Pictures from the National Arboretum
- Thread starter markyscott
- Start date
BobbyLane
Imperial Masterpiece
when you do a google search of Zelkova, this is one of those that always pops up, been around a long time.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
First off, an early welcome to Va.! I'm something of an East Texas expat myself.
As such,, I'd advise not getting rid of all your Texas natives. I've been growing cedar elm, bald cypress and live oak up here for the last 25 years. CEs are hardy if you set up winter quarters. Bald cypress is mostly the same (although its become a bit more challenging climate wise in the last few years). Live oak can thrive if given some shelter from the worst of the winter.
When you get up here, give me a shout. There are many great bonsai folks in the area. Some not necessarily connected to all the clubs--although the No. Va. Bonsai Society is a great organization.
As for the trees at the museum--the place was closed for almost a year because of the pandemic. The full-time staff, which couldn't rely on the volunteers which are an integral part of tree care and maintenance there, allowed many of the trees to extend and grow to gain some strength. That's is probably why the pine has not been decandled.
WELCOME BACK: The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is OPEN! — National Bonsai Foundation
Got plans for this week? We suggest visiting the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum!! The National Bonsai Foundation is ecstatic to announce that the Museum is open again as of June 1, 2021 ! After closing last March to maintain staff and visitor safety during
www.bonsai-nbf.org
BTW, I'm positive if you want to volunteer to work there, they'd welcome your expertise.
Back to bald cypress--I don't know why the Vaughn Banting BC is off exhibit, but it might be to allow it to grow out. The last couple of years has brought many late, deep freezes. I lost one excellent BC to a late freeze two years ago and the big remaining one I have has been significantly weakened this year from this weather pattern. The pattern has been that we've had warm early Feb.--like into the 70's, then a deep plunge into the mid-teens and even lower come late Feb./early March. That pattern hit my BCs at exactly the wrong time, just as the trees began moving their buds. In the previous couple of decades, its stayed reliable cold into March, at least enough to prevent that early movement. In the past, my La.-collected BC has seen sub-zero temps in Jan. and Feb. when it was dormant, Didn't have a problem for years. Things have changed and its a bit more unpredictable and I have to watch Feb./March forecasts very closely.
Anyway, Faquier county (BTW the county slogan is "eat here, drink here, Faquier" because of the breweries and wineries out that way) is a bit colder than the main DMV (District, Maryland and Va. metro area). Cedar Elms and BC and some other Texas natives will probably do well there with some deep mulch and a cold frame.
As for Ezo Spruce, there are a few EXCELLENT ezo spruce kicking around in this area's private collections. I've seen one that lives in the DMV that likely originated in The Kennett Collection https://www.thekennettcollection.com/bonsai out of Pa. The owner of that collection imports a lot of excellent Japanese trees. They have surplus sales for excess stock that generates fist fights ;-).
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rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Upperville and the Va. "horse country" are beautiful areas. Middleburg, and the "monts"--Philomont, Bluemont, and Airmont are spectacular as well. And SKymeadows State Park is prime "dark sky" star gazing territory.
hinmo24t
Masterpiece
i like that middle-left canopy
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
This is one of the initial 53 bonsai given to the U.S. back in 1976. I think it is also the tree profiled here:
Historical Tree Spotlight: The Museum’s First Tree — National Bonsai Foundation
The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum was created after the United States received a wonderful bicentennial gift of 53 bonsai from Japan in 1976. For this month’s historical tree spotlight, we wanted to highlight the first tree on the list of gifted bonsai: a black pine donated by Saichi Suzu
www.bonsai-nbf.org
Can't tell for sure,, but the planting angle and pot look about right
Michael P
Omono
Scott, thank you for the wonderful photos and your brief and astute comments.
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
I believe the sign might have mentioned that the tree had been in training since 1895, but it didn’t state that this was part of the original collection. That part of the story is pretty cool - thanks for sharing the link to the article!This is one of the initial 53 bonsai given to the U.S. back in 1976. I think it is also the tree profiled here:
Historical Tree Spotlight: The Museum’s First Tree — National Bonsai Foundation
The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum was created after the United States received a wonderful bicentennial gift of 53 bonsai from Japan in 1976. For this month’s historical tree spotlight, we wanted to highlight the first tree on the list of gifted bonsai: a black pine donated by Saichi Suzu
Can't tell for sure,, but the planting angle and pot look about right
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
Nice photos and thanks for taking the time to share them in a post.
Moving? You'll have to drink yankee Shiner's!
Moving? You'll have to drink yankee Shiner's!
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Sure. Next time you're there, pay close attention to the containers underneath some of the trees. Some of the pots are just as valuable than the trees in them. The pot under the Imperial Household Red pine is one of those.
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
Nice photos Scott! Thanks for posting. And congrats on the upcoming move. Out of the places we've lived, I liked Virginia the best. Good climate (just enough winter, long summers), easy access to ocean and mountains, DC not too far. Might wind up back down there at some point.
Maiden69
Masterpiece
That's a nice scenic area, I lived in Frederick, MD and used to ride my bike with co-workers. They were from Hagerstown and we used to go to Fredericksburg down 17 straight through that area.
One more positive is that your maples will finally have great fall colors!
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
It is very beautiful there - we really liked it. Skymeadows State Park is very close to the homesite. I’m excited about that because one of my other pastimes is astrophotography and getting out from under the daylight bright night sky of downtown Houston has been a long term goal. I usually have to drive quite a way west for that activity. The other thing I really enjoy is hiking and I can pick up the AT less than five miles from the house or be in the Shenandoah NP in less than 30 mins.
S
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Thanks and I will! Looking forward to meeting and getting to know some of the bonsai folks in the area. We‘ve rented a house between Winchester and Front Royal and are planning on staying there while we build. We’ll be in and out for the next few months and up there permanently next May or June.
S
Shogun610
Masterpiece
Oh hell yes.. I wonder how long it took to reduce foliage
TinyArt
Chumono
And how beautiful is that composition? I keep coming back to that one --
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
As Guy Guidry related the story of me, Vaughn Banting often stopped and dug up red maple seedlings along the roadside. This composition was built from a selection of those. I like that a tree with such humble beginnings could end up as the entrance display to the national exhibit. A good reminder that with skill and an artistic eye, great trees can be built with simple material.
S
Shogun610
Masterpiece
Amen to that , resourcefulness too
Ohmy222
Shohin
Pretty amazing. I played around with a small one a while back. I could get the foliage to reduce but they still had these awkwardly long petioles that made it look even worse. I am guessing there is some fortunate genetics at play on this one. I have heard that Florida has a red maple that has much smaller and tighter foliage than the typical Acer rubrum.
Shogun610
Masterpiece
Any Florida bros wanna send me a bundle of ace rubrum this spring? Lmk
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