E.L.L introduction and general updates

[Lara_Ericacious]

Hello all.

New to bonsainut despite being a lurker for quite a while, thought I would introduce myself and make a post.

I live in Scotland. Currently my growing space is a sheltered balcony. South East facing and sheltered.
I've grown/killed sticks in pots for the last 10 years or so. In 2023, prior to my move up to Scotland all my trees died due to neglect (long distance relationship ey) I decided to quit bonsai.

Come the next spring I started a job as a gardener and started collecting trees once again. Since then I've abandoned all my other hobbies in favor of taking bonsai "seriously," I've decided to focus on growing pines, specifically Pinus sylvestris. I am also involved in nature conservation work and the study and documentation of historical and ancient conifers here in Scotland and the UK.

I germinated seeds from a cone collected in 2024. Which are doing nicely and this year I germinated 4 batches of P. sylvestris. Estimated at about 200 seeds sown.

As I have spacial limitations, I will probably just focus on growing and documenting these trees until my partner and I eventually buy some land and hopefully I can start some form of garden and nursery.

The continuation of this thread will be a general overview of my balcony and bonsai shenanigans. Updates of non pine related trees. Etc

Thanks

E.L.L
A photo of our beautiful eartha (aka earthworm - aka worm) for attention

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Welcome to the site! I'm looking forward to seeing more! In addition to your Pinus sylvestris, consider getting some Japanese black pine or Japanese red pine seeds (two needle pines that will push two flushes of growth in a year). Then if you want to go crazy get some white pine seeds (five needle pine). Then you'll have a range of pines to play with that will all have slightly different personalities.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Welcome Aboard Bonsai Nut!

Looking forward to seeing your projects.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Welcome to the site! I'm looking forward to seeing more! In addition to your Pinus sylvestris, consider getting some Japanese black pine or Japanese red pine seeds (two needle pines that will push two flushes of growth in a year). Then if you want to go crazy get some white pine seeds (five needle pine). Then you'll have a range of pines to play with that will all have slightly different personalities.

I had a JBP at one point I bought from a garden center for pretty cheap and kept alive for a couple of years.
I have been looking into some JWP because they are quite beautiful. All in good time.

Pinus nigra subspecies are common landscape trees here, although not native, which is something I will play with in the future.

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

So I bought a min max thermometer so I can record temperatures up here. This is mainly to make notes on low temperatures coming out of dormancy so I can predict root growth, repotting times etc etc...

My other analogue themometer reads about 5 degrees hotter than the weather app I use. So I suspect my balcony to be abit of a heat trap...
But something doesn't look right here...
43.1°c?!?!?!?
Moved it out of direct sunlight.

E.L.L

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Fun little project.
Craetagus raft

Collected may this year (2025)
I had spotted this little stump in a garden I work and it needed to be removed. Suprised to find it was much longer and had been buried. The trunk covered in roots. I took it home and planted on its side.



The substrate it's planted in is less than ideal and it will be repotted spring 2026 into a larger pot to grow out.
Update from today


Its been hammered with aphids and powdery mildew.

My plans after repotting and maintaining general good health of the tree is to gradually expose roots and fatten everything up to detract from the straight line of the trunk.

All in good time

E.L.L

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Sequioa sempervirens group of 5
Germinated sometime late 2024

Started waking up in march 2025



Today:

I envision these 5 to stay together as a final composition, but I'm not sure yet if I should split them to grow out individually before re-combining.
I quite like how they are growing in reaction to one another. But the trunk positioning currently isn't ideal.


In typing this I think I've answered my question:
I'll repot them all together into a larger pot so they can grow out. Whilst I do this I'll move the seedlings for a better trunk composition.

In the future I may add more seedlings to the perimeter of the planting.

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Sequoiadendron giganteum
seeds germinated same time as coast redwoods above 2024. Only 2 germinated of ~30-50 and one died this spring.

Today:

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Balcony July 2025:

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Balcony today:

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

In the next month or so I'm going to clear off  everything from the balcony so i can put some kind of lino down on the floor. I'm sick of knocking substrate and grime down through the cracks in the flooring (and I'm sure my downstairs neighbours are even more sick of it!)

Then I'll get some more shelves to accommodate repotting my scots pine seedlings in 2026.

 

[Michael P]

You are having fun!

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

@Michael P that's what life is for!

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Shelving update

before:



After:

Need to sort out the rest of the desk but for another day.