AusBonsai

I have found this website very helpful for many reasons. But reading some of the posts, I have assumed most of our contributors don't live in temperate regions, where we get lower summer temps and very low winter temps, in the minus as low as 10 C. We had one night years ago, when the temps went to minus 15C. And sometimes we get late October frosts.

So I brought in some of my bonsai, like my gingko biloba, and of course the mango seedlings will never go outside, only in very warm weather. I bring in my collection of Zygocacti too. And my large Umbrella tree, now nearly 10 feet high. *I get my long suffering son to do this"

I have two places I keep the bonsai. One under the front porch facing most probably east, and the back yard I have winter and summer placements. This winter my older bonsai and pines are partly protected by a huge cotoneaster tree. (Bad idea, the birds ate the seeds and they dropped into the pots). But it was nice to see the little finches, sparrows and others having a good time at my expense. But the bonsai seem to be OK. Fingers crossed.

But I placed a greenhouse thermometer inside by the Gingko, (Just in from the open back door and we don't heat our home at all, just don woolly jumpers,) etc. Outside under the front porch, and outside near the back yard bonsai niche.

The outside bonsai went down to minus 2 C, the inside bonsai, steady at 10 C, (no heating in my house) and under the porch, went down to 5C. But when you get new bonsai already in leaf or bearing flowers they are out of season here when they should be if deciduous be at just below bud break.

I learned this trick when studying agriculture production and horticulture at TAFE. They had a greenhouse thermometer in their greenhouse, and it was interesting to see the deviation of temperatures during the day and night.

I go by the American department of Agriculture guide to winter temp zones. Zone 1 is minus 40C, gee I reckon nothing would grow much in that temp. I can copy it and send on, but zone 11 never goes into the minus. I would think that would apply to many regions or zones in Australia?

Anyone live also in a temperate region? Would like to hear your opinion? Here right now our temps fluctuate from minus 5 some nights to 0, and up to 17C during day. That's a big fluctuation in comparison to temperate climes in UK and America, as their temps appear not to have such a difference between night and day temps in winter.

I have noticed the birds are beginning most probably to mate up, if not already, and collecting for nest building. Spring is on the way here. These are signs I look for, and also how the local trees are behaving. My Chinese Quince is beginning to flower too.

Hi Bush,
Goulburn is very similar to Armidale and as such I experience the same tempurature fluctuations as you. In the past week here the minimums have ranged from -4 to -7 for seven days in a row, pretty chilly.
Really need some rain to change the pattern.
I grow all my bonsai in the open so they experience what ever Mother Nature throws this way.

Similar sort of temps here at Yackandandah too.
Like Watto my trees all stay on the benches outside in all weather, except for ficus. They live in the plastic igloo all year round because they are frost sensitive.
The traditional species we use for bonsai can cope with much colder weather than anywhere in Australia (except maybe Sno's place??) Definitely no need to protect them, only sub-tropicals like figs.

One year we had a late frost and all the new leaves on the maples got burnt but they just start again and grow fresh leaves. Same with trees from the nursery, they may get frost or sun burnt if not used to that sort of weather but will quickly adapt to the new area and grow fresh, hardened leaves.

I have leaves on some Chinese elms already. I'll be interested to see if they get burnt but they will be ok. At least 1 trident is showing red buds now and a few seedlings starting to pop up so Spring is coming.

Same here on the Yorke Peninsula in SA, about 100km further North than Adelaide. Although not quite as cold as you guys, we've been consistently having 0-1 degree nights and 15-16 degree days (while the sun is out, at least!)

Hoping to see some bud/seedling movement soon, although the local trees are still quite dormant

Check posts from Canberra as well - same frost range. We seem to have frosty mornings for up to three months. As shibui said, all trees outside except figs and a lillypilli, relics of my Sydney life. Chines quinces are shooting, flowers on Prunus mume, buds swelling on P. blireana, a touch of colour on some tridents. Elms still asleep.

Gavin

Hi Bush Bunny . My climate is similar too yours ,cold winters with fluctuating night and day temps . Last week I had -10 temps with snow on the ground for most of the week . Winter for me is not really a problem . Spring and summer frosts do the most damage . Last year the last frost I had was about the 20th of December , -5 in my vege patch . Spring for me is a constant shuffle of plants in and out of different shelters ie glasshouse ,shed ,under eaves and in the house . There are nights where my garden resembles a Halloween party with the amount of sheets draped over different plants that need protection against the spring frosts .
In winter I group my bonsai stock into basically two groups ones that can take my climate and ones that need different degrees of protection . The ones that can take my climate sit out there and cop it all the only thing I do to help them is when the wind gets cyclonic I put them on the ground in sheltered areas . We had a blow last week with wind gusts over 150 ks .
Besides from a few figs that grow inside my heated house (Bush Bunny we have a accommodation business and if I told my guests to put a jumper on when the inside temp was 10 degrees we would not have a guest business .) otherwise protected trees grow in a glasshouse or like you an assortment of fish tanks and old Bain Marie's .I have two thermometers one inside the glasshouse and one outside . When the temp was -10 outside the temperature inside the glasshouse was -5 I also had a candle burning over night inside the glasshouse which I reckon would give me an extra degree or two .
In the photo below this was last Friday after a big wind this is a branch that traveled 30 metres after been ripped of a tree just missed a couple of pots on the ground it smashed a table and chairs

Wow Sno, that's crazy!

