Dream bonsai situation - progression of several hundred high quality pre bonsais

[Living Tribunal]

I started creating bonsai when I was 16, quickly getting the bug and joining my local bonsai society. After a few years, my interest ceased when my dad threw away ~50 pre-bonsai “stumps” from his backyard when I lived there after college. I have only created and maintained a handful of trees since that time.

Fast forward to today, we just purchased a half acre lot in Texas that is best case scenario every bonsai enthusiasts wildest dream. The property is a very dynamic landscape of which the original home builders planted 194 trees, without any intention of pruning them.

We now own this home 15 years later and it’s wildly overgrown with hundreds of rare/nice ornamentals such as crape myrtles, ancient rose bushes, prune, peach, juniper, cedar, barberry, Japanese maples, laurel, holly, Chinese pistache, wax Myrtle, Chinese magnolias, Japanese quince, viburnums, hawthorns, (hoards) nandina, privet, and straight up never disturbed Texas native species such as hackberry, pecan, elm, maple, ash, etc.

The property was so overgrown that I discovered we have a massive stone front porch that wasn’t included in the latest blue prints.

I have a thing against killing trees but do want to prevent them from smothering each other, clean up my landscape, and allow in more sun. As such, I will be creating bonsais from several hundred high quality prebonsai material to not only get back into the hobby but also clean up and clear my landscape.

This post will serve as the long term progression repository. This will 1000% take several years and I may even have to rope in local bonsai enthusiasts to help me out.

I’ve attached some initial photos to give yall an idea and will elaborate on specific areas in subsequent posts today.

 

[rockm]

Nice, but it's very hard to tell if there's anything really worthwhile. It can be very hard to tell the wheat from the chaff in that kind of situation, since it's all one big mass. I would spend the next year or so simply finding trees with decent surface roots and a bit of movement. In my experience, trees with those two things are pretty rare, even in a situation like this one. You have to get into the underbrush and scrape away old leaves and surface soil to see what's going on with the roots. Wear gloves and poke around with sticks before heading into the underbrush or you may meet some nasty reptile/mammal/insect locals.

BIG doesn't necessarily mean good. It can just mean big and heavy and mostly not worth the time. A visit from a club might help sort things out--but that can come with strings including allowing members to collect stuff.

FWIW, I would be particularly interested in the Texas NATIVE species you have, cedar elm and others. I've collected Cedar Elms in the Dallas area and out in East Texas as well. We had 30 acres near Lake Palestine that was literally choked with Cedar Elm.

 

[Living Tribunal]

Nice, but it's very hard to tell if there's anything really worthwhile. It can be very hard to tell the wheat from the chaff in that kind of situation, since it's all one big mass. I would spend the next year or so simply finding trees with decent surface roots and a bit of movement. In my experience, trees with those two things are pretty rare, even in a situation like this one. You have to get into the underbrush and scrape away old leaves and surface soil to see what's going on with the roots. Wear gloves and poke around with sticks before heading into the underbrush or you may meet some nasty reptile/mammal/insect locals.

BIG doesn't necessarily mean good. It can just mean big and heavy and mostly not worth the time. A visit from a club might help sort things out--but that can come with strings including allowing members to collect stuff.

FWIW, I would be particularly interested in the Texas NATIVE species you have, cedar elm and others. I've collected Cedar Elms in the Dallas area and out in East Texas as well. We had 30 acres near Lake Palestine that was literally choked with Cedar Elm.

You have collected near me! The wild elms, while mostly small, certainly have impressive character given their fast growth rate competing against densely packed beds/ vegetation.

Your point is very valid, and is the case with some of these ancient crape myrtles (my favorite tree to bonsai). I haven’t added a few hundred photos showing individual trunks though. There’s a ton of amazing material here, not just from the varieties and age but also character.

I’ve also found many initial boring material to be worthwhile in some cases. Most character is derived from new branch structure and trunk leader in these situations but it can still be a great tree. Won’t win any awards but I don’t care about those.

I’ll dive deeper into this later but you hit the nail on the attack plan. We moved in late March and I was in a rush to get the landscaping done. The overgrowth was horrible and I’m not sure how I managed to clear and replant so much.

