I still miss the summer…

I miss the summer

Helleborus

The Helebore sp. ( Helleborus niger and H. hybridus) are evergreen and perennial plants. Quite decorative, if you ask me.

I keep wondering how’d it look if in a bright colored kusamono pot, specially the H. hybridus one. In the garden of my mother they are up to 50 cm high with leaves, as big as my head (and I have a big melon on my neck).

H. hybridus

H.niger

H. niger

 

Bonus: some inspirational helleborus kusamono:

Galanthus sp.

These are two different Galanthus sp. (angustilolius and nivalis) in the garden of my mom.

Galanthus are bulbous, perennial, alpine plants. They do not seem to have a problem with the chalky soil in the garden. They bloom from early January to May in the wild, and they need the cold to bloom. Propagation: offset bulbs (dig them out very carefully in the dormant phase), or seeds (ants go crazy over the seeds).

G. angustifolius is a later blooming plant, from the Caucasus. Interestingly, they do not seem to propagate by themselves, not like the G.nivalis.

The bunch of G. nivalis was a gift from my grandma, from Romania. They grow vigorously.

 

G. angustifolius

G. nivalis

G.nivalis

G. nivalis

 

Bonus:  have some inspirational snowdrop kusamono

SONY DSC

laurus nobilis

This is a Laurus my mom threw out, looked dead. I repotted and cut it back the dead parts. Now it’s budding back nicely, I’ll give it this year to do what it wants, to get strong and healthy.

general information:

• evergreen shrub (up to 3-5 m) from the Mediterranean area, so it needs a lighthouse for the winter. Keep temperature under 18°C and over 0°C in winter.
• watering: rain water (soft water)
• soil: acidic soil, with good drainage, doesn’t like wet feet
• bay laurel is evergreen, which means:  don’t defoliate fully (the plant is not going to thank you, trust me, I’ve been there.)
• pruning: be careful, branches tend to die back, grows fast if well fed
• repotting every second year

some inspiration:

 Styled by Nuno

update: now it looks so good, mom wants her bay laurel back… I have to get another one.

newsflash

A lot has happened since the last time I’ve been on this blog, active or not.

First, I moved. My world fell apart, and I’m about to piece it back together.

Now I got a nice apartment with 30 sqm garden in the back and a 2 sqm garden in the front, which makes me happy. It’s shady (mostly), found a lot of primroses and  mushrooms growing in the back (-will definitely use that soil for my conifers).

The water coming from the faucet is really really really hard. And I mean that. Over 40 °dH ( more than 2,24 CaCO3 ppm; or more than 31,92 Grad Clark)! I’ll be happy if I don’t petrify after a shower. For my plants and some bonsai, I’ll need a container for rainwater.

I don’t have a glasshouse for my mediterranean pre-bonsai, so they stay with my parents. Hopefully, they’ll be alright.

I got my mom hooked with the fuchsia and bay laurel. Last year she looked how I did it, but this year my dad brought the fuchsia faster inside, before the temperature dropped to 0°C. And guess what, they are still flowering, in the glasshouse.

  

Bonsai &Kusamono Exhibition Hallein

A few words to the location, that was quite impressive. It was the Old Salt Deposit in Hallein, Austria.

So in the first picture you could figure it is sand on the ground , under those beautiful azaleas. It’s not! It’s salt.

The first thing I noticed – besides the trees- was the slight burning in my lungs and the salt flowers on the timbers. The temperature was most enjoyably cool, compared to the outside (32°C, or 89°F).

Here is a selection of the trees I adored most:

Carpinus betulus – hornbeam

This Carpinus betulus sp. (about 6 years old) is from a mall tree nursery, I potted it last year. It’s doing well.  The little pot you see there is a Rose-of-Sharon sapling. During winter they were together and now they cannot be divided. The Rose of Sharon grew all the way down to the other pot.

general information:

• fast growing deciduous tree (up to 25m high), with big bright green oval leaves – in autumn foliage in bright yellow
• soil:  akadama to universal soil= 1:1; japanese hornbeam likes only akadama
• watering: tap water, if too much Calcium is in the soil/water the leaves get brown edges;
• light shade, protection from mid-day sun, leaves burn easily
• repotting: every second year as the buds extend; after the 10th year, whenever pot is filled up
• root pruning: tends to have strong straight roots from the trunk-base going every direction, cut those back
• pruning (this is my 1st carpinus so I got no own experiences here, we’ll see what happens)

Fuchsia specimen

some inspiration:

Cotoneaster saplings update