No I’m not trying to pick a fight. Dwarf Alberta Spruce (DAS) has a reputation of being uncooperative in bonsai culture. So a lot of people just don’t want to mess with it. I found this one in a sale bed at a nursery and was attracted by the base and the fact it was a double trunk. Couldn’t see much more than that. My first misgivings were when they brought it out on a Dingo loader and stuffed it into the back of my Element. Drove home with the back of the car down on the rear axle. Wrestled it into a loader bucket to start the root reduction.
Potted up in the biggest mica drum pot I had. Roots had abandoned the original field soil to colonize the fir bark in the original pot so I was able to reduce it pretty aggressively. This had originally been sheared as a spiral topiary. Note the gaps in the foliage. This last spring it was potted in an almost antique mica pot and all original field soil replaced. It responded well so I brought it in for a first style. I lopped off a few lower branches before remembering to take a before pic. The tree had some flaws. Reverse taper at some old whorls and big sections lacking branches because of the topiary pruning. First style done. That’s all for now. Have other trees waiting. Back out on bench enjoying the sunshine, here is the back side of the tree. Next year I’ll be working on the pads, deadwood at the top and Shari. Comments always welcome.
Potted up in the biggest mica drum pot I had. Roots had abandoned the original field soil to colonize the fir bark in the original pot so I was able to reduce it pretty aggressively. This had originally been sheared as a spiral topiary. Note the gaps in the foliage. This last spring it was potted in an almost antique mica pot and all original field soil replaced. It responded well so I brought it in for a first style. I lopped off a few lower branches before remembering to take a before pic. The tree had some flaws. Reverse taper at some old whorls and big sections lacking branches because of the topiary pruning. First style done. That’s all for now. Have other trees waiting. Back out on bench enjoying the sunshine, here is the back side of the tree. Next year I’ll be working on the pads, deadwood at the top and Shari. Comments always welcome.