Natasja

Lindat några korta bitar och klippt bort några få blad. Nu börjar den likna nåt.

I have taken inside some trees from the garage

Spring is coming along.

Not if you look out through the window of course, but in my garage the trees are beginning to become green! I have repotted some zelkovas.

And this lively bush...it is the maple that was debarked by rodents in autumn. It's now growing vividly! Don't tell me it will never look good, I am so happy it's alive. It has survived rodent attack twice in its life!

I have also repotted a ficus natasja that I had not cared for very much before. Picture above is today, picture below is before repotting.

Cancelled meeting

To meet with friends that share your interest is nice, for example in a bonsai association! When I go to bonsai meetings it is in Umeå, and it was meant to be today, the first meeting this year. The weather stopped us again! (The cold temperature stopped us in February 2012.) Today it is not particularly cold but it's snowing, and has been snowing all night - together with strong winds it makes roads and streets difficult for traffic... At first I planned to go anyway ("nothing will stop me this time"), and my husband went out to clear the way down from the house - then my bonsai friend called and told me the weather was too bad also in Umeå.

Instead I have repotted a maple that was beginning to grow, see first picture: you can see a few small leaves coming out! It is the tree that was attacked by rodents in the autumn - I can just hope it will survive, but I really don't know.

Snowdrifts up the windows...

Januari

Winter outside. Indoor trees trying to survive in the poor light.

Last day of october!

October: nature is preparing for winter. All leaves have dropped.

 My outdoor trees are in the ground for the winter. Here you can see the great improvement since last winter: how we have fenced in the bonsai with a high metal net! To stop the moose from climbing over and on the small trees. I hope it will keep the stupid animals out!

It was actually my husbands idea, so I must thank him for that. And even more, I should thank my son and his friend, that did all the hard work!

Maples and elms are in the garage, have been there for about two weeks now. Not all leaves had dropped before I took them inside, but they will fall on the floor...

 And in the house my indoor trees keep on growing. This one needs a lot of shaping and wiring. I hope to have time in the spring to work on all trees that I have neglected this year during my studying.

Here is a flower I got as a present this summer. It's sold under the name holarrhena pubescens "Snowflake". But when I tried to read about it, I found some confusing data... So maybe this is instead a  Wrightia antidysenterica?

Anyway, the name doesn't matter to me, it has beautiful little white flowers, and who knows - maybe it's possible to make a bonsai out of this plant?

I also want to say I am happy to see that people visit my blog even when I don't post so often! I had the intention to post at least once every month, but obviously I missed September - and almost October too...

November

My ficus with electric christmas candles and an orchid. I have defoliated the ficus twice this season, and will do it twice again in the coming year. Now it looks just as normal.

Nu får jag skynda mig om det ska bli nåt inlägg i november... Jag vet att det är ett par dagar kvar till första advent, men eftersom jag jobbar i helgen så började jag leta efter adventsstjärnan redan idag. Hittade den dock inte. En ljusstake hittade jag - och den lyser!!! Det brukar den oftast inte göra när man tar fram den...

Så ni ser att min stora fikus ser ut ungefär som vanligt. Två gånger har den avlövats under växtsäsongen, och två gånger ska jag göra det igen den kommande sommaren.

We have had a long period of rain, rain, rain, fog and darkness... Quite depressing.

Vi har haft en lång period med regn regn regn, mörker och dimma... Det har varit ganska deprimerande.

This picture is from today: It is a little colder and we have snow on the ground... One millimeter or so...

Idag ser det ut så här. Vi har snö - ungefär en millimeter!

The lake is ice-covered.

Is på sjön.

My outdoor trees. The red tapes are still here and I hope they will keep the moose away in the winter! It did work last year!

Vinterförvaring av utebonsaier. Jag har kvar de röda banden och hoppas att de ska hålla älgarna borta... Det fungerade ju förra året! (Ja ja jag vet att jag är en optimist.)

