biork visiting Mistral Bonsai (MISS YOU SO clg)

Noble readers. I have been such a slow blogger the last couple of months, but that does not mean I have not been tending my trees. Lots of images in the backlog, ready to be blogged during the next months:)

I will start on with a new category called "biork on the move" The first in the series will cover my recent trip to Mistral Bonsai outside Barcelona, Spain. Not much text, only images, but they speak for themselves. I also have a couple of "lindsey-farr-alike" videos on my HD, with commentary from the trip to come...



Winter preps

Fuchsia "X"

Fuchsia hardiness is variable depending on particular species. Fuchsia magellanica though is reliably hardy down to around -3°C(27 F). Temperatures below this will cause rapid leaf fall and can, on occasions, cause dieback of the branches, though the root system will tolerate temperatures of -10° centigrade (14 F) or less. Specimens do require a dormancy otherwise they lose their vigour. It is advisable to leave trees outside until at least the first frosts of the Autumn and then move to a light, frost-free position for the remainder of the winter.

-from: http://bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Fuchsia.html

Birch Development

The birch is doing well and is showing no sign of last years fungus. It is being allowed to dry up somewhat more than the other trees when watering and is also fertilized heavily to boost the immune system. The plan is that this and keeping the mosturization to a minimum will give the fungus lesser living conditions.

All shoots are beeing cut down to 2 leaves as soon as they reach appr. 4-5 leaves. This has left it producing a second flush of shoots in only three weeks after the first pinch. The biggest issue with this birch is to balance the apex more. There is a "hole" in the tree wich looks unnatural.

Øyvinds Maple

Acer Palmatum Atropurpureum.

Partly survived the hard winter. Two trunks are having problems budding, but there are signs of life.