That said, I missed my window to cut these guys back and pot. So what I’ve been doing is cutting them to the rough height/shape I desire and then allowing to grow freely. This is to help them maintain full vigor/15 years of pent up root energy so that they are ready for transplant in the fall/next spring.

 

[Michael P]

Bonsai Society of Dallas regularly organizes collecting trips, https://bonsaisocietyofdallas.com/

 

[rockm]

You have collected near me! The wild elms, while mostly small, certainly have impressive character given their fast growth rate competing against densely packed beds/ vegetation.

Your point is very valid, and is the case with some of these ancient crape myrtles (my favorite tree to bonsai). I haven’t added a few hundred photos showing individual trunks though. There’s a ton of amazing material here, not just from the varieties and age but also character.

I’ve also found many initial boring material to be worthwhile in some cases. Most character is derived from new branch structure and trunk leader in these situations but it can still be a great tree. Won’t win any awards but I don’t care about those.

I’ll dive deeper into this later but you hit the nail on the attack plan. We moved in late March and I was in a rush to get the landscaping done. The overgrowth was horrible and I’m not sure how I managed to clear and replant so much.

That said, I missed my window to cut these guys back and pot. So what I’ve been doing is cutting them to the rough height/shape I desire and then allowing to grow freely. This is to help them maintain full vigor/15 years of pent up root energy so that they are ready for transplant in the fall/next spring.

I collected this cedar elm on the Palestine place with Zach Smith. I had been looking and digging cedar elms on that property for years. Zach, who had twenty years more experience than me, saw this one after I had passed it by for a decade. "Fresh eyes" can sometimes see better (physically, artistically and horticulturally) than those more accustomed to their landscapes.

Also, trust your instincts. What's initially boring to you, is probably boring. Don't rationalize what's interesting about it. Boring stuff is the rule. Exceptional or even passable rough material isn't common.

 

[rockm]

You have collected near me! The wild elms, while mostly small, certainly have impressive character given their fast growth rate competing against densely packed beds/ vegetation.

Your point is very valid, and is the case with some of these ancient crape myrtles (my favorite tree to bonsai). I haven’t added a few hundred photos showing individual trunks though. There’s a ton of amazing material here, not just from the varieties and age but also character.

I’ve also found many initial boring material to be worthwhile in some cases. Most character is derived from new branch structure and trunk leader in these situations but it can still be a great tree. Won’t win any awards but I don’t care about those.

I’ll dive deeper into this later but you hit the nail on the attack plan. We moved in late March and I was in a rush to get the landscaping done. The overgrowth was horrible and I’m not sure how I managed to clear and replant so much.

That said, I missed my window to cut these guys back and pot. So what I’ve been doing is cutting them to the rough height/shape I desire and then allowing to grow freely. This is to help them maintain full vigor/15 years of pent up root energy so that they are ready for transplant in the fall/next spring.

Also be warned that chopping in place and leaving the tree can wind up killing stuff. Been there done that. In a situation like that, trees are competing for resources, like light in particular. Removing a tree's top eliminates its ability to feed itself and other plants nearby will overgrow it's top. That can lead to bad things. Prechopping isn't worth the risk. It mostly doesn't get you much and can have a steep downside.

 

[Living Tribunal]

Bonsai Society of Dallas regularly organizes collecting trips, https://bonsaisocietyofdallas.com/

I was a member about 12 years ago, I’ll have to rejoin when I’ve repotted what I want.

Some photos of me in the club collecting cedars by the train tracks when I was 21 and an absolute baby.

 

[Living Tribunal]

I collected this cedar elm on the Palestine place with Zach Smith. I had been looking and digging cedar elms on that property for years. Zach, who had twenty years more experience than me, saw this one after I had passed it by for a decade. "Fresh eyes" can sometimes see better (physically, artistically and horticulturally) than those more accustomed to their landscapes.

Also, trust your instincts. What's initially boring to you, is probably boring. Don't rationalize what's interesting about it. Boring stuff is the rule. Exceptional or even passable rough material isn't common.

View attachment 559019View attachment 559020

Beautiful stock! I love elms, they always have fantastic contours and shape. I especially love their bark. Also, I absolutely agree regarding selection. I’ve always been a bit overeager and end up with dozens of boring stumps for material. Mainly because I historically haven’t had too much money or time to source quality material.

