This year's spruce collection

[Tycoss]

This year I wanted to restrict myself to only collecting spruce that are different from anything I have in my collection.
I don't have any trees where the deadwood is the main focus, or that are particularly short and powerful for their trunk calliper. I also wanted something that told an obvious story to anyone familiar with the species and it's habitat in the Canadian Rockies. I think I have found almost exactly what I was looking for:

Here is my new tree from the side. It is about 22" tall and just over 3" trunk diameter. It's hard to make out the details because of the low growth, dead twigs and because it is a poor photo. It was collected on June 1, and appears to have made it through bud burst and the Western Canadian heat wave, so I think it is through the most critical period for survival (although I know it's not yet a sure thing).

 

[Tieball]

Excellent. I look forward to seeing more of this tree….and what you’ll do with it.

 

[Tycoss]

What most excited me about it is that it has a large dead ten Jin and an elbow of a branch that has a second crown and a dead end. It looks like a tree whose main crown was killed by lightning or avalanche and a new crown took over. Here are some pictures:
And a closeup of the "elbow":

 

[Tycoss]

As with most trees from the area, the deadwood is well aged and the bark is mature:

 

[Tycoss]

Excellent. I look forward to seeing more of this tree….and what you’ll do with it.

Thanks. Apart from preserving the deadwood and cleaning up the dead twigs, it will probably be at least a couple of years before I do much work on it.

 

[mattspinniken]

Great tree, great features. Should be able to make a nice and unique tree out of that beauty.

 

[Tieball]

Wow! Now that I see more photos it even looks better. Lots of excellent possibilities. Looks like a great tree struggling along and making it. Mighty fine!

 

[Tycoss]

Wow! Now that I see more photos it even looks better. Lots of excellent possibilities. Looks like a great tree struggling along and making it. Mighty fine!

One thing I liked about it too is the size. It's big enough to be impressive, but not too big to be hard to pot/move/find room for.

 

[hinmo24t]

Damn nice

 

[Potawatomi13]

Crown deadwood excellent and aged. Should be focal point without interference from competing trunk/leader as seems to appear in photos presently. Consider from start of dead trunk all foliage might be made to grow away from it if this appeals to you.

 

[Tycoss]

Crown deadwood excellent and aged. Should be focal point without interference from competing trunk/leader as seems to appear in photos presently. Consider from start of dead trunk all foliage might be made to grow away from it if this appeals to you.

That was my first thought as well, but the "elbow" that produced the competing leader actually has a lot of character. I think I'll actually shorten the living leader to about the spot marked with the red, so as not to compete with the crown. I'll likely change my mind in the year or two before I begin work on the tree though.

 

[Tycoss]

I got some more pictures of the "elbow" that produces the second leader from both sides. It's hard to see through the foliage, but I think it is a good feature:

 

[Cosmos]

Amazing material Tycoss, this is real inspiration for what we’re trying to find here in northern Québec. Beauty of a tree with tons of options and character.

 

[Tycoss]

Amazing material Tycoss, this is real inspiration for what we’re trying to find here in northern Québec. Beauty of a tree with tons of options and character.

Thanks, I expect there are some amazing specimens in northern Quebec as well. You guys have some species with some great qualities. Good luck

 

[Potawatomi13]

Mistaken misapprehention of suggestion. Idea was not to remove elbow section. Heaven forbid! Idea was to keep up to longer branches reaching away from from deadwood. Perhaps train these downward as if weighted by many snows?

 

[Tycoss]

Mistaken misapprehention of suggestion. Idea was not to remove elbow section. Heaven forbid! Idea was to keep up to longer branches reaching away from from deadwood. Perhaps train these downward as if weighted by many snows?

Thanks for clarifying. I love the idea of the lower branches bending down from snow weight. Very true to the natural growth habit of these trees.

 

[Tycoss]

Some of the lower branches already have interesting taper and movement:

 

[Tycoss]

It's been a while since I have updated this thread. The tree has continued to grow well over the past four years or so. Unfortunately, most of the big ten Jin was broken off by a deer scratching his head on it. Today my friend @HENDO and my son did its first real styling. I'm loving where it's heading.
I still plan to refine the deadwood and fine wire the back branches

 

[HENDO]

@Tycoss has done an incredible job collecting and developing these native Alberta spruce

This tree is super impressive in-person. The scale, movement, and nebari probably make it the best "bonsai'd" spruce collected in Alberta!

It was surprising how little wiring was required to place branches and form pads. Most of the primary branches have movement built-in by nature.

Extremely excited to see this tree entering the refinement stage.

 

[Cruiser]

It's been a while since I have updated this thread. The tree has continued to grow well over the past four years or so. Unfortunately, most of the big ten Jin was broken off by a deer scratching his head on it. Today my friend @HENDO and my son did its first real styling. I'm loving where it's heading. View attachment 544522
I still plan to refine the deadwood and fine wire the back branches

Damn nice spruce.