Bonsai Trees / Plants and Shops

My Bonsai adapts within two days to changes in positions of light (the stalk/branches always bend towards the light for efficient photosynthesis – and growth)
My bonsai also has some arial roots and completely holds all the soil in its tiny pot, it grows incredibly quickly and can be cut into shapes by cutting the branch with scissors just below a new leaf.
I mentioned earlier how a mini tree facinates me, as tree’s provide massive amounts of biodiversity. I actually once found two mini snails living in the soil around my bonsai tree! and there is always moss and certain fungi that grow around the bark (not because i overwater the plant!) I have re planted cuttings which sucesfully grow, now my pot looks beautiful with mini ‘poles’ growing around my tree(poles being the cut branches) Trees are great for rooms as they not only make the room more attractive but provide plenty of oxygen when photosynthesising. As Bonsai are so precious people use special soils information of which can be seen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai
However I used natural soil from my garden and my bonsai is thriving, Bonsai are tree’s that are dwarf so are strong and able to survive more extreme conditons than plants would, due to their transpiration stream to cool themselves in hot weather it is important they are watered and the bark should not dry out.
In summer you can keep the bonsai in the garden, I did this growth was very rapid, but the soil dried very quickly and often the leaves would appear to burn and die quicker. According to instrucions, bonsai should be kept away from direct sunlight and extreme heat, they are indoor plants.

I strongly recommend any Botanist or plant fan like myself to get a bonsai tree, theyre amazing, you’ll have fun cutting them into shapes etc.

Starting your Bonsai Growing Project.

The very first thing you will need to consider when starting to grow your own indoor bonsai trees is to select the species of trees that you will use. Selecting trees for use as bonsai plants will require some considerations of geographical location and climate in the locale, as weather conditions in each location is different from others and hence you will need to choose trees that are either local to your location or are easily adaptable to the conditions in your area. The best results are normally seen when you use plants or trees that are endemic to your location. The choice of exotic species may result in trees not able to grow properly due to not being able to adjust to the conditions in your area, although this is not always the case. You should wait until you are totally familiar and an expert before you consider introducing exotic species of plants for your bonsai growing projects.

Among other things to consider when growing your bonsai trees is the size of the tree you you intend to grow. Trees come in different sizes in nature and this is the same for bonsai trees. You may want to consider where in your house you will be placing the plant and you should decide how big of a plant should be in that place. Once you have a basic idea of how big or small you want your bonsai tree to be, you can then go to a nursery or bonsai specialty shop and find a tree that is suitable. However, if a nursery or bonsai shop is not available in your area, you may just have to start from scratch and plant your tree from seeds. This will give you the choice of find the seeds for the tree you like the best and start off from there.

Should you start off from seeds then you will need to plant them in seed bags until they become seedlings. As soon as the seedlings start to grow, you will need to start preparing your seedlings to be transferred to pots. Transferring the seedlings into pots is tricky at times, and you will have to remove most of the roots to fit in smaller pots. When cutting away roots, like in all plants you will have to be very careful as this effort can cause the plants to die. When you start the process of transferring your bonsai plant into its pot, you will also need to place some wires into the root system of the plant in order to help it fit into its pot. You will then need to ensure that you put just enough soil to cover your bonsai plants roots which will help it retain moisture. Make sure that the right amount of soil is place over the roots and not too much.

Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants. They are created from nearly any tree or shrub species and remain small through pot confinement and crown and root pruning. Nearly any tree or shrub species, with proper training and care can be used to create Bonsai, but some specific species are more sought after for use as bonsai material. This is because they have characteristics that make them appropriate for the smaller design arrangements of bonsai. There are many different ways to acquire, cultivate and grow Bonsai. Several of the most common include:
* Growing Bonsai from Seed
* Cuttings
* Air layering
* Grafting

Bonsai Garden at the pagoda Yunyan Ta (Cloud Rock Pagoda; Suzhou, China)
Bonsai Garden at the pagoda Yunyan Ta (Cloud Rock Pagoda; Suzhou, China)
Bonsai Trees showing a variety of different styles in Sydney, Australia.
Bonsai Trees showing a variety of different styles in Sydney, Australia.
A Pine bonsai in the informal upright style. This tree is more than 30 years old, in the Hidden Lake Gardens Collection
A Pine bonsai in the informal upright style. This tree is more than 30 years old, in the Hidden Lake Gardens Collection

Bonsai are often characterized as being grown in one of many different bonsai styles. In English, the most common styles include: formal upright, slant, informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade, raft, literati, and group / forest.

