Cold, -12C, lot of snow...beautiful winter

Evening shoveling...making paths through the garden, digging up cars in front of our house...we have to go to work in the morning...

Everything is ready...let's see what's coming

There are some catastrophic weather forecasts that say that we should expect polar temperatures of   -20, or even -26 for this weekend and next week...

My sensitive trees are in my closed garden teahouse. I have 4 termometers, two outside in the garden, and two in the teahouse...now winter shelter. The temperature in the tea house does not drop below -2 or -3 C. But that was up to now, when outside temperature was not below -8 or -10. If I turn the heating on, the temperature in winter shelter is between 0 and +3C. But, in more severe weather, I should probably turn the heating on more often. We will see in the next few days.

 I use simple and cheap bathroom heater, it is set on a middle temperature and middle speed of hot air..

 Some of my termometers showing -1 to -2C

I also drill and do some shaping in my winter shelter during long winter days...so it is dirty

 If you sit in a heated room close to the window that doesn't close tightly, you will feel cold wind blowing in, also the room will be hard to keep warm. This is specialy obvious when outside temperature is very low...very cold. So, try to close every hole, every gap on your winter shelter...it will be much easier to keep the temperature on a desired level and it will be less energy (electricity) needed to rise the temperature...very convenient way to quickly close gaps and holes is duct tape...easy on easy off, close tightly, goes off without any markings...just a perfect solution...I have taped and closed all joints between my tea house and winter windows...much better now.
Now, I can keep my sensitive deciduous trees away from freezing temperatures...the outside temperature cannot be so low that I couldn't be able to keep the trees safe around 0C.

Dead or alive...

Well...more dead than alive...
Autumn 2009. Somewhere on the mountain. Code name of the location...Catastrophe. Me trying to carry Metuselah mugo from the mountain...I rather don't remember that time, but, just recently I stumbled upon this photo on my friend Goran Chajko's  blog.
The name of this photo could be...desperation.

Of course, I couldn't carry it alone, Chajko had to carry it with me.

Kevin Willson's drawings of my big mughos

Here are two drawings that Kevin Willson did while he was in my garden in september 2011. He was fascinated by this two old mughos, unfortunately, they were still not fit to take a drilling and shaping session, otherwise, we would do that. So, after first few photos of Kevin drawing, you can see Kevin's vision of those two pines...together with that I will put a link to posts where you can see more detailed photos of those two mughos...

Pinus mugho "Constrictor" by Kevin Willson

For more photos after collecting and potting the tree see here: http://sandevbonsai.blogspot.com/2009/09/mugo-constrictor.html

http://sandevbonsai.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-top-of-line-last-year-pinuses-are.html

 Pinus mugho "Metuselah" by Kevin Willson

For more photos of "Metuselah" see here:

http://yamadoriarea.blogspot.com/2009/10/mugo-metuselah.html

http://yamadoriarea.blogspot.com/2009/10/metuselah-potted.html

Thanks Kevin for a fantastic artwork.



Carpinus The Champ - first photos - potted

Little Champion potted and prunned. Unfortunately, fantastic nebari is now under the soil surface...but, it is safer this way. Now, I like the tree even more. Excuisite little grotesque, like trees from the Snowhite's magical and scary forest. This tree has NO scars on the trunk, no big branches to cut directly on the trunk, and still fat and powerful with old bark. There was no big root to cut under the root ball, just finger sized roots and plenty of tiny roots...great and ramified root system. The soil on my new location  is even better than on that previous one. I think that, with time, I like more and more grotesque shapes, something like fantasy tree creatures. That concept attracts me more and more. There is more crazy stuff at my new collecting location, so I cannot wait to get there again.

Old and cracked bark. I like that.

Second one this year

Second orientalis from yesterday's collection. Not a bad one also, but not as good as previous one.."The Champ". http://sandevbonsai.blogspot.com/2012/01/video-sandevbonsai-yamadori-series.html

As far as I can see, seems that smaller trees are in fashion. I am beginning to like smaller stuff. Yesterday, as we were searching the collection sites, everything I noticed were smaller trees, so my eyes obviously search and see what my heart wants...

And it's a kind of relief...much easier to dig and especially to carry to the car. Simple to fix in the pot also. A like this small trees very much.

Of course, this doesn't mean that I won't collect something gigantic if it gets in the way. Anyway, the collecting season has just started...

Powerful trunk...tons of branches...a sort of grotesque look. Like it very much :)

Many of these branches must be further shortened and cut back, some of them removed completely, but not now, there will be time for that...

Comparing to my fat face...the tree is still fat and powerful

 Probable future back side...

VIDEO: SandevBonsai Yamadori series - The Champ/collecting