Privet Styling / Development Advice

[JYardley]

Hi there. I'm new to the forum, having previously turned to the bonsai forum on reddit for advice

I recently acquired a Chinese privet, I believe a Ligustrum Sinese. I like the trunk shape and thickness but need some advice on developing the branch structure. It was in poor soil so I slip potted it into an inorganic substrate, but have left it alone apart from that.

As you can see from the images, the branches stick straight up at unattractive angles. They're too brittle and thick to wire into a new shape.

My instinct is to choose a new leader and remove the other unwanted branches. Then the privet will hopefully produce new, thinner ones which I can wire into a more desirable shape. Is this a good plan, or should I be trying to work with what I've got?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Depends on what you want?

"When in doubt, grow it out" the additional growth will give you more choices to choose from. I often let a new acquisition grow a year or two on my bench before deciding what to do with it.

My initial thought was, there is the start of an informal broom form in there. That is one possibility. In which case, I would choose 2 to 5 of the branches to become the sub-trunks, then work on ramification from there. This would let you keep a large part of what is already there.

Or you could do an informal upright. Choose a trunk line. Branches, you can keep one or two of the lowest branches, but you might just prune back to just the trunk line. Privet back buds well, you can literally cut off all the branches, keeping just the trunk and get back buds up and down the trunk. Regrow all the branches from scratch.

Go slow, don't jump too quickly. You can take off a little, and later take off more. If you chop back radically you will not be able to glue it back on.

When? Depends on your climate? where in the world is it being grown? Indoors? Outdoors year round? Indoors for winter and outside for summer?

Each answer would change when you should do what.

If your timing is right for your environment, you can defoliate the tree, to get a better look at its structure. Photos of leafless trees are helpful when asking for styling advise. But this is not a species that is routinely defoliated. Once every 5 years or so won't hurt it but not a every year technique.

 

[JYardley]

Woah, thanks for such a detailed answer.

When in doubt, grow it out seems like good advice.
I'm in the UK in Zone 8B. The privet is inside for now in a bright window sill but will be placed outside in the spring.

I like the idea of informal upright more than the broom style, though I feel that a broom would be easier to achieve.

Thanks,