Eastern white pine bonsai, I've got it!

[0soyoung]

The literati EWP I was thinking of is at the Chicago Botanic Garden, not the NC Arboretum. The NC Arboretum's literati is easy to find in Google images - it can also be found in Arthur Joura's IBC thread to which coh provided a link.

 

[Txhorticulture]

The cool thing about white pines (there are a bunch) is that they are very promiscuous with one another. Pretty much any white pine will pollinate another and make fertile offspring. Pines are generally very 'outbreeding' they do not like to self pollinate at all.

There are all kinds of hybrids in cultivation if you look in catalogs, arboreta, botanical gardens. With so much diversity there is bound to be a suitable JWP alternative other than plain old strobus.

Is there an arboreta around you with JWP. If there is another white pine species nearby you can collect some cones youll probably get yourself a little hybrid pine.

 

[GGB]

I live an hour away from an incredible bonsai nursery but

The cool thing about white pines (there are a bunch) is that they are very promiscuous with one another. Pretty much any white pine will pollinate another and make fertile offspring. Pines are generally very 'outbreeding' they do not like to self pollinate at all.

There are all kinds of hybrids in cultivation if you look in catalogs, arboreta, botanical gardens. With so much diversity there is bound to be a suitable JWP alternative other than plain old strobus.

Is there an arboreta around you with JWP. If there is another white pine species nearby you can collect some cones youll probably get yourself a little hybrid pine.

I live an hour away from an incredible bonsai nursery but finding JWP nearby usually means buying a very large (6'?) tree

 

[GGB]

I just wish EWP behaved well. They are by far the most abundant pine in my area.

If you want a native pine go for pitch pine. I've also been told that table mountain pines, Pinus pungens, can make fine bonsai but I have never seen one You are also on the northern edge of the natural range for Virginia pine.

OH DAMN! I totally forgot I've been trying to pick up a Pinus pungens! I found one site that sells em but who knows how they"ll show up

 

[Txhorticulture]

I live an hour away from an incredible bonsai nursery but finding JWP nearby usually means buying a very large (6'?) tree

I wasn't suggesting you buy the tree go to an arboretum that has some fanCy white pine cultivars, take a cone from a few (you're probably late this year) I'd look for a jwp near a different white pine species, like strobiformis or ayacahuite

Regular jwp is a relatively small slow growing pine. strobus, strobiformis, both much faster. Ayacahuite (eye-yahk-ah-we-tay) is very fast aND surprisingly hardy considering it's from southern mexico.

Anyway growing pines from seed is an exercise in patience. You may not be interested in that. But it can be fun and interesting. Especially when you don't really know what you're gonna get.

 

[GGB]

I wasn't suggesting you buy the tree go to an arboretum that has some fanCy white pine cultivars, take a cone from a few (you're probably late this year) I'd look for a jwp near a different white pine species, like strobiformis or ayacahuite

Regular jwp is a relatively small slow growing pine. strobus, strobiformis, both much faster. Ayacahuite (eye-yahk-ah-we-tay) is very fast aND surprisingly hardy considering it's from southern mexico.

Anyway growing pines from seed is an exercise in patience. You may not be interested in that. But it can be fun and interesting. Especially when you don't really know what you're gonna get.

Ohh I gotcha, ha funny thing is a scored a single JWP seed from longwood gardens this summer, it was grown next to tons of EWP and countless other pines. All my eggs are in this basket

 

[augustine]

There's always Pinus Strobiformis, Southwestern White Pine. Vigorous and backbuds reliably, really backbuds. The needles can be reduced to 1-1/2 to 2 inches.

Very strong grower.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Here's mine. They are big babies and take much time to recover. They backbud very well, but only after they are healthy. For a pine on which you expect cool bark, they are a waste of your time. Even a 40 year old tree out in the woods still has smooth bark on it. I gathered this tree because the roots and the trunk held some interest. Needle length is an issue, so a good sized tree helps. Good luck.

A wonderful picture of your tree in spring with new growth. The most WONDERFUL time of year! Thank you for that. A good subject you have to work with. Many trees smooth bark have or have for way too long so that is no big deal. If not accepted by others than too bad for them but not for you.

