That's better

Trim completed, just a bit of tidying and a little wire for some of the back branches and it'll be shipshape for the Club show :)

Larch forest ready for a trim

This Larch group has been repotted earlier this year and it seems to be ready for its first trim now.  I'll get on to that tomorrow I think.

Pyracantha just coming into flower

A little bit of warm sunshine today and my shohin pyracantha has finally started to open it's flowers .

Still waiting for summer to arrive

Middle of June now and still no sign of summer arriving :(

Daytime temperatures are struggling to reach 17C on a good day and nigh time temps still stubbornly below 10C.  Not really ideal growing weather.
Trees have leafed out, but not much growth since.  I would normally be on my second trim on the larches, but have not even started yet as growth is so slow.

Looking on the bright side, watering is looking after itself more or less, thanks to frequent downpours.

Some of my accent plantings seem to like the weather and are looking nice, so I took a couple of snaps this morning just to cheer me up.

Sedum in flower June 2013

Hosta (Blue Mouse Ears?) in flower June 2013

Apple Blossom

A bit of a reward while waiting for summer to arrive.  My apple trees in the garden are in full blossom now and are looking splendid.  Is there a nicer sight in spring?

A Little European Hornbeam

This little Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) was grown from a self set seedling I found in my garden a few years ago.  The leaves are still a bit large, but as ramification builds, that should sort itself out.

It's not all glamour

Bonsai is not all about working with nice trees.  Today was much more mundane.  Scrubbing and cleaning pots, potting up and labeling the next generation of bonsai are somewhat less glamorous, but nonetheless essential tasks.

Pots scrubbed and cleaned

Japanese Larch potted on into larger pots

Japanese Hawthorn seedlings pricked out and potted up

Elm and Trident Root cuttings