I gave up on roses as too much like hard work and insufficient flowering. I bought 8 lantana ‘Chelsea Gold’ and planted them in the front yard. Easy Peasy. No special care, they flower nine months of the year, in flower most of the time. No pests or diseases… what’s not to like? They are […]
This is a great time to bring tropical species such as figs to work on. Root pruning and styling are both possible, so make sure you bring everything you’ll need if you want to spend your evening developing your figs. Pruning the foliage and styling of your deciduous trees and conifers is also appropriate during
The Victorian Native Bonsai Club hosted the 10th Symposium of Australian Native Plants as Bonsai in Melbourne at the end of August. The two day native infusion was well planned, superbly delivered and the delegates got a lot of facts and hints on growing natives as bonsai. The following are random notes taken during the
We have had a few new members join at our recent show, and I’m bearing in mind that some of you might be quite new to the bonsai adventure. Even if you don’t yet have many trees to work on, attending a workshop can give you valuable information and tricks to then go home and
What are root aphids? Root aphids are aphid species from the family Phylloxera defined by their habit of feeding on plant roots during part of their lifecycle. In general, they are less 0.5mm long, and while their colour varies depending on species, environmental conditions and host plant, they are mainly white but can be yellow,
This month you can start bringing dormant deciduous species for repotting and styling. If you are planning to put your tree into a bonsai pot for the first time, be sure to bring at least a couple of pots you think might work well with the tree. Sometimes it’s hard to tell, when a tree
In bonsai, a raft is one trunk along the ground supporting a number of ‘branches’ that have become trunks in their own right. Rafts come in straight and sinuous and are usually developed when a stock plant has branches on one side only. Plants that are good for rafts are privets, figs, crabapples and junipers,
This month we are having two workshop meetings, with our special one in the main hall on the first Tuesday and the normal workshop on the third Tuesday night in the activities room. May continues to be a good time for tidying up the foliage of evergreens such as conifers and other non-flowering bonsai, although
Water Gum (Tristaniopsis laurina) is a great choice for bonsai, particularly in the Sydney area where it is commonly used as a street tree and thrives with little or no attention. Shiny, attractive foliage with bronze tips in spring, easily reducible leaf size, clusters of small yellow flowers and beautiful bark which flakes off in
A bonsai exhibition of solely Australian native plants is always a pleasure. Seeing the species that grow around us is exciting, and the Canberra Bonsai Society’s show did not disappoint. This year’s theme, ‘The Australian landscape in the palm of your hand’ displayed 31 trees. Below are some, with their catalogue descriptions. Alpine Baeckea Baeckea
