A day out

On Saturday I went out with the Bonsai society for yamadori. We do it every year in May, we have made it into a tradition! This year we took the chance to walk over an area where there are plans to make a ski slope (easy to get permission to dig up trees there). The view is over the lake Tavelsjön.

It looks a little like somebody has left garbage bags in nature... but this is instead our findings, with their roots wrapped in plastic bags! There are mostly pines, but also one spruce (to the left) and I know one birch was also found, but it's not in the photo.

I took this pine. Not very big, not very spectacular...

And when I came home and had to take out soil and tools and pots -  my hands already dirty -  I decided to dig up two trees from the ground and put them in their pots. The first for this year. Two salix.

Green and brown needles

The snow is gone and I can see my outdoor trees again after the winter! The majority looks good.

But two of the pines are all brown, or should I say "rusty". I think they are dead and I will have to throw them away. I can not be sure of the cause, but I believe it is a pine-desease - I should probably worry for the rest of the pines (?)...

The large aspen behind our house is full of flowers! 

I have learned this about aspen: each tree is either male or female, both male and female trees produce catkins - and they look a little different. According to my flora-book the female catkins are 10-18 cm and male catkins 8-10 cm.

But it's impossible to see the size of the catkins when they are so high up in the air! 

Then there is still one thing I don't know. Must the tree reach a certain age before it starts flowering? For I can't remember having seen this tree flowering before. Or I have forgotten. (Does it happen one year now and then? - and not the years between?) The other aspen tree behind our house does not have any catkins - maybe because it's younger???

One other thing I have read about aspens is that they form "clones" - many trees growing from the same root system - genetically identical. Here is one,  for a bonsai enthusiast very interesting, aspen clone I walked by yesterday: heavily grazed by moose to shape these dwarfed trees!

I must go back to this place for yamadori...

My semi-hardy trees can come out in the sun now and then. The nights are still very cold (this night was -6 degrees C).

Here is seen zelkovas and japanese maples.

Indoors, still.

 Worked on my variegated ficus today.

And my ivy.  I would want the low branch to become stronger on this one.

Pomegranate with flower buds, maybe they are not visible in the picture?

Here the flower buds are more clear to see. Now when I see the picture I think this pomegranate will be repotted on an angle the next time, so that both trunks will be leaning to the right instead of one to each side...

Here is also a picture of my hollies. They have been overwintering in the garage, I took them outside today as it is pretty warm (10 degrees C). They are full of flowers! 

I love the shiny green leaves, and one time many years ago I thought I would make bonsai of them... What a joke. I hardly want to repot them or pick up a fallen leaf from the soil, because they hurt my fingers...

...

Tree

A salix from this morning's walk.

Typical in april

We thought spring was on the way... We were so wrong. Now winter is back.

Development?

Ficus with big trunk! Much bigger than any of my other ficuses, which are all made from cuttings. (This one I bought in this size.) The branches are not very much to brag about, but at least I'm pleased the tree is developing in a good direction. Below is an old picture:

I wrote about it in february 2011.

My judas tree is NOT developing in a very good direction! Some branches have died in the winter, this is how it looks today!

And a picture from behind the house: My outdoor trees are still (half) under the snow...

Close to the house the snow has melted away and I have found the first tussilago (coltsfoot)!

Eclipse of the sun

We have had a partial eclipse of the sun here today, this is my picture of it! Seen on a paper, through binoculars.

I have not seen it before.

And here is how dark it was at the same time:

Still a bright day I think! The birds did not become silent, they kept on eating!