"Seattle Elm"

[Brian Van Fleet]

I visited Bonsai Northwest in Seattle when my wife and I were visiting her dad in Gig Harbor back in 1997. I bought a corkbark Chinese Elm and pot, and wired it out. This is the earliest photo I can find; from around 1998. I sold it 10-12 years ago, but did start some root cuttings at some point, which have been in the ground, mostly ignored with the occasionally dig and chop.
The parent tree:

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

From the root cuttings, I made these...so they're 3rd generation to the Seattle elm, also been ignored in the ground, but chopped much lower for movement. These will make good shohin over time. Here's the first. Prior root work done in 2013, and back in the ground for 2 years, and potted up yesterday. 6" tall, 6" spread.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Here is the second. More taper, less movement. Reduced again after the photo to about 5". In an 11" training pot:

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Coming along...

 

[M. Frary]

They do get some girthy roots in the ground! More root cuttings Brian?

 

[fredtruck]

Nice progression. The last one shows potential for conveying an impression of real size.

 

[JudyB]

Nice to see what patience can do...

 

[discusmike]

I hope my root cuttings turn out that well,nice work Brian.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Update, and next year's pot...Koyo.

 

[JudyB]

Ahh so that's the lucky tree. Should be a beautiful combo! That tree is looking good Brian.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

This was in the 3-year time capsule, but got a good shot today and thought it was worth updating the tread...

 

[Deleted member 21616]

love that koyo!

 

[Bananaman]

Nice all around image. That stand works well with that pot.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Night shot for fun. The ramification is starting to look very natural.

 

[MACH5]

Fantastic work Bri. And all from scratch!

 

[bonsaichile]

Night shot for fun. The ramification is starting to look very natural.
View attachment 222485

Beautiful tree!

 

[coh]

Nice work, that lower movement is very dramatic. I like the fact that you kind of let it go after that first chop (as opposed to chop chop chop which would result in the standard multiple
L/R/L/R predictable trunk bends)

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

In 2019, after the super cold snap we had, this tree lost several branches in the middle section of the tree. I planted it in the ground behind one of the benches, and it survived. In ‘19-’20 it grew quite a bit, but I was hopeful I could still get it back into a shohin container.

After I rebuilt the benches, I had to rework the irrigation system, and the guy I use always does a fantastic job. He is a perfectionist. Yesterday, I went to dig it up and see what I had to work with. It wasn’t there (this photo shows it still in the ground, circled in red). The quince to the left was there, so was the stewartia on the right.

The tree isn’t particularly special, but it does actually represent the tree I’ve owned the longest, the parent tree goes back to 1996 with me. So, I started looking around the bed, and poking around in the bushes, just on the chance my irrigation guy dug it up not knowing what it was, and chucked it. Well, I found the stupid thing. X marks the spot where I found it.

3 full weeks laying in the bushes, nearly bare-rooted, after snow, and temps down into the low teens. So I planted it again in the ground, and we’ll see what lives. Pretty sure it won’t be a shohin anymore, and really likely I’ll be remaking all the branches. But so far, it’s alive.

 

[Carol 83]

In 2019, after the super cold snap we had, this tree lost several branches in the middle section of the tree. I planted it in the ground behind one of the benches, and it survived. In ‘19-’20 it grew quite a bit, but I was hopeful I could still get it back into a shohin container.

After I rebuilt the benches, I had to rework the irrigation system, and the guy I use always does a fantastic job. He is a perfectionist. Yesterday, I went to dig it up and see what I had to work with. It wasn’t there (this photo shows it still in the ground, circled in red). The quince to the left was there, so was the stewartia on the right.

The tree isn’t particularly special, but it does actually represent the tree I’ve owned the longest, the parent tree goes back to 1996 with me. So, I started looking around the bed, and poking around in the bushes, just on the chance my irrigation guy dug it up not knowing what it was, and chucked it. Well, I found the stupid thing. X marks the spot where I found it.
View attachment 357524
3 full weeks laying in the bushes, nearly bare-rooted, after snow, and temps down into the low teens. So I planted it again in the ground, and we’ll see what lives. Pretty sure it won’t be a shohin anymore, and really likely I’ll be remaking all the branches. But so far, it’s alive.
View attachment 357526
View attachment 357525

Apparently that tree really has a will to live, best of luck with it.