Trees for Today and Tomorrow

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Fukien Tea
(Carmona retusa)
Style: Informal Upright

Thought I would share another small shohin Tea while I was at it. Nothing amazingly special... But, I do like it. I think it has interest. Size of this one is 7 inches, so about the same size as the previous. Needs a way cooler pot, though!


fukien2.jpg
 
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Ficus
(Ficus retusa)
Style: Clump

Here is another some might of seen here, that I have posted before. I am going through photographing the good majority of my trees, I do this every year for record. This tree is comprised of at the moment 11 "S" curve ficus trees that I bought from a big box store and put together to make one composition. I started this project almost 2 years ago. Last picture was right at the initial forming of the piece. 3rd picture is earlier this spring, when I repotted the tree into it's antique Japanese pot. First and second pictures are from today.


11ficusa.jpg 11ficusb.jpg 11ficusc.jpg 11ficusd.jpg
 
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Juniper Procumbens Nana
(Juniperus procumbens)
Style: Informal Upright

This tree is one of the few that have manage to hang on from my early days of learning Bonsai. For years it was tortured as well as neglected... About 3 years ago, I decided to wire it up and begin to try and actually do something with it. Third picture, is right around that time. Second picture, was from the next year, First is from today.

Last picture I thought was worth sharing, so one can determine size of the adult foliage on a nana... Size of foliage is the same, or smaller than a shimpaku. Overall size of the tree is 14 inches. Obviously pot is all wrong.


nana1a.jpg nana1c.jpg nana1b.jpg nana1d.jpg
 
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Wild Tamarind
(Lysiloma latisiliquum)
Style: Informal Upright

This tree was posted recently as well, it is a tree that I have had for a while floating around. At the beginning of last year, I decided to take the tree in a new direction. First thing I did was chop the trunk down further, and did some preliminary carving, and wired out it's new style to get the tree going in it's new direction. Last picture is one I found of what the tree looked like before. Third picture is after the chop and first wiring. Second picture is what the tree looked like as of this spring. After the tree had been allowed to grow out all last year. First picture is what it looked like as of today. I messed up... The tree was cut back hard this spring, and had really grown in since, and I didn't get a photo before I again cut back hard the foliage this past weekend, to push new growth.

This tree is one of the hardest trees I have had the pleasure of working on... due to the fact that it likes to die back rather far, is compound leaf, and one can let a branch run free for quite a bit of length without actually putting much growth, or thickening of the branch. Which is apparent from the second picture, where the overall width of the tree at the time of the photo was over 4 ft wide! Problem is then has to worry about cutting back really far and nothing popping on the branch...

I want all of the branches to in the end be about twice the thickness that they are now... but, have decided because of it, I will now at this point, allow sacrifice secondary branches to run free off of the main branches. This will also allow for development to begin of the ramification of the tree.



tam1a.jpg tam1c.jpg tam1b.jpg tam1d.jpg
 

coh

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I've always really liked that ficus composition. Great idea there.
 
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I've always really liked that ficus composition. Great idea there.
Thanks, I appreciate it!
It is not to hard to do, and is beginning to come together. If I was to do another, I would grow it out, so that all the trees really fused together and became much more one. I do however think as ariel roots take of and begin to grow over it, it will tie them together more.
 
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Buttonwood
(Conocarpus erectus)
Style: Slanting, Informal Upright


Was working on these two shohins today. I defoliated them due to the fact that I will be repotting them tomorrow. When they were both previously potted, I left much of their organic soil still, in tack and filled the remainder with Bonsai soil, to help with the transition. These are both Yamadori, and were collected here in Florida from nature... often it is best making the jump from nature to a bonsai pot, as I have done with these two Buttonwoods. Now however, it is time to start working on finer roots and more ramification, so the organic soil needs to be removed. Which as mentioned I will be doing tomorrow. I for now will be returning them to the pots that they are in, seeing that I don't currently have better pots, and these will do for the next year.

In the process of getting them ready for repotting they were also both fully rewired and styles adjusted, jins cleaned and lime sulphured. Which would explain why the photos aren't that good... the bright white is making my camera take false readings. I adjusted the photos as much as I could without loosing most of the detail of the tree.

