Collected Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata)

[JoeWilson]

Rabbitbrush around here looks nice...
...out in the scrub. It seems really "stemmy?" to make a bonsai. But it's possible that it grows differently or we have a different species here.

Yes, it gets really leggy, I think we have the same plant (or something very similar). You would probably have to prune the new growth back hard. But if you find a really old one with a twisted, gnarly trunk, you might see what I mean. You would probably need to find a good specimen, though, and I'm not sure how well they do when collected. I have a dozen or so that I'm growing as landscape shrubs that I'll do some experiments with in a couple of years when they get bigger. I don't think it would ever look, uhh, traditional, but I think it could be neat.

 

[JoeWilson]

This thread sucks...now I want an old gnarly sage, thanks a lot guys. Seriously though, I keep seeing sage and keep wanting one. Not sure how they'd do in Kentucky humidity though.

Just put it in a dehydrator once every few weeks, I'm sure it would be fine.

Seriously, though, you can probably grow white sagebrush. It can take a lot more water/higher levels of humidity than silver sagebrush and western sagebrush. I don't think it would want to be constantly wet, but it grows in flood plains, so it can take periods of wet for sure. I have a couple of very happy ones that are in a bed with irrigation that gets more water than we typically do in this area. I hit them with the hose whenever things look dry in that area, too. They've grown about 2 feet in the last year.

 

[Hartinez]

This thread sucks...now I want an old gnarly sage, thanks a lot guys. Seriously though, I keep seeing sage and keep wanting one. Not sure how they'd do in Kentucky humidity though.

I think you’d be just fine growing Artemisia Tridentata. They are my thirstiest trees. They get hosed down constantly. And are also buried in snow all winter.

 

[JoeWilson]

I think you’d be just fine growing Artemisia Tridentata. They are my thirstiest trees. They get hosed down constantly. And are also buried in snow all winter.

For what it’s worth, I have a number of Artemisia tridentata growing in a no-water bed here in Denver, but it’s where the snow collects all winter, and the ground is usually sopping wet until early or mid-summer. Of course, by the time fall hits, it's bone dry again, but it doesn’t seem to mind water all that much.

 

[Sage_bonsai]

Put this one in an oversized pot.
View attachment 612325

Amazing work you've done, im proud of its movement.
I'll let you on a secret in mid spring i recommend plucking the extra long leaves out and any of the dead ones. This practice will encourage leaf size reduction and smaller back budding of new branches but at a cost of minimizing flowering production.

 

[The Barber]

I think you’d be just fine growing Artemisia Tridentata. They are my thirstiest trees. They get hosed down constantly. And are also buried in snow all winter.

Well if someone wants to send me a nice gnarly one I guess I can test and see if they'd make it here, for scientific purposes of course.