Enter the Parents
My folks visited from Wisconsin last month, and as they seemed curious about the goings on in the backyard I put them to work. They accomplished quite a bit, and I’m thinking of retaining them indefinitely. Dad did a lot of wire removal, and a stupendous amount of weeding which he rather enjoyed—to my surprise. Mom helped with cleaning up some accent plants and making cuttings. She even did some preliminary mossing on a couple plants that went into the Pacific Rim show.
For those of you who wish to employ parents in the bonsai yard, it’s best to train them when they’re young. So I started this year.
Mom cutting some dead foliage out of a columbine
Dad fiddling with something—I think an evergreen penstemon—behind a vine maple
11 Comments
I like your dad’s tshirt, cool man! You are very fortunate to have such eager helpers.
Ha, yes, he spent some time in Prague once-
I am reading this from the CZ right now! Except I live in Brno not Prague. Wish I was back in Seattle to come see your garden in person!
Before I left, I also grabbed some Vine Maples out of the ground and planted them in large containers. I really hope their still alive and that my brother is taking care of them. I was very interested in them because there doesn’t seem to be very many Vines as Bonsai but I hope that changes in the future. I think the natural multiple trunk design this species creates would be absolutely stunning as an old bonsai tree.
They are fabulously handsome folk, and yes, so very young, that I’m glad you were able to focus their most childlike attention! It looks like they were very happy under your tutelage, Michael!
It was a fun visit. They seem to get younger every year.
Awesome, next time you visit look me up.
I envy you, Mike ! I once had my parents doing the weeding at times, and my late wife helped a lot for repotting too. But they all left a bit too soon, the Angles guided them away, and some good bonsai went with them too ( I was totally lost for 2 years when My other-half died) Luckily, my interest for this ancient art stays………Tresure for what you have, dear friend.
Thanks for sharing that— my folks are a gift for sure. May we all be guided by angels in the end.
They look like naturals – of course you should hire them 🙂
Yep, they were naturals for sure… and they did have fun, which was a blessing-