Bonsai master Mike Hansen, owner of Midwest Bonsai, gives a potted lesson for total beginners in this 2 min, 11 sec video on Expert Village. Mike is a diffident man that has spent most of his life tending to these miniature trees. It is worth listening to his quiet, gentle expertise.

Mike puts the viewer right on three important points. The first is that “805 of bonsai trees that die, die from lack of watering.” It is not being small that kills these little trees, but sheer thirst. Mike points out that bonsai potting soil is quite coarse. It is not meant to retain water. At best, the soil in a bonsai pot will hold water for no more than a day and maybe less at the height of summer.

Another point Mike makes is that many beginner bonsai growers put their little potted trees on the window sill, TV or coffee table and then are disappointed when the tree dies. Mike says: “In fact, bonsai trees are outdoor plants. They would do better on the patio — which is not to say they couldn’t do with some protection.” Mike cautions against “loving your bonsai to death — literally.”

Mike reminds us that bonsai trees are small because they are pruned to be that way, and not because of hunger! “So make sure they have enough water, fertilizer, fresh and air sunshine.”

Wise words about bonsai from Mike Hansen, who is someone that knows.

There seem to be plenty (some would say too many) movies on the internet about raking leaves. One deduces from this that leaf-raking is a huge issue wherever there are deciduous trees that drop their leaves in people’s gardens in the fall. Young George Maziak, who is famous for his videos about How To Tie A Shoelace and How To Open That Really Sticky Jam Jar, has made a video about raking leaves as a sort of gentle revenge on his Dad for buying a house out in the woods. He shows us how to use a rake to move the leaves using the simple oar-stroke method or the little quick stroke method. It is a long, long job, he assures us, and then demonstrates an alternative — the leaf blower, which blows the leaves around if you are not careful, and which can also be used to Hoover up the leaves.

George also demonstrates how you can jump into and onto the pile of leaves for light relief. At the end of the day, though, you need to get the leaves onto a big piece of tarpaulin and take them — where? Well, over the road and into the woods, away from the lawn. I have spent a more profitable 6 minutes, 9 seconds in my time. But thanks, George anyway.

Here is a short (1 min, 30 sec) philosophical presentation by the handsome Gardener Allen Smith on Why We Should Plant Trees In The Fall. The practical reason is probably the least reason to plant them, according to Allen. (Trees are dormant in the fall, so planting them then gives them ample time to recover in time for their growth period during the spring.)

You plant trees because they can live long after you, says Allen. A great example he gives is George Washington planting trees at Mount Vernon, tulip poplars which are now 200 years old and still thriving. And if chosen and positioned and allowed to grow to their full extent trees can contribute to the health of the environment.

That’s not all. If you plant the correct trees in the correct location on the west side of your house (but not so close they interfere with the structure or the utilities) then they can block solar radiation hitting your house, leading to energy savings up to 40 percent. Before buying a tree to plant, know what its height and limb spread will be at maturity so that you make the right decision.

Do you need to learn about pruning evergreen trees? If you do, then this video is for you. David Epstein of Growing Wisdom presents this video. In this video on “Pruning Evergreen Trees”, David interviews Henry Patt from Weston Nurseries. This video is worth your view. It is simply done but production quality is good. The information discussed in this video can certainly be of use to everyone. This video is very short at just two minutes and twenty-nine seconds.

If you watch this video you will gain all sorts of useful knowledge about pruning evergreens. The middle of the summer is when you should prune evergreens. Evergreens mentioned in this video are hues, boxwoods, and crippsii (Chamaecyparis Obtusa).

There are certain rules to keep in mind when pruning evergreens. When pruning, you should only prune new growth. Don’t prune too much of the old. You should remove two thirds of the old growth. This will fill the plant in more and make for a nice bushy plant. The sunlight should be able to get at all of the foliage. If an evergreen is never pruned, the top growth would overshadow the bottom growth. It is extremely important to let the lower part of the evergreen get exposed to the sun. Over a period of eight to ten years, you can start losing some bottom branches, so pruning is very important. The goal is to have a taper going up. If you don’t want your evergreen to grow any bigger, then you should prune all of this year’s growth. However, do it early on in the season – from the end of June to early July.

Here is one way to look at pruning. Pruning is the process of moving food from one area of the evergreen to another. The cutting off of new branches transfers the food to old branches.

This video is highly recommended. You have absolutely nothing to lose by watching this video. If you don’t need this information now, chances are high that you will have a use for these tips at some point down the road.