Dwarfs?

[eferguson1974]

I recently found what Id guess are dwarf bougainvillea, with way smaller leaves and flowers. Also at the same nursery I got a small veriagated jade. Its leaves are smaller than the normal green ones. They wouldnt sell the mother plant, which would make a great bonsai. Does it need special treatment than the green ones? I got 4 mini bougainvilleas and hope at least one will be ok for bonsai. Theyre fairly thick for how short they are. Mostly I want to post them because theyre new to me and maybe others havent ever seen one or the other. Anything special to do for either species since they seem to be dwarfs? Thanks for advice or ideas for them....the jade I'd like to keep small, and being veriagated it probably grows slow anyway. Idk about the bogies, how fast they grow, so any info would be great for either species. Thanks again for help and for looking..

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Your variegated "jade" is most likely a standard "Portulacaria afra" which isn't really a jade, but very similar. I have some in hanging baskets, and you might be surprised at the growth. Mine easily growth 12"+ in a year. I just trimmed four baskets (of mixed succulents) and threw out half a garbage can of trimmings.

 

[Anthony]

Eric,

bnut is correct, that is Portulacaria a, and you can find exceptional examples on-line.
Your dwarf bougainvilleas, can get trunks over 18" with a little time and have lots of personality.

Image below - K's nephew for size, and K dug it up with a simple shovel, when a tractor
and rope couldn't budge it. The owner wanted it junked.
No one knows where it will go to next
Good Day
Anthony

Pink Pixie

 

[eferguson1974]

Thanks guys! I figured the jade to be p afra, and its one of two I've seen, the other being the mother and "not for sale" which will change. Are veriagated versiones common up there? Or in the succulents world? I have some but not really a collection.
Thanks Anthony. Do you think a colander full of gravel on top of a full bucket of organic garden soil is a good idea for the bougainvilleas or should the just go in the ground a couple years? I have 4 plus a nice collection of every version I find. White, red, veriagated with purple and pink bracts, orange, yellow and more, mostly to plant just inside my fence. In a couple years it should be a nice looking, nearly imposible to crossing fence. A couple dwarfs would look good on the sides of the gate. Anyway what I really wanted to know is if they are ok for bonsai, and you answered my question.

 

[Anthony]

Eric,

can offer no advice, K doesn't really like how the colour fades in the Bougainvillea, and there are only a few around in small pots.
His time in Philly, made him an azalea lover.
Best of growing.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[eferguson1974]

Thanks Anthony. Do you guys have veriagated azalias? I see them roadside and have considered asking for cuttings. These are big plants/bushes, not dwarfs. Any idea how they do as bonsai?

 

[just.wing.it]

I've been seeing the variegated p. afra all over the place this year.
Home Depot for example.
They're pretty cool looking I think.

 

[Anthony]

Eric,

only the coarse,[ probably what grows in south of Miami,] azaleas will grow. We have purple, red and pink.
More as decorative shrubs.
We have so many possibles, that it will take years to test and sort out.

Found an edible guava that has small leaves, as usual testing. Let you know in about 3 years.
Keep the faith.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

The dwarf Portularia afra is moderately common, you don't see them all the time, but every couple years they are on the market in quantity. and as cheap as regula4 P. afra.

Bougie = the pixie series of hybrids are dwarf, and grow relatively quick, not as quick as standard, but as Anthony says, in good conditions, 12 inches a year is not unusual.

In general, if you stumble across a dwarf version of a species normally good for bonsai, check the label for growth rate. If it grows more than 3 inches a year, you probably can use it for bonsai.

Some conifers, especially pine and spruce, there are excellent dwarfs and terrible dwarfs for bonsai. If they grow less than 1 inch a year most people won't live long enough to turn them into bonsai. For conifers, ideally a growth rate between 4 and 12 inches per year (10 to 30 cm per yr) would be ideal. Very fast growing cultivars can be hard to keep on top of, fast growers will be coarse. Slower than 3 inches and it may take years or even decades to fill out after a hard pruning.

The very slowest growing Hinoki, Chamaecyparis, cultivars you don't prune them much at all to style them. Just wire. Because it takes forever to grow any new foliage to fill in gaps. There are ''normal'' Hinoki cultivars, like 'Wilamette' that wil grow 12 inches a year. These you can be aggressive removing foliage, because they will grow quickly.

So I'm in the cold north, and only have one small Bougie, observe how your dwarfs grow, and adjust how you style them based on their growth rate. If you are aggressive with a slow grower, allow longer recovery time between pruning.

 

[ColinFraser]

Some people seem to really like the dwarf bougies, but there's something about their growth habit that just bugs me. I think it's the tendency to grow single long straight shoots with foliage arranged tightly all around, like the puffed up tail of a scared cat! It's just not at all "tree-like" and forcing them to bifurcate and ramify will be a challenge.

 

[Anthony]

Thanks for the warning [ @ColinFraser ] Colin

- Wow - bifurcate ------------------ first time - prima volta ----------- had to look it up in my pocket Oxford Dictionary

bifurcate - have or divide into two branches [v ] - bifurcation [ n ]

Amazing you look like a musketeer and speak Latin [ furco - fork ]
Keep em coming.
Best wishes.
Good Day
Anthony