Hinoki cypress cultivar 'Teddy Bear' - any experiences?

[TomB]

Hi all

I've been seeing examples of Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Teddy Bear' in regular nurseries local to me, and I'm wondering if anyone had any experience of using that specific cultivar for bonsai (or indeed any information about it, I can't find much). It seems to have fairly compact foliage, and the examples I've seen have budding very close in to the trunk. Branches seem to spiral around a relatively slender and upright trunk.

Anyone tried this for bonsai? Note that it's this specific cultivar I'm interested in, not Hinoki in general .

 

[M. Frary]

Never heard of it. But I'm sure it's treated the same as the others.

 

[TomB]

Never heard of it. But I'm sure it's treated the same as the others.

Thanks Mike. I’m wondering about growth characteristics etc though (for example some varieties like Sekka appear quite different to straight Hinoki).

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Go to a Conifer Society website, or a commercial vendor description of the cultivar. Check two things.

Check growth rate - if 'Teddy Bear' is listed as growing less than 10 cm a year (4 inches a year) treat it as a tree where a miniature. What ever design you choose, use what is there, don't expect it to ''fill in any voids''. Cut too much off, and it will be a decade before it looks like a full natural tree again. Really slow growing cultivars can be a problem for bonsai, because we need growth to actually create designs. So only use a miniature if you can visualize the whole tree design in what you already have. If you think - let it grow and fill out here, grow a little there, forget it, you won't see it in your lifetime.

Normal forms of Hinoki can grow 20 to 40 cm per year. That is fast enough you can really work with them. They will fill out in a reasonable amount of time.

Second, look at the fronds. some Hinoki the fronds orientate themselves with majority laying out horizontally, these are great for bonsai. Some cultivars of Hinoki the fronds tend to be vertical. These are more difficult to work as bonsai. Some are more a mix of orientations, which can be used, you just end up doing more fine wiring as the tree develops and increases in refinement.

'Sekka' is a pain in the ass as the narrow leaflets or fronds are quite vertical on mine, it will take a lot of detail wiring to get it to lay out nice.

 

[TomB]

Go to a Conifer Society website, or a commercial vendor description of the cultivar. Check two things.

Check growth rate - if 'Teddy Bear' is listed as growing less than 10 cm a year (4 inches a year) treat it as a tree where a miniature. What ever design you choose, use what is there, don't expect it to ''fill in any voids''. Cut too much off, and it will be a decade before it looks like a full natural tree again. Really slow growing cultivars can be a problem for bonsai, because we need growth to actually create designs. So only use a miniature if you can visualize the whole tree design in what you already have. If you think - let it grow and fill out here, grow a little there, forget it, you won't see it in your lifetime.
Normal forms of Hinoki can grow 20 to 40 cm per year. That is fast enough you can really work with them. They will fill out in a reasonable amount of time.

Second, look at the fronds. some Hinoki the fronds orientate themselves with majority laying out horizontally, these are great for bonsai. Some cultivars of Hinoki the fronds tend to be vertical. These are more difficult to work as bonsai. Some are more a mix of orientations, which can be used, you just end up doing more fine wiring as the tree develops and increases in refinement.

'Sekka' is a pain in the ass as the narrow leaflets or fronds are quite vertical on mine, it will take a lot of detail wiring to get it to lay out nice.

Hi Leo,

Thanks for the pointer to the Conifer Society - searching there I found more info than I have from any commercial vendor I've been able to find so far.
http://conifersociety.org/conifers/conifer/chamaecyparis/obtusa/teddy-bear/

Growth rate looks acceptable based on that info. Thanks for that and and the other pointers. I think I'm probably going to have a go at one of these.

 

[sorce]

Them are the ones that......

When you come home with one....

You gotta bring the wife home a teddy bear.

TomB.....
I been noticing all them sweet accents....
Let me tell ya...
It doesn't matter how this thing is for Bonsai!
You'll knock it out!

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Sorce