* The formal upright style, or Chokkan,
* Slant style, or Shakan bonsai possess straight trunks
* Cascade style, or Kengai bonsai
* Raft style, or Netsunari bonsai mimic
* The literati style (Bunjin is a translation of the Chinese word wenren meaning “scholars practiced in the arts” and gi is a derivative of the Japanese word, ki, for “tree”).
* The group or forest style, or Yose Ue,
* The root over rock style, or Sekijoju,
* The broom style, or Hokidachi
* The multi Trunk style, or Ikadabuki
* The growing in a rock, or Ishizuke

Bonsai Trees

What are Bonsai trees?

Many people think of tiny little Japanese trees cut and pruned to a miniature size but literally speaking Bonsai means ?plant in a tray? and while they are smaller than their wild counterparts they don?t have to be a couple of inches tall; they can be grown in a pot in the garden and will be smaller than their wild counterparts.

Misconceptions about Bonsai trees.

Many people believe that training Bonsai trees is a cruel pastime because the cultivator starves the tree and cuts it to such an extent that it becomes unhealthy. Quite the reverse is usually true; while they are cut and pruned quite heavily to keep them to the size of the pot, they are usually transferred from pot to pot regularly and are fed and watered much more often than their wild cousins.

Contrary to belief, Bonsai trees do not originate from Japan, but there are records dating back more than 2000 years that show Bonsai being grown in China. These Bonsai weren?t as small as the Bonsai that people often envisage and were grown on an individual basis outdoors in pots. It was, though, the Japanese that took this art form and progressed it to the level it is at now. This has led to quite different styles in Japanese and Chinese Bonsai; the Chinese Bonsai being much more freestyle and more lightly pruned than the Japanese miniature Bonsai that are very heavily groomed and pruned and look much more like miniature natural versions of the full sized versions.

Bonsai trees do not live shorter lives than wild trees. They regularly live for many centuries and are traditionally passed down from generation to generation of family. They lead nearly exactly the same length lives as their wild cousins and are often much healthier because of the attention they receive.

The advantages of growing Bonsai.

Not everyone has a large garden where they can plant numerous trees and let them grow as big as they want, and even those who do have large gardens still need to wait for many years before the tree becomes truly established. By growing Bonsai you don?t need any more room than the size of your pot and because you only need them to grow to much smaller proportions it really is accessible for anyone who is interested in growing Bonsai trees. You can even grow them inside if you can recreate the correct conditions for the tree you want to grow.

Growing Bonsai trees can fast become an addictive hobby and requires attention to detail, foresight of how the tree will grow and plenty of time and care. You will undoubtedly feel massive satisfaction if you decide to grow Bonsai and are any good at it.

Bonsai Soil And Additives

Should I use a special Bonsai soil or just normal soil?

The increased popularity of growing Bonsai trees and plants has brought with it many more specialist shops; the Internet being virtually awash with Bonsai supplies. As a beginner, it is usual for people to go out and buy everything they think they could possibly want to ever grow a Bonsai. However, there is a good chance you may not need it. You can buy Bonsai soil at very reasonable prices now, and this soil is mixed to a perfect combination of nutrients, soil and grit that will help your Bonsai grow, but many practitioners of the ancient art of Bonsai would probably consider this cheating.

As a beginner, it is important that you do what you can to make your first Bonsai as successful as possible. Many people will throw in the towel after just one failure, and when you consider how long a Bonsai can take to reach maturity this really isn?t an overnight hobby. You must get into a regime of regular watering, annual potting and plenty of care and attention in order to be able to enjoy a beautiful Bonsai for your troubles.

Is Bonsai soil expensive?

