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Showing posts with the label Shohin

Euonymus europaeus_European spindle_Shohin

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 About 4-5 years ago I started pondering about getting some more native species to my collection.  Specifically cornus and eonymus.   It is easy to plan but knowing the growth habit of these species I knew it would require a large amount of luck while being on my knees thoroughly searching undergrowth.  For sure there are plenty of them all around my place.  The only problem they are in form of straight sticks... Anyway, here we are:  Euonymus europaeus in early winter colour boasting with few fruits that I left there for joy.      Origin: Ground layered yamadori Height:  17 cm Pot: Klika&Kuratkova.   A bit oversized one but it is the way I prefer

Potentilla fruticosa ? Dasiphora fruticosa?!

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 There was a time when I believed that there are some solid cornerstones in the Universe.     Unfortunately this time is over.  Well, for most of them at least.    Good news:  some of them are still there:   My parents on the other side of the river.      My wife.      My family.       Matters that are important to me.     Bonsai is somewhere on the very top...            Shrubby cinquefoil   Pre bonsai.   But in a proper bonsai pot by Mr SHIMIZU Masakazu    kiln  YOUZAN Height 18 cm  

Prunus mahaleb_Shohin/Kifu_blossoms

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Crazy world.  It is a summer.  Time to enjoy your holidays and relax.  Reality?  In many places it is just a moment to see your properties and belongings are taken by storm or water.   And this is not even the worst.    Many people were fighting just to safe their bare life.  And many of them have lost.    Terrible... Water and Wind.  Good servants but bad masters.   But is it really just the Nature to be blamed for it?   What is the role of the mankind?  Nobody knows for sure.  But the mankind has been doing a lot of bad things for the sake of Earning and Consumption.   Regadless if we paint these words  into more fancy colours such as amusement, dreams fulfilment, better life or something like this. It is just a shame that all the time we follow the same scenario: Running Problem! Stop running and start thinking ???  Is it no GO?   Never mind. Keep running. .... Gosh. That's it.   So here it is the promised tree Prunus mahaleb Height: 10 cm Width: 28 cm which makes it a kifu size

Shohin_Blackthorn....

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 ... repotted this spring into new pot from Martin AÅ¡enbrenner.   A bit burned but that is something that may happen in wood fired kiln.    And yes, the pot is a bit oversized in length and height but it was still the best fit from those readily available.  I have something like another 2-3 years to get some more pots to find the right one.   As " my portfolio " of shohin is growing  nicely I need to shop for more pots anyway.     

Pyrus pyraster_Shohin_pre bonsai

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 European wild pear is one of my favorite tree.   Aged bark, wild appearance, blossoms, tiny fruit and beautiful autumn colours make of it a great candidate for  Four Season Bonsai.   Collected in cental Bohemia in 2017, air layered in 2019.  Current height:  22 cm - the top shoot included, target  18-19 cm Width:  24 cm  Front Left side   Alligator skin nicely developed.  Nebari - nothing to see there (YET ), but it is on the way - just look closer. Another five years and it might be there...:)  After the late summer inspection. Wiring, adding new load of Biogold and then back under the plastic cover to keep moss in place.  The moss will be removed in late autumn just before the winter rest to have better control of soil moisture.

Pyrus communis_Shohin starter

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This small pear is a result of a successful air layer completed in 2019. The vitality of the plant was excellent so I have decided to speed up a little bit and to select structural branches and to carve a section of the trunk to get there some taper.   From now on it is again on the tree to do its part... Current front.  Due to the size restriction there is no chance to aim at natural looking pear tree. I mean a tall tree with relatively narrow crown.  At least that is the way pears look like in this country. The taper of the trunk seems to be OK.  Well,  on the cost of removal of a bit of flesh to be fair... Carved section ( current back ).   I hate to say that as my attempt is always to make 360° trees. AGE! Natural jin The height at the moment is just about 10 cm - up to the cut on the main trunk.  So there is still enough space to fill...

Shohin_Prunus mahaleb_Blossoms_Well, just two or three to be fair :)

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I do believe that the size of trees that goes over 60 cm is the most appropriate for bonsai.   And this is why I still keep looking for trees of that size.   At the same time though,  I do realise that handling such trees could be a pain.  (Well, to be fair,  not necessarilly - I have a birch that is now over 95 cm and I can handle it quite easily, but it is a kind of exception).  And it is not just about handling - the big trees need  reasonably large space - and in my case this is another critical factor.  You may add another point and that is related to the speed of development - "building" small tree takes usually significantly less time.  Not important factor for me,  but fair to mention here. As a result and despite the fact I am a big fan of large trees there are more and more small trees that are invading my place. Like this small Prunus mahaleb.   Collected in 2014 - with a lot of expectations that were gradually transformed into some kind of head scratching once I

Shohin in blossoms.

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The potted life of this tree has started at the time I have realised there is reasonable thick trunk/root? under the soil level.  An air layer has helped me to remove the long uninteresting part and here we go...

Carpinus betulus & Prunus mahaleb_Shohin

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Another fairly small tree I have in my collection.   As I have defoliated this little guy quite late in the summer - early September in fact - I should keep  my fingers crossed for him to make it over the winter.   I do defoliate some of my mahalebs around that time but that is a quite different species.  They can keep the newly formed leaves till the end of December in my garden ( if you provide them with a little bit of special care ).   At the bottom -this is a pic of one of my mahaleb as it looks now.  Please note-this is not a standard practice I would recommend.  Height: 18 cm Pot: China In training since 2010 Prunus mahaleb_shohin 11th December.  Sunny day with temp around 2°C . Not sure if such extended season makes any significant change in terms of accumulated energy but it is a fun to have something that green in December.

Pre_shohin_Prunus mahaleb #11

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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 )

Potentilla fruticosa_Shohin

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  What is all this fuss about ?   An autumn?   Gosh. I do not care - I do love spring and my blossoms... This little tree was bought a long time ago as a stick in the garden center with the idea to have a bonsai from it. One day.   After two or three years I have ground it and left it unnoticed for another good number of years.  Last year I have given it another closer look and decided that there is some potential for further development... Potentilla fruticosa_cinquefoil Height: 17 cm Pot: Hugo Studeník Spring 2019_first styling and rough structural carving.  

Prunus mahaleb_small&chubby

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I have collected this little tree in early spring 2018.   Transplanting newly collected trees in less than a year is not the best possible practice but that's me.   Besides this repoting is in line with my resolution to provide my trees with better living conditions.  One of the things I am planning to change this year is to replace most of the growing plastic/ceramic pots with wooden boxes.   Main drivers?  Better heat resistance, more stable conditions for roots and all the hard working creatures living in the soil there.  And for me - I can use guy wires without the need to drill holes into the pots.   And having more freedom with the positioning of guy wires in comparison with the other method = using the drainage/fixing holes. What are the next plans? - building some sort of sunscreens to protect selected trees - using more rain water - incresing the humidity in some places around the yard and balcony - ??? any other thoughts more than welcomed So here we go. Punus m

Starters from seeds/cuttings

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Red firethorn started fom cuttings in 2006 2018  Spring  Winter Height: 18 cm Crabapple / Malus evereste #2 Started from seed in 2011 I guess .  2013  2018   Height:  17 cm Crabapple / Malus evereste #3 Smaller tree from the same lot. 2018  Height:  11 cm So, as you can see you can "build" a shohin sized prebonsai reasonable quickly .     Just in case...  The apple trees above are not the same:) Even more strange: different autumn coloration of leaves Other projects?   Yes, I do have a few. Main focus? I hope to move from this screwdrivers compositon to something that would be more appropriate to my current taste...