The species Ulmus parvifolia grows to 20m in its native southeast Asia, but this dwarf cultivar, 'Seiju' Chinese elm or 'Seiju' lacebark elm, will only reach 2-3m under the best of conditions. In this case, though, the physical restrictions on growth caused by being planted in a trough likely means this tree will not grow much beyond its current size. 'Seiju' is a sport selection of Ulmus parvifolia 'Hokkaido'; 'Seiju' is differentiated by its larger leaves and faster rate of growth.
Trough gardening has long been associated with growing alpine plants, including dwarf trees and shrubs. If you're interested to learn more about troughs, check out this article on trough gardening for tips on how to build a trough and selecting appropriate plants. On the topic of alpine plants, the Alpine Garden Club of British Columbia is holding its Fall Plant Sale on September 25 - always plenty of interesting plants available!
Photography resource link: Understanding Histograms via The Luminous Landscape's Tutorial Series. Nine times out of ten, I look at the histogram after taking a photograph and decide from that whether I need to take another photograph with a different exposure. How important is this? Well, the article concludes with: “It's the greatest invention since the built-in light meter”.
I have been collecting pictures of plants and I have found a facination in a subject I do not know. I suppose that their is a formal way of learning botany, but at my stage in life, plunging right in is probably best. Thanks for the photos.
Patricia-
Like any subject, there is formal training available, of course. But there are so many ways to study and appreciate plants- you just need to ask yourself, what do I want to know? What do I want to do with this knowledge? If you're like me, perhaps you just find plants fascinating...I don't have any formal training, either. But I have found that through reading (and the wealth of written material on plants--from the dry and technical to the casual and hip--is myriad) and visits to the field I've learned a tremendous amount. It also helps to hang out with other "plant people." I think you will find as you study plants more, the more you will want to know. Best of luck.
Matt
Many thanks for the link to Histograms. I used my beloved old Olympus OM-1 for a couple of decades, and then finally gave in and bought a digital SLR (Canon Rebel). A nice camera, and I (or somebody) could probably do a lot with it, but so far I haven't done much more than point-and-shoot. Sigh. One day I'll learn how to use the thing. I'm keen on this hisotgram business, I like graphs and things, maybe I'll get interested in that, and then learn how to do digital photography.