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With Spring upon us again it is time to for me to review the previous Season with a selection of my bonsai images taken during the Winter, Dec 2011 to March 2012.
January 2012: My Cotoneaster franchetti bonsai, still covered in the berries that first ripened in August 2011. Fortunately the berries do not seem to attract the birds!
Height 30"/77cm
Pot by Erin Bonsai
After a very mild October to January 2011-2012, early February saw temperatures plummet in the UK. As I grow mainly UK native species, all capable of withstanding UK Winter temperatures, I always leave my trees outside on their display benches throughout the Winter, however, I did offer this Trident Maple some protection when night-time temperatures began to drop..
Last year it got a little sulky after a couple of nights of -14ºC and growth the following Spring was very weak as a result. So as temperatures dropped below -5ºC I covered the roots (the pot), which is the susceptible part of the tree, with 3 or 4 layers of sackcloth/burlap. This provided enough insulation to stop the soil freezing despite temperatures eventually dropping below -10ºC.
In early January, with a break from book writing and working on my trees I built a new bonsai garden and display area for my bonsai collection.
Building 'monkey' or display stands to house larger trees
By the end of January, the new main display area had been completed.