First yard

[MrFancyPlants]

I have purchased my first yard, and they were kind enough to throw in a pretty nice house in the deal as well. I am always afraid to misuse the word ironic since alanis morissette ruined the word when she really meant "unfortunate", but I believe it is ironic that I ended up with such a nice yard when any little patch of sunlight would have done. Unfortunately, now I have to be extra careful when working my scraggly bunch of misfit pretend-sai into the mix, not for fear of offending the dreaded HOA, but even worse, offending the tastes of the lovely wife.
I would like to work around the existing landscaping although i wouldn't mind moving a rose or two. I am thinking of adding in a step style bench as well a grow bed. Some of my "material" needs a lot of work or should perhaps even be given up on, but I figure if I get a decent bench setup now with what I have, I can always switch to the one tree in, one tree out policy. At some point I will likely start a thread with a catalogue of my trees, requesting a thumbs up (refine or style time), thumbs sideways (maybe style and put it in a bed), or thumbs down(put it to bed, the eternal dormancy)
I'd love advice general or specific as to how to work my trees in, in as presentable a manner as possible. Sorry for the lame photos, I was trying to get an overview of the yard and get some of the material, but ended up getting neither very well.

 

[Poink88]

CONGRATS!!!

Judging from the view of your neighbors, HOA is the least of your worries. You just need to talk to your wife.

 

[coh]

You might want to tear the house down, it's just taking up yard space that could be used for trees...

Seriously, though - congrats. I don't have any advice of the sort you're looking for...we have lots of space (8 acres) so I just put my growing bed well out away from the house. Don't have any fancy display benches/tables (yet).

BTW, what's in the terrarium?

Chris

 

[MrFancyPlants]

There is nothing in the aquarium at the moment. I am taking a seasonal hiatus from thetropical LED experiment now that I have some real sun. It was a great success I believe, so I'll probably pick it up again next winter, that is if I haven't turned my shed into a greenhouse by then.

 

[Beng]

Congrats I hope to do the same someday. Till them ill keep renting homes with yards...

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Pepper in some monkey poles around the existing roses, right in the mulch...

 

[Dav4]

Look at all that ugly grass you'll have to mow...I'd start there.


...just kidding...I like Brian's idea...up against the fence in between the existing plantings.

 

[berobinson82]

That's awesome. Congratulations! Looks like you need about 50 more trees to fill in that space now

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Monkey poles did cross my mind, thanks for the reminder, they should fit in perfectly. I do have a bunch more trees that didn't make the photo. I'm not sure that I have any trees with enough weight to warrant their own monkey pole, but I'll work on it.

Thanks for the encouragement

 

[lordy]

I think that for your space and trees, the stair step bench makes sense. Home Depot sells deck stair stringers and 5/4 decking boards. You could be in business for fairly cheap and fairly quick. It would be "mobile" also, as long as your wife has some good upper arm definition.

 

[JudyB]

Lucky you that you have a very nice backdrop (the fence) to do a bench wall against. It'll also help to protect the trees from wind. Nice and clean to show off those trees.
Happy new yard!

 

[Bill S]

Congrats on the house, but take your time, relax, enjoy your yard, watch to see where and when the sun hits, the rain doesn't fall etc., yes sometimes the rain can't make it due to tree limbs, overhangs etc.. Take your time, and imagine how you will use those spaces, even if it is for non bonsai uses.

 

[Paradox]

Grats.

Welcome to the world of happy home ownership.

Remember that every time you have to repair something.

In the end, when you finish paying it off, it will all be worth it.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

It still needs some work and maybe some better trees, but it is a good start. I still have a small grow beds worth of material I need to move to my new yard. Some of which I'll dig back into the ground. Some if not most of these could use some time in the ground too, but that is part of the fun planning for the future.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Here is a privet (I believe), that I have tried to let grow out using the escape method the last few years. Unfortunately I keep having to move it and interrupt the process, so it really hasn't developed all that much. I can't decide whether to put it back in the ground or put it in the compost bin, so I'll go a third route and give it a styling now, and decide whether it deserves further development at the end of the growing season. It's not really the right time for repotting, but this guy is a survivor and not a huge loss if for some reason it doesn't pull through. Although not quite a before shot as I knocked down a bunch of suckers after work last night while my wife was dead heading the roses.

And here is the majority of my vacant pot collection. I'm thinking I might want to go as small as possible in an attempt to make this tree interesting.

 

[tmmason10]

I just put an offer in on my first yard! It's going to take a lot of work though. Your bench looks great but clearly it needs more trees.

 

[Dav4]

I just put an offer in on my first yard! It's going to take a lot of work though. Your bench looks great but clearly it needs more trees.

Once you own your own yard, the bonsai madness really takes over, in my experience. Be prepared for a one to two fold increase in potted trees within the first two years.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Sorry I didn't grab a photo of the rest of the formerly bedded trees that I harvested earlier in the week. The bench is now crowded. I am hoping to focus on Quality rather than Quantity at this point, and maybe get a few trees worthy of their own monkey poles.
It looks like the "styling" of the privet may have to wait a few more days as this weekend I am going to a cabin in the woods with some friends. It is on private property, so maybe I can pick up a new recruit or two while I am there.

 

[tmmason10]

Once you own your own yard, the bonsai madness really takes over, in my experience. Be prepared for a one to two fold increase in potted trees within the first two years.

I'm actually most excited to have a hose, and ample sunlight. Hopefully it's an increase in quality trees.

Fancy- the quality over quantity is the first real lesson to learn in bonsai in my opinion. I have really tried my best to follow this but you've got to stay diligent.

 

[Dav4]

I'm actually most excited to have a hose, and ample sunlight. Hopefully it's an increase in quality trees.

Fancy- the quality over quantity is the first real lesson to learn in bonsai in my opinion. I have really tried my best to follow this but you've got to stay diligent.

Three words, Tom: Summer Selldown Sale.