Late Summer Bonsai Reshape - Olea sylvestris aka The Wild Olive

[@GrannysGarden]

Well done you Rebecca. Taking on a bonsai is no mean feat. The knowledge you can acquire - the patience I am afraid can't be. Looks like you are going to take to it like a duck to water! Keep us updated on its progress and if you add to the collection..... which you will because it is totally addictive. I see your scissors have been through the wars😂😂😂

[@PumpkinBecki]

Bonsai was actually the first foray I took into horticulture, I started when I was around 14-15 years old. It's taken me a long time to come back to it, and I think the advent of the internet has helped me learn more than I could from books alone. People suggest joining clubs, but that's not really my thing. I'm very happy with what I achieve, and I think I've got something like 25 trees in development, plus numerous seedlings on the go :D...Yes it certainly is addictive! xx

[@GrannysGarden]

I love it. So you will soon have a bonsai forest 😂😂😂. clubs definitely not. It is something to be enjoyed in total solitude, a lovely relationship between you and your tree.

[@TheEnthusiasticGardener]

Hi Rebecca, I agree with you, all that watering we had to do in August did feel exhausting towards the end. Your bonsai olive is lovely and something I’d like to try. Loads of good information, thank you 😊

[@PumpkinBecki]

Thank you so much Jeanette xx

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Great work! That's a lovely tree, the wild olive has no problem in the extreme heat, I live in Madrid and even the cuttings of these olives root and even thrive in the summer heat. Would love to see more videos of your other trees!!

[@PumpkinBecki]

Welcome! And thank you so much for taking the time to comment (and hopefully subscribe ;-) ) I really do appreciate it. That's such useful information about the Olive, as our summers get more intense I think some of my other species may become trickier to look after. Hopefully I'll have my Olive for a long time to come :) Most of my trees are deciduous so, as the leaves turn and fall in the next few weeks, I will definitely be focussing more on them. The fruit and vegetables have taken over my life all summer long, so I'm looking forward to some thoughtful, peaceful work on my Bonsai :D xx

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@PumpkinBecki thanks! Yes I sub'd in the hope of seeing more bonsai videos!! I also have several deciduous trees and TBH only the Japanese Maples' leaves suffered in the extreme heat this summer, so they're all in semi-shade now. All the rest of my deciduous (crabapple, pomegranate, mulberry, elms, oaks, hornbeam) have all been fine in full-on sunlight as I kept watering them abundantly. I also stop fertilising in summer for the exact reason you said in this video, just started again last week. Looking forward to your next vid! 😉👍

[@PumpkinBecki]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Brilliant, and can I say I'm loving your videos too! Lovely presenting style. Have you been in Madrid for very long? Doesn't it make your heart flutter when Nigel Saunders comments on a video!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@PumpkinBecki Thanks so much! I have been in Madrid for over 20 years now... too addicted to the climate I suppose. Nigel's a great guy, it was partly his videos that helped me move from bonsai beginner to bonsai, er, novice ? lol. Anyhow, absolutely love your twin-trunk quince.. I guess I better write my comment on that video!! see you there 😉

[@BadAtMinecraft]

you managed to find a day with decent weather to film on, i'm impressed! :P

[@PumpkinBecki]

I was FROZEN!! I had to come in and make a hot water bottle :D My coffee went stone cold in 10 minutes, it was crazy! Classic UK August Bank Holiday weekend :D

[@patrickmichael3384]

How do you remove rust or rustproof your shears, PumpkinBecki? Those look a little on the rusty side to me.

[@PumpkinBecki]

Hi Patrick, thank you for joining me. The shears in this video were from a very inexpensive set of carbon steel tools, and yes they look a little tired. Father Christmas did treat me to a nice set of stainless steel ones which are so much nicer to use, and as I can afford it I intend to upgrade my tools. If you'd like to help me with this, feel free to use my Buy me a Coffee link, but of course, there's no pressure :) xx www.buymeacoffee.com/pumpkinbecki