Only changing the point of view

I have been looking at my variegated ficus, hating how straight and boring it is. See the picture below from one year ago. Why should I make a tree like that?  But now I have decided I must change it, I will change the front. In the picture above you see the new front. I have cut the tree shorter and it is much more natural and alive. Now I like it again! Next time I repot it, it will also be put in the right place in the pot.

The last days have been warm and sunny, so the spring has really exploded! The snow has melted away from my outdoor trees, and the great thing is they look good! Not like last year when I had a bad spring-surprise in some brown dead pines.

The wild nature is still very grey,  but close to the house some flowers pop up and brighten up the colours!

And on our lake the last pieces of ice are floating around - will they be completely gone tomorrrow?

Large pine

A large pine of unknown age, I love it. The people that live here say it has always been there!

Little things

These little things are standing indoors so they are my pleasure now as the winter is still going strong outside! I thought spring was on its way, but then we had a bad snowstorm yesterday, and it is snowing again at the moment. So we will have to wait.

One ivy and two pomegranates.

Alnus incana

  The ice is gone on the river and the alder is flowering.

Bougainvillea

The bougainvillea that I bought last year and cut off is repotted today. I put it in a lower pot and cut the branches again. Above - before. Below - after.

Som ett påskris

 It looks like just a few thin twigs, my judas tree, Cersis siliquastrum.

But it is appropriate for it to bloom today, on Good Friday, while the tv is showing Jesus Christ Superstar.

Som ett påskris ser det ut, mitt judasträd! Några långa kvistar.

Visst passar det bra att den blommar idag, på långfredagen, samtidigt som tv sänder Jesus Christ superstar.

I have got two plants of this species. The thinner and taller one is an air layer of the first one. The first one has never had any flowers. It is probably not very suitable for these trees to live the sort of life it has to live in my home: indoors a long time of year, probably too dark, then outdoors in the summer, probably too cold then. Overwintering in the garage.

Jag har två plantor. Den som jag toppat med jämna mellanrum för att den inte skulle bli hög och smal - den blommar inte, och har aldrig gjort det heller. Bara den andra, som är en luftavläggare av den första, den har blommat tidigare, och alltså i år. Som om blommorna inte kan bildas på de där förkortade grenarna.

Att försöka göra bonsai av den här växten är jättesvårt, menar jag. Varför jag sådde den en gång och trodde att det skulle gå var för att det stod så i frökatalogen. "Lämplig till bonsai" eller "vanlig som bonsai" eller hur det nu uttrycktes. En lögn är det i alla fall. Men den är vida spridd. Frön till judasträd säljs med en bild av en rosablommande azalea-bonsai:

This is a picture often used to sell seeds of Cersis siliquastrum! But it is a tree of a totally different species, an azalea, which should be obvious to most people. (But naturally not to enthusiastic beginner-bonsaiists!)

 Det här är bilden som förekommer runt om i världen i samband med frön till judasträd (Cersis siliquastrum).

Varning alltså! 

Hur duktig bonsaiodlare du än är, hur bra övriga förutstättningar du har vad det gäller klimat eller odlingsföhållanden - du kommer ändå aldrig att få ett sånt här träd av ett judasträd. För det här är ju en azalea.

Spring-winter

 Views change around my house from day to day depending on the weather. Also my trees are beginning to change - to show signs of life. I mean my garage trees.

 My maples had a hard time last summer and were frozen when we had a really cold night in June. Yes I did write about it here. The three maples are now 1) one super-tree, picture above - leaves sprouting out, 2) one hesitating, I can see only a few leaves but think it will live, and 3) one that does not show any signs of life at all yet.

The vigorous tree in the picture is the one that was most severely damaged by rats. It is obviously a superhero.

The outdoor trees are still asleep under the snow, you recognize the winter storing place here under the spruce.

Zooming out, this is he gloomy view of Wednesday afternoon.

Same view, thursday morning! On a day like this, if feels possible to get out of bed.

Still Thursday morning, a bit more to the west. All trees have branches covered in snow!

Finally today, Friday. It was so warm during the day yesterday that the snow melted from the trees. (To the right in the picture are the same spruces as in the previous picture.) From one day to another it changes from looking like mid-winter to looking like spring!