Bonsai Trees - Plants and Shops

My Bonsai adapts within two days to changes in positions of light (the stalk/branches always bend towards the light for efficient photosynthesis - and growth)

My bonsai also has some arial roots and completely holds all the soil in its tiny pot, it grows incredibly quickly and can be cut into shapes by cutting the branch with scissors just below a new leaf.

I mentioned earlier how a mini tree facinates me, as tree's provide massive amounts of biodiversity. I actually once found two mini snails living in the soil around my bonsai tree! and there is always moss and certain fungi that grow around the bark (not because i overwater the plant!) I have re planted cuttings which sucesfully grow, now my pot looks beautiful with mini 'poles' growing around my tree(poles being the cut branches) Trees are great for rooms as they not only make the room more attractive but provide plenty of oxygen when photosynthesising. As Bonsai are so precious people use special soils information of which can be seen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai

However I used natural soil from my garden and my bonsai is thriving, Bonsai are tree's that are dwarf so are strong and able to survive more extreme conditons than plants would, due to their transpiration stream to cool themselves in hot weather it is important they are watered and the bark should not dry out.

In summer you can keep the bonsai in the garden, I did this growth was very rapid, but the soil dried very quickly and often the leaves would appear to burn and die quicker. According to instrucions, bonsai should be kept away from direct sunlight and extreme heat, they are indoor plants.

I strongly recommend any Botanist or plant fan like myself to get a bonsai tree, theyre amazing, you'll have fun cutting them into shapes etc. 

Starting your Bonsai Growing Project.

The very first thing you will need to consider when starting to grow your own indoor bonsai trees is to select the species of trees that you will use. Selecting trees for use as bonsai plants will require some considerations of geographical location and climate in the locale, as weather conditions in each location is different from others and hence you will need to choose trees that are either local to your location or are easily adaptable to the conditions in your area. The best results are normally seen when you use plants or trees that are endemic to your location. The choice of exotic species may result in trees not able to grow properly due to not being able to adjust to the conditions in your area, although this is not always the case. You should wait until you are totally familiar and an expert before you consider introducing exotic species of plants for your bonsai growing projects.

Among other things to consider when growing your bonsai trees is the size of the tree you you intend to grow. Trees come in different sizes in nature and this is the same for bonsai trees. You may want to consider where in your house you will be placing the plant and you should decide how big of a plant should be in that place. Once you have a basic idea of how big or small you want your bonsai tree to be, you can then go to a nursery or bonsai specialty shop and find a tree that is suitable. However, if a nursery or bonsai shop is not available in your area, you may just have to start from scratch and plant your tree from seeds. This will give you the choice of find the seeds for the tree you like the best and start off from there.

Should you start off from seeds then you will need to plant them in seed bags until they become seedlings. As soon as the seedlings start to grow, you will need to start preparing your seedlings to be transferred to pots. Transferring the seedlings into pots is tricky at times, and you will have to remove most of the roots to fit in smaller pots. When cutting away roots, like in all plants you will have to be very careful as this effort can cause the plants to die. When you start the process of transferring your bonsai plant into its pot, you will also need to place some wires into the root system of the plant in order to help it fit into its pot. You will then need to ensure that you put just enough soil to cover your bonsai plants roots which will help it retain moisture. Make sure that the right amount of soil is place over the roots and not too much.

Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants. They are created from nearly any tree or shrub species and remain small through pot confinement and crown and root pruning. Nearly any tree or shrub species, with proper training and care can be used to create Bonsai, but some specific species are more sought after for use as bonsai material. This is because they have characteristics that make them appropriate for the smaller design arrangements of bonsai. There are many different ways to acquire, cultivate and grow Bonsai. Several of the most common include:

    * Growing Bonsai from Seed

    * Cuttings

    * Air layering

    * Grafting

Bonsai Garden at the pagoda Yunyan Ta (Cloud Rock Pagoda; Suzhou, China)

Bonsai Garden at the pagoda Yunyan Ta (Cloud Rock Pagoda; Suzhou, China)

Bonsai Trees showing a variety of different styles in Sydney, Australia.

