Winter’s End

I have been working on the Retreat’s trees the last few days.  Most of what I have done is remove wire and clean them up a bit.  We may have lost the two Chinese Plums due to watering/potting problems.  We will see if they come back.  I have put them into a place where they can get plenty of light and moisture in new soil and pots.  I am not sure if I got to them in time.

I am trying a new aspect of cleaning out the deadwood on them by using a dremel.    While not traditional nor particularly Zen in any way, it does produce a well-balanced cut away.  I think in the future that I will use it more.

On a final note, I believe that the cutaway on the Purple Queen bougainvillea may have died.  The up side is that the rooted lower section has put out 3-4 leaders in very good points.  As soon as they harden up a bit, I will trim back and wire them throughout the summer.  I think it is a good beginning for the specimen.

End of Winter should come in the next few weeks.  Temperatures, while they dropped for a bit, are warming back up during the day and night.  Daylight savings time in the United States is the 10^th of this month.  I hope over the next few weeks to have the time to clean up around the physical retreat and get ready for the Spring growth.