Spartan Juniper that almost went to a workshop

jandslegate

Shohin
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Location
Evansville, Indiana
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7
This is my Spartan Juniper that I've been working on for approximately 2 1/2 years. I got it on clearance from Lowes for around 40 bucks. It was a legitimate full on spiral topiary when I got it. I was curious to work with the material and I wanted to see if I could undo the wrapped around topiary and create something out of it.

I posted last week about this tree because while working on it I cracked on of the upper branches on the canopy. The other image is a top down of it's wound dressing. I was originally going to take this tree to the Eisei-en workshop as I had a lot of questions already prepared for it. I'm actually glad I wound up not being able to take it as there were a fair number of Junipers there that were worlds beyond it.

The big Jin in the middle was from the original main leader and is definitely still a wip in and of itself. There's a new shoot that budded this spring on the back right I hope to develop to give it more depth and balance. It has grown very vigorously and I know it's pretty unkempt but I'm afraid to do too much pruning without knowing for sure what I'm doing. I got brave on another juniper the other day and now I feel like I set it back by over pruning. To be honest, it's a little embarrassing to say but I don't fully 'know' how to develop pads on a Juniper at least beyond this point. So I'm going to seek out some more in depth instruction (less advanced workshop, or in person lessons, maybe Mirai Live) rather than undo what progress I've achieved.

I know it's not great material but Ive learned that sometimes you make the best of what you have because it's all you have and sometimes you can do it because it makes for an interesting journey. Like this isn't a majestic yamadori that has persevered harsh conditions and it will never be a show worthy tree but it still has an interesting story. It has survived it's own harsh conditions like being twisted and scalped into a spiral lawn ornament then left to endure the neglect of a big box store in the winter and then finally hoping it can hold out from the ultimate force of nature, me and my haphazard, learning as I go methods, heh.
 

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I dig it. I’m partial to material no one wants to use or turn their noses up at. It’s fun to see what I can make out of it and then enjoy it regardless of it’s show worthiness.
 
Are you going to bend that main branch down to give it the appearance of age, or use it as a new trunk and make a literati?
 
Are you going to bend that main branch down to give it the appearance of age, or use it as a new trunk and make a literati?
I was thinking new trunk. I think some of the bends that were put into it when it was topiary-ified created the little hidden deadwood that lead to the break I had last week. Ive definitely thought about bringing them down but now I'm kinda gun shy on heavy bends, heh.
 
I was thinking new trunk. I think some of the bends that were put into it when it was topiary-ified created the little hidden deadwood that lead to the break I had last week. Ive definitely thought about bringing them down but now I'm kinda gun shy on heavy bends, heh.
Most wise🤔. Thin, limber branch can be bent more, directional pruning more on heavier branch combined with bending, sometimes notching branch to get desired result.
 
Update on the Spartan. Reworked the structure a little bit and now waiting to do pruning and detail wiring.
 

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Update after some cleaning, pruning and detail work. Still learning, could have gone better but could have been worse.
 

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Update after some cleaning, pruning and detail work. Still learning, could have gone better but could have been worse.
Updated update: Definitely open to any input or criticism.

After the last session I put in on the tree I was unsure how I felt about it. Finally, I decided I did, in fact, hate it. As I mentioned in another post, I have a few trees that I've taken to using songs to help direct the theme and style for a tree. This one, being a Spartan, is inspired by the idea of an aging warrior coupled with the song Invincible by the band Tool. It's in a training pot now but I've thought about seeking an oval bronze-ish pot that resembles a shield. I'm also aware this is also possibly a bit too on the nose but, meh.

I'd be happier if I could get the angle of drop more down and inward but I feel like I need to give some of those shoulders a break (pun not intended). I was pretty unhappy with it after I worked on it last and unsure of the current direction but I recently came across a Mirai Live video where they work on a students juniper that has some similarities. Although, the Mirai tree is definitely superior it made me feel a little better about the situation.



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I think there's a better front if I rotate it clockwise a bit but the long jin will be pointing just shy of straight at the viewer. I suppose I could reduce or remove it and possibly start a shari down that side of the trunk.PSX_20230601_132649.jpgThere'd need to be some branch adjustments for either angle but it's something to consider. PSX_20230601_132837.jpg
 
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Of the two possible fronts you showed in the previous post, I think the first one is really nice, and puts the tree in a really intersting angle. I'm a fan of this tree and it's progress, I think it just needs time
 
Of the two possible fronts you showed in the previous post, I think the first one is really nice, and puts the tree in a really intersting angle. I'm a fan of this tree and it's progress, I think it just needs time
Thank you. I'm at the point where the time parts are my favorites. Jus keep it alive, I what needs to be done and let it take over, heh.
 
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