Hi,

I'm fairly new to Bonsai but I'm really hooked up on it now and I can't stop thinking about doing something to my trees or getting more of them from somewhere haha! Anyway, I need all sorts of advice from you guys and I was wondering what would you do with the stuff I've got at the moment.

All of them are mass produced Chinese nursery/mall stock but I like them a lot and I hope they'll stay with me for a long time.

So here they are:

1. Ulmus Parvifolia

First tree I ever had, was given to me as a gift. I can't believe it's still alive because it's been fiddled with way to much. Also I've assumed that it can be kept indoors at first (that was what it said on a label, haha). Now it's doing great and it's probably the healthiest tree I've got. I'm not 100% happy with the shape but I'm sure I can make something out of it. What are your ideas?

This is the oldest photo I've found of it, right after I've repotted it into this oversized pot with a massive rock next to it. It Improved it a lot!




This is how it looks now. It grows outside now in my neighbours garden and it has new 10cm shoots all over it every two weeks, so I assume it really regained all it's health by now:



And this is what I sort of have in mind for it... I might loose one of the left branches or turn it into a little deadwood section, if it's advisable at all for Chinese Elm:



Let me know what you think about it or if you've got better ideas for it

2. Ilex Crenata

I'm not sure what exactly made me go for this one. It was £45 which I think now that it was too much for what it is. It's got loads of nasty wire scars especially on the bottom of the trunk and it's been dying in a store. Basically it was growing in a solid clay, it was watered every day regardless if it needed it or not (a girl working in a garden center just did rounds and watered it anyway), it was dropping LOADS of leaves every time you breathed next to it and as it turned out later, a lot of it's roots were rotten.

I've pretty much bare rooted it and put into a new soil. It was somewhat experimental because I've red somewhere about Tesco cat litter that works just like Akadama so I've bought the correct one and mixed it with some 'Bonsai Compost' and little stones at the bottom for drainage. I'd say it's 85-90% Cat litter and 10-15% Bonsai Compost (mostly organic) and a 1,5cm layer of stones at the bottom, mixed with sand. Obviously this one I thought I could grow indoors too but I've decided to put it outside at the same time as the Elm.

It seems to be doing great now: It doesn't drop any leaves anymore and it grew a lot of new leaves on the side branches and also it grew a lot of little white flowers at the top (that has to be a good sign right?).

This is how it looks like now:



And the flowers:



I'm not sure what I want to do with it except save it's life at this point, but I was thinking about thinning out the top foliage and also make the top branches, near the apex go downwards and also make those two big branches on the left go upwards so they are closer to the top (I don't like the artificial paddy look on those that people tend to style them into). I basically want to make it look like a realistic little tree (as much as possible of course, haha)

3. Ficus (no idea which exactly is it, any clues?)

I've bought this one only recently because I've read/heard that it's probably the only tree that can cope with growing on a window sill indoors (and I really want something to stare at at all times). Also I really like the movement in the trunk although it's still a mass produced Mallsai thing and it has some scaring.

It starts to pick up the growth now I think as new shoots and new leaves are developing slowly. I know it won't be as fast as the other ones but still, if it can be healthy indoors then I'm happy. Also it's shape is not far off what I've got in mind for it.

This is it:



I'm thinking about making it into a windswept style with all the branches gowing towards right. I don't know if it's a good style for Ficus but I've tried to wire couple of branches as a test and they seem quite bendy. Does it mean they will take forever to stay in that position with the wire off?

Also I'm considering getting rid of that branch too (or maybe leaving a little jin style stump):



How does the Ficus react to deadwood technics?

Anyway, that's my lot at the moment and I do encourage you to give me any tips, tricks and advice as I really do need it all and I want to learn as much and as quickly as I can.

Thanks,

Tom

PS. I live in Worcestershire, England. Just so you know what sort of climate my trees have to put up with.

hello there, awesome collection! i guess that is all i have to say (LOL)

Deadwood on Ficus would not work. You have some reasonable trees to get started with. You probably have a club near you and I would always suggest that joining a club is the best way to get help and advice. You are not that far from the National Bonsai Collection at Birmingham Botanic Gardens, where you will be able to see the best trees in the UK. There are some good nurseries too. Greenwood Bonsai at Nottingham is one. There are also shows around. There is one at Hermitage on 6th July.
To advise on any tree you need to be able to look closely, turn it around and study it that is impossible with just a picture.
Geoff.