Bonsai soil shouldn?t be costing you very much more than normal potting compost or bags of nutrient rich soil that you use in your garden. A good Bonsai soil, however, may contain a long list of ingredients including clay, soil and even bark. Some of these ingredients are loaded with the nutrients that your Bonsai will thrive on, and paying that little extra can certainly promote good healthy growth from your beloved project.

Whether you decide you want to use bags of Bonsai soil or make your own soil there are certain things you need to make sure of before planting your Bonsai in the soil. A good Bonsai soil needs to have excellent drainage to make sure the water can seep to the roots and out of the bottom of the soil and through the holes in your pot. It is a good idea to have two different soils, one coarser than the other. This way, the screened soil acts as a sort of irrigation for your plants.

As well as this, you may want to consider buying nutrient supplements that you can add when repotting or mix with the soil that you use. However, if you are growing your Bonsai in a suitable area this isn?t always needed.

Bonsai Plant Care

Bonsai plants are very similar to Bonsai trees in so far as if you give them a lot of care and attention and keep them healthy you will get a beautiful miniature plant in return. There are many different varieties of plant that you can use to create Bonsai plants. Some plants require very precise care routines to maintain a healthy and aesthetically pleasing plant, but regardless of what breed of plant you are using there are some basic guidelines to follow that will keep your plant in condition. All of these tips will be dependant on the type of plant you buy but are meant as rough guides only.

Temperature.

Indoor Bonsai plants will need protection from the elements during cold weather because many of them are tropical or subtropical plants. The singly most effective form of protection is bringing them indoors. However, if you are planting your Bonsai outdoors you should plant them somewhere where they are protected from wintry conditions. Alternatively it does a plant a lot of good if you put them out for some warm weather when the risk of frost is gone completely. The humidity indoors can cause dehydration of Bonsai plants, which is the biggest killer of these timid plants.

Watering.

It is important to water Bonsai early in the day before the temperature lowers in the evening. The type of plant you have will determine the watering regime you need to undertake. How much moisture the plant needs is a very important factor and you should always water the soil as thoroughly as possible to ensure that all the roots get a good watering.

Light.

Because the sun is at it?s brightest and strongest between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. you should try as far as possible to keep your Bonsai out of the sunlight between these hours. It is also important to remember that electrical items around the house give off a very humid heat that can damage not only the leaves of you Bonsai but can also dehydrate your plants or trees and eventually kill them. It?s also important to alter your watering schedule to meet the demands of increased light, heat and humidity.

Fertilizing.

You can use fertilizers to help the growth of your Bonsai plants, but it?s best to use mild ones that only contain trace elements. Trees are usually fed during the growing season to help with their growth and shouldn?t be used in either plants or trees during dormant growth periods.

Bonsai Care

What are the basics of effective Bonsai care.

Caring for your Bonsai tree involves many of the same activities associated with caring for a pot plant or an indoor plant. Well developed and healthy fibrous roots are essential for the continued good health of your Bonsai tree and repotting is an essential way to manage this process. Normally a young or fast growing Bonsai will need to be repotted roughly once a year; for less prolific growers or older trees it can be done as infrequently as once every five years. You should always try to repot during late winter or early spring when the buds start to swell.

How to repot a Bonsai tree.

The process of repotting a Bonsai tree is one that you should take seriously and follow these simple instructions:

First, you should tidy the tree by carefully pruning off any unwanted, long branches. Also, make sure the tree has been under cover for a few weeks if it is an outdoor Bonsai, this way the soil will be relatively dry. Once you remove the tree from it?s pot you will be able to see whether it really needs repotting. If it is root bound then you should repot it, however, if there are another few inches of room so the roots can grow a little longer then you can carefully replace the tree in it?s original pot and continue as normal.

You should remove surface soil from the roots either by hand or using a nylon scrubbing brush. Brush away from the trunk and be careful not to damage any of the roots. Removing the loose soil will give the Bonsai tree a healthier look and feel. Once you?ve removed most of the soil in this way, you can use a small, fine bristled paintbrush to remove the soil stuck in the roots or that has collected in the roots.

Use a Bonsai fork to comb out the roots. Do this by combing out the roots from underneath and then use scissors to prune up to a third of the roots and then cut out small wedges around the root base to allow fresh soil to collect and keep your Bonsai healthy. Add a layer of grit to the bottom of the pot and then add the Bonsai compst of your choice.

