Hello and Thanks!

[treeline]

I’ve lurked here for years and figured it was time to finally start contributing a little after everything this site has given me. The inspiration and knowledge I've gained from the work posted here over the years has been really meaningful and I hope I can add something to the conversation.

Although I'm not new to bonsai, I very much consider myself a beginner. I started working with Ivan Watters as a teen back in the 90s and then took a fifteen-year break from 2004 to 2019. Just before COVID hit my spouse gently nudged me back into bonsai by encouraging me to buy a pretty unremarkable willow leaf ficus. I've loved every minute since.

I am an avid yamadori collector and lover of wild places. One of my most ambitious bonsai goals is to communicate the range of emotions I experience exploring the deserts and mountains of the Great Basin – a spectacular and underappreciated part of the globe.

Thanks for everything and hello!

And just to keep in the spirit of things, here's a before and after of that unremarkable ficus that restarted it all.

 

[shohin_branches]

Welcome! I have a somewhat similar path, I started as a teen, fell away from club meetings in my early 20's, and rejoined in 2019. When I got a house my collection really exploded.

That's a really nice willow leaf ficus you've built! How tall is it? I have an idea based on leaf size but I want to know how off I am.

 

[treeline]

Thanks for the kind words @shohin_branches. So true that staying put and having a backyard makes indulging the bonsai impulse much easier. I’m very impressed by the folks that have managed to maintain really nice collections despite multiple moves!

And to answer your question, that little tree is around 7 inches from the top of the pot — depending on how recently I’ve trimmed it. Shohin is hard!

 

[defra]

Good progres on your ficus and welcome

 

[Colorado]

Welcome, and nice ficus!

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Welcome Aboard BonsaiNut! Looks like you have a good start.

Lots of yamadori in your neck of the woods.

Looking forward to seeing your future posts.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[just.wing.it]

One of my favorite tropical species.
Just curious as to your method of shaping...
I see it's wired up, and hedged.
Have you primarily been using the hedging method?

 

[treeline]

Thanks for the compliments and the warm welcome everybody. This reception makes me feel like I should’ve started posting sooner!

@just.wing.it It’s definitely a fun species to work with. This one has endured some pretty poor treatment over the years and kept on going, which counts for a lot. I haven’t hedged it yet, but have experimented with leaf cutting, which might be what you’re picking up on in that photo.

 

[just.wing.it]

Thanks for the compliments and the warm welcome everybody. This reception makes me feel like I should’ve started posting sooner!

@just.wing.it It’s definitely a fun species to work with. This one has endured some pretty poor treatment over the years and kept on going, which counts for a lot. I haven’t hedged it yet, but have experimented with leaf cutting, which might be what you’re picking up on in that photo.

Oh, yep, indeed.
Nice work!

 

[namnhi]

Hello and you're welcome. I liked your ficus.

 

[treeline]

Thanks @namnhi. It feels like it's coming along slow and steady after some early stumbles. I sometimes wonder how it would look if it had really high heat and humidity like in Houston. Probably pretty different!

 

[namnhi]

Thanks @namnhi. It feels like it's coming along slow and steady after some early stumbles. I sometimes wonder how it would look if it had really high heat and humidity like in Houston. Probably pretty different!

They probably a bit bigger than what you have now. I have quite a few going on in my backyard now. I might grow more of them as they are somewhat easier to grow here and I want to be the source of these in the next few years.
Here are a few I got going on from the cutting I started probably 5 years ago.

 

[treeline]

Those are looking chunky for only 5 years!