Golden Pacific junipers

[Pigskin Pete]

Been playing with these two junipers. I'm not sure but think the scientific name is juniperus conferta. They are sold at my local nursery as golden pacific junis. They seem to lend themselves to a typical S shape.

Here's the first.


Here's the second.

I'm not sure what to expect out of these. The branching and foliage seems to be ropey and leggy. I'm going to see if regular pruning to the silhouette helps develop some ramification or density.

 

[Esolin]

Confertas are slow growers, and very slow to bulk up. I saw one in a local show that had a 2-inch trunk, and I was supremely jealous. I think it came out of a landscape and was decades old. I've had some Blue Pacifics in grow pots for 5 years and they're still little better than glorified pencils. They are definitely a long game species in my book, but a unique challenge.

 

[Pigskin Pete]

I hear you on the trunk issue. The few that I've sat and studied all seem to have that pencil-like trunk with the additional "character" of lacking taper.

On the tree above, I left a little sacrifice branch near the base of the trunk but it is so tiny and ropy it might not have the desired thickening effect over time.

 

[Esolin]

A low sacrifice branch should certainly help. Another possible option (which I inadvertently discovered) might be shari creation. A few years back I'd read that scaring the trunk could help create taper in bonsai, so I cut two vertical 1 inch slits in the trunk to see what would happen. The Pacific Juniper protested by dying on that side of the trunk up to the first bend. I hadn't been going for shari, but it does add some interest to the trunk, and may help it widen there over time as the live vein fans out. We shall see.

 

[Pigskin Pete]

A few years back I'd read that scaring the trunk could help create taper in bonsai, so I cut two vertical 1 inch slits in the trunk to see what would happen.

View attachment 547334

Can you say about how old this shari is?

 

[Esolin]

Probably three years. Maybe four. Certainly not more than five. I haven't had this plant much longer than that.

 

[Deleted member 47471]

few years back I'd read that scaring the trunk could help create taper in bonsai

When I want to scare my trees, I sneak up on them and suddenly scream