Take the time to position your Bonsai tree in the pot and then push a little more soil into awkward places. Complete this as often as you need to as mentioned above.

Blue Flowers Add Style and Color to any Garden

Blue flowers are some of the most striking plants around and can add a rich splash of color to any garden. Plant them in a cluster of all blue or mix them in with other flowers for a rainbow of color.

When planting flowers, it is important to remember to follow the instructions on the tag for the plant. Always buy plants that will thrive in the conditions in which you intend to grow them. A plant that loves sun will not do well in a shady area and you will only be disappointed with the results.

When planning your garden, be aware of the bloom time of the flowers. Planting perennials with different bloom times near each other will insure a garden that has blooms all season long. Remember also to plan for the height of the plants, putting the
taller ones in the back.

Consider the flowers on the list below for your garden.

Polemonuim aka Blue Pearl – A compact plant with deep sky blue flowers that grows to 10″. It blooms in late spring to early summer. Plant in partial shade and in well drained soil.

Blue Sea Holly – This dramatic plant has a lavender blue cone like flower with long spiked petals. It grows to 30″ and is a favorite for dried flower arrangements. Plant in full sun – blooms in mid to late summer.

Delphinium aka Butterfly Blue – Bright blue delicate flowers adorn a plant that blooms in early to mid summer. It reaches 10″ tall and prefers a sunny location with rich moist soil.

Campanula aka Blue Carpet – Bright blue to lilac colored flowers bloom for weeks in the middle of summer. This low growing perennial grows to 4″ and prefers full sun with well-drained soil.

Penstemon aka Blue Buckle – This plant has tubular shaped blooms in blue to purple and flowers in mid summer to early fall. It grows to 15″ and likes well-drained soil with full or partial sun.

Hydrangea aka Nikko Blue – Gigantic clumps of blue flowers adorn this shrub for most of the summer. In the fall, the flowers turn a golden color. This plant is a new variety that prefers rich soil but will grow in shade, partial sun, or full sun.

Vinca – Medium blue flowers and glossy green leaves form a carpet that grows to about 6″ tall and blooms in mid spring. This plant will grow in most soil conditions, in the shade or sun.

Ajuga aka Bronze Beauty – This short bushy plant has spikes of blue flowers that grows quickly. Great as a ground cover or in raised beds. It blooms in spring and prefers a shady area.

Scabiosa aka Butterfly Blue – A bushy perennial with lavender blue flowers that bloom from June to October. This plant likes full sun and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Verbena aka Babylon Blue – Blue purple flowers petals adorn a plant that blooms in early spring. Great for window boxes and planters.

Black Lace-A Flower That Offers Beauty and Berries

Good design not only makes the inside of your home more lovely, it can also take bloom in your garden. And, since plants cost a fraction of the price of new furniture, outdoor decorating can be a lot easier on the wallet. Here are some ideas you may want to cultivate.

Both interior decorators and landscapers consider size, color and texture. A good place to start is by looking at the size of the space. Dwarf plants are very useful in tight spaces, but can get lost in a lush perennial border. Curb appeal and backyard views also demand something bigger. Every garden needs at least one impressive specimen plant to anchor the landscape.

Think about color. Many people focus on flowers and forget about the months that a plant is not in bloom. Plant breeders have responded to this by producing varieties with colorful foliage for season-long appeal.

Texture is another important design element. Large leaves have big impact, while narrow or cutleaf foliage adds delicate interest to gardens. Fine or cutleaf foliage sways with the wind, a lovely effect.

For example, the new Black Lace sambucus has everything the homeowner needs for stylish outdoor spaces. Dark purple leaves provide interesting color all season long, and are a fantastic combination with popular perennials such as black-eyed susans. Like Japanese maple, its finely cut foliage makes it a choice specimen for entryways and other high-impact areas.

Black Lace offers more than color and texture. Its huge pink spring flowers will produce fall berries for jam or wine, or may be left on the plant for wildlife to enjoy. Like all well-designed products, Black Lace offers both form and function.

