Worth pulling out of the ground?

[iliketrees]

Is it worth pulling up this boxwood to convert into a bonsai? Leaves are a little high up but the trunk seems relatively thick and has a good amount of branching to work with. New to this and not sure what qualities I should be looking for to make it worth using. Boxwood is pictured below

 

[Eckhoffw]

Maybe forgot the pic?

 

[iliketrees]

Maybe forgot the pic?

Just fixed. Thank you for the heads up.

 

[Eckhoffw]

IMO I’d give it hard chop while it’s still in ground.
Then collect after its rebounded.

 

[iliketrees]

IMO I’d give it hard chop while it’s still in ground.
Then collect after its rebounded. View attachment 370160

Thank you for the advice. Is there a specific reason why you would recommend cutting here? I was thinking something similar because of the distance to the leaves.

 

[Eckhoffw]

The trunk is nice, would just want to start new branching low and train as desired.
Leaving it in the ground will aid in that.

 

[iliketrees]

The trunk is nice, would just want to start new branching low and train as desired.
Leaving it in the ground will aid in that.

Makes sense. Thank you.

 

[River's Edge]

Is it worth pulling up this boxwood to convert into a bonsai? Leaves are a little high up but the trunk seems relatively thick and has a good amount of branching to work with. New to this and not sure what qualities I should be looking for to make it worth using. Boxwood is pictured below






View attachment 370159

It depends on your perception of quality and how much you value your time?
I would be more interested if there was some movement in the lower portion.
I would be more interested if the nebari were visible and decent.
I would be more interested if I knew the lower fat portion was short, say 3 inches or less.
I would be more interested if I was sure there was no inverse taper at the base. Looks like there might be.
One more. Having something to gauge the dimensions would aid the decision significantly.
That being said it can definitely be used to create a larger design of interest. It does have some taper and movement in the upper portion. The boxwood is known to back bud easily so one can almost start. to develop at any chosen point.
Leaf size for this particular tree may be of concern, hard to tell from the photo.

 

[sorce]

I wouldn't contact someone if this was the only picture for a free tree on Offerup.

But if you can figure out all that stuff Frank listed, it may be worth digging.

Sorce

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Hello, the rough bark is nice. Boxwood have small leaves generally and take well to transplant. I'd certainly grab it if you don't have any/ many trees to play with. I like larger bonsai as well so depending on the size I might get to cut back to leave just a few leaves then collect it. A reciprocal saw with a 9 or 12" pruning blade makes this task much easier than digging. Keep it in the shade and mist it for a couple of weeks after collection. Good luck

 

[iliketrees]

It depends on your perception of quality and how much you value your time?
I would be more interested if there was some movement in the lower portion.
I would be more interested if the nebari were visible and decent.
I would be more interested if I knew the lower fat portion was short, say 3 inches or less.
I would be more interested if I was sure there was no inverse taper at the base. Looks like there might be.
One more. Having something to gauge the dimensions would aid the decision significantly.
That being said it can definitely be used to create a larger design of interest. It does have some taper and movement in the upper portion. The boxwood is known to back bud easily so one can almost start. to develop at any chosen point.
Leaf size for this particular tree may be of concern, hard to tell from the photo.

Really helpful in terms of things to consider when making a decision. I appreciate it. To answer some of your questions,

I don't mind the quality. I thought it may be worthwhile to learn from working with the tree while not having to sweat too much about the outcome.

Although no roots are visible in that picture, I removed some of the soil near the base and there is some interesting root development about 3/4 of an inch down from the bottom. Not sure if this makes an impact.

I see what you're saying about the inverse taper based on that picture. I think this is just the angle it was taken, in person, there does not appear to be any. The leaves also seem relatively proportional in person but I see how they could appear differently in the picture as well.

Relating to gauging the dimensions, would posting the boxwood with a water bottle next to it be useful?

Thanks again.

 

[iliketrees]

Went ahead and took pics with a water bottle as reference. Attached below.

 

[penumbra]

Boxwood are super easy to transplant and you can cut them as hard as you want, they back bud like crazy.

 

[River's Edge]

Went ahead and took pics with a water bottle as reference. Attached below.
View attachment 370178View attachment 370179

I think it is worth pursuing. Proportion is a valuable measuring stick.

 

[leatherback]

I am a tall guy..
Box will close wounds VERY slowly.
The rough bark might slough off once in a sunnier, drier location.