One ugly mulberry

Spdyracer · Mar 4, 2017

This thing is so ugly I like it, problem is I'm not sure what to do with it. just noticed it needed to be repotted so I took care of that tonight. exposed a little more of the trunk and put it at a slant compared to what I had last year. Think I like it better like this but still not sure how I should carve and style this thing. Any ideas would be appreciated on this ugly chunk of wood.

Tieball · Mar 4, 2017

Well....like you, I would also need to twist, turn and slant and just stare at this trunk for many views to see what could happen. My fingers walked around one of your photos a couple of times as I thought about what it would look like with some parts removed. I was just thinking and wondering. I think it's odd enough that it has potential. I happen to like the Deadwood damage the tree has suffered and wanted to work with it. I like the last one where the dead area is carved down further to exploit the deadwood. Once the branches began to fill in with additional branching I believe it will portray a good emotion of strength and longevity despite problems. I'd see those branches above and alongside the deadwood thickening a lot and the overall tree becoming taller. The deadwood area to the soil being about the lower third of the tree.
....just my thinking. I like the explosiveness of the deadwood.

hemmy · Mar 4, 2017

Spdyracer said:
View attachment 134801

I like the look of the trunk in the 3rd pic, with a 'spreading oak' style. Although it may be tough to get the back branches necessary to make it 3D since all the branches look like they are on the front. I love mulberries, they grew like weeds in the Midwest.

Spdyracer · Mar 4, 2017

Tieball said:
Well....like you, I would also need to twist, turn and slant and just stare at this trunk for many views to see what could happen. My fingers walked around one of your photos a couple of times as I thought about what it would look like with some parts removed. I was just thinking and wondering. I think it's odd enough that it has potential. I happen to like the Deadwood damage the tree has suffered and wanted to work with it. I like the last one where the dead area is carved down further to exploit the deadwood. Once the branches began to fill in with additional branching I believe it will portray a good emotion of strength and longevity despite problems. I'd see those branches above and alongside the deadwood thickening a lot and the overall tree becoming taller. The deadwood area to the soil being about the lower third of the tree.
....just my thinking. I like the explosiveness of the deadwood.

View attachment 134831 View attachment 134832 View attachment 134836

Thanks for giving your ideas. I've thought about cutting parts off also like your drawings. This might be the path I take at some point but just can't pull the trigger yet because once it's cut off it can't be put back.

One thing I do like and your pictures help is the fact it slims down the top to match more of the bottom of the trunk. It takes away a lot of the top heavy feel.

Spdyracer · Mar 4, 2017

hemmy said:
I like the look of the trunk in the 3rd pic, with a 'spreading oak' style. Although it may be tough to get the back branches necessary to make it 3D since all the branches look like they are on the front. I love mulberries, they grew like weeds in the Midwest.

That's probably my favorite side also. If you look closely there are new buds coming out on the other side of the trunk opposite of side that has the larger branches. I may have to let it grow out this year to see what new growth I get. That might help on a future direction.

Tieball · Mar 4, 2017

Spdyracer said:
Thanks for giving your ideas. I've thought about cutting parts off also like your drawings. This might be the path I take at some point but just can't pull the trigger yet because once it's cut off it can't be put back.

One thing I do like and your pictures help is the fact it slims down the top to match more of the bottom of the trunk. It takes away a lot of the top heavy feel.

I totally understand your comment...."once it's cut off it can't be put back". That's why I have also failed to carve a clump of deadwood branches on a stump of a Burning Bush I dug out years ago....nothing will grow back...carved right or carved wrong.....it's done. But I might add that in your case when you chop anything that tree will respond with new buds all over. After enough time a plan will take over and it will likely be completely different than you think today.

I think you will like your next step of just letting that stump grow out and put branches all over it...letting it get unruly.....giving you new choices you don't have today.

And, I've only been staring at that Burning Bush stump for 3-4 years.

One ugly mulberry

Spdyracer

Shohin

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