Face choice need advice

[jaco94]

Hello everyone ,
Before starting the ligature wire if it is necessary, I hesitate between 3 possibilities of face for this juniper.
I like photo 1, but the ten jin is not visible .
Opinions, do not hesitate.
Thank you very much .


Photo 1




Photo 2




Photo 3

 

[TomB]

1

 

[Graft]

1. I don't think it needs the top jin. It looks great without it. If not 1. then 3 if keeping the jin is a must.

 

[sorce]

1 with the left upward moving jin gone.

Sorce

 

[jaco94]

@TomB, @ Graft, @ sorce, thank you very much for your advices gentlemen.

@ Graft, you are right the ten jin is not really necessary, the face of photo 1 is a little more interesting because the tree is more "dynamic".

@ sorce, it is a very good suggestion to remove this jin , not at a good place , and "too much jin kills the jin"

Maybe in the future photo 2 could become an other possibility if i move back to the right the lower branch and move a few branches .
Thanks again for your comments.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I'm disturbed by the narrow constricted looking trunk right at the base where the nebari should start. What view gives you a wider base? I would try about 45 off view number 3. But none of your fronts give the tree a stable base. The reverse taper is disturbing.

 

[River's Edge]

Agree with Leo, explore 45 degree counter clockwise and use wedge to adjust planting angle to maximize width at base. Would also consider removing the larger chunkier portion of the top jin.
Difficult to judge from photos but I am not sold on any of the views presented so far.

 

[jaco94]

@leo in NE Illinois, @ River's Edge, thanks for the comments.

You are right, the nebari is not the strong point of this juniper and this is visually accentuated by the curling of the trunk which creates a thickness just above the nebari.

The angle of view with the best nebari is photo 1.
Little by little with each repotting, by very lightly scraping the substrate around the nebari for a few millimeters, the base of the tree will appear more stable and the visual rendering will improve in my humble opinion.

Here are two photos, I removed a little bit of substrate just for the photo and to show what I want to do gradually during the next repotting.





Maybe this one , but actually it reminds me too much " Pac - man "



Two others angles not good for me .

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Tilt it to the right so the soil level would run along the red line, and let’s eee the whole tree from this planting angle.

 

[Bnana]

That might be a great improvement. That way you loose the "beer belly".

 

[Underdog]

1 with the left upward moving jin gone.

Sorce

ditto

 

[Underdog]

Tilt it to the right so the soil level would run along the red line, and let’s eee the whole tree from this planting angle.
View attachment 338020

I like this idea too

 

[jaco94]

@Brian Van Fleet, I think that's a great idea you have and thank you for it.

Here is the tilted tree



And with a virtual

 

[jaco94]

In this new position, much better because we hide the weak point do you think that it will later be necessary to break the symmetry of the vegetation, which is too round by replacing a few branches in the direction indicated by the arrows?



Thank you very much for the advice and opinions.

 

[River's Edge]

Nice improvement to mask the inversion and also place the tree at a proper level in the pot.

 

[thatguy]

The angled planting is great too because it gives the tree some directionality immediately starting at the soil line...rather than the straight up pose it was in previously. Much more dynamic and interesting.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

That’s what I would do. Next spring, when you repot; if you make this change, I would scuff up the bark on the underside below that Jin, and make sure it is buried. It will produce some roots and eventually increase the width on that right side.

 

[Adair M]

Meanwhile, clean off all the hanging foliage on the branches. Shimpaku should have foliage above the structural branches, not below it. Right now, it’s too ‘puffy’. Here is how the foliage should look:



See how you can see the little woody twigs under the pads? And how the foliage sits on top of the pads, and none is hanging below? That’s how they should be.

Here’s a picture of a wild mountain juniper:



Can you see how all the foliage is above the supporting branch? And none is below?

That’s what you want.

 

[jaco94]

A big thank you to all for the interest shown and for the invaluable help which will most certainly allow this small juniper to progress.

 

[clem]

hello Jaco94, those front views aren't good ?