Here are pictures of a large Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) over the last year. The plant was collected on a construction site and saved from an ineluctable death. ...

This small Hawthorn illuminates my autumns with its scarlet red leaves. ...

Since the annual Montreal Bonsai and Penjing Society Exposition is cancelled, here is the tree that I intended to show. This Thuya occidentalis represents a tree that falls over the Red River. A boreal kusamono composed of an Eastern hemlock, a Red maple and a tiny fir brings a very calm understory feeling. ...

In fall the leaves are scorched by the sun, eaten by the insects and thorn by the wind. Their days are counted. Slowly the green pigments are overthrown by the red (anthocyans), orange (carotenoids) and yellow (xanthophyll) pigments. The tree is pumping its sugars and nutrients from the leaves using the osmosis mechanism. The anthocyans bring frost protection and enlighten our nordic species. In the coming days the tree will store the sugars in the soil and the starches in the living wood. Cellular death will reach the heart of the leaves and the stalk will soon be completely obstructed by a cork tissue. From this point the leaves will fall, leaving a separation mark on the branch. The leaves are sacrified for the promess of a new season. ...

Here are some pictures of my bonsai growing setup on top of a flat roof garage in the heart of the city. I hope this will convince you that one does not need a large garden to grow bonsai. shade cloth I just finished installing a 50 % shade cloth to protect my tree as they are exposed to full sun from morning to sunset. It will be used to protect more sensitive species such as Tsuga canadensis, Fagus grandifolia, Acer palmatum and my seedlings. ...

Here are some young Eastern Hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) that I collected with the intent to create a forest a few years from now. They were collected in a private wood with the consent of the land owner. This grove is very special because it has very old specimens as well as plenty of Hemlock saplings. A real Hemlock nursery ! A mature tree. A Hemlock nursery. A magical place. ...

Spruces can fill up very quickly in only one season, to the point that we cannot see the structure anymore. This tree was thinned and wired in spring. Today I applied many guy wires to bring the branches down in position. I did not thin the foliage, as I want to use the wood tissue production in fall to hold the shape and maximize my wiring. Spruces do really spring back and have no memory. ...

I collected a few ferns, mosses and tree seedlings in the forest to create kusamonos inspired by our boreal forest. Hemlock, Red Maple, Spruce and mosses in a seto pot. Hemlock and fern. Fern in a pot made by Serge Robert. Moss on rock. Dwarf Rose, dianthus and moss. ...

Here are pictures of pear tree flowers (Pyrus communis) taken on April 24, 2021. We can clearly see the pistil (female organ) at the center surrounded by the stamen not yet deployed. A close-up of the anther dispersing the pollen at the tip of the stamen (male organ). Dichogamy As we can see in the pictures above, there is a difference in the timing of the pollen release and the female organ receptivity. Nature rarely leaves things to chance and this mechanism is called dichogamy. ...

Oaks are a living place for many insects. Here is a beetle hiding under a leaf and an ant possibly hunting for spider mites. ...