The main purpose of this blog is for me to keep track of how my bonsai grow over time. Blog posts turn out to be a really good format for building up images. Each tree (or set of trees) gets a category. Each post has tags for type of activity (e.g. update, repotting, maintenance, termination). Pictures are supported. I get to record commentary about what I’m thinking (if I post close enough to the actual event, which isn’t a given). Finally, viewing posts to reverse order is more or less perfect.
The secondary purpose of this blog is to share my bonsai. So: hello. This page is a gallery for all my bonsai. Click on the image to see all posts for that tree. This page is something of a lie… they have the best(ish) images over time – they mostly don’t look like this at any given time. Or if you prefer, go to the blog roll to see recent posts, which includes trees in training and other bits. Or there’s the list of categories on the side – one category per post.
Oriental Juniper
(Juniperus chinensis)
Silver Birch
(Betula pendula)
Japanese Maple Solo
(Acer Palmatum)
Crepe Myrtle
(Lagerstroemia Hybrid)
European Beech
(Fagus sylvatica)
Dead
link
Clumping Bamboo
(Fargesia natida var)
Azalea Shirazz
(Azalea indica)
Dead
link
Lilly Pilly
(Syzygium luehmannii)
Brush Cherry
(Syzygium australe)
Cherry Plum
(Prunus cerasifera)
Chinese Elm
(Ulmus parvifolia)
Acer Forest
(Acer neguno)
Dead
link
Chinese Elm Cutting
(Ulmus parvifolia)
Japanese Maple Cutting
(Acer Palmatum)
Copper Beech
(Fagus sylvatica purpurea)
Senkaki Forest Trio
(Acer Palmatum)
Pink Flowered Ironbark
(Eucalyptus sideroxylon rosea)
Weigela
(Weigela subsessilis)
Grape Ivy
(Cissus striata)
Blue Alps Juniper
(Juniperus chinensis)
Common Fig
(Ficus carica)
Smoke Tree
(Cotinus coggygria)
Yellow Banksia Rose
(Rosa banksiae Lutea)
Buddleia
(?)
Black Wattle
(Acacia mearnsii)
White Stonecrop
(Sedum album L.)
Chinese Wisteria
(Wisteria sinensis)
Grevillea Bronze Rover
(Grevillea acanthifolia)
Dead
link
Black Locust
(Robinia pseudoacacia)
Box Elder
(Acer negundo)
Water Gum
(Tristaniopsis laurina)
Weeping Larch
(Larix decidua Pendula)
Stumpy Lemon Myrtle
(Backhousia citriodora)
Shady Lemon Myrtle
(Backhousia citriodora)
Hippy Lemon Myrtle
(Backhousia citriodora)
Dead
link
Japanese Plum Yew
(Cephalotaxus harringtonia)
Dead
link
Senkaki Forest Solo
(Acer Palmatum)
Silver Birch 2
(Betula pendula?)
Silver Sheen
(Pittosporum tenuifolium)
Dead
link
Wild Pepper Tree
(Schinus molle)
Mini Pepper Tree
(Schinus molle)
Avocado Trio
(Persea americana)
Technical Stuff
My bonsais are in regional Victoria, which is USDA Hardiness Zone 9. I don’t know how useful that is – the main factor in the USDA Zones is lowest temperature, which I find more or less irrelevant to my problems. I have much more trouble with dry summer heat and high winds.
I use an inorganic soil mix of scoria, stones, vermiculite, pumice, and charcoal. I find this allows me to water heavily and not worry about getting waterlogged. UPDATE 2023: Now using less scoria and stones, more perlite.
During growing seasons I use a simple Seasol mix each week, because I haven’t reached the point of different fertilisers for each tree.