The one thing here is that I do need to move many of these trees so they’ll die if I don’t bonsai them. I could honestly use the practice/experimentation for them as well.

 

[Living Tribunal]

I think you’ll like a number of these naturally seeded elms

 

[Living Tribunal]

I’ve been trying to think about the best way to document this experience without being overly spammy or saturating the thread with too many photos.

I think the best place to start is an overview of the property, the material in each section, my game plan, and then general thoughts.

I should create a property map as it would make it easier to follow and outline what I’m up against. This has been one of the most difficult yet fulfilling endeavors I’ve embarked on as we’re dead broke and so it’s up to me to perform all landscaping, irrigation, plumbing, electrical, pool maintenance, etc. I’m sure many others here know how it goes.

I am at the gym however don’t won’t be able to supply that until I’m home. That said, I’ll use the time to cover the backyard which has consumed the vast majority of my time since moving in.

If anyone has a preference for how I orchestrate updates of this thread; keep updates consolidated to single posts, have more granular individual posts, whatever, lmk.

 

[Living Tribunal]

Here is what the backyard looked like when we moved in this last April. It was effectively an overgrown jungle that hadn’t been maintained in over 15 years. The original home owners planted 194 trees on the property as stated earlier. This manifested in a substantial number of crape myrtles spaced mere 2-3 feet from each other in the backyard.

High level overview of the backyard design:
- Three ~5-7 ft deep cascading retaining walls that lead from the top floor to the bottom.
- A walkway winding through the center of the bottom area separating the retaining walls on the left hand side and the flattish backyard area/creek on the right.
- A shared creek that flows around our property line into the neighbors yard.
- A shed that apparently hosted 500 pot plants at some point. This will likely prove useful as it has fantastic ventilation and grow lighting.
- Two defunct water fountains at the bottom.

These pics don’t paint a complete picture for how horrible it was (these were taken right before closing, thus before weeds took over).

All in all, there were 25-30 crape myrtles back here. Many on the top terrace were spaced just a foot apart. It also appears the previous home owners chopped some of the crapes at the top which created an interesting dynamic where they started to compete with each other, and the palms, which started giving them a significant amount of character.

There are many more tucked behind the bamboo in that bed across the creek.

 

[Living Tribunal]

I ramped up landscaping efforts (went a little crazy) starting mid-April. I had to clear out all of the weeds, nandina, thatch going 2 ft down replacing ALL soil down that deep. I also fixed the fountains, planted all the beds, created a decent stop-gap irrigation system, etc.

I also wanted full sun in sections which led me to painstakingly prune most every crape Myrtle. This allowed me to start prepping them for pre-bonsai. This was possible since I had cleared most all of the competition.

The backyard now, just 3 months after moving, before showing some of the material. What I found amazing were the numerous perennials, canna/spider lillies, likely ancient, that got to see the light of day for the first time in ages the second I opened up the backyard to sun.

Sorry for the intermission but someone other than my fiancee needs to bear witness to my insanity. Were the water Lillie’s excessive? Absolutely. Do they make me happy? You bet.

 

[Living Tribunal]

Here are some of the initial crape myrtles I’ve chopped for pre-bonsai preparation. I didn’t think too much into it other than ensuring they had light while envisioning future apex, apical, branch structure since it will all be grown new, and establishing viable leaders. What’s not captured here is the root nebari/ base taper. They’re 3” below in most cases and I haven’t had a chance to expose them. While many are disinterested by crape myrtles linear growth habit, I think their bark, flowers, and branch structure flexibility more than offsets the negatives. I especially love it when they get naked in the fall.

I also think there are numerous air layer opportunities back here. If anything, this surplus of trees will be a great way for me to dust off the cobwebs and practice wiring, deadwood carving, etc.

Crape myrtles have always been my favorite tree to bonsai. I think I’ve created 24 or so (which ain’t much) over the years.

There are also several ancient rose vines back here with fantastic trunks. I’ll include a picture of one. I’ve only create bonsais from rose bushes so would love to hear from others if these are worthwhile. Additionally, there are several beat up and very old boxwoods I’ll have to snap some pictures of.