Best of all, this new plant is adaptable and easy to grow. It’s tolerant of most soils, even soggy ones, and will grow in sun or some shade. Six feet tall at maturity, Black Lace doesn’t require pruning, although homeowners can cut it back after blooming if desired. A full-sized mature Black Lace is an impressive specimen for either formal gardens or casual backyard scenes. It can also be grown in a decorative container for the patio or deck.

Plant breeders work hard to develop useful new varieties like Black Lace. The Proven Winners brand carefully selects the most beautiful and easy-to-grow varieties so successful gardening is easy. After all, why should fashionable landscapes be reserved for expert gardeners? The rest of us deserve good design, too. Cold hardy and adaptable, Black Lace will thrive for years. It’s an easy way to add durable style to your garden.

So are you ready to bring good design into your garden? It’s worth the effort. After all, your yard is the biggest room in your house.

Black Lace is just one of over 50 colorful, easy-to-grow Proven Winners ColorChoice varieties. They’re easy to find at your garden center-look for the plants in the white pots.

Beware of Toxic Mulch

Mulching beds has become extremely popular these days, and mulch can be really beneficial to your plants and the soil in your planting beds, but there are things you need to watch for.

Here in Ohio the most popular type of mulch that people use is shredded hardwood bark mulch, which is a byproduct of the timber industry. When they haul the logs into the sawmill the first thing they do is debark them. Years ago the bark was a huge problem for the mills because there didn’t seem to be a useful purpose for it, until people realized the hidden benefits that it held. Still to this day, the bark is a headache for the saw mills, and they don’t always understand how to properly handle it.

They like to pile it as high as they can so it takes up less space in their yard. The mulch really tends to back up during the winter months because there is little demand for it. In order for the mills to pile the mulch high, they literally have to drive the large front end loaders up onto the pile. Of course the weight of these large machines compacts the mulch in the pile, and this can become a huge problem for you or I if we happen to get some mulch that has been stacked too high, and compacted too tightly.

When the trees are first debarked the mulch is fairly fresh, and needs to decompose before we dare use it around our plants. The decomposition process requires oxygen and air flow into the pile. When the mulch is compacted too tight, this air flow cannot take place, and as the mulch continues to decompose it becomes extremely hot as the organic matter ferments. Sometimes the extreme heat combined with the inability to release the heat can cause the pile to burst into flame through spontaneous combustion.

In other cases the mulch heats up, cannot release the gas, and the mulch actually becomes toxic. When this occurs the mulch develops an overbearing odor that will take your breath away as you dig into the pile. When you spread this toxic mulch around your plants the gas it contains is released, and this gas can and will burn your plants.

It has happened to me twice. Once at my own house, and once on a job I was doing for a customer. This toxic mulch is very potent. We spilled a little mulch in the foliage of a Dwarf Alberta Spruce that we were mulching around, and just a few minutes later brushed the mulch out of the plant. The next day my customer noticed that one side of the plant was all brown. The mulch had only been there for a matter of minutes.

Not only did I have to replace the Dwarf Alberta Spruce, but the mulch also damaged at least 10 other plants that I had to replace. I once saw where somebody ordered a truck load of mulch, had it dumped in their driveway, and as the toxic mulch slid out of the dump truck onto the asphalt the toxic gas that was released settled on the lawn next to the driveway.

The gas, not the mulch, turned the grass brown next to the mulch pile.

This same person spread several yards of the mulch around their house before they realized the problem, and it ruined many of their plants.

Now here’s the hard part; trying to explain to you how to identify toxic mulch. It has a very strong odor that will take your breath away. But then again almost all mulch has a powerful odor. This is very different than your typical mulch smell, but I can’t explain it any better than that.

The mulch looks perfectly normal, maybe a little darker in color than usual. If you suspect a problem with the mulch you have, take a couple of shovels full, and place it around an inexpensive plant. Maybe just a couple of flowers. When doing this test use mulch from inside the mulch pile and not from the edges. The mulch on the edge of the pile has more than likely released most of the toxic gas that it may have held.

If after 24 hours the test plants are okay, the mulch should be fine. The
purpose of this article is not to induce panic at the mulch yard, but toxic mulch can do serious damage. At my house it burned the leaves right off some of the plants in my landscape, and burned the grass next to the bed all the way around the house. It looked like somebody had taken a torch and burned the grass back about 2? all the way around the bed. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it.