Bonsai Trees showing a variety of different styles in Sydney, Australia.

A Pine bonsai in the informal upright style. This tree is more than 30 years old, in the Hidden Lake Gardens Collection

A Pine bonsai in the informal upright style. This tree is more than 30 years old, in the Hidden Lake Gardens Collection

Bonsai are often characterized as being grown in one of many different bonsai styles. In English, the most common styles include: formal upright, slant, informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade, raft, literati, and group / forest.

    * The formal upright style, or Chokkan, 

    * Slant style, or Shakan bonsai possess straight trunks 

    * Cascade style, or Kengai bonsai 

    * Raft style, or Netsunari bonsai mimic 

    * The literati style  (Bunjin is a translation of the Chinese word wenren meaning "scholars practiced in the arts" and gi is a derivative of the Japanese word, ki, for "tree").

    * The group or forest style, or Yose Ue, 

    * The root over rock style, or Sekijoju, 

    * The broom style, or Hokidachi 

    * The multi Trunk style, or Ikadabuki 

    * The growing in a rock, or Ishizuke

Benefits Of Gardening For Kids

Apparently, we can see how nature is treated these days. It is a sad thing to know that people do not pay attention so much anymore to the environmental problems. What can we do about this? It's as simple as starting with the children. It is good to see the children's involvement with environment-friendly activities. One such nature-loving activity that children could easily get their hands on is gardening. Why should you consider gardening for your children?

Here are the benefits that gardening could easily provide the children with:

1. Science

In planting, children are indirectly taught the wonders of science like the plant's life cycle and how human's intervention can break or make the environment. They can have a first hand experience on the miracle of life through a seed. This would definitely be a new and enjoyable experience for the kids.

2. Life

Watching a seed grow into a tree is just as wondrous as the conception to birth and growth of a child. In time, kids will learn to love their plants and appreciate the life in them. Gardening could actually help simulate how life should be treated -- it should be with care. The necessities to live will be emphasized to kids with the help of gardening - water, sunlight, air, soil. Those necessities could easily be corresponded to human necessities, i.e., water, shelter, air, food. By simply weeding out, one could educate how bad influences should be avoided to be able to live life smoothly.

3. Relaxation

Studies show that gardening can reduce stress because of its calming effect. This is applicable to any age group. More so, it stimulates all the five senses. Believe it or not, gardening may be used as therapy to children who have been abused or those who are members of broken homes. It helps build one's self-esteem. 

4. Quality Time with the Family

You can forget about your stressful work life for a while be soothed by the lovely ambience in the garden. You can play and spend quality time with your children. You can talk while watering the plants or you can work quietly beside each other. The bottom line is, always do what you have to do, together with your kids. You might discover a lot of new things about your child while mingling with them in your garden. 

Let kids become aware of their environment's needs. And one way to jumpstart that environmental education may be through gardening. It's hitting two birds with one stone -- teach them to respect life while you bond with them.

Beat the Weeds and Save Time in the Garden

New gardeners are so often put off gardening at the thought that it has to involve hours and hours of hard work. The popular idea of a low-maintenance garden is one of covering the space with decking and gravel, planted with a few grasses and pots of evergreens.

However, I have discovered an ideal way to help thwart one of the most time-consuming chores in the garden - that of weeding. 

This came about almost by accident, as I have a cat who thinks that any uncovered ground is a glorious litter tray! I quickly had to find a way to cover up as much of the soil as possible, but soon realised that ground cover plants gave me the even greater benefit of vastly reducing the number of weeds.

Of course, there are many gardeners who enjoy the time spent weeding, and I admire them tremendously - there are great physical and mental benefits to spending time outdoors among your plants. 

But for those of us whose time spent in the garden must be limited because of work commitments or perhaps physical limitations, there is a way to enjoy our plants with a minimum of fuss. Of course, time has to be spent on the initial ground preparation and planting, however, this would probably take far less time than laying decking and gravel!

Weeds are great survivors and they very quickly take over any bare patch of soil. Once they take hold they can very easily smother existing plants and become notoriously difficult to get rid of.

So the idea is to find plants that form dense clumps or spread via their roots to cover the ground. As with most plants, there are ground cover plants for each season when they are at their best, and some that look good all year round.

