My bonsai hobby. The ficus is a double trunk specimen that is over 40 years old now, picked it up in a nursery in the early 80s, was about 10 years old then according to the shop staff. It's been re potted 3 times since I've had it, but it retains the dual trunk shape although the foliage sort of obscures that in the photo. Being a tropical species, it winters inside the house, but it does thrive outside in the summers. The Siberian elms I've had for just about 20 years now. 3 of them are in the "literati" style I mentioned in another post and the other is a group planting (simulates a miniature forest setting). The literati were originally planned to be formal or at worst case informal upright forms, but sometimes deciduous trees just don't conform to what you have planned so they were allowed to grow naturally with only simple pruning twice a year. They are true bonsai so they live outdoors all year round, they survive our harsh winters buried in their pot in my garden boxes to protect the roots from freezing. At one time I had a dozen trees, including larch and white spruce in formal and informal upright styles, and a gorgeous Azealia broom style but they eventually succumbed to the ravages of weather and age. They take constant mothering (they will dry out in as little as one day in high heat) to be healthy and vigorous, and summer vacations without daily care and watering can be deadly. People say they will babysit for you, but often fall short of the mark.
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