Greenhouse fun in October . . . plus a short stroll

I enjoyed that. ?. Your apples are making my mouth water.

Nice blog Sheila. Your. Stands. Just need a coat of paint. :) love your bonsai collection. I would teally love to have a few more...maybe a few conifers...Pines etc. For winter interest. All our apples are either frozen or juiced and fermenting....except the Bramleys. I shall start on them soon.

You do so well with your bonsai! And your greenhouse is so impressively clean and tidy - you certainly deserve a nice sit down in that comfy looking chair...

Thanks very much Dawn!

Karen - thank you - and maybe you are right about the paint. The small stand is broken, though, and this type of thing is really hard to find . . . well done for preserving your apples :)

Sue - thank you for your lovely comments. I did have an enjoyable morning - always happy in my greenhouse!

Very good Sheila, your Bonsai are wonderful, I've only ever had one and the poor thing died on me, only managed to keep it for a year, I found out through research afterwards that hubby in his wisdom had bought what is considered a difficult one to start with, lol...I have a very small Acer that I might try with, think its worth a go and an acquaintance on another site has advised me on the way to go, bit unsure as I'd hate to kill the poor little tree..
I too like to be in my g'houses which is why I have my Alpines and Succulents to keep an eye on, plus all the other shrubs and plants that will be in there for the winter, I do have room for some more though, its just a case of deciding what to sow now and what can wait until Jan/Feb really...

Thanks very much Sheila and Sue. Yes, bonsai are fun to grow, but can take years before they need much attention (i.e. pruning). So long as they don't get too dry your little trees should be fine . . and even those sold as 'indoor' trees like some fresh air in the warmer months. Good luck!

The process is very fascinating Sheila. Can any tree be trained as bonsi? It seems more of an art form. I wouldn't know where to begin. There is a greenhouse at the Brooklyn Gardens exclusively devoted to Bonsi and they are sold for a lot of money.

Some subjects are better than others Paul. I've grown Cotoneaster, Hawthorn, Quince and Silver Birch because their little seedlings were found in the garden. Mine are not trained with wire - which is what the experts do - and yes, very old beautiful trees do fetch large sums (but I don't see the joy in buying a 'ready made'). I just do it for fun and enjoy seeing the leaves emerge smaller each year.

Anyone can have a go and you learn by experience. All I do is pot up a seedling in a small pot with gritty, well-draining compost and prune its roots each Spring; occasionally pruning the branches to a pleasing shape whenever needed.

Everything is looking good in and out of the Greenhouse, Sheila. Tell me please, do you have heat in the Greenhouse for the cuttings/seedlings? I may take some Penstemon cuttings today but am unsure of whether to keep them in the unheated Greenhouse, or in the house somewhere.

You have certainly got cracking with all your cuttings and planting up,Sheila..and I'm sure you will be spending many more happy days in your Greenhouse yet,for a while..All your Autumn colours are lovely..and those fruit trees look great..I've almost finished potting som Pelargoniums up,and taking cuttings..the rest can take their chances outside now..love your new Bonsai tree too :o) x

Thank you Shirley. It's a dilemma, isn't it. No, I don't have heat in the greenhouse, but this wooden one keeps the heat very well (compared to my old aluminium one with dodgy panes!). So the temperature hasn't yet gone below 5 degrees in eight years. If we get extreme cold, I will bring the tender plants indoors, but the hardy ones should be OK.

Thanks very much Sandra - I got carried away after learning about cuttings from an expert. It's amazing when they work - as yours obviously do - all those new plants for free :))

Thanks for that info. Sheila, my little aluminium GH has polycarbonate 'windows' and seems to stay fairly warm so I shall keep the cuttings in there.

Fingers crossed Shirley :)

Indeed ... :o)