An odd summer - Acer Negundo bonsai forest

  

   This summer feels "odd and boring" according to people online and I can't deny that... since 2020 I feel something is off. The weather is mixed, 2026 was one of the coldest years to experience on my behalf- even most of July it rained and days were dark. 
 
    Fig.1. Picture taken via Sony Cybershot 

  Yeah, rainy days were least concern when comes to economy terms. Everyone I spoke to seems exhausted, tired of everything, just "doom scrolling" and waiting the next day. On my behalf I was busy most of the year with dental issues.
  Overall I like the summer now, because I can get out and focus on photography more- especially on trees and nature. I'm tired too of urban life, yet I don't really feel better at countryside either. 

    Fig.2. Acer Negundo in real life size

  I love to photograph trees, especially the ones in urban areas- the harsh environment created astonishing canopies and trunks on these trees, usually growing next to buildings or sidewalks.       These trees got the service of keeping the air fresh while living their life in this uncertainty. 

    Fig.3. Main tree of the forest

  I don't use wires on my trees- I rely on pruning more. Acer Negundo barely supports pruning, so I don't know about wires. Also, keeping these maples potted was another challenge since other projects I saw online failed or barely developed. I discovered Acer Negundo unintentionally since I never invested in this hobby much. Currently the weather is sunny and I could get out and focus on photography. I'm simply tired of watching YouTube videos, TikTok is crap and only several livestreams caught my attention. 
  
    Fig.4. A beautiful cherry tree (Prunus Avium)
    Fig.5. Proposed cherry tree bonsai 

  Ongoing festival across the street 
    Most of the people attend festivals during summer- I never considered this idea since the atmosphere is overwhelming and crowded. Music varies and currently I'm interested in 1980s Italo-disco, lyrics reflecting my mood and dealing with unfulfilled desires from the past. 
  My trees need daily water and decided to spend most of the time in the hometown. 
    Fig.6. Bonsai forest enjoys the sun
   
  Yeah, Acer Negundo loves sunny days, despite its origin town, Manitoba (Canada) is cooler than my area. Yet the tree acclimated to the area, which is mild- winter barely see snow and coldest days are in January. I usually don't water the pots during January, trees are fully dormant then. 
  
    Fig.7. Details

   Currently the forest ceased growing new leaves for a while- these will turn yellow in autumn prior dormancy (Fig.8). Christmas barely excites me at my age, soon to be 27. Bonsai became more of a "summer hobby" since all trees I worked on are deciduous- once they're done with autumn, I cleaned the leaves and I brought out the Christmas tree. That year was finished. 
    Fig.8. Autumn as of 2025
  
   The bonsai forest will stay like this for the rest of the summer (Fig.6 and 7). It achieved the progress I wanted along the years since the idea was conceived. I lost one tree in 2024 and unfortunately I can't retrieve more Negundos. I must work with what I have and further projects akin to Acer Negundo are questionable. Times are unstable and these projects are quite challenging to keep. The trees I used matched with my messed up schedule, being away from home most of the time. The unexpected happened, it marked the 2020s decade. It remains to be seen what's beyond these months of agony... cheers! 🥀💡
AS 2026


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