Potentilla exposed root.

wireme

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Upright this time?
 

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wireme

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It's pruning time, maybe a bit of wiring too. Thought I'd put up a pic before cutting the flowers off, usually it has way more flowers, not this year.

It was planted on the stone this year. By next year I hope to remove the cage and expose the roots. Also by then the muck wall should be nicely mossed up and I can lower the soil level a bit and place a decent gound cover. If it all goes as planned I think it will be quite nice.

mp
 
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Don't know how tall this plant is but they make a very good shohin bonsai especially when they are full of yellow flowers.... Nice one !!!
 

mc4mc44

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I've been looking for a nice potentilla lately, but can't seen to find a good one. Where did you get this one? I like it a lot.
 

wireme

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These ones and the one above are local yamadori plants. They are very common in dry exposed sites but sizeable trunks are somewhat rare. I have heard that these local shrubs are not technically potentilla rather shrubby cinquefoil. It think they were recently reclassified. Here's a couple more. The tall one will be pruned to increase the vigour of lower branches which will be wired. I'm a sucker for flowers so have been waiting to do this. image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg
 
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wireme

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And here's one that I found at a local nursery this spring. I guess this is true potentilla, pink flower variety according to the tag. Again not always easy to find a thicker trunk in nursery stock either, commonly they are just multiple stemed shrubs. I think this one has good potential. I suspect that the deadwood on the older yamadori material will prove to be more decay resistant than the younger nursery stock. That is a bit of a problem with this species and something I should be taking measures against with image.jpgmine.
Mp
 

amkhalid

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Hey man, you have some awesome potentilla there. They are such a fun species to work on since there is always something to do. Can't wait to see what that one looks like once the roots are exposed.

If you have some time, I would suggest cleaning the trunks with water and an old toothbrush. It will really bring out the beautiful colour of the bark. Some lime sulfur would highlight the nice deadwood you have, too.
 

amkhalid

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I've been looking for a nice potentilla lately, but can't seen to find a good one. Where did you get this one? I like it a lot.

You can find decent ones at garden centers although it takes a lot of looking and some luck to find a nice single trunk one. But they are out there.
 

wireme

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The roots are partially exposed now but not yet as far as I'd like. Flowering was a bit sporadic this year, I missed the best photo op but here she is with a few left.

The plant suffered a bit health wise this spring, you can see it's not nearly as full as last year. I think under watering with the dry pumice mix, once the clay wall dries out it quickly absorbs moisture in the soil. Seems to be perking up again now though. For some reason in photos it appears taller and narrower than in person.
 

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GrimLore

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Still looks ok and I am certain it will bounce back in a short amount of time. Do they just bloom once in Spring? Nice work by the way - me likes :D

Grimmy
 

wireme

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Yes, just once in spring, at least that is what this plant has done for me. Also only on unpruned tips, too much late summer/ fall pruning will decrease flowering... I think. This one has been getting pruned only 2 times a year, once lightly before buds open and more heavily cut back mid summer when the first flush slows down.

I bought a nursery starter plant last summer with small pink blossoms that flowered all summer despite pruning to the trunk in spring so I guess there are differences between varieties. The one pictured above is mountain collected material.
 

KennedyMarx

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Very cool plant. The trunk bark is awesome. I just found a couple of these on a discount. Do you have any advice on them? I was reading that they are fairly drought tolerant and don't like wet soils. Not sure how fast they grow considering the tiny leaves.
 

Cadillactaste

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Was this a collected tree? Just beautiful...

Beautiful...my neighbor has one in their yard. Makes me want to take a peek inside the foliage. Since it's been there a good while. They are selling their home...I teased I wanted it for my yard...I may have to take a better look. Because the husband said...if they sold the house I could have it.
 

wireme

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Was this a collected tree? Just beautiful...

Beautiful...my neighbor has one in their yard. Makes me want to take a peek inside the foliage. Since it's been there a good while. They are selling their home...I teased I wanted it for my yard...I may have to take a better look. Because the husband said...if they sold the house I could have it.

Yes, collected from the wild. Have a look at your tree next door, often they are a multitude of small stems but if you can find a thickish single trunk in there its probably worth it.

I have been told that they collected easily with poor root systems and I put that to the test with a half dozen plants dug from gravelly soil this spring.seems to be true, all of them are growing well with new roots showing through drain holes. I think getting them early before or just beginning bud break is helpful if not essential.

Good luck, hope you get a good one.
 

wireme

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Very cool plant. The trunk bark is awesome. I just found a couple of these on a discount. Do you have any advice on them? I was reading that they are fairly drought tolerant and don't like wet soils. Not sure how fast they grow considering the tiny leaves.

Certainly drought tolerant in the wild. In a granular mix with no fines they seem to like lots of water. I'm not sure of other peoples experiences but mine always look pretty rough by fall, discolored leaves and not healthy looking. Its made me wonder if I was over watering but they're good again by spring. Pretty tough plants overall I'd say.
 

davetree

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They like a very moist mix. I never let mine dry out and they grow sprouts all year. Fall color can be excellent.
 

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wireme

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Thanks Dave, that seems consistent enough with my experiences. I've never kept them as moist as you describe but they've seemed happier and healthier with more vs less watering. They survive dry but grow slowly that way.

Nice tree there I'd like to see it in bloom!
 

wireme

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Annual spring blossom pics.

Good year for flowers, a bit at a time though, it would be fun if they opened all at once, this was about the peak.

Time for a good pruning now, possibly removal of some major branches in an effort to reduce the canopy size to better match the trunk size... maybe...
 

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