A couple potentilla potential bonsai

[KennedyMarx]

Found a couple of these at a nursery having an end of season sale. I was immediately attracted to the twisted trunk, fraying bark, and tiny leaves. I have never encountered potentilla as bonsai so any advice is appreciated.

The last two pictures shop the bark before and after I peeled off the flaky outer layer. It's interesting to have a deciduous tree with deadwood potential.

 

[KennedyMarx]

Sorry those pictures are sideways. People hate it, but that's how they turn out seemingly at random from my iphone. I tried to keep in mind keeping the phone in portrait orientation for all the pictures.

 

[barrosinc]

easiest solution is take all pictures in landscape orientation.

 

[KennedyMarx]

Landscape orientation is what flips them around, Max. Any least that is what's the consensus seems to be. The second one has a cool trunk line. I may try to make a taller more feminine tree with it.

 

[Brian Underwood]

Sweet finds! Those should be fun projects. I think I would wait till spring and see if some of those trunks can be separated, re-pot them in good soil, and chop them down to 1/3 their height. But of course that's just me... Have fun!

 

[JudyB]

I've always wanted to try one, these look like they could be nice. My landscape ones grow pretty slow, wonder how they take to pot culture.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I am going to go stick my head in my neighbor's bush! Though...that didn't come out right at our membership lake association meeting last weekend. Lol Hers is a well established older potentilla. If anything...you've peaked my interest. Reminding me I need to go at least peak.

 

[coh]

This is one of the species that I'm always checking at the nurseries, but have never found trunks as well developed as these. They should be fun projects!

 

[jk_lewis]

Inspiration? here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pot...BAcrLgwTh4YKYCw&ved=0CB8QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=602

 

[Cadillactaste]

Well...that was disappointing. The neighbor has a beautiful potentilla shrub...and...that is all it will ever be. Nothing spectacular about the trunk. Just a cluster of twigs coming out of the ground with no movement.

Nursery a hunting I will go...great finds by the way.

 

[GrimLore]

Those look to be a good start In general Potentilla(all 300 or so) tend to grow like Honeysuckle with a huge cluster of twigs for a base. I find it interesting they share similar bark qualities as well. If I could find a decent one of either I would certainly give it a try. Have fun!

Grimmy

 

[KennedyMarx]

Thanks everyone. I saw some potentillas at Lowes, but they were all clumpy sticks. Then I randomly came across these while looking for procumbens nana at another nursery. There were quite a few that had bigger trunks like these. I probably would have bought them if I had the funds. It pays off to scrounge around nurseries.