American Elm Bonsai

I am still not completely sure what exact type of elm this is but I am leaning towards American Elm. Here it is today, the original leader has died and now there are several leaders that make up the apex. I just love the bark on this one and the branches are coming along nicely. The tree was collected near some railroad tracks behind a McDonald's a few years ago. I'm letting the tree do what it wants to do for now while I figure out the first branch. I keep it outside all winter here in Cincinnati with zero protection (could be why I lost the leader branch).

I don't have a garage or a shed or a yard to bury the trees in. I live in the city and all my plants survive on a balcony facing east. These conditions are less than ideal for gardening but I am somehow able to keep them alive. My mulberry died last winter but I attribute that to over-working the roots. City/balcony gardening can be annoying but it beats the alternatives; giving up bonsai or moving out of the city, both things I would never do at this point. Anyhow, the elm is perfect for such a situation as it is very cold hardy and tolerates receiving only morning sun. Pests are still a problem.

Slanting Ficus Bonsai

Well it has been a long time since I have made a post. My life has changed considerably in the past year and I also didn't have easy access to a computer (iPad and phone would not let me load images).

Here is an update on the slanting ficus bonsai that I have posted before. I now have it in a round pot and the plant seems to be growing steadily. I grew it in a larger pot all summer and pruned aggressively so it has a whole new look.

I will try to get a better photo in the future but you can see the trunk line clearly enough in this one (my good camera has also been away from me and this was taken with my phone)

This ficus started out as a mallsai from Meijer. I am a believer in these mass-produced "generic" trees. I believe that many of them have potential to be nice trees. In the future, on this tree, I think I will let the canopy expand to the right a little with a rounded apex. I might even style it with some pine-ness to its structure.

I will be posting more frequently in the future. Let me know if you have any suggestions for the composition of this tree.