One word of caution. Because some of these plants spread quickly - which is of course what we want - they also don't actually know when to stop! So you may need to cut them back occasionally to keep them within their allotted space.

<b>What to plant?</b> 

I have discovered that plants such as bugle (ajuga) - you can get plants with purple, bronze or variegated foliage; euphorbia - with stunning acid-green flowers in early to late spring; lesser periwinkle (vinca minor); bergenias - commonly known as elephant's ears; as well as small-leaved variegated ivies, all provide year round ground cover. Another advantage of these particular plants is that they are also slug and snail resistant!

In spring and summer, you can use aubretia, arabis, alyssum and candytuft (iberis), which all hug the ground. And particularly useful, and providing some height to a border, is aquilegia - the old-fashioned cottage garden variety - which after flowering retains its foliage in attractive clumps. They also self-seed prolifically, giving you extra plants each year. 

Another favourite plant of mine is the hardy geranium. Some varieties do die down in the winter - weeds don't grow much then anyway - but the plants soon romp away in spring and provide ground cover and masses of flowers all summer.

Other useful plants to use for ground cover are herbs. Among a wide variety to choose from are comfrey, feverfew, catmint, golden marjoram and mallow. 

So there you have it! Once your ground cover plants are established, you'll no longer have to spend hours on your knees, but can spend quality time in your garden.

Add Style to Your Pergola

Pergolas are a shady, garden structure whose beginnings date back to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and were common features in early Renaissance gardens throughout Europe. Their primary purpose was to provide shade on walkways, terraces, or pools. The earlier versions were often constructed from stone pillars with wooden cross-beams with a lattice roof. It was common to see ivy, grapevines, or other climbing plants winding around the wood, and filling the open spaces between the lattice. Today they are often constructed from pressure-treated wood or cedar. The many varieties of maintenance-free lumber products are also widely used. They give the look of wood, but never need painting, resist rot, peeling, and fading, and are available in a variety of colors. 

A pergola makes a striking accent to any landscaping theme; not only are they eye-catching, but functional as well. Depending on their size, pergolas often become an extension of the main home, and may be used for entertaining, dining, or as a getaway or quiet oasis for reading or enjoying morning coffee.

Ideas for Pergolas:

1. The most common version is a simple post construction with wood cross-pieces or lattice for the roof, and used to cover a deck or patio. It can be painted or stained, and accented with lighting, plants, and other accessories.

2. Install your pergola along the entire length of the house, similar to an awning. It can extend out farther at different points to create interest and seating areas underneath.

3. Use it to cover a hot tub.

4. Place in a random area of the yard to create a shady spot to escape from the afternoon sun. Add a nice little bench, and plant climbing roses or other scented vines nearby. Cover it with tin or shingles, to create extra coverage. 

5. Create road appeal by placing your pergola over a front porch in place of a standard roof. Paint or stain it the same color as your shutters or house trim. It won't entirely keep out the rain, but it will provide a certain amount of shelter, and create an impressive entrance. 

6. Instead of the standard lattice look on the roof, use strips of bamboo placed side by side. It creates additional shade and gives the structure a twig furniture look.

7. Your pergola is the perfect place let those showy vines grow wild; creating a thick natural canopy. Vines that work well include Hops, Wisteria, Jade, Grapes, Morning Glory, Cypress, and many varieties of climbing roses. It's also a great place to grow vegetables such as peas or Scarlett Runner Beans.

8. Give your pergola some style by adding architectural accents such as a curved top, cylindrical wooden column supports, or design a top that flows with the roof lines of your house. 

9. Dress up the open sides with outdoor fabric curtains, bamboo shades, or a manicured Boxwood hedge. 

10. Use your pergola to create a garden filled with your favorite shade-loving plants. You may want to try Hostas, Bleeding Hearts, Yellow Corydalis, Bigroot Geranium, Monkshood or Lungwort.

11. Give your pergola a rustic look by using rough logs and unstained beams. Weave willow or alder twigs in the roof and display your twig furniture below. 

