A couple potentilla potential bonsai

KennedyMarx · Aug 28, 2014

Found a couple of these at a nursery having an end of season sale. I was immediately attracted to the twisted trunk, fraying bark, and tiny leaves. I have never encountered potentilla as bonsai so any advice is appreciated.

The last two pictures shop the bark before and after I peeled off the flaky outer layer. It's interesting to have a deciduous tree with deadwood potential.

KennedyMarx · Aug 28, 2014

Sorry those pictures are sideways. People hate it, but that's how they turn out seemingly at random from my iphone. I tried to keep in mind keeping the phone in portrait orientation for all the pictures.

barrosinc · Aug 28, 2014

easiest solution is take all pictures in landscape orientation.

KennedyMarx · Aug 28, 2014

Landscape orientation is what flips them around, Max. Any least that is what's the consensus seems to be. The second one has a cool trunk line. I may try to make a taller more feminine tree with it.

Brian Underwood · Aug 28, 2014

Sweet finds! Those should be fun projects. I think I would wait till spring and see if some of those trunks can be separated, re-pot them in good soil, and chop them down to 1/3 their height. But of course that's just me... Have fun!

JudyB · Aug 29, 2014

I've always wanted to try one, these look like they could be nice. My landscape ones grow pretty slow, wonder how they take to pot culture.

Cadillactaste · Aug 29, 2014

I am going to go stick my head in my neighbor's bush! Though...that didn't come out right at our membership lake association meeting last weekend. Lol Hers is a well established older potentilla. If anything...you've peaked my interest. Reminding me I need to go at least peak.

coh · Aug 29, 2014

This is one of the species that I'm always checking at the nurseries, but have never found trunks as well developed as these. They should be fun projects!

jk_lewis · Aug 29, 2014

Inspiration? here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pot...BAcrLgwTh4YKYCw&ved=0CB8QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=602

Cadillactaste · Aug 29, 2014

Well...that was disappointing. The neighbor has a beautiful potentilla shrub...and...that is all it will ever be. Nothing spectacular about the trunk. Just a cluster of twigs coming out of the ground with no movement.

Nursery a hunting I will go...great finds by the way.

GrimLore · Aug 29, 2014

Those look to be a good start

In general Potentilla(all 300 or so) tend to grow like Honeysuckle with a huge cluster of twigs for a base. I find it interesting they share similar bark qualities as well. If I could find a decent one of either I would certainly give it a try. Have fun!

Grimmy

KennedyMarx · Aug 29, 2014

Thanks everyone. I saw some potentillas at Lowes, but they were all clumpy sticks. Then I randomly came across these while looking for procumbens nana at another nursery. There were quite a few that had bigger trunks like these. I probably would have bought them if I had the funds. It pays off to scrounge around nurseries.

A couple potentilla potential bonsai

KennedyMarx

Omono

Attachments

KennedyMarx

Omono

barrosinc

Masterpiece

KennedyMarx

Omono

Attachments

Brian Underwood

Chumono

JudyB

Queen of the Nuts

Cadillactaste

Neagari Gal

coh

Imperial Masterpiece

jk_lewis

Masterpiece

Cadillactaste

Neagari Gal

GrimLore

Bonsai Nut alumnus... we miss you

KennedyMarx

Omono

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