Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

Back in the saddle, and a very Happy New Year, everyone!

There once was a majestic bonsai tree, regal and noble, the best in my bonsai collection.

Then something happened to me, and I could no longer take care of any of them. Members of my family took turns watering, with me watching helplessly from a window. It broke my heart to be unable to care for them. 

Over the Summer, all of my trees went a little crazy, such abundant growth!

This is when my sister decided that they all needed a haircut, and my protests went unheard. 

When I struggled to the window to see the results, I cried. 

All those years of careful pruning had been removed. The majesty was gone. They looked awful.

Worst of all, there was nothing I could do about any of it. They must continue to grow until the autumn, and when all the leaves fall, maybe then I could see and try to rectify the damage.

For the whole of the summer months, all I could do was imagine what the future held for both of us. Would I ever be able to care for them again?

When the trees finally changed colour, ready to shed their leaves and get ready for their long winter sleep, I looked forward to seeing the bare branches, hoping against hope that I would be able to find their majesty once again. 

The autumn prune is the most important, for it always amazes me just how much straggly growth there is to remove. All those too long or downward branches, and the ones that cross with another, should be trimmed back. This is the time to check for those unwanted visitors too…

Thankfully, I can now manage to totter outside, and with the help of my trusty kitchen stool, I will be able to sit and decide the best way forward.

I waited patiently for a day without rain and made my way outside. It took me a while to get into pruning mode, as it had been so long. And I suspect that I couldn’t bear the thought of doing any more damage to any of my trees, especially the big one. 

Eventually, I picked up my pruning clippers and worked on the easy removals. Then I had to try to remember how it once was, and this was difficult, faced with the shape it was now. 

I ended up doing the best I could, hoping against hope that once the leaves appear in the Spring, it will look more like its old self…

And that will be something to look forward to…