Ooops. My madrone tree played a trick on me.

[iant]

Two years ago my mom moved into a new house in Santa Rosa, CA and there was a woody tree in the front that had thin red peeling bark and waxy green ovate leaves and my mom and I both assumed it was a pacific madrone. So I lifted it 2 springs ago and brought it to my place. It stayed in this huge clump of clay/soil untouched for the first year and then I repotted it last spring. I was feeling pretty smug to be one of the first or only people to have ever successfully transplanted a pacific madrone of more than 2" trunk diameter.



It finally got some steam going this winter/spring. When it put out a huge bloom I realized my mistake.



Ooops. Welcome to my new Rhododendrum...

Ian

 

[JudyB]

Hah! That's funny Iant. So now you get bonus flowers...

 

[PaulH]

Darn! I love madrone trees but have never seen one as bonsai. I was hoping.

 

[elliott]

it's common material in Europe. You can find many varieties in nurseries here. Some have realy nice bark with small leaves and tiny fruit. I have one that will be awesome soon. The owner of the nursery is letting me make payments on it and I forgot the cultivars name, but the leaves are 1/3 the usual size and extra mature looking bark.
They are commonly known as strawbery trees. Arbutus is the blatin name. I have seen some great stock at nurseries believe it or not. I wish the oaks and pines at regular nurseries were as suited for bonsai as the strawberry trees.
Good luck