Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

My favourite Rhododendron, in full bloom…

Before I could decide what to do yesterday, the lure of the welcome sunshine and my forlorn, neglected bonsai had me in my gardening clothes and outside before I had a chance to argue.

So no editing was done, or any housework for that matter, another area that has been sadly neglected lately. I have recently contacted a new editor so comittment has been made. Somehow, I must finish editing Folly’s End this week!

Time to tackle the big boy!

Before…

and after… so far so good?

This large bonsai has just started to lose its Spring colour, that amazing red will be gone soon, replaced by good old green. But we have the autumn colours to look forward to!

I only intended to prune this bonsai, as it had gone a little crazy, but before I knew it I was trimming most of the others too. I got rid of all the moss, even though I love it, it does steal the goodness from the soil, and after the winter we just had, my trees need all the TLC they can get.

Two more for the chop!

Two more that need my attention. They have gone a bit bonkers, haven’t they? I was worried about my babies, waiting for them to wake up when Spring finally arrived. What with all the rain we had, I expected the worst, but they seem fine, except for one. This dark red, almost black acer nearly died two years ago, when It was attacked by a bug. One of it’s major branches literally rotted and I had to cut it off. It looked most odd. It has soldierd on, sharing its glorious foliage. Until last Sunday. It started to wilt very badly. The soil was waterlogged and hadn’t drained away like the rest of his compadres.

I quickly pulled it out of its pot and gently removed most of the soil, adding a fresh new bonsai mixture.

For two days nothing happened, and I feared the worst. Then, some of the leaves perked up. Just a few though, it still looked bedraggled and half dead. For some reason, I don’t want to photograph it yet. That might be difficult anyway, as all my fingers are crossed!

This what it looked like last year, still very pale but hanging in there!

The wall that separates our yard from the neighbours needs painting again, as it looks as though it has been painted in years. Which isn’t true, I have diligently wielded a paint brush for the last two years!

Maybe this time, I can find the right paint for the job, as I am getting too old to keep doing it…

We hope your week is turning out to be as lovely as ours!