Posted a while back talking about our first Bonsai trees. Wanted to put some pics up and talk about winter. We didn't do much during the summer. just a little pruning. We have a Amur Maple. I really like this one. The trunk has a natural twist to it. The branches all fan out in one direction though and it is a little tall for what i'm hoping for..From what I've heard and read i want to cut the trunk back just after it branches out into the separate branches. Also i was planning on repotting.. Is that too much for a plant to handle in a season.. sould i repot this fall and cut it back next spring?.... Next we have a Cottoneaster. He's kind of a mess. It has to big branches shooting out right at the base. I want to remove these even though He already has some scarring down low. Maybe shoot for soething in a Literati style. If i cut it down i will be looking at a solid single trunk about 5 inches high.. Does that sound right?... Then there is my baby.. We have a little ficus that we have been growing from a clipping for some time now. She is still quite small, 8 inches or so with a trunk that is already looking strong Her roots are coming out of the soil she is in and those look sturdy too. I'm going to repot her. We were thinking somewhat traditional with this one ..Maybe over a rock since the roots are so lively...Should i repot and trim the leaves back in the same season... We live in alaska so it freezes in the winter.. But we have a greenhouse that stays cold but not iced up in the winter we are planning on keeping the maple and Cottoneaster there... the ficus should be ok inside...right?

ficus need to be warm. The maple and cotoneaster need a dormant time. How cold is it in the greenhouse?

It can get down to the teens in the winter here usually 20s 30s the green house will usually sit right around 30-35. figured i could bring them in when we are looking at particular bone chilling stretches.

They'll be fine in the greenhouse all winter. i live in Maine.The weather sounds there sounds just like here. My trees stayed outside all last winter and did fine.

Hello *themanns*,

Thank you for posting the photos. You have a couple of nice trees there and congratulations on raising the Ficus baby! I have a young Ficus*too little*Benjamina tree and I'm in the process of rooting some Varigated Ficus Benjamina cuttings. The Ficus, and there are several varieties, is a topical plant and must be kept indoors. It can be kept outside during the summer when the days *and nights* are warm...nothing below 15 C - 23 degrees F.

Here is a link from the Empire site on overwintering that may be helpful. www.bonsaiempire.com/care/overwintering At the bottom of that page you will see in bold letters *Specific Tree Species*...click on that to get more information specific to each of your trees. It is always important to research each individual tree for they have their own unique requirements. Here are a couple more good sites for researching your trees.... www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/SpeciesIntro.html
www.gardenweb.com/?b4106ce4762670c075b302d32cc2daceKwH7hKwH7h

Also check out other sections of this site for info on repotting, pruning, etc. Simply go to the *Main Menu* in the upper left corner of this page or in the very top bar just below the "Empire Bonsai" heading. Each catagory will list various subjects on growing bonsai.

Hope this helps!

Hi there,

I just found this article today on growing and over-wintering Bonsai in Alaska. Hope it helps!

www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATAlaskanBonsaiWinterCare.html

Thanks Leslie.