I still have a ways to go in terms of clearing out more crape myrtles, beds on the opposing side of the creek which do contain a number of cedar elms, and sides connecting the backyard to the front. This update really only covers 70% of the prospective crape myrtles and maybe 50% of the potential trees in the backyard with the rest consisting of unique species such as mahonias, redbud, spireas, willow, a few insane wisterias, thorny olive, red beans, two large Chinese photinias, several cedar elms, and Amir honey suckle.

I have no clue if some of these species are viable for bonsai but I’m happy to commit to it in the name of science.

A last note, the backyard fails greatly in comparison to the front and side yards, and creek.

 

[WavyGaby]

Here is what the backyard looked like when we moved in this last April. It was effectively an overgrown jungle that hadn’t been maintained in over 15 years. The original home owners planted 194 trees on the property as stated earlier. This manifested in a substantial number of crape myrtles spaced mere 2-3 feet from each other in the backyard.

High level overview of the backyard design:
- Three ~5-7 ft deep cascading retaining walls that lead from the top floor to the bottom.
- A walkway winding through the center of the bottom area separating the retaining walls on the left hand side and the flattish backyard area/creek on the right.
- A shared creek that flows around our property line into the neighbors yard.
- A shed that apparently hosted 500 pot plants at some point. This will likely prove useful as it has fantastic ventilation and grow lighting.
- Two defunct water fountains at the bottom.

These pics don’t paint a complete picture for how horrible it was (these were taken right before closing, thus before weeds took over).

All in all, there were 25-30 crape myrtles back here. Many on the top terrace were spaced just a foot apart. It also appears the previous home owners chopped some of the crapes at the top which created an interesting dynamic where they started to compete with each other, and the palms, which started giving them a significant amount of character.

There are many more tucked behind the bamboo in that bed across the creek.View attachment 559218View attachment 559223View attachment 559224View attachment 559225View attachment 559226View attachment 559227View attachment 559228View attachment 559229

So, why did you really buy the house? Thats CM central!

 

[Living Tribunal]

So, why did you really buy the house? Thats CM central!

That’s a good question with a simple answer: this is our dream home. While the outdoor areas were (still are) a jungle, the interior is immaculate and incredibly unique. The expensive guys and hardscaping outside had already been completed as well.

This home and especially backyard could truly end up special if I keep at it. I haven’t paid a single landscaper, yard worker, or plumber yet and don’t intend on ever doing so. I’d also lie if I said I didn’t enjoy it.

I remember my dad throwing away 50 pre bonsai stumps in buckets when I was 18, 15 years ago. He told me at that time “when you have your own home, you can have all of that again”.

Now we’re here . I love uncovering all of the unique species like Japanese quince, Japanese plum, and cestrum, Turks cap, and nearly 100 himenoclis (don’t know how to properly spell it, won’t try, I just know it goes for $50 a bulb) popping up.

 

[Living Tribunal]

So yes, I’m in it for the crape myrtles. Just wait until you see the other areas. The original builder was… special.

 

[Michael P]

Waterlilies are NEVER excessive.

 

[Living Tribunal]

Waterlilies are NEVER excessive.

Facts, my new dirty pleasure

 

[WavyGaby]

That’s a good question with a simple answer: this is our dream home. While the outdoor areas were (still are) a jungle, the interior is immaculate and incredibly unique. The expensive guys and hardscaping outside had already been completed as well.

This home and especially backyard could truly end up special if I keep at it. I haven’t paid a single landscaper, yard worker, or plumber yet and don’t intend on ever doing so. I’d also lie if I said I didn’t enjoy it.

I remember my dad throwing away 50 pre bonsai stumps in buckets when I was 18, 15 years ago. He told me at that time “when you have your own home, you can have all of that again”.

Now we’re here . I love uncovering all of the unique species like Japanese quince, Japanese plum, and cestrum, Turks cap, and nearly 100 himenoclis (don’t know how to properly spell it, won’t try, I just know it goes for $50 a bulb) popping up.

It looks like a beautiful property. Best regards!

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

You should organise a dig your own tree meeting where people can search for trees on your property they like and dig them out for a small fee.