Alex Serban - gardening and bonsai

   I know I didn't write anything about my project in a year, but in one word, it's good.    For the moment, it successfully passed the winter and yesterday it was its second (infamous) birthday since 2022. Yay... I wrote its backstory in an earlier blog, so let's see how it looks now.         Fig.1.Forest as of 16/3/2024  The forest broke dormancy in mid February. I was so baffled and worried at the same time, one point because this winter was literally the most difficult one since I was a kid and second point, it broke dormancy in a few days after I pruned it.   As usual, I prune it once a year, because Acer Negundos got a chaotic rhythm of growing and I am restricted to this point when I can't make too much pruning.         Fig.2. Detail.   Probably I would look like a clown trying to bonsai such a tree species, with literally none of the desired features for bonsai, but... th...

  It's almost mid April and the weather was hm, rainy. My expectations of a sunny warm April broke within minutes when one morning I woke up and saw the snow in early April, I already knew how the weather will be.    My "Acer Negundo" shed its leaves as usual in mid March a.c, and as of 3/4/2023, it already released its powerful green in a time when outside temperatures still got under -1°C.     Fig.1.The forest in mid March     Fig.2.Snow in April, 2023   The snow was quite unexpected and really screwed my schedule, as (luckily) I was home and hadn't any business somewhere. The day before was a bright sunny day and I left my bonsai forest on its regular place, watered and ready for spring.    When I woke up, I felt uneasy and contacted my sister and move inside some of my potted trees that broke their dormancy and are now in full force.       Fig.3.My trees in early April 2023   Th...

  A month and ten days of dormancy for my bonsai forest. I'm very worried about the news spread nowadays and thinking of my personal safety and goods - in any case of a disaster 80% of what matters is life, but...every time I leave home for long is quite difficult because I must leave the trees behind, not because somebody said to me I can't, but logistically I can't - lack of transportation.      Fig.1.My forest as of mid February 2023        Just imagine taking that potted trees on all my travels - it'll literally kill any chance of survival of it. I'm always thinking of how it will (might) react to the countryside air and direct sunlight, noting that these trees were stored mostly in the balcony and damages could occur with this major change of environment. Also, taking that on foreign transport can withdraw attention, I don't want everyone get concerned about my forest in an unwanted way. I remember once I had had a long walk in a ...

   It's mid to late winter. The days before were soooo cold (-14°C) and now weather seemed to warm a little bit.    Recently I spotted the local gardeners trimming the trees outside, so I decided it's the right time for it. Furthermore, the forest will stay dormant for next month and a half, but now I can rest a bit knowing the chosen branches will develop in the desired direction, but respecting the Negundo's integrity.      Fig.1.During pruning     Fig.2.Final and remnants of the pruning      The pruning didn't take long. It was only few branches that grew up in a way that scratched my eyes and it was too late to correct it last year. I appreciate a lot Acer Negundo as a tree, even though it isn't suitable for bonsai at all - especially the specific procedure to keep trees as little as possible which mainly fascinated me long time ago.    What was left after pruning were just few long branche...

  In early 2022 I decided to work on a bonsai forest composed of five Manitoba maples. The idea was pretty older, likely when I was a 13 y/o kid.     Fig.1.My forest in mid September 2022.    The trees were collected in early March, the older one in the center being collected back in 2019 - it was pretty small, but nowadays got some taper and looks "mature" within the project.    Around this time the forest didn't exist. The idea came after I saw several videos posted by The Bonsai Zone (Nigel Saunders) related to similar forests and I appreciated a lot the process, not only the forest itself. Being still in early learning about bonsai world, I tried with accessible trees like Manitoba maples that grow likely everywhere in the area and I can work with it in my own pace.       Fig.2.Forest in late April 2022.   It's uncommon to me, but I didn't take any pictures when I potted it, mostly because it was right af...