Newbies - want to share your trees?

[Deep Sea Diver]

Cool! What did you use for your media for on the contest? Be ready to prune and prune and prune
Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Clorgan]

Group foto of this years additions last year I thought I could start with sticks in pots. But after a trip to Japan I made my first purchase at the Trophy (west Europes biggest bonsai event), that was the big satsuki, soon followed by the Carpinus betulus, Magnolia liliflora, Acer campestre, another satsuki and my favourite the Styrax japonica.

View attachment 317925

Great collection there!!!

 

[R0b]

Great collection there!!!

thanks
For some reason I don’t manage to buy coniferous trees. In part due to my partner having a real prefer for them. She is into bonsai longer so I leave those to her. Next one probably a Pseudocydonia. But that would be next year for budget reasons.

 

[Clorgan]

thanks
For some reason I don’t manage to buy coniferous trees. In part due to my partner having a real prefer for them. She is into bonsai longer so I leave those to her. Next one probably a Pseudocydonia. But that would be next year for budget reasons.

Yeah to be honest I much prefer deciduous, just appeal more to me! I do have a juniper I'm working on. Nice that you're both into bonsai, something to enjoy together

 

[R0b]

Yeah to be honest I much prefer deciduous, just appeal more to me! I do have a juniper I'm working on. Nice that you're both into bonsai, something to enjoy together

It is all her fault visiting bonsai nurseries in Japan with me. I am still more in orchids but that is mostly horticultural where bonsai also has the creative part.

 

[Vali]

I haven't received any notifications from this thread for a while, so I thought I'd better do something about it
So here it is...my juniper, or who knows what. I was pruning my deciduous today and didn't know what to do to this guy. I looked at it and started cutting shoots in hope of making it backbud closer to the trunk.
After cutting the first one or two branches, seeing it so ugly, I remembered Walter Pall saying somewhere that if people say your tree looks ugly after pruning, you did a good job. So...I wonder, is this good enough?!

 

[Clorgan]

Visited my home town yesterday, decided to get some cuttings from a weeping willow in the park I loved as a kid. I know they're a nightmare, but I thought it could be nice to have a piece of my childhood in my garden... So soppy and sentimental

They're currently sat under the caravan! My fella can't get away from the plant life, not even on holiday

 

[Vali]

Visited my home town yesterday, decided to get some cuttings from a weeping willow in the park I loved as a kid. I know they're a nightmare, but I thought it could be nice to have a piece of my childhood in my garden... So soppy and sentimental

They're currently sat under the caravan! My fella can't get away from the plant life, not even on holiday

I like weeping willows very much. But I like caravans more. Just dreaming for now...

 

[Clorgan]

I like weeping willows very much. But I like caravans more. Just dreaming for now...

I seen so many posts saying they're a nightmare as bonsai, but I thought it'd be fun (and obviously free) to try! We love the caravan, it's my parents but we've nicked it for a few days

 

[RJG2]

A couple new ones for me.

$18 San Jose Juniper from the Homeless Despot, with immediate bare root repot in the middle of July (I know, I know, but it was cheap - if it dies, it dies).

Not the best species I've read, but I don't have any Junipers, and it looked interesting. Obviously not touching it until next year -







And a privet that was escaping the hedge that my wife asked me to dig up. I didn't do the chops, that was the hedge trimmer man the neighbor hired. I'll have to go lower next year when it recovers -

 

[uxb666]

Hi, completely new to Bonsai. Going through the tons of videos out there to learn "how to". So bizarre in that I never considered getting into Bonsai until I was gifted two trees. Now I'm super excited to take this on. The Maple (type?) I'm not sure where to go with it, so any tips would be really appreciated. The juniper seems like is on it's way. I have a Jade with a funky trunk that may be a good candidate for making into a Bonsai. More things to do in the Covid era.

T

 

[Vali]

Hi, completely new to Bonsai. Going through the tons of videos out there to learn "how to". So bizarre in that I never considered getting into Bonsai until I was gifted two trees. Now I'm super excited to take this on. The Maple (type?) I'm not sure where to go with it, so any tips would be really appreciated. The juniper seems like is on it's way. I have a Jade with a funky trunk that may be a good candidate for making into a Bonsai. More things to do in the Covid era.

T

Keep watching videos, reading articles, opinions on forums, keep researching and you will find multiple points of view. That's a good thing. Think about them all and choose which advice to take. Or, take them all. I took bad advice before but it didn't cost me much because I started with very cheap material. There are more ways to do bonsai, you just have to choose the one that suits you. Style your trees the way you like. Just use your imagination and you might be happier with a mediocre tree that you designed than with a great one on which others told you what to cut. Be proud of your mediocre tree...it's not a contest, just a hobby.
This is just my point of view.