Hi all and particularly SNO. Actually temperate areas (Australian not Europe or America where it is colder) are most probably closer to Japan and China in some regions. We know like Australia they have multi different climate zones from tropical (in China near the Yuon river only a small area with wild elephants) sub tropical, alpine (especially Japan) and temperate. Besides earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons and tsunamis. I try to select trees that can live in my environment but also their botanical history. Like the gingko biloba, only species that not only is prehistoric but also survived the two atom bombs on Japan.

I am about to set seed for Huon pines, and also ordering a Wollembi pine. (They will not be bonsai-ed, because I think I'll be dead before they are ready being slow growers, LOL)

But all you sun lovers in non temperate areas, one has to be very acutely aware of the climate changes or temps. Harden new ones out gradually, and all tropical and sub tropical benefit being indoors for the season.

For your interest (I hope), I have given you the American Agricultural zonings that can apply to most countries.

We'll start at Zone 7 as Zone 1 is below -50 F & -45-6 C Breeeer.

Zone 7 -17 to -12C
Zone 8 -12 to -7C
Zone 9 -7 to 1C
Zone 10 - 1 to -4 C
10B is 1.7 to 4.4C
Zone 11 above 40 F above 4.5C

(Dave Joyce ' The Art of Natural Bonsai' (OOP) 2003. It's out of print as Dave passed away and all proceeds went to cancer research. P. 62

Just thought it would be interesting to temperate bonsai users, because I have just got several potential bonsai, that are in leaf when they shouldn't be or flowering when they should not be for my environment. They came up from Sydney.

I do put solar lights around too, just to make it look pretty.

I have noticed in the books I have that there is concern regarding winter protection. But amusing that in one book (must have lost something in translation) that the auctions in Japan are held in their winter, when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Must have mixed it up with Australia.

Hi Bush Bunny does your Ginkgo suffer from frost burn in the spring ? I got a group planting a few years ago it's growing in an old sink which is to heavy to move and the new growth in the spring usually gets burnt off . So far it pushes out new shoots a few weeks later and all is good , although it doesn't do much after that and hasn't grown at all in the time I have had it .
One of the reasons I got into bonsai was I like to grow different species of plants . Quite a few of my trees would never survive as landscape trees in my climate which is more sub alps than temperate . I am always wary when I bring home a new tree and I give it a soft first winter even if it is supposed to be suitable for my area .
I was in Hiroshima a few years ago and there is a eucalyptus growing in the local castle grounds that survived the atomic blast and I think there was a willow tree too there . The castle was close to the epicenter and had to be rebuilt after the bomb . The gum looked really healthy . I don't know what type it was .
The candle is burning tonight it's a beautiful clear full moon night with not a breath of wind wouldn't want to be any where else.

My gingko is one tall Lizzie. I don't know what to do with it. She is sitting by the back door on my glass cabinet, as I brought her in when her leaves started to gold. She won't be going outside either until the worst night temps improve. I don't get as much frost here as down in the valley of Armidale, and last year I didn't bring her in at all. so suffice to say, she wasn't affected by frost I can't remember even my maples and liquid amber loosing their leaves either. Some bonsai nut I am. But if they were bought up from Sydney in leaf, maybe they remained in leaf for a season, it does happen. My indoor temp is around 10 C. So she is safe where she is.
But all she is is one thin central trunk (about two foot) with only four horizontal branches. She grows mushroom sometimes in the soil. I may have her in too shallow a pot, and might re-pot next spring. I am just pleased she is still alive like my others. No expert I am afraid.

But it is possible a eucalyptus survived in H & N as their seeds need heating before germination. I'm only going on the books I have read. As they are fast growers, they could have been planted after the bomb.

Bush Bunny,
Ginkgos are a cousin to pines and live in cold and hot areas, BUT like anything in pots the limitation of protection for the roots is a problem. My ginkgo is only shohin size and live outside all the time,but is given cold weather protection, like a lot of my small and softer bonsais, is only sheltered cover so they still have to endure the riggers of Mother Nature.
Cheers Rod

Hi Bush Bunny . I did a search to try and find out which variety of Eucalyptus was in Hiroshima . I wasn't able to find that out but there was quite a bit of info on the net about this tree . It is famous in Japan and is one of a group of trees named hibaku jumoku that survived the atomic blast . Here's a link if your interested . http://muza-chan.net/japan/index.php/bl ... -hiroshima