12. A pergola is the perfect place for that hanging swing, chair or hammock. Add a small table, a cool drink, a good book, and you've got the perfect recipe for a lazy afternoon.

6 Easy Tips On How To Care For Your Plants

Many people worry a lot when it comes to caring for their plants. When talking about house plants, there is no need to worry. There are just a few things you need to consider. 

1. Watering

A watering can is a must-have in every garden. It is recommended that you purchase the one with a narrow spout to ensure adequate watering. But that does not always apply, so the finger test may come in handy. Insert your index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If you feel that the soil is damp, don't water it. Otherwise, do.

2. Feeding

With foliage plants, they always need to be high in nitrogen. For flowering plants, on the other hand, K2O is needed. Fertilizers such as the slow release ones can be mixed with the compost. However, some plants like cacti and orchids need special feeds. Feed plants on the height of their active growth. 

3. Lighting

Plants like Sanseveria and Aspidistra require no shade. They can be placed away from a window. Spider plants need semi-shade. You can put plants like these near a window that does or does not get sunlight. Others need sun or no sun at all like cheeseplants.

4. Temperature 

With houseplants, they can survive in temperatures a little bit higher than 15 - 250 C or 55 - 750 F. But drastic fluctuations of temperature may not be good for them. 

5. Humidity

Some houseplants require a humid environment. One tip to maximize humidity is to put the pot inside a larger pot and fill in the gaps with stones or compost to keep in the moisture. The compost will not dry out. Plants are capable of creating their own climate if grouped together. This tip can also be used for keeping the soil moist. If you want, you can spray them with water once or twice a day depending on the day's temperature. 

6. Repotting

Other plants require repotting for optimum growth but some plants may not be suitable for this idea. They would not want their roots to be disturbed or other plants' root system is small. One way to check if your plant needs repotting is to turn it upside down. Tap the pot to release the plant and check its roots. If roots are all you see, then repot. 

You just need to have a little care for your plants and in turn, you'll reap its benefits. You don't only have a garden that can add to your house's beauty you can also learn how to respect and nurture life in its varied forms.

8 Tips To Get Your Kids Enjoy Home Gardening

Dirt has always been one of the kids' best toys, so home gardening could just be one fun activity for your children. Excite them by allowing them to pick whichever plant they want to grow. Here are some tips to help you make your little ones become enthusiastic with home gardening.

1. Choose the right plants

Kids will more likely choose plants and flowers with bright colors, so have a load of varieties of plants. Examples of bright flowers are zinnias and cosmos; these will keep your children fascinated. Don't forget the sunflowers. Anything that is tall and fuzzy will surely overwhelm a kid. Make sure these plants will not cause any allergic reactions from your kid.

2. Starting seeds

Give your children the freedom to help you with the staring seeds. Some seeds might be too small for the tiny fingers, but their digits can be of help in covering them with dirt.

3. Home Gardening Memoir

To last the kids' enthusiasm until the plants grow, make them create a home gardening journal. This activity will allow them to use their imagination to sketch on what the plants will be like and write down when they placed in the ground the seeds and when they first witnessed a sprout pushing up.

4. Make sure that the garden is somewhere very visible for the kids.

 Before you start home gardening, pick a spot where the kids often play or walk by. Every time they see and pass by their garden, the more they will sight changes. 

5. Dirt playing

Always remember that children are fond of playing with dirt or mud. They can help you ready the soil, even if what they are only doing is stomping on the clumps. To make home gardening with the kids more fun, you can provide them with kid-sized tools to make home gardening very engaging for them.

6. Your kids own the garden

A picture of each plant will enable the children to foresee what the flowers will look like. You can also put your child's name on a placard, so everyone can see that it's their garden.

7. Playing with the water

Playing with water is right up there with playing with dirt. Look for a small watering can that they can use to water their garden. You can show them how to let the water go right to the roots of the plants. Hoses want only trouble. They are simply formidable for little hands to control.

8. Kids commit mistakes

Adults, too, are sometimes impatient. Give the kids full control to their garden. If they create a mess, let it be, it's their mess. Allow them to get pleasure from it and take dignity in their own piece of territory. Just don't forget to tell them how to clean up that mess.