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NO BASEBALL HERE! |
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 A 12 year old Scotch pine that was dug from Keith Scott's field by Bob Grealish and me two years ago. The tree is now 42" tall with a 3 1/2" base. This spring was the first year for pruning. It did bud back well and next year we will begin to work on branch ramification. This is 1 out of 22 dug on that trip (20 survived). |
I renovated this abandoned garden area approx.
4 years ago and began planting trees and cuttings that would be grown on
for bonsai material. It is almost 2 1/2 acres of well used garden loam
with a slight clay content and an abundance of small stones. We
re-worked the majority of the area, mowed, mowed, sprayed the
ragweed, mowed, sprayed some more and then (after more mowing)
began to till and plant.
Bob Grealish expressed interest in using part of the field about a year later and we began working it together. He and I have collected, bought and moved a LOT of new material to the field in the past few years. Last year we added a pump and continue to add to the irrigation system as the area expands. There is a small stream on one side that provides water for the field even in the driest weather, I have pumped it dry a few times. The good news is that I can make it rain in the field whenever it has to, for as long as I have to. During dry weather the pump has run for 12 hours at a time, this is enough to wet 1/2 of the field to about the same condition that a day of hard rainfall would. It beats the pants of the old system, carrying water in buckets! The Nearing frame was added two years ago to easily root cuttings from most of the unusual or rare species we have planted in the field. It's bigger than we need and many of the potted cuttings will be sold in the future. The smaller trees (seedlings and small cuttings) are planted fairly close to conserve space, they will be thinned out in the future as we pick ones with more potential and open up the space between plants. The best example of spacing is the picture(s) of the area that we've planted the large Scotch pines and Japanese blacks in, the spacing is roughly 4' on center. There is enough room to work around the trees as well as mow, mowing is something that goes on all summer, almost every weekend finds us mowing somewhere, down there, for a few hours or days depending on the weather. The pictures show the results of growing in the ground for even a few years. With good summer sun, ample water and decent soil, the trees thrive! Most of the seedling stock will make good bonsai examples in 8-10 years, the re-planted material (large field dug stock and collected material) will be worked at a faster pace, branch ramification time accelerated, etc. As the field work progresses the page will be updated, I will also add pictures of some of the other things done in the area of maintenance, seasonal changes, plant protection as well as other interests. Passers by ask often, 'when will you start selling the Christmas trees?' (Lord will they be short ones!) I hope that you enjoy your visit to our 'virtual-field', please visit often and watch the changes, seasonal and otherwise. |
 Some of the others we dug and put right back in the ground. The silver things are pieces of conduit that we use for tree stakes. They are spaced out at 4' X 4' o/c to make mowing (and working) easier for us. |
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 Looking down the field from one of the 'patches' of trees. Each 'patch' is approx. 40' wide by 150' long. Enough room for 30-50 large trees to grow and be worked on. Shimpakus are in the foreground, the Nearing frame is in the extreme background. The orange tiles have cascades and semi--cascades growing in them. The brown pile on the right is one of four piles of rotting mixed bark. This is used as a soil amendment as well as to feed the trees. |
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 Bob Grealish started these Zelkovas from seed 3 years ago. They've been in the ground for 2 years. Not the best picture in the world... but... they are growing fast and getting some very nice trunks. Should be ready to dig in 10-12 years! |
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 One of my 4 original 'Midnight' elm cuttings. These were the size of a pencil 3 year ago. 3 1/2" base, 5' tall. The lower branch will be removed next spring, the tree reduced to one line and the process of development will begin! It will be under-cut and turned to present the bare side of the tree to the sun. It will also be 'set' to best use the natural movement in the trunk. Notice the large surface roots, you don't get that in a pot in three years. The cuttings will be stuck in the Nearing frame for propagation. |
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 One of my 75 Scotch pine seedlings planted three years ago. These were all the size of a chop stick. Many of them were cut back hard this spring and reset in the ground. They are well budded and will be cut hard again next year. At that time I will select the primary branches and 'visualize' what they should look like in 15 years (subject to change). |
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 Base of the same tree... getting some nice surface roots? |
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