Bonsai - Spring Time

It is officially spring! Both of my trees are flourishing with new growth and everything outside is blooming and budding.

I'm glad that I pruned my Ficus as it is now growing faster than ever. Without the maintenance work I put in, I think my tree would be putting energy into areas I don't want developed. Not to mention that it would be completely out of control by now. Anyway, it is back to about how full the foliage was before my pruning and in only a month!

My plum is also growing rapidly. While I lost a lot of time and a fair amount of leaves to my watering issue, this tree has recovered nicely. I have to revisit my plum tree in a month or so to make sure it is growing the way I want it to, but for now, I'm just excited that it is happy.

I've also added a new tree to my collection. While I am not sure exactly of the species, I harvested a tree from the landscaping in front of my house. One of the shrubs had reseeded nearby and a sturdy 1 to 2 foot tree was coming up between another bush. I took some time last weekend to dig up the tree and pot it in a large garden pot. This type of tree has not started budding yet, so I'm hoping that it will begin this years growth in the pot. With some luck, I will be able to prune it for the first time late this year and repot it next spring.

As for the short term, I need to return to Bonsai West for some inspiration and maybe a new tree. They're having a sale this weekend as well as a Get Wired session, but I am unsure if I'll be able to make it. Ideally, I would like to add a Chinese Elm or a Japanese Maple to my collection. I'd also like to ask about next steps on both my fig and the shrub I recently dug up.