"Seattle Elm"

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Messages
13,961
Reaction score
45,897
Location
B’ham, AL
USDA Zone
8A
I visited Bonsai Northwest in Seattle when my wife and I were visiting her dad in Gig Harbor back in 1997. I bought a corkbark Chinese Elm and pot, and wired it out. This is the earliest photo I can find; from around 1998. I sold it 10-12 years ago, but did start some root cuttings at some point, which have been in the ground, mostly ignored with the occasionally dig and chop.
The parent tree:
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    205.1 KB · Views: 339
Last edited:

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Messages
13,961
Reaction score
45,897
Location
B’ham, AL
USDA Zone
8A
From the root cuttings, I made these...so they're 3rd generation to the Seattle elm, also been ignored in the ground, but chopped much lower for movement. These will make good shohin over time. Here's the first. Prior root work done in 2013, and back in the ground for 2 years, and potted up yesterday. 6" tall, 6" spread.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    374 KB · Views: 333
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    472.1 KB · Views: 302
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    226.4 KB · Views: 306
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    218.8 KB · Views: 323

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Messages
13,961
Reaction score
45,897
Location
B’ham, AL
USDA Zone
8A
Here is the second. More taper, less movement. Reduced again after the photo to about 5". In an 11" training pot:
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    433 KB · Views: 325
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    184.6 KB · Views: 304
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    238.9 KB · Views: 308

M. Frary

Bonsai Godzilla
Messages
14,307
Reaction score
22,116
Location
Mio Michigan
USDA Zone
4
They do get some girthy roots in the ground! More root cuttings Brian?
 

fredtruck

Omono
Messages
1,232
Reaction score
2,464
Location
West Des Moines, IA
USDA Zone
5
Nice progression. The last one shows potential for conveying an impression of real size.
 

discusmike

Omono
Messages
1,495
Reaction score
553
Location
elkton,MD
USDA Zone
7a
I hope my root cuttings turn out that well,nice work Brian.
 

coh

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,781
Reaction score
6,822
Location
Rochester, NY
USDA Zone
6
Nice work, that lower movement is very dramatic. I like the fact that you kind of let it go after that first chop (as opposed to chop chop chop which would result in the standard multiple
L/R/L/R predictable trunk bends)
 

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Messages
13,961
Reaction score
45,897
Location
B’ham, AL
USDA Zone
8A
In 2019, after the super cold snap we had, this tree lost several branches in the middle section of the tree. I planted it in the ground behind one of the benches, and it survived. In ‘19-’20 it grew quite a bit, but I was hopeful I could still get it back into a shohin container.

After I rebuilt the benches, I had to rework the irrigation system, and the guy I use always does a fantastic job. He is a perfectionist. Yesterday, I went to dig it up and see what I had to work with. It wasn’t there (this photo shows it still in the ground, circled in red). The quince to the left was there, so was the stewartia on the right.

The tree isn’t particularly special, but it does actually represent the tree I’ve owned the longest, the parent tree goes back to 1996 with me. So, I started looking around the bed, and poking around in the bushes, just on the chance my irrigation guy dug it up not knowing what it was, and chucked it. Well, I found the stupid thing. X marks the spot where I found it.
79CA0006-174C-4AAA-B138-51A805333FB1.jpeg
3 full weeks laying in the bushes, nearly bare-rooted, after snow, and temps down into the low teens. So I planted it again in the ground, and we’ll see what lives. Pretty sure it won’t be a shohin anymore, and really likely I’ll be remaking all the branches. But so far, it’s alive.
0E689FBA-1DD3-4123-B07D-9154E5235636.jpeg
46263E1D-66B8-456B-80CE-29599949214C.jpeg
 

Carol 83

Flower Girl
Messages
11,126
Reaction score
27,129
Location
IL
In 2019, after the super cold snap we had, this tree lost several branches in the middle section of the tree. I planted it in the ground behind one of the benches, and it survived. In ‘19-’20 it grew quite a bit, but I was hopeful I could still get it back into a shohin container.

After I rebuilt the benches, I had to rework the irrigation system, and the guy I use always does a fantastic job. He is a perfectionist. Yesterday, I went to dig it up and see what I had to work with. It wasn’t there (this photo shows it still in the ground, circled in red). The quince to the left was there, so was the stewartia on the right.

The tree isn’t particularly special, but it does actually represent the tree I’ve owned the longest, the parent tree goes back to 1996 with me. So, I started looking around the bed, and poking around in the bushes, just on the chance my irrigation guy dug it up not knowing what it was, and chucked it. Well, I found the stupid thing. X marks the spot where I found it.
View attachment 357524
3 full weeks laying in the bushes, nearly bare-rooted, after snow, and temps down into the low teens. So I planted it again in the ground, and we’ll see what lives. Pretty sure it won’t be a shohin anymore, and really likely I’ll be remaking all the branches. But so far, it’s alive.
View attachment 357526
View attachment 357525
Apparently that tree really has a will to live, best of luck with it.
 
Top Bottom