Another Small Wild Olive

This is another of the small wild olive trees which I was fortunate to come across at an Olive Plantation up in the hills in 2001. I try to train it in the way an Olive tree grows naturally.

An endemic Australian Native - Kunzea Ambigua

Sometime in 2001, while browsing through a nursery I came across a bunch of interesting looking shrub which I have never seen before. I particularly like the foliage which looks like five needle pine from a distance. I was not sure whether it is suitable for bonsai. However for a $1 each, you can't lose much. So I bought about a dozen. I started to train this fella a few months later. This is the result after 9+ years. The sequence of photos show its' development over the years. Subsequently I learned that Kunzea is endemic to Australia. That means it can only be found in Australia. Of the 35 species only one can be found outside Australia - Kunzea Ericoides which can also be found in New Zealand.

An Azalea more tiny than my smallest NZ Tea Tree Bonsai

Today I potted and photo this Azalea Satone into a proper Bonsai pot. It has been growing in this recycled plastic container for the last 4 years. At about 4cm it is even more tiny than my smallest NZ Tea Tree Bonsai. It was grown from a cutting. Satone cuttings root easily. Satone has small leave which make it highly suitable for bonsai. However the downside is this azalea don't flower. Yes NO flower.

Another Tiny NZ Tea Tree Bonsai

A few days ago, I clean this fella up and photo it for the first time. It stands at 6 cm tall. It is a Leptospermun Scoparium Red Damask.

Update On My Smallest NZ Tea Tree Bonsai

This little fella is still alive and blooming. So I took some pix of it and posted onto the IBC forum. It is about 2 inches tall. I hope to keep it alive for as long as possible. NZ tea tree is a very demanding specie to bonsai. It requires continuous care and attention. Some general guidelines on handling them are 1. Always keep the top soil moist. 2. Never completely defoliate. 3. No bare-rooting. Clean cut for root reduction. 4. Feed them well. 5. Protect them from intense heat. I am still learning. Every now and then, they and the weather throw up some nasty surprises. Recently we have a sort of heat wave record in Perth and I was not prepared for it. So I lost a few of my smaller tea trees despite my intensive care and attention.