shohin_branches' limber pine bunjin

I put it in front of the backdrop to get a clearer photo of it.
Screenshot_20250520_085044_Instagram.jpg

I have this Sarah Rayner pot on deck for next spring. I tried to get it in there with the first repot but it just didn't fit yet. I'll keep my eyes open during the Chicago show this year for another pot option too. I didn't have anything in this size range when I initially got the tree and the pots get very expensive at this size.
20250520_085400.jpg
 
clem said:
The actual angle is 45°, which a very good angle to focus more on the movement than on the linearity/stiffness of the trunk.
I tried to raise the tree 2 times (7 degree) to see if the result is good. For me, the more the tree is raised up, the more straight and steep the trunk looks and we lose dynamism

The original 45° angle is on the left side ->
Click to expand...
The far right image is what looks "right" to me but of course it's your tree and what ultimately is right is what looks right to you.
 
shohin_branches said:
I put it in front of the backdrop to get a clearer photo of it.
View attachment 598642

I have this Sarah Rayner pot on deck for next spring. I tried to get it in there with the first repot but it just didn't fit yet. I'll keep my eyes open during the Chicago show this year for another pot option too. I didn't have anything in this size range when I initially got the tree and the pots get very expensive at this size.
View attachment 598643
Click to expand...
Yes the new photo with back drop does make it look better.
 
shohin_branches said:
I put it in front of the backdrop to get a clearer photo of it.
Click to expand...
Hello @shohin_branches. With the new pic, I tried different angle changes, the original angle (picture) is on the left ->
___________DSCN152virt5.jpg


For me, the best tilt angle is 45° (center pic) and the nebari looks good too.. So I made a virtual with a similar pot of the Sarah Rayner pot you have in stock.. ->
___________DSCN152virt4.jpg
 
Last edited:
I appreciate the mockups @clem. This tree was collected in 2019 and had the first repot in 2023 where I ran out of time and didn't get it set at the right angle but it did end up slightly better than before. I will definitely reference these when I'm repotting next spring. Thank you!
 
shohin_branches said:
I put it in front of the backdrop to get a clearer photo of it.
View attachment 598642

I have this Sarah Rayner pot on deck for next spring. I tried to get it in there with the first repot but it just didn't fit yet. I'll keep my eyes open during the Chicago show this year for another pot option too. I didn't have anything in this size range when I initially got the tree and the pots get very expensive at this size.
View attachment 598643
Click to expand...
Really lovely SR pot. Love to have it myself. Be aware whether pot will stay upright once tree is installed or tip over.😌
 
Potawatomi13 said:
Really lovely SR pot. Love to have it myself. Be aware whether pot will stay upright once tree is installed or tip over.😌
Click to expand...
All my trees get bolted to the bench because I have awful squirrels that like to knock them over. Also to prevent any humans from walking away with them.
 
shohin_branches said:
I put it in front of the backdrop to get a clearer photo of it.
View attachment 598642

I have this Sarah Rayner pot on deck for next spring. I tried to get it in there with the first repot but it just didn't fit yet. I'll keep my eyes open during the Chicago show this year for another pot option too. I didn't have anything in this size range when I initially got the tree and the pots get very expensive at this size.
View attachment 598643
Click to expand...
i love the movement in your tree its perfect there is movement first of all and your accentuated it with the foliage and angle of your wiring.
 
I think we need to step away from rigid conventions of this style or that. Bunjin is an unconventional and minimalist approach to bonsai, which is what makes it so challenging to pull off. I like where this tree is heading and I think it has great options. It already has old bark and nice branching options. It can certainly achieve bunjin or slant. As some have said, there already IS movement lower down in the trunk, albeit subtle, which is fine. My main comment would be about the nebari. Perhaps consider showing it off more over time, if there is more to show off.

Do you know it’s appropriate age? It looks like it’s at least 25 years old, as my assumption is that, like JWP, limber pines don’t bark up as quickly as other species. If it’s older than that, I can understand the concern of the trunk being inflexible in spite of the species’ name.
 
tanlu said:
I think we need to step away from rigid conventions of this style or that. Bunjin is an unconventional and minimalist approach to bonsai, which is what makes it so challenging to pull off. I like where this tree is heading and I think it has great options. It already has old bark and nice branching options. It can certainly achieve bunjin or slant. As some have said, there already IS movement lower down in the trunk, albeit subtle, which is fine. My main comment would be about the nebari. Perhaps consider showing it off more over time, if there is more to show off.

Do you know it’s appropriate age? It looks like it’s at least 25 years old, as my assumption is that, like JWP, limber pines don’t bark up as quickly as other species. If it’s older than that, I can understand the concern of the trunk being inflexible in spite of the species’ name.
Click to expand...
Slant style typically requires a strong first branch and this does not have any branches until very high up the trunk. Bunjin as a style doesn't put much emphasis on nebari. We'll see what is available, it's only had one repot since collection and is still a work in progress. I got this tree from Todd Schlafer at First Branch Bonsai and he estimates it between 60-75 years old. Y'all expect a lot for a tree that has only been in training as a bonsai for three years 🤣🤣🤣
 
This is a very nice looking tree, even though some people are narrow minded.
I love the potting angle change being a tad more up right as opposed to being so horizontal.

Also, I think this tree falls into the bunjin/literati style nicely. Literati doesn’t always need crazy bends, just a long, elegant/skinny trunk with a smaller than usual canopy up top. This is not a regular slant style imo.
 
shohin_branches said:
Slant style typically requires a strong first branch and this does not have any branches until very high up the trunk. Bunjin as a style doesn't put much emphasis on nebari. We'll see what is available, it's only had one repot since collection and is still a work in progress. I got this tree from Todd Schlafer at First Branch Bonsai and he estimates it between 60-75 years old. Y'all expect a lot for a tree that has only been in training as a bonsai for three years 🤣🤣🤣
Click to expand...
Work in progress is what this hobby is all about, IMO. I think you’ve got something fantastic to work with. I was VERY tempted to purchase myself a collected limber pine at one of the local bonsai festivals here but I wasn’t confident that our long humid growing season would be suitable for it. I’m sort of kicking myself for not snatching it, though. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
tanlu said:
Work in progress is what this hobby is all about, IMO. I think you’ve got something fantastic to work with. I was VERY tempted to purchase myself a collected limber pine at one of the local bonsai festivals here but I wasn’t confident that our long humid growing season would be suitable for it. I’m sort of kicking myself for not snatching it, though. 🤷🏻‍♂️
Click to expand...
This is the only limber pine I own and I have a short humid growing season. The needle tips start to yellow slightly in spring, but by summer everything is healthy again. Next repot should solve that issue. There isn't a lot of information about limber pines out there (at least last time I checked) so I do wish I had two so I could compare the strength of this one to another.
 
The foliage and spread feels a heavy for a trunk this thickness and height. Maybe it's the needle length? I think having one of the lower branches drop more and creating some negative space at the top will lighten it up a bit.
 
shohin_branches said:
This is the only limber pine I own and I have a short humid growing season. The needle tips start to yellow slightly in spring, but by summer everything is healthy again. Next repot should solve that issue. There isn't a lot of information about limber pines out there (at least last time I checked) so I do wish I had two so I could compare the strength of this one to another.
Click to expand...
Unless there is a personal objection there is quite a bit of info on Limber Pine on Bonsai Mirai library of videos. ☺️
 
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