Benefits Of Gardening For Kids

Apparently, we can see how nature is treated these days. It is a sad thing to know that people do not pay attention so much anymore to the environmental problems. What can we do about this? It’s as simple as starting with the children. It is good to see the children’s involvement with environment-friendly activities. One such nature-loving activity that children could easily get their hands on is gardening. Why should you consider gardening for your children?

Here are the benefits that gardening could easily provide the children with:

1. Science

In planting, children are indirectly taught the wonders of science like the plant’s life cycle and how human’s intervention can break or make the environment. They can have a first hand experience on the miracle of life through a seed. This would definitely be a new and enjoyable experience for the kids.

2. Life

Watching a seed grow into a tree is just as wondrous as the conception to birth and growth of a child. In time, kids will learn to love their plants and appreciate the life in them. Gardening could actually help simulate how life should be treated — it should be with care. The necessities to live will be emphasized to kids with the help of gardening – water, sunlight, air, soil. Those necessities could easily be corresponded to human necessities, i.e., water, shelter, air, food. By simply weeding out, one could educate how bad influences should be avoided to be able to live life smoothly.

3. Relaxation

Studies show that gardening can reduce stress because of its calming effect. This is applicable to any age group. More so, it stimulates all the five senses. Believe it or not, gardening may be used as therapy to children who have been abused or those who are members of broken homes. It helps build one’s self-esteem.

4. Quality Time with the Family

You can forget about your stressful work life for a while be soothed by the lovely ambience in the garden. You can play and spend quality time with your children. You can talk while watering the plants or you can work quietly beside each other. The bottom line is, always do what you have to do, together with your kids. You might discover a lot of new things about your child while mingling with them in your garden.

Let kids become aware of their environment’s needs. And one way to jumpstart that environmental education may be through gardening. It’s hitting two birds with one stone — teach them to respect life while you bond with them.

Beginners Guide to Home Composting

Composting your kitchen and garden waste is a great way to reduce the amount of waste you dispose of in your rubbish bin. By composting your waste you can generate a free source of rich compost to help improve your garden, and also help to reduce global warming in the process.

How does home composting help to reduce global warming?

When sent to landfill organic waste is compressed under tonnes and tonnes of other waste types. The organic waste therefore does not have enough access to air, which restricts the waste from being able to decompose properly. Instead of decomposing, methane gas is produced which contributes to global warming.

The Compost Bin

The first step to start composting at home is to get a compost bin. You can either purchase a compost bin or you can make your own. Compost bins can be bought from the majority of garden centres. The government funded Recycle Now Home Composting Campaign also sells discounted compost bins.

The next important step is to decide where to position the compost bin, which can affect the overall quality of the compost that is produced. For best results place the bin in a well drained area which has good access to sunlight. The drainage will enable excess water to drain out of the compost and placing the bin in a sunny spot helps to speed up the composting process.

What waste items can I put in my compost bin?

There are lots of everyday waste items from your garden and kitchen that can go into your compost bin. These are broken down into ?Greens? and ?Browns?. Greens are the type of items that provide moisture and nitrogen and are quick to rot. Items classed as Greens includes:

Grass cuttings
Vegetable peelings
Leaves
Fruit
Tea bags
Weeds

Browns are waste items that take longer to rot but provide pockets of air, along with fibre and carbon. This includes items such as:

Cardboard boxes
Newspapers (scrunched up)
Toilet roll tubes
Egg shells (crushed)
Shredded paper
Twigs and hedge clippings

How do I make a good quality compost?

To make a good quality compost it is important to use a good mix of both ‘green’ and ‘brown’ wastes. It is simply a case of monitoring the compost and adding more waste depending on the look of the compost. For example, if it looks too dry add more ?green? waste, and if it looks too wet add more ?brown? waste. Every so often it is also a good idea to mix or turn the contents of your compost bin to add air.

How long will it take for my compost to be ready to use?

This will vary depending on the mixture of waste that is placed into the compost bin, the surrounding conditions and the weather. In general it should take between 6 and 9 months for your finished compost to be ready to use.

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