 

[Theo Smith]

Hi all,

Definite newb to the practice but, I’ve been a gardening hobbyist for years. Here’s my latest addition to my collection. Conocarpus Erectus - Green Buttonwood. Just picked her up yesterday from Dragon Tree Nursery in Palm City, Florida. I‘ve been calling her my Acai Button-Bowl in honor of Hurricane Isaiaiaiaiah which is off our coast right now. She needs a little clean up (black soot) but nothing major. I’m thinking about a windswept styling with some deadwood after she’s cleaned up. Any thoughts, opinions or advice?

 

[Colorado]

Here’s the tree from post #96. Itoigawa. This is its initial styling. Here’s the before, this is a small tree:

Wired up:

The apex definitely needs work and I barely pruned the first branch to gain strength. Next time. These tiny little shohin are not easy to wire!

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Hi all,

Definite newb to the practice but, I’ve been a gardening hobbyist for years. Here’s my latest addition to my collection. Conocarpus Erectus - Green Buttonwood. Just picked her up yesterday from Dragon Tree Nursery in Palm City, Florida. I‘ve been calling her my Acai Button-Bowl in honor of Hurricane Isaiaiaiaiah which is off our coast right now. She needs a little clean up (black soot) but nothing major. I’m thinking about a windswept styling with some deadwood after she’s cleaned up. Any thoughts, opinions or advice?

Welcome Aboard! Looking forward to seeing what you make of your Buttonwood.
Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Squirrel7t7]

I thought it could be fun to make a thread where beginners post their trees...I already have five (four nursery stock, one chinese elm) that I'm hoping will survive to learn on. Nothing I would consider to be good material by most people's standards on here, but I will have fun with them all the same and I'm enjoying learning how to look after them

Us newbies will likely not have the knowledge to advise each other - but at least we can share! Maybe some of the more experienced can chip in with thoughts and point out all the daft mistakes we're making...Someone may spot a problem that we hadn't noticed or knew existed - I'm sure that will be the case for at least one of mine (iffy leaves on hazel? )

Maybe if we're all posting pretty sub-par trees together, this will give us the confidence to keep sharing and learning! Would also be cool to see how we progress and improve our skills.

(Sorry if a thread like this already exists - couldn't see one though).

If any are going to survive it will be the chinese elm. Your probably going to learn more from that one than any other too because they grow so fast...I started about 3 yrs ago with similar plants to the ones you have here..Have you seen the Azalea flower yet?..They look amazing in spring

 

[Clorgan]

If any are going to survive it will be the chinese elm. Your probably going to learn more from that one than any other too because they grow so fast...I started about 3 yrs ago with similar plants to the ones you have here..Have you seen the Azalea flower yet?..They look amazing in spring

I still have all of these except the azalea, gave it to my mother in law for her garden. Here's the others, and a different azalea I got for the 5 year contest, you should check that out if you haven't already

The elm is what it is, definitely learning a lot from it! May air layer it in years to come, but for now I'm enjoying it!

 

[dtreesj]

My first wiring. I immediately regretted starting with a portulacaria as my first wiring without practicing, but I got it done. A little wire and repot for the Jacaranda, roots look super healthy, placed it in an air pruning pot.

 

[Elihatt]

My first tree that lasted more than a summer, have had it 3-4 years now

 

[Hartinez]

Here’s the tree from post #96. Itoigawa. This is its initial styling. Here’s the before, this is a small tree:
View attachment 320406View attachment 320407
Wired up:
View attachment 320408
The apex definitely needs work and I barely pruned the first branch to gain strength. Next time. These tiny little shohin are not easy to wire!

Hey @Colorado ! This is a great little tree!! If I may give some unsolicited advice.

This tree is very healthy and could easily use a complete styling. I’m talking trunk to tip. Maybe not every tip, but don’t be shy. Spend 3+ hrs with as small of gauge copper or aluminum wire as you’ve got and really do your best to establish a layout. Focus and be deliberate with your wraps and how each branch will layout and rotate. Go in to each branch with a clear idea of your going to wrap it and where your going to place it. You may end up changing that plan but it’s good to start somewhere.
When wiring ultra thin or non woody juniper foliage, I don’t actually wrap the wire tight. I start right at the trunk then slowly create sort of a cage as I get further out, wrapping the foliage enough to move it one way or another. This way I can start to guide new growth tips with out damaging supple growth.
I would also consider thinnin out the apex a bit more and leaving more of the foliage on the lower branches.
I would also consider cleaning your deadwood and live tissue thoroughly before wiring, it’ll help your final image when your done!
Really really though, you’ve got a great little tree here and I feel like I’ve seen you on here enough and have seen enough of your ability to spot good trees and of your other work for you to really give this one a go. Just take your time! After 9 years I just now feel like I’m getting the hang of wiring and complete initial stylings of juniper. In my first 2/3 years I’d “fully style” a juniper in 30 minutes and wonder what wasn’t right. I didn’t quite understand why guys in videos would take 3+ hrs on one tree! I fully get it now. Either way, be confident in your skills and be deliberate! Great tree and great start!