amcoffeegirl
Masterpiece
Try and post more often.
A nice healthy tree is always fun to see.
What plans do you have for it’s future?
Share your tree thread
- Thread starter amcoffeegirl
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A nice healthy tree is always fun to see.
What plans do you have for it’s future?
Thx for the encouragement...not sure for the future, I like it the way it is. It outgrew its last pot without any real modification, and I think it'll do so on this one. If anything, I think I need to improve the roots, they currently act somewhat like buttresses, not the wide fat bases liked so much in bonsai. I just haven't wanted to let it grow wild yet, as so many of my others are in much less of a display condition.
Thanks for the kind words! One of my goals next year is to take the ferry up and come see your nursery and those great alpine trees there. Here is an updated pic of the Lodgepole today in its temporary pot. Note the only root this tree has in the upper left. Also the deadwood at the base is rotting, I cleaned out the start of a hollow there.
River's Edge
Imperial Masterpiece
Consider some wood preservative when you have time. If you pick one that dries clear without a shine that is a better choice. The humidity in the PNW can be a challenge.
Smoke
Ignore-Amus
It occurs to me that I didn't talk about a tree.
A friend of mine that grows a lot of material in the ground wanted to try his hand at growing twisted junipers. He soon found out that it's not quite as easy as it seems. He grew about ten of them. He kept one, sold off the others and decided to give to me the worst one. He said "just see what you can do with it, I thinks it's hopeless". It may be this is what I have done so far. The tree was given to me in the winter of 2015. I started to work on it in the spring of 2016.This is how it looked in 2015.
The tree is procumbens juniper and is rather coarse. It may be full size, procumbens and not nana. The trunk had a terrible reverse taper due to the first twist of wire and the trunk escaping above the wire. The first twist of wire almost needs to be below ground level to keep from having the tiny waist in the trunk at the soil line. In the last photo above is the front of the tree I chose due to the reverse being the least in this view. Not perfect but doable. I also decided that the trunk was never going to work as two trunks, in which the trunk bulked equally after the wire started to bite in.
The first styling of the tree was in spring of 2016 after root trimming and getting into a first pot. The root ball was very manageable and easy to fit into the bonsai pot. Steve shovel prunes the roots every other year. He had said these were in the field for three years. The entire right trunk was jinned and stripped of bark and lime sulphur applied.
In the Fall of 2016 it looked like this. The dead wood has now bleached out and not so noticable.
The tree grew on it's own for the next year as I was busy with my failing wife and no work was done in 2017.
In the spring of 2018, I decided to work on the tree and put it into a much better pot. This pot by Toshu. The tree had grown alot since the repot and was essentially a bush now.
During the spring of 2018. The tree was pruned and allowed to grow and fill in. By Dec. of 2018 it was starting to look pretty good.
A friend of mine that grows a lot of material in the ground wanted to try his hand at growing twisted junipers. He soon found out that it's not quite as easy as it seems. He grew about ten of them. He kept one, sold off the others and decided to give to me the worst one. He said "just see what you can do with it, I thinks it's hopeless". It may be this is what I have done so far. The tree was given to me in the winter of 2015. I started to work on it in the spring of 2016.This is how it looked in 2015.
The tree is procumbens juniper and is rather coarse. It may be full size, procumbens and not nana. The trunk had a terrible reverse taper due to the first twist of wire and the trunk escaping above the wire. The first twist of wire almost needs to be below ground level to keep from having the tiny waist in the trunk at the soil line. In the last photo above is the front of the tree I chose due to the reverse being the least in this view. Not perfect but doable. I also decided that the trunk was never going to work as two trunks, in which the trunk bulked equally after the wire started to bite in.
The first styling of the tree was in spring of 2016 after root trimming and getting into a first pot. The root ball was very manageable and easy to fit into the bonsai pot. Steve shovel prunes the roots every other year. He had said these were in the field for three years. The entire right trunk was jinned and stripped of bark and lime sulphur applied.
In the Fall of 2016 it looked like this. The dead wood has now bleached out and not so noticable.
The tree grew on it's own for the next year as I was busy with my failing wife and no work was done in 2017.