 My two ficus natasja.

Mina två natasjafikusar.

Ivy. I have let it grow in all directions.

Murgröna. Den får lov att vara stor och vildvuxen den här tiden - klipper den sedan i vår då den ska planteras om.

Projekt omplantering

Finally I have started repotting my trees.
Till slut har jag kommit mig för att börja plantera om mina växter.

I have also cut the branches on my cercis. It divides in two equally thick branches a bit up on he trunk, and I know I have to  choose one and take the other one away. Have not decided which one to choose.

I samband med detta har jag klippt lite tex på judasträdet. Stammen delar sig i två lika tjocka en bit upp, vet inte vilken jag ska välja av dessa. Den får växa på sig så länge.

One thing that has annoyed me for a long time is the nebari of my little ficus natasja. This is the front. Ugly.

En sak jag gått länge och irriterat mig på är rötterna på min lilla natasjafikus. Så här ser framsidan ut. Fula rötter, tycker jag.

The back looks much better! Can I turn the tree around? Yes...

Baksidan ser mycket bättre ut!  Kan jag vända på trädet? Ja...

Instead of this...

 

Så i stället för så här...

...it now looks like this. Yes I know there is a big round hole in the front. My hope is this will be easier to do something about than the roots. Maybe I can turn the tree a little more to one side or the other.

...ser trädet nu ut så här. Ja jag vet att det är ett stort runt hål mitt fram. Jag chansade på att detta skulle gå bättre att göra något åt än rötterna. Kanske vrida trädet lite mer åt ena eller andra sidan eller något sånt.

Here is my turkish pine, also repotted a few days ago. Species unknown. Above it a picture where you can see in the background some of the pines I took the seeds from! -The beautiful rounded trees. The needles are long thin soft and a little twisted, hanging down - except for the newest needles - they are really short and pretty! Anybody can give me a guess of the species?

Här är min turkiska tall, också just omplanterad. Okänd art. I bakgrunden på turistbilden ovanför finns några av de tallar jag plockade kottarna från. Kanske någon kan räkna ut vilken art det kan vara. Barren är långa, tunna, mjuka och lite vridna, hänger ner som hårstrån - utom de nyaste barren som är små och korta!

Ficus

 It is difficult to go away from home when you have a lot of plants in small pots that need frequent watering.
Det är lite knepigt att fara bort mitt i sommaren när man har en massa växter hemma som torkar ut fort och lätt. Den här lilla fikusen torkar fort.

 But I have discovered that when the tree is without leaves the soil keeps moist for much longer! (The ficus was so big, it needed to be cut smaller anyway.)
Men om man avlövar den så räcker fukten i jorden mycket längre! (Den hade ju blivit så stor också, nu är den mindre igen!)

This one I defoliated and wired in april, and since then I have been looking at the ugly branch on the left side. Now I decided to cut it off. Not because the branch to the right was really any better, but the whole tree is really growing more to the right. So next spring I will put it a bit more to the left in the pot and hope that it will look better!

När jag ändå höll på tog jag fram nästa fikus också, den som jag lindade i april. Jag har gått och tittat på den, och funderat på den där fula första grenen. Nu tog jag bort den. Inte för att grenen åt höger kanske är snyggare än den som satt åt vänster, men för att hela stammen växer mera åt höger. Om jag senare också flyttar trädet längre åt vänster i krukan, kommer det inte att börja se bättre ut då?

Sunny days

The sun melts the snow and look what I found in my garden today: crocus.

The snow is melting quite quickly but walking in the forest is still difficult, we have to stay on the road.
Snön sjunker ihop fort nu när det är plusgrader tom på nätterna. Ändå kan man inte riktigt gå i naturen ännu, man får hålla sig på vägen.

My favourite mountain.

And I can see my pines!
Mina tallar börjar synas!


Sol ute sol inne, sol i hjärta sol i sinne.