 

[Potawatomi13]

I love (most) everyone on this site or i wouldn't be back pedaling so hard. It was just a simple playful F*** you to something I was told not to try. Like I said I should've worded it differently. I typed it very quickly before work after 3 cups of coffee in 90 minutes. Vance you inspired me greatly with all your mugo work. My mugo muse. I want to find something to pioneer and i got excited and manic. That's all, just overly excited about conifers. It's what I do.

While you may have considered your foul language as playful correct Vance is! Don't use it in what is generally polite company: This website. I for one do not take it well either.

 

[JoeR]

To be honest,

I am a little tired of everybody saying that pitch pine make good bonsai as I have yet to see one pitch pine bonsai that was decent on here.

Just saying.

 

[Txhorticulture]

There's always Pinus Strobiformis, Southwestern White Pine. Vigorous and backbuds reliably, really backbuds. The needles can be reduced to 1-1/2 to 2 inches

If strobiformis is good material then flexilis and ayacahuite should be as well. The three are actually difficult to distinguish especially without seeing cones. Probably all evolved froM a common ancestor

 

[GGB]

I wish I had better sources around to get a hold of some of these pines. I feel like my only option is buying saplings online and growing them out for years.

 

[GGB]

To be honest,

I am a little tired of everybody saying that pitch pine make good bonsai as I have yet to see one pitch pine bonsai that was decent on here.

Just saying.

It might have something to do with them being incredibly new to the bonsai scene. There aren't hundreds of years worth of data and good practices for pinus rigida as bonsai. But I'll admit I haven't seen any that I can remember

 

[JoeR]

It might have something to do with them being incredibly new to the bonsai scene. There aren't hundreds of years worth of data and good practices for pinus rigida as bonsai. But I'll admit I haven't seen any that I can remember

I understand that, but not even one? There should at least be one on here.

 

[jeanluc83]

I am a little tired of everybody saying that pitch pine make good bonsai as I have yet to see one pitch pine bonsai that was decent on here.

I know of one very nice tree that was collected by Nick Lenz.
A picture from the 2009 Mid Atlantic convention can be found here: http://www.sanctuarybonsai.com/gallery.html
About half way down is the same tree: http://www.artofbonsai.org/galleries/lenz.php
The tree is also in Nick's book.

Dan Robinson also has several very nice pitch pine. I have pictures of a few of them but the day I visited his garden was not good for picture taking. If you do a google search you can find some good pictures. There is a picture of one in Gnarly Branches.

They are out there but they are rare. The problem is availability. There are just fewer areas that they can be collected compared to the western pines.

 

[GGB]

Has anyone ever heard of the park in New Jersey where all the pitch pines and junipers are twisted and dwarfed? Apparently there is a 3' forest somewhere in the pine barrens. I'm sure it's illegal to collect but, sweet christ! i read that even the seeds are genetically dwarfed, what a tease

 

[coh]

There's been a few pitch pines in the National Exxhibitions, probably the best one was Martin Schmalenberg's in 2010. Otherwise, I rarely see them. There was an interesting piece of stock that came through the area a couple of years ago, it was an auction piece at one of the National Exhibitions or at Bill V's last symposium (can't recall). What I do remember about it - had a very nice trunk and was backbudding profusely from that old trunk. It was pretty amazing to see that kind of backbudding on a pine.

I'd like to get one to experiment with just for that reason.

Chris

 

[JoeR]

There's been a few pitch pines in the National Exxhibitions, probably the best one was Martin Schmalenberg's in 2010. Otherwise, I rarely see them. There was an interesting piece of stock that came through the area a couple of years ago, it was an auction piece at one of the National Exhibitions or at Bill V's last symposium (can't recall). What I do remember about it - had a very nice trunk and was backbudding profusely from that old trunk. It was pretty amazing to see that kind of backbudding on a pine.

I'd like to get one to experiment with just for that reason.

Chris

I also plan on getting one to see for myself what they are really capable of.

I think that type of backbudding is standard for them. Have you seen the young ones for sale on the FB auctions page? They have tons of low branches .

 

[jeanluc83]

Here are some pictures I took last year when I was collecting pitch pine cones.

 

[Txhorticulture]

I do remember about it - had a very nice trunk and was backbudding profusely from that old trunk

Only a handful of pines do that. Chihuahua pine can actually be coppiced. Thought to be a fire adaptation