Bonsai

I have a few bonsais. They all are hardy trees, except for one Figus benjamina which I take out in summer and must bring back indoor in the autumn. The others don't need to be taken in for the winter, I can leave them outside. In fact, they have to stay out as they need a cold period. However, they also require some handling to get them ready for a winter outside.

Apple tree

The bonsais that spend the winter outside do not mind the cold, but they have to be taken out of their pots (because the pots might not survive the freezing and thawing in wet soil), and their roots must be dug into the ground. I put them in one of the vegetable beds. Once they have their roots in the ground, you have to protect the trunk and branches by surrounding them with something like chicken wire as mice could attack them under the snow. My friend Elizabeth lost a very old, beautiful bonsai beech tree which the mice girdled during the winter.

Bonsai apple tree dug into the garden surrounded by

 wire to deter mice

I bought the Figus benjamina as a very small tree in a pot. I took it out of its pot and draped the roots over a stone. I was not sure it would survive such a drastic treatment, but it did quite well. Now that it is 6 years old, the roots have settled in nicely over the rock.

Ficus benjamina which is taken indoors in winter

My other bonsais are all small volunteer trees I found on the property. There is a three year old ash tree, - the first to lose its leaves in the fall and the last to get new leaves in spring.

Ash tree on the right

 I also have a horse chestnut that is only one year old and a bit of English ivy which grows as an erect shrub and blooms. As you can see from the picture below, it looks just like a miniature tree. My favourite is the apple tree pictured above which must be around 5-6 years old. I found it growing among rocks where it was half starved and had "bonsaied" on its own.

Arborescent English Ivy