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  1. clevetromba

    My collection in the snow

    Our first winter in North Carolina, and Durham got more snow than they have in years. My trees must feel right at home! I like to take pictures of them snow covered. maybe because it covers up the flaws, or maybe because it places them in a natural context. Either way, I think they look pretty...
  2. clevetromba

    A welcome visitor

    I glanced at my hornbeam the other day and thought the topmost branch had a dead twig on it. ! A closer look revealed a greyish brown praying mantis. I've never seen them this color before, I've only seen green ones. I'm happy to have him perusing my collection, since they eat other insects. By...
  3. clevetromba

    Norway Spruce in Zone 7 Durham NC

    Hi Spruce owners. I just posted a thread on my move from Cleveland to Durham, and wanted to ask this more specific question. Do any of you have Norway Spruce in North Carolina, or a similar zone 7 climate? My research has shown that Norway Spruce isn't really found that far south except in the...
  4. clevetromba

    New to Durham NC, how to acclimate trees

    Hi, any members around Durham NC, I am seeking advice on how to acclimate my trees to that climate. I am moving from Cleveland Ohio (zone 5-6) to Durham in mid-July, I know it's probably a terrible time for the trees to get moved. Does anyone have specific advice on how to care for trees in...
  5. clevetromba

    Real life fused plate nebari

    I've always thought that wide fused mass of nebari often seen on some maple bonsai looks artificial and excessive, (eg. this hideous mass ) but I ran across this beech tree in a cemetery yesterday and I think this is a nice natural example of what the dinner plate nebari are trying to imitate...
  6. clevetromba

    Weird growth on landscape spruce

    I drive by this tree in my neighborhood every day, and only recently noticed the strange growth on the top of it. Would this be considered a witches broom? I know the pic isn't great, but the growth is so rounded and compact and full of cones compared to the rest of the more typical spruce...
  7. clevetromba

    Crowd Sourcing Pot Selection

    Hi all, I'm in the process of choosing a pot for my European Spruce that I recently worked on with Bjorn in a workshop. I would love to get opinions on which pot folks like best. I've never purchased a ceramic bonsai pot before and I don't have the most discriminating eye when it comes to...
  8. clevetromba

    Yixing Zisha Pots from "Bonsai Supplies" on Amazon

    Has anyone purchased any of these pots off Amazon?: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G2P2CCU/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1WDT14V0LFPMV&colid=ETFLJ39HBXYC If so, what has your experience been? Are they any good? I have never purchased an actual ceramic bonsai pot before, and I don't want to start out...
  9. clevetromba

    Your favorite photo editing software

    I'd like to hear what software you all like to use for manipulating photos of your trees. Are there any free ones? Which ones are easiest for editing and doing virtuals? I've used Photoshop just because I have it at work, but it's not very easy to use and I know it's expensive to buy.
  10. clevetromba

    Root over Rock needs rethinking

    Here's a ROR Carpinus Caroliniana I started about 4 years ago. I think the roots look great, but I'm struggling to come up with a convincing style. I'm thinking about changing the angle so it looks like the the trunk is hanging out over a cliff instead of standing bolt upright. Any thoughts...
  11. clevetromba

    workshop with Master Bjorholm

    I have the opportunity to take a workshop with Bjorn Bjorholm, and I was wondering if anyone could share their experiences working with him? Specifically, I'd like to know what his teaching style is like. Would you say it is a "watch and learn" experience, or "here's how to do it, now you try...
  12. clevetromba

    Successful Weeping Willows?

    I've been reading the recent threads on Willow bonsai, and see that there are problems with die-back and the need for constant wiring and watering. However... There must be a few successful attempts other than these two awesome ones I've found online (most others are pretty sorry looking...
  13. clevetromba

    How to price trees

    How does one determine prices for trees? I've got several pre-bonsai/urban yamadori that I just want to pass along, but I'd like to be compensated for my labor of digging them up, building grow pots, lugging them around the yard etc. I've never purchased any trees, so I don't know what fair...
  14. clevetromba

    Chinese Elm trunk chop decision

    I've been having an internal debate that I hope to get some opinions about with regard to this Chinese Elm, that has been growing in the ground for three years and has reach a girth of about 3" at the base. I chopped the trunk to 17" tall earlier this Winter, but as I have been studying it, I...
  15. clevetromba

    mountaintop trees, compact growth

    These are from Stony Man Mountain, Shenandoah National park, elevation 3765. These trees are exposed to high wind which produces very compact growth, short stature, twisty-turny branches. The tree in the fourth picture seems to have been broken off a few feet above the ground and ground a new top.
  16. clevetromba

    Real "live" deadwood

    Ok, sorry about the pun, I saw this deadwood up close on a hike the other day at Stony Man Mountain and wanted to share it: IMG_3132 by clevetromba posted Apr 8, 2015 at 10:38 PMIMG_3133 by clevetromba posted Apr 8, 2015 at 10:38 PMIMG_3134 by clevetromba posted Apr 8, 2015 at 10:38 PM
  17. clevetromba

    Wild mountaintop tree

    I saw this tree on a hike this morning on Massanutten mountain. I thought it was an interesting study on natural branch selection. A tree could be trained this way with a drastic trunk chop, and instead of trying to hide the scar, turn it into a big Uro. You can't see the hollow on this one...
  18. clevetromba

    Boxwood-when can I wire and prune?

    Would it be risky to prune and wire a boxwood before it has started growing in the Spring? It seems most of the advice I've read is that one should wait until new growth starts, but I'm not sure I know the horticultural reasons behind this advice. What could go wrong by starting earlier?
  19. clevetromba

    Jade loosing leaves

    IMG_2985 by clevetromba posted Mar 26, 2015 at 10:35 PMIMG_2984 by clevetromba posted Mar 26, 2015 at 9:55 PMI have a once beautiful Jade with a single trunk that I bought at CVS for about $4. It has steadily grown larger and larger until about 2 years ago I repotted it into a mix of crushed...
  20. clevetromba

    azalea cultivars zone 5-6?

    Can anyone recommend a good azalea for zone 5 or 6? I had a beautiful one I dug from my yard that was doing fine in the ground and had developed a great trunk and nebari, but it died the first winter after I dug it. (it was kept in an unheated detached garage.)
  21. clevetromba

    concave cutters keep getting damaged!

    I have so far ruined two pair of concave cutters. The first pair I bent the jaws apart trying to cut an (apparently too large) branch. I attempted to bend it back and it broke off. The second pair I kept noticing that it wouldn't make a clean cut unless I used the very back of the jaws. Upon...
  22. clevetromba

    undercutting mugo branch

    Has anyone tried undercutting a branch on Mugo Pine to lower the angle? If so, what time of year should it be done? I have read through the compiled advice from Vance Wood on Mugos and didn't see anything on this question.
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