About

I'm an amateur naturalist based in Ireland. I grow bonsai, mostly Japanese pines, Scots pine and a handful of maples, and over the years my curiosity has moved from how a tree looks to what's going on inside it.

That curiosity has a few threads. I'm building a small horticultural lab at home to measure how trees respond to light, water and weather. I'm following the research on ash dieback closely, because I'd like to see Ireland keep its ash. And I'm working towards formal arboricultural qualifications, one logged hour at a time.

The old naturalists earned their knowledge by looking carefully, writing everything down and sharing what they found. That's the spirit of this site. Expect honest notes, including the experiments that don't work.

Get in touch

An email address is on its way. Until then, check back here for new articles.