Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’ - styling critique/advice

[UncleTrout]

Hey everyone,

So I’ve been trimming away at this juniper and now am trying to decide where the front will be before I hack away much more..

I had to pivot a couple times as some of the longer leading branches were split half way down, I currently just have them defoliated and might experiment and try to jin them. This is my first juniper so any critique/advice for the future would be appreciated!

Initially I thought picture 3 & 4 would be my front, it’s the way the tree naturally wants to go.. but as I’ve been cleaning it up, it looks like pic 1, 2 also has some nice potential also.. but that branch coming at you is technically a no go, right?

end goal would be a cascade/semi cascade.. for this particular tree I’m happy with trunk size

 

[Matt3839]

Not a critique or advice but this has a similar shape to my procumbens nana. Mine is a bit larger /older nursery stock but I’ll post a photo tomorrow when it gets light out. Maybe you’ll find some value in seeing other ones of similar style.

 

[Nera]

Personally, I also like 1 & 2 as the front view.

 

[Shibui]

It is normally better NOT to have a branch growing straight out at the viewer. Mostly because it gets in the way of seeing the trunk. I don not think that's a deal breaker for 1 and 2 because I do not think that branch has a place in a cascade tree heading the other way.
My view of design is that the whole should be believable. Cascade is a tree growing in adverse conditions. Something - wind, snow, avalanche, etc has made the main trunk grow in one direction. Those same elements would prevent other trunks and branches growing the opposite direction so large branches growing opposite the main trunk just don't look right.
Also be careful with large upright parts on cascade trees. Viewer eyes cannot decide whether to move up or down when there's 2 large opposing foliage masses so it does not look right. From a hort perspective the upper parts generally grow stronger at the expense of the cascade section. Sometimes the cascade weakens enough to die when there's a big top part competing.
That branch would be a prime candidate for jin IMHO

Is that upper branch 1 branch or 2. Seems to be growing forward on both sides?

 

[UncleTrout]

It is normally better NOT to have a branch growing straight out at the viewer. Mostly because it gets in the way of seeing the trunk. I don not think that's a deal breaker for 1 and 2 because I do not think that branch has a place in a cascade tree heading the other way.
My view of design is that the whole should be believable. Cascade is a tree growing in adverse conditions. Something - wind, snow, avalanche, etc has made the main trunk grow in one direction. Those same elements would prevent other trunks and branches growing the opposite direction so large branches growing opposite the main trunk just don't look right.
Also be careful with large upright parts on cascade trees. Viewer eyes cannot decide whether to move up or down when there's 2 large opposing foliage masses so it does not look right. From a hort perspective the upper parts generally grow stronger at the expense of the cascade section. Sometimes the cascade weakens enough to die when there's a big top part competing.
That branch would be a prime candidate for jin IMHO

Is that upper branch 1 branch or 2. Seems to be growing forward on both sides?

Hmm interesting, that explains why I was having a hard time finding a completed bonsai that looked similar to what I had in mind. Most of them, to your point, went one direction.

This branch shooting off to the right does have two branches - here’s some better pics of them. Would you jin both of them? Or trim the one that would be growing more “away” from the front?

 

[bwaynef]

I'd recommend waiting til late summer and putting wire (3x thick aluminum) on it and add lots of movement to the trunk. Also, consider movement that might take the trunk upright.

 

[Matt3839]

here’s mine. Similar bend to the main trunk and overall shape.

I bought it mainly to practice repotting and wiring on but it’s taken all the abuse and misuse I’ve thrown at it and now I’m growing to like it. Needs a rewire and a proper pot though.

 

[Shibui]

This branch shooting off to the right does have two branches - here’s some better pics of them. Would you jin both of them? Or trim the one that would be growing more “away” from the front?

Thought it looked like 2 separate branches. Shows the perils of trying to style from internet photos.
I suspect both branches start way too low to be really useful in the final style but I tend to style slowly so jin one and reduce the other initially. Spend some time considering (and let the tree recover) then make any more adjustments/ reductions next season/next year.

 

[UncleTrout]

My wire came in today and I wanted to try it out. It’s harder than I was expecting!

Posting so one day I can come back and laugh at how bad my wiring is. Only did the two branches on the left for now. Will do some more later.

Decided to work with this as my front for now.