Seven Home Boys

[grouper52]

I’m not very active in my local club - mostly due to club politics and because I have other commitments on the nights they meet - but they have invited me twice now to enter some trees in a small annual “show” they put on in the mall. This year it is next weekend. I offered to enter seven trees, all part of a two-part theme: a) “local” trees from this general part of the country, and B) all personally collected from the wild (5), or dug up out of some “yardadori” situation (2).


Some I just put in their first pot this weekend, others are more established and likely familiar to you. Some, unfortunately, are in Korean mica pots (but good quality ones), because I’ve been downsizing my collection in recent years and many of my best pots have been sold or are on consignment, and because I think the pots are still good enough for a mall show.


Most have their own progression threads on BNut, and I may post the updates there as well later. Some also need a bit more refinement before the show next weekend, but look good enough to post at this point.

Due to image-posting restrictions, they will span two posts. Enjoy.


Shore pine:



Vine maple:



Alaskan yellow cedar:



Rocky Mountain juniper: (may do something more interesting with the upper foliage before the show. )

 

[grouper52]

Mountain hemlock:



Ponderosa pine:



Alpine fir:

 

[grouper52]

Sorry the images turned out too huge to fit on the screen, at least on my laptop. Had to hit Command - to get them to the right size. Sorry, sorry, sorry. hope they can be viewed OK.

 

[JudyB]

Beauties all. That vine maple sure is getting sexy.

 

[Smoke]

They all show quite well.

 

[grouper52]

Beauties all. That vine maple sure is getting sexy.

Hmmm . . . . Always a good idea to keep up with what the women find sexy . . . . . I think I need more Vine maples in my collection . . . "Hey baby, is that your Viiiine maple, or are you just happy to see me?"

Hmmm . . . . ... . . . . . . . . ?

 

[sorce]

I like how the S.P., V.M., and P.P., all have the same baseish!

Wow the fir is looking good! I don't remember seeing it carved? New?

Thanks for sharing!

Sorce

 

[grouper52]

I like how the S.P., V.M., and P.P., all have the same baseish!

Wow the fir is looking good! I don't remember seeing it carved? New?

Thanks for sharing!

Sorce

Thanks for your kind words.

The baseish (??? - great word, I think) represents my political evolution: Started off grounded to the Right, then an adolescent dalliance to the Left, and now establishing mature growth in the Center-Right. Or something like that.

No, the fir has been like that for years, partly carved, partly bugs and rot. Here's the link: http://www.bonsainut.com/index.php?threads/alpine-fir-another-beat-up-old-thing.2653/

Enjoy.

 

[sorce]

Thanks for your kind words.

The baseish (??? - great word, I think) represents my political evolution: Started off grounded to the Right, then an adolescent dalliance to the Left, and now establishing mature growth in the Center-Right. Or something like that.

No, the fir has been like that for years, partly carved, partly bugs and rot. Here's the link: http://www.bonsainut.com/index.php?threads/alpine-fir-another-beat-up-old-thing.2653/

Enjoy.

I swore there was another that shape too. ...no?

Either way, I gotta remember to bimble, that shit works!

Sorce

 

[JoeR]

Great trees, represents your style IMO.

Would the mountain hemlock look better if the foliage was brought down more and a bit closer to the trunk? Make the branches 'flow' more or 'cascade' more?
Also change the planting angle slightly by tilting it left a bit?

Or not, maybe I am just crazy. I am definently not qualified to critique any trees but the hemlock seems like it could be improved quite a bit with those few tweaks.

 

[grouper52]

Great trees, represents your style IMO.

Would the mountain hemlock look better if the foliage was brought down more and a bit closer to the trunk? Make the branches 'flow' more or 'cascade' more?
Also change the planting angle slightly by tilting it left a bit?

Or not, maybe I am just crazy. I am definently not qualified to critique any trees but the hemlock seems like it could be improved quite a bit with those few tweaks.

No, you are correct, there's something less than satisfying with the hemlock. I think I'll leave it alone for now, though, and let it recover for a while, and I think the correct styling will declare itself more clearly when the foliage thickens and extends a bit. Just getting started with this little wannabe. Thanks.

 

[grouper52]

Great trees, represents your style IMO.

Would the mountain hemlock look better if the foliage was brought down more and a bit closer to the trunk? Make the branches 'flow' more or 'cascade' more?
Also change the planting angle slightly by tilting it left a bit?

Or not, maybe I am just crazy. I am definently not qualified to critique any trees but the hemlock seems like it could be improved quite a bit with those few tweaks.

As I look more at this hemlock, it occurs to me that it would make a huge difference if the base was sunk down so that the saddle between the trunk and the base of those two jins was just barely above ground - scroll the photo down until everything lower is cut off and you'll see what I mean: no unified trunk with three goal posts, but simply an interesting formation at the base. That doesn't mean the disposition of the foliage won't still need changing later, but even just that change at the base seems to ameliorate the problem up higher, don't you think?

 

[JoeR]

As I look more at this hemlock, it occurs to me that it would make a huge difference if the base was sunk down so that the saddle between the trunk and the base of those two jins was just barely above ground - scroll the photo down until everything lower is cut off and you'll see what I mean: no unified trunk with three goal posts, but simply an interesting formation at the base. That doesn't mean the disposition of the foliage won't still need changing later, but even just that change at the base seems to ameliorate the problem up higher, don't you think?

Just like I was thinking, except I think you were talking about making it even lower than the first virt. If you lower it and tilt it to the left slightly, it would give the jin/stumps some distance from the soil line and accentuate the compositions curve/form. Or maybe even like in virt two.

Something about how the top of the jin is straight above the edge of the pot bothers me.

Red line is proposed soil line. Pardon my drawings, I am on my smart phone.

 

[grouper52]

Hmmmm . . . . maybe next repot when the roots - never very robust on these guys in my experience - give me the option to cut off some of the underground base to achieve that in a shallow pot. Of course, a deeper pot is also an option, but not too deep for this fellow. Thanks for the virts.

 

[Giga]

Love the vine maple and the fir. Winners for sure

 

[discusmike]

Nice work Grouper,love your trees.