Selfie

I see that the word “Selfie” is the Oxford Dictionaries word of the year. It’s been around a good few years but has increased a lot in the last few months.  Helped by the Pope amongst other people, allowing himself to be photographed with a group of youngsters which later went viral on the web. It might be a bit of a shock to you to hear that I myself have been taking “selfies” for this gardening column for longer than the word has been used. It might be something to do with not having a photographer to hand when I take my pictures. I stopped having those the same time as I gave up the chauffeur.  I have found that having the camera at arm’s length and taking an image of me staring into a sunflower or similar, works really well on this page. I have the added bonus of the image automatically downloading to my computer and facebook at the same time, saving me valuable time and allowing me to write in peace without having to bother about cables and memory cards. Last year’s buzz word was “Showrooming” which means going out and looking for things you would like to buy, then going home and getting them cheaper on the internet. Probably missing out on both this year and next year’s prize is “Twerking” and although I would claim never to have done this dance move, my lad’s mobile phone video camera begs to differ. I just hope my small ‘dance’ in front of the cooker doesn’t end up on youtube.

Bonsai

I was looking after a few bonsai trees meant for presents over the last couple of weeks. The new owner was given them as a Christmas present and these small trees are quite hard to hide. You can’t really push them into the bottom of the wardrobe and cover them with clothes. So I got the parcel delivered to my house and unpacked it as soon as it arrived. The few days in transit didn’t seem to do the trees any harm and after a touch of rainwater were looking great.  The trees I looked after are Chinese Elm delivered to me from a company  called Willowbog Bonsai over on the mainland. There are a lot of types to choose from oak, maple, privet, hawthorn, olive hornbeam, crab apple and acer, but the Elm is probably the one that will do the best indoors. If you are lucky enough to have had one of these fabulous plants in your stocking then here are a few tips on how to care for them. Done right they could last a lifetime!

Care

Location

Bonsai requires a bright position; if you’re going to keep one in the house please avoid dark corners. You can keep them on a really bright windowsill but the tree will require large amounts of watering and the leave can be scorched in summer sun. Therefore somewhere near a window is good but not in full sun all day is ideal. Correct position of the tree in the home is a major factor in the success of failure of the bonsai. As will all indoor bonsai stay away from sources of heat like TVs, ovens and especially radiators.

The trees are less fussy outside. They are happy outside in full sun, partially sun and full shade as long as you keep an eye on the watering. The trees don’ts like frost which can damage the fleshy roots.

Watering

Aim to maintain an even level of moisture. The species I looked after is quite thirsty especially in hot or sunny conditions. Pot emersion watering can be done or the tree can be watered from above. It largely depending on when the tree was last repotted and what mixture of organic or inorganic soil medium was used.

Pruning

If you just want to simply to maintain the existing shape of a pre-made bonsai, cut the shoots back to the first set of new leaves after the shoot has got an inch or two in length. The also respond well to finger pinching of small shoots on an ongoing basis. Training bonsai can get very technical and require copper wire and a lot of patience.

Feeding

Feeding can be done all year round with a tree kept indoors. Use either a low strength liquid feed or slow release granular feed. If you've just received a bonsai and are looking into how to keep it, don't feed it for the first few weeks. Give it chance to settle into its new environment before starting to feed.

Repotting

Chinese Elms as well as most other bonsai grow quickly and should be regularly repotted. Small bonsai will want repotting every year to keep them in the best of health. 

There is a lot more to read up on bonsai care and this tree came with a very thick book, so hopefully the new owner will be a budding professional in the New Year, especially as the pack also came with a pair of pruning scissors. 

If you do have a plant, don’t forget to take pictures regularly to watch the development.