A Maple Make Over

 Amur maple-Acer ginnala is a populare subject for bonsai. It's leaves resemble Trident maple (A. buergerium), and though it's growth habit is a bit more coarse and unrefined compared to tridents, it is very cold hardy. A vigorous grower, it can be used in any style and any size classification of bonsai.

I got hold of a bundle of Amur seedlings somewhere along the line. They went into individual pots and got grown on for a while. Having a big bunch of them may have meant they didn't get the individual attention they needed They grow some gnarled root, twisty trunk little trees that looked like the belong in a Hobbit movie, but never ramified enough for my taste.
I potted up a few to use as mame, more like little trees as accent plants, and sold the majority at a club meeting.


A few seedlings got left behind. These got jammed rather hastily into a forest pot with the thought of making something out of them-sometime. The where allowed to grow wild, getting hacked back once in while. The method here was benign neglect. The trunks thickened, the trees got taller as they did their thing and I did mine.
This is how the planting looks some years later, the third week of May, out of winter storage for a month and a half and growing vigorously.









I realize I've  used the word vigorous to describe this species twice now, but they earn it. The abuse that this planting has taken is amazing. There is a nest of ants in the pot, and their activity, plus some sloppy potting when the thing was assembled means that there are empty holes in the soil ball above each drain hole. The plant doesn't seem to notice. The roots are so tangled and congested that water doesn't penetrate well and the root ball feels like a Brillo pad-the trees don't care!














Ok, maybe some of the trees noticed. You can see that most of the back row is dead. I am sorry they are gone, but this may be the cosmos telling me that I need to be more careful, and also telling me this should be a smaller planting. This is a damn handsome pot, and it will be a shame not to have something growing in it, but it is far two big for just two trees. By the way, the pot may look like terra cotta, but it is high fired. It is actually Italian, so while not a traditional bonsai region they do know from ceramics.

 Here is the pot I'd like to get the living trees into. It's a very sweet round made here in Columbus by my friend Tom Holcomb. It's an almost black brown color with grooving on the sides.

 Remember the ants nests? If plants could cry out, maybe these poor guys where calling out "New Shoes, Please!"

 Looks like I was over-optimistic about the size of the root ball, and how it could be reduced.

That looks better. Size and depth are very good. It's a stiff and formal pot for these trees, but will do for now. Could change later.

Root ball cut way back, fresh new soil tucked into the nooks and crannies, now its time to think about size and shape. The sharp eyed readers in the crowd will notice that both trees have been shortened, and a few low branches have been removed

Also, I made the choice that this would become a two tree planting, and the odd little fellow in the back has been removed to his own training pot.

Now that basic height has been decided, its time to cut back all the shoots. Besides taking some load off the reduced root system, this will encourage some back budding.The trees are a bit leggy  and need to fill in. The tree on the right has a few empty spaces that could do with whole new branches. It was tempting to cut it down even shorter, but that wastes some good trunk texture, and I think the height and width suit the pot they are in.

Here is the new duo as it stands now. It is in the shadow under a bench, in a spot between my house and my neighbor's that gets mostly eastern sun and than shade the rest of the day. For a few weeks I'd like to pamper it to help it bounce back.

More photo updates coming later in the summer!

Neat and Tidy

This apron was a Father's Day gift. My wife got to a point where she was frustrated with soil, bark or lime sulfur on good clothes. I thought the idea of an apron was a bit much when she mentioned it, but that didn't stop a determined woman from doing some internet shopping-her favorite hobby-and that lead to the package on Father's day.

It's a very handsome piece of work, even if it is a bit over done and hipster-ish. Heavy, waxed fabric, leather straps and bronze tone metal hardware.
I feel like I should be breaking done an organic, locally fed hog into house made smoked meat-or perhaps carving some wood into a real boy!



I was hesitant to wear it, but once I tried, I really took to it. Its very convenient to have all those pockets, to hold the things you need-shears, tweezers, chops stick, Ipod, pipe lighter, all there where you need them.

But it didn't take long to enjoy putting on this "uniform". There is obvious precedent for a bonsai artist working in an apron. The books and websites are full of illustrations such as the one below.
The apron is practical, but seems to me to be part of the Japanese cultural imperative  to keep orderly and neat.

The flowers that bloom in the spring

Always a gorgeous show when the

 Quince and Crabapple start putting on the colors.