First three pictures are from today, last two, are right after I first got the trees...


butwd1.jpg butwd2.jpg butwd3.jpg butw4.jpg butwd5.jpg
 
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Hollywood Juniper
(Juniperus chinensis 'Torulosa')
Style: Informal Upright

Thought I would share a Big Box store special that I was cleaning jins and sharis on and lime sulphuring seeing that I prepared to much and felt it a shame to waste. This Torulosa juniper is right at 11 inches tall, and eventually as I compact and work the foliage will be around 10. Next spring plan to plant it in a rugged bowl. At the moment, it is currently still in the big box store soil and plastic planter. First image is tonight, second last summer.

I am torn with this little tree over whether it should remain as an Upright, or return to the Slant style it previously was. I lost a branch in the center, as well as thought the jin that circles the trunk was lost, with the Slant. Although I like the composition of the Slant's foliage better. Branches could be easily adjusted to return if I wanted to... Got between now and next spring to decide I guess... so no hurry.


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qwade

Shohin
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11 "S" curve ficus trees
Thats awsome. I tried similar with three s curve elms Ulmus parvifolia. Not as nice as yours. Unfortunately I lost them this spring. Dude, your cracking me up with those European mug shots.
 
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Thats awsome. I tried similar with three s curve elms Ulmus parvifolia. Not as nice as yours. Unfortunately I lost them this spring. Dude, your cracking me up with those European mug shots.
Thanks, I appreciate it! It is a great way of producing some very nice trees with very little effort and money. Hardest part is bringing them all together to make one cohesive design.
 
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Firebush
(Hamelia patens)
Style: Informal Upright

This little shohin, is as one can see right at 7.5 inches tall, judging by the jin pliers for scale in the fourth picture. It has really cool flowers that are orange and red, and flowers all year long and really in tight. So, one doesn't have to let them run in order to flower. This is a project that has undergone a lot of work in the year that I have had it. Last year was spent on just growing a continuation of the trunk at the chop. And the chops received preliminary carving to begin to set them on their way. At the beginning of spring, I removed it from the grow pot it was in and completely chopped the bottom of the trunk flat, and put it in this shallow pot. This year, I will be concentrating on establishing major branching, and begin to develop it's shape. The first two picture are from today. the second, before I defoliated the top to try and push out new growth on the trunk further down.


firebush1.jpg firebush1a.jpg firebush1b.jpg firebush1c.jpg firebush1d.jpg
 
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Couple more photos of Firebrush. First is the tree when I first got it a year ago. Second is a close up of the flowers.

firebush1e.jpg firebush1f.jpg
 
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Sorry, got sidetracked with work, life and Bonsai... way to many things on my plate!
Staying busy keeps me out of trouble though! Will be posting more pictures of trees soon!
Thanks everyone who has taken the time to comment, and view my work!
 
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Vin

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Firebush
(Hamelia patens)
Style: Informal Upright

This little shohin, is as one can see right at 7.5 inches tall, judging by the jin pliers for scale in the fourth picture. It has really cool flowers that are orange and red, and flowers all year long and really in tight. So, one doesn't have to let them run in order to flower. This is a project that has undergone a lot of work in the year that I have had it. Last year was spent on just growing a continuation of the trunk at the chop. And the chops received preliminary carving to begin to set them on their way. At the beginning of spring, I removed it from the grow pot it was in and completely chopped the bottom of the trunk flat, and put it in this shallow pot. This year, I will be concentrating on establishing major branching, and begin to develop it's shape. The first two picture are from today. the second, before I defoliated the top to try and push out new growth on the trunk further down.
Very nice indeed. I had/have one of these and for those that may not know they are very tropical. Some slightly cold weather got to mine last fall and kicked the crap out of it. There are some new shoots growing out of the soil near the base so it's not dead yet. I'd like to build the trunk up again but it can't go in the ground in this part of Florida.
 
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Juniper Parsnoni
(Juniperus chinensis)
Style: Informal Upright

Juniper I just finished doing heavy bending on and setting of main branches. Letting it grow out for a while, then I will work on fine wiring,

juniper2s.jpg Juniper2b.jpg
 
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Juniper Parsnoni
(Juniperus chinensis)
Style: Informal Upright

Just finished styling this tree this past week. I removed the pot in Photoshop in the finished image, to make it easier to see the tree.
Juniper first wiring1.jpgjun1a.jpg
 
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Ficus
(Ficus retusa)
Style: Informal Upright

Today, I was working on this Ficus. Did some severe root work, where I sawed the base of the roots flat. Branching was then wired, and majority of foliage was removed to help with the transition. Left bare necessities to keep branching growing and moving forward. Trunk base is 6 inches.
ficus 1.jpg
 
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