DECIDUOUS FOREST

[JoeR]

Just want to share my latest project, a cement forest pot I made for some zelkova and trident seedlings I had.

Zelkova were grown from seed started in maybe 2016/2017, trained independently and then assembled last spring. Tridents came from plantcitybonsai in 2016, and I was told they were 5-7 years old at the time. The dwarf azaleas I got this spring as 2" cuttings.

The first picture is a quick sketch before I started the whole project, the following the cement build, and then the composition as she sits now.

Just wanted to share, more to follow.

 

[JoeR]

Assembling the trees

 

[JoeR]

 

[JoeR]

 

[JoeR]

 

[JoeR]

Okay that should be all for now. All the trees need wired and pruned for shape, but for now I'm going to allow them to recover from a somewhat violent repot!

 

[Woocash]

Cool. Looks like lots of work! It’ll be interesting to see how the different species mesh together and work in that planter. Nice concept, funky project.

 

[MrWunderful]

Wow. Ambitious project, kudos for following the entire thing through, from idea to execution.

Im excited to see it develop!

 

[Hartinez]

Fun project! Great sketch and execution with the planter and vision. Though the planting seems a bit chaotic at the moment, I think it should settle in over time. Are they all seedlings you developed yourself?

 

[Carol 83]

Very cool, can't wait to see how this develops. Love the idea of the azaleas in there.

 

[Pitoon]

Good job putting the forrest together and making that slab.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

How much does it weigh?

 

[JoeR]

Wow. Ambitious project, kudos for following the entire thing through, from idea to execution.

Im excited to see it develop!

Thanks, I had no idea how massive of a project it was until I started adding the cement! Working time is 15 minutes to one hour, depending on temperature, so it became very stressful as soon as the cement became wet!

Fun project! Great sketch and execution with the planter and vision. Though the planting seems a bit chaotic at the moment, I think it should settle in over time. Are they all seedlings you developed yourself?

It is indeed chaotic, particularly in pictures, but as soon as the trees recover I will wire the whole planting, and prune quite a bit back. Some trees will need adjustment over time, especially the right most trident. The zelkova are all mine, the tridents were raised at plantcitybonsai for 5-7 yrs then 4 years by me.

Very cool, can't wait to see how this develops. Love the idea of the azaleas in there.

I'm excited for the azaleas too, they are so much smaller than I expected. Two are kakou, one is pink, and one is white. I'd have to check the tags.

 

[JoeR]

How much does it weigh?

Whoops, completely forgot to add dimensions!

The entire planter is 22" long, and took about 30lbs of dry concrete- so whatever that would be when mixed with water, dye, and the frame.

 

[HENDO]

Thanks for sharing this - I haven't personally seen too much material online which outline assembling a forest like this.

Can't wait to see it develop!

May I ask how you anchored these into the container?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Nice job! Have you considered adding some moss or ferns to the flat base to soften it and partly obscure the pedestal portion of the slab?

 

[Colorado]

Very cool!

 

[Cadillactaste]

The moss is a nice finishing touch! Well done!

 

[JoeR]

Thanks for sharing this - I haven't personally seen too much material online which outline assembling a forest like this.

Can't wait to see it develop!

May I ask how you anchored these into the container?

I left some of the wire frame sticking out of the cement, and used it as anchor points to zig zag wire across the bottom and I anchored the trees to this.

Nice job! Have you considered adding some moss or ferns to the flat base to soften it and partly obscure the pedestal portion of the slab?

Thanks, that is exactly the plan. Originally, I was going to make the pedestal part smooth and untextured, more of a classy look, but mid way through the build things got messy. Not very happy with this part of it, but I plan on hiding it with something like you said. Hard to say what, I have tons of thuidium (delicate fern moss) growing in the yard, but getting it to thrive on the cement might be a challenge. It can also grow quite tall, so that may ruin proportions. Definitely open to suggestions here.

 

[Wulfskaar]

I'll be looking forward to seeing pictures of it fully leafed-out. This is very cool and has my creative sap flowing!