank with sugars... It applies to all my mahalebs but it is most visible on trees that were collected relatively recently.  Like the one featured below.  Collected in spring 2018 from the very hostile place.  Because of the scarce water supply the tree is taking any opportunity to grow if there is some water around.   Sometimes loosing its leaves in the summer and starting new ones later on if there is more rain.  Then working till the first hard frost.  And then the leaves fall down without changing color.   It seems though that after a few years in the garden these trees  would get to more standard life pattern - showing some yellow autumn colors.   Is something like that possible in such short time?  Maybe interestin...

The tree has been collected in spring 2018 and the first selection of primary branches has been done this autumn.   I will leave the tree to grow freely for the next season or two - just building the primary branches.  Depending on its vigour I should change the container in 2021. Then the main focus will shift on the nebari or rather on its creation.  Currently there are no surface roots just a single tap root.. There are few option to fix that but no sence to plan it now. Height: 60 Target height:   60 cm seems to be fine now but we will see

Another small tree that has been collected in central Bohemia in 2016.  I am so grateful for the lucky coincidence to find a place where the Nature has done most of the work... 2017 2019 Height: 18 cm Width:   25 cm Style: Informal upright with cascading branch  ( at least that's the plan for the time being )

The top section still looks quite empty.  Not much growth this year.  Not sure what was the reason for that.  Was it because of the thick layer of moss I have left to grow there during the top season?  I guess I have relied too much on its water holding capacity and have not supplied  enough water.    Obviously  an old age  in itself  doesn't provide adequate protection against stupid errors if you switch off your common sense ( not to say your brain ). So this is for me: Birches do love water you damned stupid old man. Height:  close to 90 cm Pot: Plasthalla In training: since 2009

Any time I am moving close enough to this tree I can here: POT, POT, POT .  Loud and clear. Can you hear that too? The tree seems to be desperate to move into a proper pot.   In fact that was the plan for  this spring. But after more closer inspection of the roots I have decided to postpone the move  and to improve the root ball in the meantime.  So this is the reason for a sacrifice branch.   Height: +40 cm Pot: Plasthalla Age: Collected in 2015 The open space in the foliage ( see below ) has not been left for birds to fly through.    Somewhere there is a pampered tiny branch that may fill the space one day...  I hope.