Bonsai Art

 

The art of bonsai always evokes wonder and admiration for the work of gardeners. Attitudes toward it vary. Some love it, while others view the plants with pity, considering bonsai not art but rather a mockery of plant nature. Generally, bonsai trees are associated with harmony, inner peace, balance, and positivity. Many use them as living decorations in their interiors.

 

When I saw these plants grown in bonsai style at the RHS Wisley Botanical Gardens, I immediately began photographing them. I really liked their shape and foliage. Some were blooming, others were striking in their appearance.

Here are photos, you can see conifers and maples of various species. Despite their small size, they retain their characteristic features and beauty. I liked this red-leaf maple, its roots intertwined in a small, shallow pot.

  

Bonsai is the Japanese art of cultivating miniature trees in containers through precise pruning, wiring, and root restriction to mimic the appearance of full-sized, aged trees.  

Bonsai can be created from nearly any woody-stemmed tree that produces true branches and can be cultivated to remain small through pot confinement with crown and root pruning.

 

I was delighted with the blooming azalea. In the city, I tried several times to get it to bloom again, creating all the conditions I thought it needed :), but it never bloomed. Here, at the botanical garden, the azalea bloomed and grew well in a small pot.

 

Such plants, grown in shallow, small pots, can easily be brought indoors for enjoyment in the winter when other plants outside are not growing or blooming. I also wanted to grow bonsai, but I was deterred by the fact that it's cold in a garden greenhouse in winter, making it impossible to keep them there.

 

This plant—I don't know its name—also amazes with its roots, which intertwine just above the soil surface. The plant has enough soil to grow so beautifully.

 

What do you think of the art of bonsai? Have you seen these plants, and what impression did they make on you?

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich

 In my last post, I promised to continue my story about the park and observatory in Greenwich. You've already seen the park and rose garden. The park adjoins the observatory buildings. The observatory was built in 1675 by order of King Charles II. Since Greenwich Park was a royal estate, no new land was required. At that time, the king also established the position of Astronomer Royal, who was to act as the observatory's director.
The park beautifully complements the buildings; many trees, such as the larches, are slightly younger than the observatory itself. Parrots live in the canopies of the deciduous trees.

 

 

 

You can drive closer along the wide road and explore the museum complex. I photographed a view of the park, and the observatory's domes are visible in the distance.

 

 The Royal Observatory, Greenwich played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and because the Prime Meridian passed through it, it gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time, the precursor to today's Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The prime meridian runs directly from the door of the observatory building, and any visitor can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously.

 

The scientific work of the observatory was relocated elsewhere in stages in the first half of the 20th century, and the Greenwich site is now maintained almost exclusively as a museum. The original observatory housed the Astronomer Royal, his assistant and his family . 

 

 

By the later 18th century it incorporated additional responsibilities such as publishing The Nautical Almanac, advising government on technical matters, disseminating time, making meteorological and magnetic observations and undertaking astrophotography and spectroscopy. 

 

 

 

 

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Sunny Winter Day in the Park

 

This park is called Udelny and is located in the northern part of St. Petersburg. Udelny Park is a forested park with a variety of trees, including both deciduous and coniferous species. The birch grove is particularly beautiful.

The park is located on two terraces separated by a 5-6-meter-high ledge, representing the shore of an ancient sea. Initially, part of this area was set aside for growing ship pine.

In the 19th century, the park lands began to be leased for the construction of cottages, promenade gardens, bathing areas, boathouses, and other entertainment venues. Udelny Park gained widespread popularity, which increased after the opening of the railway stations.

The park continues to be a popular recreation spot. In the summer, it is ideal for cycling, and in the winter, for skiing and sledding. Udelny Park also has a small forest area near the central alley, where you can hand-feed birds and squirrels.

I had a wonderful winter day in the park. It was -2°C, slightly windless, and the sky was bright blue. I picked up some millet for the birds and some peanuts for the squirrels.