Very old Nippon Daisy/Montauk Daisy

[MMJNICE]

So i noticed that they wasn't any threads that I could find containing mature Nipponanthemum nipponicum so I thought i do a progression thread about my new to me M. Daisy. This tree was grown over the last 25 years or so by a local family owned nursery in my town. There was two other large Daisy's there that I was debating on purchasing but maybe I can judge the interest of this species from this forum page on whether I buy the other two old M. Daisy's and save them from death from neglect. It's definitely a testament to there toughness that they lived that long at this nursery because only the toughest plants live past 3 years there where they are rarely fertilized and watered properly. So by the time you read this thread I may have already repotted it into a training pot and if so I will post updated photos. Anyone with experience or pictures please fill free to post what you got or post your experience about growing this plant. The tree in this thread was bought for well under 50 bucks. From what I can gather looking at Bills Valvanas post on his site is that they flower in late summer early fall and handle hard prunning well up top and below the soil. Other than that I have Zero information to add at this time. Will keep this post updated in the following weeks, months, and God willing years if I decided to keep the tree and no one offers me what I feel it's really worth,,,,, at this point i have no idea what something like this sells for in a bonsai pot after training. I did see one posted in new england bonsai site for 750 or something absurd like that but I have no delusional thoughts that this tree is worth anything approach that price hahahah.. so if you have styling suggestions please let me know what to do with this amazing little old flowering plant.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I actually have one...a few of us do here.

But Bill has some amazing ones... here is his blog that shows them. https://valavanisbonsaiblog.com/2013/08/07/park-avenue-art-festival-2/

This one is mine...in a Sara Rayner pot.

 

[MMJNICE]

I actually have one...a few of us do here.

But Bill has some amazing ones... here is his blog that shows them. https://valavanisbonsaiblog.com/2013/08/07/park-avenue-art-festival-2/

This one is mine...in a Sara Rayner pot.
View attachment 591255

Cool!! I like the combo. You have really good taste in pots..

 

[MMJNICE]

so during repotting..

 

[MMJNICE]

After cut backs of roots..

 

[MMJNICE]

After repotted...

 

[MMJNICE]

After breaking.... ahhmmm i mean After wiring all the branches left...

 

[MMJNICE]

I actually have one...a few of us do here.

But Bill has some amazing ones... here is his blog that shows them. https://valavanisbonsaiblog.com/2013/08/07/park-avenue-art-festival-2/

This one is mine...in a Sara Rayner pot.
View attachment 591255

So what's something like that sell for. I'm curious because there is two more of different shapes but slightly smaller at the nursery i got mine from.. or should I just ask more tactfully would you go get the other two? And how often does it flower.

 

[Cadillactaste]

So what's something like that sell for. I'm curious because there is two more of different shapes but slightly smaller at the nursery i got mine from.. or should I just ask more tactfully would you go get the other two? And how often does it flower.

It flowers once a year...

You have to understand...I don't buy cultivars/species to buy them. I buy character. So would I go back to buy them? Only if something about them stood out with character that drew me in. You honestly are asking the wrong person that question. I buy character over species...

 

[Cadillactaste]

Cool!! I like the combo. You have really good taste in pots..

Thank ya kindly

 

[MMJNICE]

It flowers once a year...

You have to understand...I don't buy cultivars/species to buy them. I buy character. So would I go back to buy them? Only if something about them stood out with character that drew me in. You honestly are asking the wrong person that question. I buy character over species...

I too buy basically on what looks like good Material point in case this plant. I've looked at M. Daisy's before at this nursery but never have I not found something more interesting to pop in my cart but this day the daisy won the competition for most interesting tree. I will only say that all three had merit in there own ways. I also like to sell what i think is good Material to others that have the same discerning eye for potential, with that said.......i sometimes end up with multiple trees of the same species with an intention to sell but just can't let them go yet till my visions of what can be are at least closely realized. Bla bla blah.. I'm rambling now

 

[MMJNICE]

Soooo i couldn't resist getting another Nippon daisy. I had another tree from that nursery i bought that was dead when I bought .... i didn't really check well and assumed it was alive but nope. With this place it's a crap shoot when the leaves are not around because they really do give the plants the bare minimum to survive. Soooo I had i little credit. So here it is.. much nicer than the first tree I posted.. I can't believe i missed it the first time.

 

[MMJNICE]

So this is during the repot before and after root pruning. This tree had a much better root system that filled a good portion of the pot. I cut back similar to the first tree. I'm a little nervous now looking at the first tree after the repot a couple of days in it looks kinda not happy ..hopefully it will pull through the carnage. The leaves look a little dull and slightly yellowish.. please tell me someone that his one of these is this too late to repot after the new growth starts up. Btw i probably should have asked that first but dam..When it's dormant it has no green so I'm nervous now. Should I keep it in the greenhouse? Temps are cool in the mid to upper 40s at night now sometimes warmer. Anyway enough with scary stuff it's too late now for the both of them fingers crossed.

 

[MMJNICE]

I was going to put it in a old cheap bonsai pot to go with my old cheap tree but I hadn't styled the tree yet so I didn't know where the front was yet. Anyway I really like how the tree turned out so far. Much better then the first tree and only reason that hack job was acceptable was because I've never worked with this material before and I was excited about working on a older tree even it didn't cost much. For it's first styling i think it has decent taper and bones, something at least to work with this time. Let me know what you think of it or if you would do something else or more or different direction if you like. Im not fragile so let's hear. And if i did the repot too late.

 

[KateM]

Nice.
I don't have much experience with potting them up. I have a huge one in the ground. I know when I cut it back, if I stick the cut branches in the gound they root and start to grow. It sould be pretty tolerant of root work.
I would suggest not to over water and keep warm. Greenhouse might be a good idea until it gets really nice outside.

 

[stubmle]

Nice to see some examples of root work on these. I have a nice one I wanted to pot up but was hesitant since I was not sure how it would respond. Looks like they handle it well!

These seem to be quite cold hardy, even in pots. We had some really hard freezes this Winter and I had no die-back.

 

[namnhi]

I was going to put it in a old cheap bonsai pot to go with my old cheap tree but I hadn't styled the tree yet so I didn't know where the front was yet. Anyway I really like how the tree turned out so far. Much better then the first tree and only reason that hack job was acceptable was because I've never worked with this material before and I was excited about working on a older tree even it didn't cost much. For it's first styling i think it has decent taper and bones, something at least to work with this time. Let me know what you think of it or if you would do something else or more or different direction if you like. Im not fragile so let's hear. And if i did the repot too late. View attachment 592390View attachment 592392

One of the issues I have with this specie is that they shed the old/matured branches and regrow the young ones closer to the trunk. The example of that is the this same tree before you did the clean up.