New spireas

waltseed

With the high price of gassoline, I decided I would save money by sleeping in my car, and not drive 40 miles each way to and from work.
I work at a truck stop, and I can use the showers and laundry.
But I missed my "bonsai".
I had put them all in the ground about a year ago when I bought this house. They all needed some bulking up. And they are all doing fine. But I couldn't take them along and fiddle with them after work.
So I went to Lowe's and did a nursery crawl. With my arthitis, a nursery crawl doesn't include plants I actually have to bend down to see, but there were lots of spireas in 1-gallon pots, all on benches I could sit on and examine at my leisure. And 1 gallon potted plants, for all their faults, were what I could afford and would fit in my car.
Every morning, I take them out of my car and arrange them on the north side of my car, like landscaping. Evening, they go back in the car for the night.
People at work know me and know what I'm doing. I think the spireas are as safe as they would be at home, for what that is worth.
I did forget once and hit one with a tire, which damaged the pot, and certainly damaged the roots, judging from the brown leaves a few days later. But after about 2 weeks, it was pushing new growth so I guess it has new roots started.
Here is a picture, badly taken with a borrowed camera. It shows the trunk, unusual for a spirea, straight, with a lump at ground level, like a snake that swallowed a golf ball. That flare is the only sign of any nebari, adn I find it too regular to be interesting as is. But the flare at ground level is better than nothing.
The trunk was not bare when I bought the spirea. I removed the lower branches to see the trunk line. Spirea backbud so well, I didn't worry about saving any branches, and there was nothing special about any of the branches anyway, all thin and straight. I assumed all branches would come off next spring, and I could start woprking on them.
At first, I was thinking of a broom, but later I thought maybe a formal upright.
I welcome comments. I am thinking of some experiments I might try on this tree, but I am interested in what people have to say, if anything.
After some years of being here, it seems odd to me the first photos I'm posting are raw stock, but that is how it is.
This is a Goldflame spirea. I have used this variety before. It's fall color lives up to it's name.

Attached Images

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Waltseed

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ficusfanatic

[QUOTE=waltseed]With the high price of gassoline, I decided I would save money by sleeping in my car, and not drive 40 miles each way to and from work.
I work at a truck stop, and I can use the showers and laundry.
But I missed my "bonsai".

Every morning, I take them out of my car and arrange them on the north side of my car, like landscaping. Evening, they go back in the car for the night.

now that's some hardcore bonsai addiction and dedication. a ficus on a desk is one thing but this is a couple steps above and beyond. glad you found a way to make it work for you!

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-chris-

waltseed

I'm addicted to oxygen, too. But I'm trying to cut down. But I'll never cut down on bonsai.

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Waltseed