My first Yamadori trip - Prunus

[barrosinc]

Cool looking area. Where is it relative to Santiago? Looks like there is some interesting exposed rock ridges above Peumos. Do you have any kind of native conifers nearby? I once almost made it to Chile for some kayaking. I hear the whitewater is world class there in places.

All the native conifers are down south where the temperatures drop very fast, there is this tree calle ciprés de la cordillera or mountain chain cypress which is austrocedrus chilensis (might work, if Santiago temperatures don't kill it)

 

[Vin]

Who the hell needs a nursery with yamadori like that! Forget the nurseries, you've got a treasure trove of material just waiting to be collected. Also, that's a great picture of the river. If there weren't people in it I'd make it my desktop background. Hint hint.

 

[barrosinc]

Who the hell needs a nursery with yamadori like that! Forget the nurseries, you've got a treasure trove of material just waiting to be collected. Also, that's a great picture of the river. If there weren't people in it I'd make it my desktop background. Hint hint.

of course I have a no people version...

 

[barrosinc]

That first one looks dope by the way.

Thanks smoke!
I went on a mission to get a crataegus, others were collecting plums and it just took me a minute so I said why not.
The weird looking branch on the bottom right is actually a root that I left because it has a bunch of feeder roots that I preferred to keep while it recovers.
But the tree I had in mind when collecting this was a twin trunk, rotated CW a bit, carving the middle trunk and having two canopies (a taller one on the left and lower on the right).

I have heard that these have some troubles rooting, so I will most probably give it two to three years before doing anything.
I do want to peel the young bark off the middle to get it to dry, as it is very young bark and I bet most of the shoots will come off it (or is that a stupid assessment?)

 

[barrosinc]

Who the hell needs a nursery with yamadori like that! Forget the nurseries, you've got a treasure trove of material just waiting to be collected. Also, that's a great picture of the river. If there weren't people in it I'd make it my desktop background. Hint hint.

I still like maples very much, and have 4 year old seedlings through ceramic plates and a large 3 inch cut to 5 inches tall. All those are from nurseries, but now I will just propagate them myself.

 

[barrosinc]

Finally getting buds!!

 

[sorce]

Bud. I see one.

Out of 4 trees?

Sorce

 

[barrosinc]

The tree has like 4 buds, but I guess it is just starting.
The 3 cherries have budded already, the crataegus hasn't... but it is still green and my other one I have from last year looks the same.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Great trees, and it looks like beautiful hiking just doing the scouting for the trees. Your 2 prunus are nice finds, and a size more do-able. I'm 60 yrs, and the thought of lugging around a 100 pound tree just sounds like too much work. The older you get the more shohin size will appeal to you. Trust me.

You know, you should really look for native trees to work with, and Chile has some really interesting potential trees.

Of course any Chilean species would have to winter in a greenhouse in my climate, I did recently pick up young some Chilean species to try as "indoors in winter" bonsai. All are 2nd yr. stock.
Crinodendron patagua - showy shrub, with white bell-flowers,
Desfontainia spinosa - with holly-like leaves, beautiful tubular scarlet red flowers with yellow petal tips, this looks fun, much like an Ilex. AND, depending on which reference you read, it is toxic or medicinal, capable of causing hallucinations or death with over consumption. One reference suggested the hallucinations were "just" the effects of a barely sub-leathal dose of the berries. Good one to feed the difficult to deal with in-law. It is found from Colombia to extreme southern Chile, and in all countries in-between. Likely somewhere near you. Also called “Taique” or “Borrachero”

Drimys andinai this species is a miniature for the genus, naturally less than 3 meters, where as most are 10 to 30 meters tall. The leaves may be too large for bonsai, and its growth habit seems to be coarse, lacking ramification, but it is wonderfully aromatic, white flowers, leaves and roots, repotting it was heavenly, the root fragrance just hung in the air, totally enchanting. It may end up being a "pet houseplant" rather than bonsai, but perhaps with age I can get enough ramification to be interesting, but definitely not as good for bonsai as the others.

and last I picked up the
Chilean myrtle or guava relative Luma apiculata which has small leaves, nice white flowers and small black fruit that are very tasty.

Any of these grow near you? Or are they all southern species. You should be able to find many other good candidates that are native trees and shrubs, you should really explore this aspect of bonsai, and it can help with local awareness and appreciation of your indigenous Chilean species of trees and shrubs when displayed in local shows.

 

[barrosinc]

Hi Leo, thanks!
Pataguas and luma apiculata can be found pretty much everywhere... (of course you have to look for them). These can be found to be collected.
I already killed a luma (arrayán as we call them) but definetly getting another one.

desfontania or taique don't really like, and canelo is in the posibilities... these must be bought.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

If you do try a Canelo, definitely look for the dwarf species. The more common lower elevation Drimys are definitely large and coarse trees with big leaves and little fine branching.. Drimys andina is the one you want. Its now 5 days since I potted it up, and the memory of the fragrance still has me enchanted. Remarkable. Usually only a cork bark Japanese Black Pine or a blooming Satsuki azalea could get that sort of reaction out of me.

 

[barrosinc]

Why do you know so much of Chilean trees?

 

[sorce]

Why do you know so much of Chilean trees?

He's Leo!

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

For quite a while (30+ years) I've been reading about and collecting orchids, mostly species orchids. Often I would end up with species that are not "common" enough to have culture information published anywhere. So you go back to the original species descriptions, and find out where they were collected, then learn as much as you can about that habitat. I have a fair sampling of South American orchids, including some from higher elevations in Peru and Bolivia. Reading habitat descriptions got me familiar with some of the trees native to those areas. Since I have dabbled with bonsai just as long, I would also pay attention to the trees. Chile does not have many orchid species that are in cultivation in the USA, but my reading often included sections on the flora of Chile. Collecting orchid species is all about finding "the rare one". That habit extended to trees too. I like finding the odd treasure here and there. There is a company in California that has a very nice selection of trees and shrub species from the Andes. Cacti too. Sacred Succulents is the name. Those of you in the USA who are interested they seem to be a pretty reliable outfit, though they are not terribly web savvy. They don't take pay pal, you have to send a check via snail mail. Quaint, isn't it?
http://sacredsucculents.com/

 

[Random Usr]

..... Coca Cola Light? Do you drink that stuff, or just keep a can on hand to lend perspective?

CW

No sugar ... No caffeine. What's the problem?

 

[Random Usr]

My first Yamadori trip!
We went picking cherry and plums
Honest comments and tips are very welcome.

I like this one the best! You can do almost anything with it:

 

[BonsaiButler]

Nice finds! they look fairly old too lots of character in the bark.
I wonder if they are old enough to put out flowers?

 

[Boris]

Hi Leo, thanks!
Pataguas and luma apiculata can be found pretty much everywhere... (of course you have to look for them). These can be found to be collected.
I already killed a luma (arrayán as we call them) but definetly getting another one.

desfontania or taique don't really like, and canelo is in the posibilities... these must be bought.

uhh... Arrayanes have the greatest bark ever. (I lived in Bariloche for 10+ years)