First attempt at windswept juniper

[GSCarlson]

I bought this juniper last fall and brought it in yesterday from its winter hibernation in my garage. I hope it survives what I have done to it. I only paid $3 for it as a practice piece, b ut now I am kind of fond of it. Any styling suggestions/critiques would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MauroUna]

Man! You went for it!

Not meaning to offend, but I'd cross my fingers for its survival.

That said, windswept is a tough style, and you did well considering the material!

 

[Wilson]

Best thing now would be to let it heal, and hopefully recover. Not to much harsh sun or heavy fertilizers. I hope it turns out well for you, they all have potential if you enjoy the tree.

 

[Potawatomi13]

LOTS OF LUCK. Unless meant to stay minute should never have put in tiny pot and combined with whack job survival is very iffy.

 

[sorce]

whack job

Somebody called me?

Sorce

 

[Cypress187]

Yeah, that's not 1/3 i approximate, maybe graft it back on .

 

[Underdog]

Follow up in a month or two and show us what happens pleze.

 

[GSCarlson]

Update photo: She is still alive and growing. I lost the top most branch when I had it in the sun on a warm winter day. I'm not surprised, though. It was pretty weak. I haven't done much to it, other than rewire and reduce the jin a little.

 

[Eric Group]

Update photo: She is still alive and growing. I lost the top most branch when I had it in the sun on a warm winter day. I'm not surprised, though. It was pretty weak. I haven't done much to it, other than rewire and reduce the jin a little.

View attachment 99298

Looks like a Sargent Juniper to me! Coarse growth compared to Shimpaku, but tough as nails... Looks pretty cool man! I'd use bigger wire and bend that main branch harder (NEXT year..)... Get a nice wiggle in it instead of that bow shape... Three dimensional bends- front, back and side to side!

Let it recover for now, even wiring is a stress the tree shouldn't be going through just a month after a big repot!

 

[Adair M]

Update photo: She is still alive and growing. I lost the top most branch when I had it in the sun on a warm winter day. I'm not surprised, though. It was pretty weak. I haven't done much to it, other than rewire and reduce the jin a little.

View attachment 99298

Well, you didn't kill it!

Your first image is actually a better "windswept" image than the latest one is. Why? It now "droops". The first image has the branches being blowing out horizontal. Rather than drooping.

The loss of that top foliage is actually an improvement. Can you bend that top Jin a bit to bend into a curve that follows the wind?

I particularly like the curve you put into the bottom branch of your first image. Can you do that again? Do both branches the same way. (If your first image had the tip end of the upper branch blowing out more, rather than the little droop it had, it would have been even better).

Remove any green below the brown branch. Any growth growing straight up spoils the image. Either trim it off, or detail wire it to move with the wind. I suggest getting some size 20 and 22 gauge copper wire.

Windswept is very difficult to pull off effectively, and difficult to maintain. Yours is actually pretty good!

 

[GSCarlson]

Thanks for all the advices. Much work to do.

 

[boguz]

In the first picture, trunk seems thicker, i guess jin makes the trunk seem thinner. But it looked nice anyway to me, good luck

 

[Adair M]

In the first picture, trunk seems thicker, i guess jin makes the trunk seem thinner. But it looked nice anyway to me, good luck

There was wire on the trunk.

 

[GSCarlson]

I'm not sure where I am going with this Juniper, but for now it's turning into a windswepty- semi-cascadie style. I'm thinking of throwing in some literati influence too.

 

[Wilson]

Lookin good! It reminds me of a Tommy Thompson painting.

 

[GSCarlson]

My juniper almost died from spider mites last fall and mold over the winter. But it pulled through. I haven't touched it this summer and maybe next year I will do some styling.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

You need to wire it - every last little branch. It is starting to grow away from you. It will actually benefit from having those foliage clumps opened up.

 

[GSCarlson]

You need to wire it - every last little branch. It is starting to grow away from you. It will actually benefit from having those foliage clumps opened up.

Ok, you talked me into it!

 

[music~maker]

You need to wire it - every last little branch. It is starting to grow away from you. It will actually benefit from having those foliage clumps opened up.

Agreed, and I'd probably prune off that one dangling branch (literally, just that one) so that the tree redirects its efforts upward and inward. Then let it continue to grow, and sometime mid-next season, maybe do a light trim to a canopy and then let it run for another season or so. Mostly let it grow, but gradually guide it in the direction you want.

 

[GSCarlson]

Well, I loosely wired the main branches in order to spread things out for air and light. At this point it is looking less and less like a windswept style, but I was never dead set on that anyway. We will see..