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.
