your first forrest

The first forest I have made myself is one of Acacia Burkei - Black monkey thorns in Oct 2010. I had a few seedlings and I decided to plant them into a bigger pot and start my forest. I had to get a few more seedlings as the few that I had were not enough.
Before planting them out.


After planting them out (Definitely not much to look at)


I left it to grow for 3 years till 2014 and actually had really neglected it. This is what it looked like in Sept 2014 before I cleaned it up and re-potted everything.


After replanting everything it looked much better in Jan 2015 before I decided to work on it again.


I decided to add rocks into the forest in Jan 2015 and move some of the trees around.


This is what it looks like currently. The whole goal is to get the canopy correct. I think I could do better work on the rocks but once again, before I do that, I will need to get a better pot. There was a huge thunderstorm last night so even the rocks are covered with sand.

Dorian Fourie said:

The first forest I have made myself is one of Acacia Burkei - Black monkey thorns in Oct 2010. I had a few seedlings and I decided to plant them into a bigger pot and start my forest. I had to get a few more seedlings as the few that I had were not enough.
Before planting them out.
View attachment 125901

After planting them out (Definitely not much to look at)
View attachment 125893

I left it to grow for 3 years till 2014 and actually had really neglected it. This is what it looked like in Sept 2014 before I cleaned it up and re-potted everything.
View attachment 125895

After replanting everything it looked much better in Jan 2015 before I decided to work on it again.
View attachment 125894

I decided to add rocks into the forest in Jan 2015 and move some of the trees around.
View attachment 125898

This is what it looks like currently. The whole goal is to get the canopy correct. I think I could do better work on the rocks but once again, before I do that, I will need to get a better pot. There was a huge thunderstorm last night so even the rocks are covered with sand.
View attachment 125900

Click to expand...

You got some decent trunk growth in those 5 years potted. Looks very convincing, though I am a fan of darker colored rocks myself. Great progress!

Aaron

aml1014 said:

You got some decent trunk growth in those 5 years potted. Looks very convincing, though I am a fan of darker colored rocks myself. Great progress!

Click to expand...

Thanks Aaron

I tend to agree with you on the darker rocks although the picture does not do the rocks justice. They do look very white but have more of a grey colour to them. I might change them in the future depending on what I can find.

@Dorian Fourie

At first I was surely going to say how friggin nice that Trident forest is looking....

But by the last pic of the other...
Well...
That is dope too!

I don't mind the light rock...
Maybe a lighter pot for less contrast?

It works Very Well for me.

Like I can see your country from here.

Nice.

Sorce

sorce said:

@Dorian Fourie

At first I was surely going to say how friggin nice that Trident forest is looking....

But by the last pic of the other...
Well...
That is dope too!

I don't mind the light rock...
Maybe a lighter pot for less contrast?

It works Very Well for me.

Like I can see your country from here.

Nice.

Sorce

Click to expand...

Thanks Sorce. Appreciate it. The Black monkey thorn is a work in progress. A few more years and definitely a new pot and I know it will be a good one. Cheers bud

Here's my first one. Japanese maple 'otohime'. Some airlayers secured to a board. I expect a much taller forest. May add more trees in the future. Ready for the new challenge!

European ash forest, made from seedlings found in the garden.
I won't show my second forest, that one looks like shit

Autumn 2016:


Just a few days ago:



The trees on the far right may be pulled a little more downwards

I think the chopsticks box it in, making it feel more closer clustered than it really is.

Feels close.

I love love love.....
This 3 tree line that looks of one.

I wouldn't do anything that would change that!
I think that will be a very interesting treat to look at.

It is perfectly subtle right now.
I wouldn't play it up....or lose it...

That is cool!

Sorce

Thank you @sorce, glad you like it!
The planting actually is kinda stuffed, so I'm afraid it's not just the chopsticks. I'll take a pic of the other sides too, measure a bit and then get back to ya!

Tentakelaertje said:

kinda stuffed,

Click to expand...

I was afraid so..

But....

The coolness of that section wins all day...
It really anchors the leftward movement.

I think if you pop these reds out....


The greens will further the movement...

On a long slab fading to negative space on the left.

Nice.

Sorce

Here is two forests I have put together.


When I took this boxwood forest to a competition to get judged, the word of advice was that the two main trees were the same height, same position (front to back) in the pot and looked too equal. I cut the forest in half so I could heighten the trees you see on the left and cut down the rootball on the trees to the right so I could lower them. I think your dominant tree and secondary tree have to have a good relationship to each other. The dominant one has to be out front.