In the spring of 2018, I decided to work on the tree and put it into a much better pot. This pot by Toshu. The tree had grown alot since the repot and was essentially a bush now.
During the spring of 2018. The tree was pruned and allowed to grow and fill in. By Dec. of 2018 it was starting to look pretty good.
Last edited:
Smoke
Ignore-Amus
2019
Today I pruned foliage to outline and applied some wire above where I left shoots to grow. Now they had grown enough to see wire and placement. The process will continue to unfold in the coming years. It may become good enough to earn a place on a shohin box display.
Today I pruned foliage to outline and applied some wire above where I left shoots to grow. Now they had grown enough to see wire and placement. The process will continue to unfold in the coming years. It may become good enough to earn a place on a shohin box display.
Smoke
Ignore-Amus
After a study on the desktop of the tree, I am pondering removing the bottom branch in an effort to clean up the subject.
What would you do?
What would you do?
amcoffeegirl
Masterpiece
The tiny waist has disappeared.
I had to go back and look at what point it was no longer a focal point. Pretty much right away. When you show it with the bleached deadwood it is hardy noticeable- or at least not a distraction.
Dragon60
Shohin
Given how Smoke's tree started out, either result is impressive. My vote is to remove the branch as I think it gives a more refined, finished look. And since I posted here, here is my contribution - what I believe is an azalea that I saved from a scrapheap about a year and a half ago. This is a before pic 
I recently did some work on it and will soon post that picture too (I have to take one but it's too dark outside right now).
I recently did some work on it and will soon post that picture too (I have to take one but it's too dark outside right now).
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Looking at the first pic I was thinking you have a lower layer at the other 2 split.
I'd consider it next.
And work the base after for a full 3fer!
Sorce
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
I would like to see thicker branches on the bottoms getting thinner on the way up.
90% of them are upside down in this regard.
Sorce
Cable
Omono
Do you think so? i didn’t like the whole middle section. I had thought about taking a second layer but didn’t think it was worth it. i will reconsider. I don’t want to lose another year for working on the base but I think I know my mistakes now and another layer would go faster.
Cable
Omono
What if, instead, you removed the top section and pushed the design out to the left? Like something fell on the tree and killed the right and smashed the left and it had to fight back?
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
The base has a quality good enough for me to want to get rid of that bulge where I'd make the second layer.
That base tree will be the best IMO, unless the roots have big hidden suckage. Heinz yo, best things come to those that wait!
Sorce
Tidal Bonsai
Omono
I have way better trees, but this nana is the most recent tree I fell back in love with (It was just refined a bit more yesterday). The story behind it is pretty funny. I wanted wiring practice, so I had my 3 year old son pick a random nana from a local nursery. I challenged myself to work with what I was given.
Before
The first styling, I only wired six branches and left it alone to fully wire later (I ran out of time).
Fin!
For being a random nursery pic, I am happy with the way this one is shaping up!
Before
The first styling, I only wired six branches and left it alone to fully wire later (I ran out of time).
Fin!
For being a random nursery pic, I am happy with the way this one is shaping up!
Cable
Omono
Ok I follow. I thought by “second split” you meant at the end of the other trunk.
My first plan after layering off the top tree was to layer that bulge and make a twin trunk. But the. I thought that wouldn’t work because the trunks were too straight.
This tree does have its own thread. After I layer the top I’ll post pics of whats left and we can decide.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Do you have a sketch of the future you could share? Or not. I think it would be good to have. To understand you don't want to make it a "broom".
I'd guy wire down what still moves, a little farther than final to allow for springback, the use the springback for movement and continue to fully wire smaller branches in the future. This is some ERC stock worth going the distance with.
Nice.
Sorce
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Ok I follow. I thought by “second split” you meant at the end of the other trunk.
My first plan after layering off the top tree was to layer that bulge and make a twin trunk. But the. I thought that wouldn’t work because the trunks were too straight.
This tree does have its own thread. After I layer the top I’ll post pics of whats left and we can decide.
Those trunks can be grown, with mindfulness to keep size seperation well, for years, then chop for movement. It's a great start.
Sorce
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
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