Alpineart's Blog

This has received a much need tidy up after being neglected over the last season . This was put together several years ago as stripped trunks and has been in the process of building all new branches and apexes .Some of the larger trunks have responded much better than others but is making for a good looking group . Of all the original trunks 1 has died and been replaced with another ,several new suckers have appeared and 3 of them will be retained as smaller tree’s .It is growing on a solid granite slab so its simply a matter of lifting the entire group and placing some fresh bonsai mix under the group thus giving new soil for the roots to grow into . A slight adjustment to some of the tree’s has been done and a top dressing on fresh bonsai mix has been add as well .A  trim with basis scissors has been done and the replacement tree has had the apex removed and the new leader wired into it new position .   It will now be pinched out over the growing period on a regular basis . I’m quite happy with its progress .

Cheers Alpineart

This has been a real pleasure to finally put all the hard work behind me and complete the landscape There were a few accidents with the main rock and a puppy dog but all in all it has finally come to an end .With the tray carved out of Poly Marble the rock were then set in position using silicon to hold them in position . Adding plenty of bonsai mix around the rocks and base i have planted the whole landscape out with Australian Native  flora . This can now settle down over the next few weeks then some wiring and trimming to define each plant. Plenty of moss has been used to allow for the spores to begin to spread around the entire penjing and then 80 %of it will be removed and it will then be covered with finer more defined mosses .

Cheers Alpineart

Well this has been the last couple of months of digging and root pruning of all the ground grown stock . With close to 1500 plants its a task and a half  lifting , sorting , root pruning , selectively pruning and placing back into the ground in planter bags pots or simple back into the grow beds . Once again various configurations of Crab Apples , Cherries , Horn beams , Japanese Maples , Trident Maples , Acer Campertre , and Acer Sycamore . The Pine and Junipers have had some re-potting which is continuing  . All have again been set as clump styles , multi fused trunks , raft styles , root over rock , just to name a few . The Atlas Cedars have been removed from the grow beds and potted up .These are some of the 100 plants / trunks collected this winter The grow beds continue to grow in size as material is collected at every oportunity , these Trident were destined for destruction from a roadside burn off . I managed to save 25 large trunks unfortunately over 300 were burnt before i actually found the time  to dig them out New benches have recently been made and the Bonsai area’s have been re-designed for a safer , elevated area for our new puppy to run around . He has a bad habit of playing with the pots and ripping tree’s out . The joys or being a juvenile delinquent puppy has its draw backs but they are definitely a mans best friend .The Panda Bear turned into a polar bear and is as rough as a grizzly bear .

Cheers Alpineart