This stand of Tamaracks is the same. I have the obvious dominant tree with a pair of tree I put together to be my secondary trees on the left. On the edge of the slab is two smaller trees that lean out. On the right is a tree that's becoming interesting enough on it's own to be taken out of the forest planting and replaced with a taller, more straight tree that fits with the forest theme. We'll see.

I was always taught to cut your pot into halves side to side and front to back. Your main tree belongs in the front half on one side. Your secondary tree belongs in the back half(Barely) on the other side. All the extra tree are there to accentuate the relationship between the two main tree. Also trees should get smaller as they get to the back of the image if possible. They are there to offer perspective. That's how I try to make things work.

sorce said:

I was afraid so..

But....

The coolness of that section wins all day...
It really anchors the leftward movement.

I think if you pop these reds out....
View attachment 127362

The greens will further the movement...

On a long slab fading to negative space on the left.

Nice.

Sorce

Click to expand...

You mean I remove those two reds?

A long slab sounds good!

Balance to the forest you bring, young Sorcakin

Tentakelaertje said:

remove

Click to expand...

Yeah...seems it could open it up just enough....
And expose better the moving greens.

Sorce

First forest.....well I do have a couple of firsts but I can't say with any confidence that they are truly a first attempt at a well thought out forest....you know, growing out individual trees (or buying), planning the slab, pot, design/plan and execution of said plan. My first forests were far from being well thought out..........our club had a forest making day a few springs back - using Japanese Larch forest seedlings that had grown in the clasic black 1 gallon plastic pots (for two years). It was a great day and I was kept busy helping others with their's and at the end of the day there were a few oddballs/stragglers that nobody wanted so I took them home. Next morning I didn't have much time and wanted to get the trees planted asap......I took this old wooden flat, cut the root balls in half, did some minor raking, tied the trees into the training pot, added soil, a couple of handy flattish stones, watered it well and have only done some minor trimming and kept it well fertilized. Had a break in the weather and cleaned and wired it.......nothing special yet but I have drawn out a much more detailed plan for a future forest- which will include another quick forest compilation of the original Jap. Larch that went straight from the forest seedling into the bottom of a 5 gal cut down pot and into a field 12+ seedlings clumped together. Here is a before and after....plan would be to remove the trees for the next forest in groups of 3,2 and 2. I know....a long way to go lol

fourteener said:

Here is two forests I have put together.

Click to expand...

Very nice and inspiring. Your first? No way... if it is, I'm really sucking here... LOL
Say it ain't so. They look great!

Underdog said:

Very nice and inspiring. Your first? No way... if it is, I'm really sucking here... LOL
Say it ain't so. They look great!

Click to expand...

The left half of the Tamarack forest is my first forest. At some point I decided to have it be part of a larger forest. So yeah, that is the first forest of seven trees and now it is fifteen.

The boxwood forest I bought, but I tore it apart and reworked it in a significant enough way that it's not anything like it used to be.

Overall, I would say I developed trees in their own containers to be part of a forest before I put a forest together. At least basic branch structures and good flat consistent root systems. My tip to what I see in the thread is, wait a couple of years and get individual trees a little further along before you assemble the forest.

Also these forests were created 12+ years ago, so they are further along.

@sorce

Sorry for taking such a long time getting back at ya, my brain was a bit occupied with other stuff going on. Hadn't seen the bonsai in a week until today...

This is the side on the left:



Backside:

Side on the right:


Just noticed I forgot to take a pic of the right side and it's dark already, so that one will come later.
Not sure about removing those two reds, but one of those does fuck with the flow. Nice eye! I'll take a look in real life when it's not minus 3000 outside, not wanna risk my limbs lol. Thanks for watchin'!

It was a nice day, after a couple of unusually cold weeks for us here, better to leave trees in peace after such conditions and I just had to mess with something.
So I went to dig something out and .....I came back home with a forest. I find this two groups that usually don't grove like this,most probably result of bird dropping as they feed on this berries. I plan to join this two groups when I find something bigger , pot or slab
and some soil, always nice to find out there is no left when you need it, what an amateur.
It is Phillyrea latifolia, a tree from olive family.



The wind blow away background on this one so it is as in nature,front trees are wet to "show a depth of composition" LOL

Looks like a great start! Keep us posted.

How about 2nd or 3rd attempts? I love forests anyone working on any this spring?