roll up roll up.............new stock time - part 1

lets start with some happy music

May bank holiday was a busy one - tree time had arrived. We had one big online push to sell as much of last years stock as possible and the benches were looking a bit sparse so a proper buying trip was in order. 

Midnight Thursday - 3 hrs in bed then get the trailer ready

This was the biggest box trailer I could find and once I got the indicator working !! it was ready to go.

525 miles later.......................

Starting to select some nice trees, but still space so keep on buying (I need a few more customers just like me haha)

The next 2 days were bonsai filled with a fantastic group of enthusiasts from the local area. We had open workshops with lots of trees to talk about, style, re-style and tweak. The standard of the club members trees were very high - the influence of their local supplier (Dougie) bringing in excellent stock was clear to see - I think this club has the best collective standard of trees I've seen on my travels to clubs across the UK.

All too soon it was time to point the car South and start the long careful drive home. Got home about midnight, fell into bed and then up early to unpack the trailer - even before breakfast was cooked ! - all keen and excited or what .

someone was maybe having a bad day

What did I buy ? - a bit of everything I think

Acers, pines, junipers, white beeches, cork elms, zelkovas, crepe myrtle, quinces, azaleas, some native stuff too - spruce, yew, pines, birch, blackthorn, cherry, and more.

This is (was) the best pair of specimen Fagus Crenata for sale at a realistic price in the country. In fact I've never been in a bonsai nursery here in over 20 yrs and been able to chose between 2 such trees

The tree on the left £3500, the tree on the right £2000 - (This one sold last night, 3 days after getting back) so now I don't have the best pair for sale in the Uk as there's only one ! 

I have a soft spot for white beech - my first one - bought in niaivity many years ago, was a european seed grown tree so would never go white in a million years, the bark is smooth, greeny grey and the leaves are massive. That one was traded back with the original seller for a pot ! and tree 2 was acquired - A guy from Greece really wanted it so off it went. Tree 3 was the group and that also found its way into a trade for another tree. Now we have the chance to request and order specific trees from Japan it makes it slightly easier to source trees of supreme quality

tree 1 - £2000.00  simply stunning and sold within 72 hrs

Tree2 rrp £3500 as it is - plans are that the tree will enter my bonsai collection for a few years so it can be refined to bonai show readiness (unless a customer twists my arm a long way) Top will be pruned harder, middle a little and the bottom branches which are always weak on these left to develop more - this picture shows the trees habit perfectly - too much top, weak bottom - must be treated properly or you end up with a leggy tree with a few leaves on the ends of long bare branches - never buy a neglected one unless it is very cheap and you have 10 years spare to recover it

Back to the new stock - lets see what else caught my eye

What can you say........25 trunk Trident maple, very natural - it invites you in with superb depth of field. The crossing trunk - in days of old I'd have pulled it across with a guy wire but now I think it adds a natural feel to the planting. In winter image I may move it if the image does not gel. £1950.00 Delivered in UK

Lovely Acer Palmatum £2400 - Trunk and nebari quality is very high - thats the important bit to concentrate on when buying a good tree as the branches and ramification are much easier to develop. This is a good piece of specimen material to work on and improve - the top could be reduced a bit, the middle thinned and then the bottom branches will fill out more. I plan to give the tree a quick boost with some of the strength building tonics and fertiliser products we have here and then a few weeks later defoliate - the Trident group above will have the same treatment - absolutely essential to keep the trees that dense and not drop the inner growth

Deshojo's - £65, £75, £600 - (front left sold) 

This is a grown up Deshojo showing off but ready for another prune - NFS

 Palmatum triple trunk coming on OK, £495.00 - A tree we've worked on for a couple of years and  I've been pruning hard to generate some lower shoots to add a few more branches - now it is working this type of material increases in value quickly each season - material like this is always worth snapping up before the price reaches the finished value - NOW SOLD

Many more Acers here too - material from £5 to £95 available - ONLY 1 CLAY POT TREE LEFT

Azalea bonsai are about to come into their own with a seasonal display of colourful flowers

Large tree with lovely taper £450

 

Curvy tall satsuki's that will soon be smothered in pink and white flowers £350 each

Micro Satsuki's too - perfect for the shohin enthusiast of to add a little class and colour to a rock planting £65 - £70 each - BOTH SOLD

Crenata white beech 03 & 04 £150 each - great trees, first prune will follow when the leaves harden off

What a bad boy !! Crepe Myrtle - flowering semi hardy tree that needs winter protection and does really well in the west country climate. A true specimen tree in every sense .....age, size, taper, ramification - all are very good - £2800.00

nice mature chochubai miniature flowering quince - tree 01 - £295

Chochubai 02 - same price

A couple of clearance trees - beech raft looking great but I need the space SOLD

Trident group that missed a bit of pruning and grew out. We've repotted and started harder pruning - inner shoots forming well now but another tree taking up valuable space so £175 collected gets the tree SOLD

I may airlayer the tops out of the 5 main trees in a few weeks unless the tree sells

I think we'll stop this post with the broadleaf trees and make part 2 the conifers, part 3 will need to be more native stock and raw material trees

email info@aqualabs.co.uk or call Marcus on 07855 300789 for details, to arrange a viewing or to reserve any trees - We will soon be taking orders and requests for specific trees from Japan - this service is suited to specimen material for people who know what they want - £1000 min deposit at time of request to show commitment. Email requests and we will advise

Thanks