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No one has suggested a literati/bunjin style to utilize the long trunk which is the way I would go with this one. The trunk is never going to thicken appreciably quickly to give a good informal upright and if you don't have experience bending trunks then you are stuck with what you have...

We had a photo from the other day after all. Grant

Here is an Atlantic Cedar that was purchased in 2005 by a consortium of friends apon the death of the artist. He was known for some pretty amazing bending and designs with cedars. Unfortunately a major branch on the right hand side died and so it had to be redesigned. The pic on the right is...

We use Cedars a lot in Australia; mostly Himalayan and Atlantica. The Atlantica is, in reality, supposed to be an upright blue version of the Cedar of lebanon and is very close in its likes and dislikes. The Atlantica is touchy about timing of repotting and you want to be neither too early or...

88 degrees here and lots to water, pinch, trim etc. Already had Christmas lunch; a nice cold one with salad. Grant Bowie

Nice work, Re the apex; maybe in a few years time when its has thickened up a bit more you might cut consider cutting it about halfway down the curve. It would reduce the exagerated bend at the top. Anyhow great thread. Grant Bowie

Hi There. I noticed no one had attached a photo of a Jack Pine so here is one. Started as a collected seedling about 10 years old. The owner has collected a few seedlings successfully .

Hi, No this tree was grown from seed. It was a skinny tree that was bent over and bound to give it the semi cascade start in the early 70s and I aquired it 3 years ago. Grant

Here is a Red pine dating from around 1966. I am in the process of restyling it and it is now a lot smaller. I am also working on another two large red pines of a similar age and they are responding very well to fertilizing and candle pruning. Grant

In Australia we have the opposite problem. Finding a larch that will tolerate the mild winter and hot summer. So far the Larch most widely used is the Japanese Larch . It is hardy in Melbourne, probably equivalent to San Fransisco, but wont live in Sydney, probably equivalent to LA. Grant

People forget that it is a good way to grow a tree. You can start with very inexpensive material and just let it slowly mature. Grant

The pot and root system are very shallow. The tree has spent all its life in bonsai pots. I repotted it this year into a mix that allows water in and out easilly and it is not especially thirsty. The current pot is quite broad and does hold more soil than it looks. As to the growth of...

Hi all, Here is an elm I grew from a 4" starter about 30 years ago and some recent changes. This is it today in November 2011 This was it in 2006 This was it last year in 2010 after a hard prune to change direction. I intend to allow the silhouette to expand about 2 inches this year...

Hi Jurdzsi, good to see a final identification. I have only seen P leucodermis once (a very big tree about 70 years old) and I mistook it for P thunbergii; Japanese Black pine. Similar size needles, similar buds but slightly different colour, and similar cone size and shape. But something was...

Better pictures have helped. The cone is relatively small and has very slight hooks or sharp points on it. I would still go Leucodermis. Grant

A few years ago we had something in Sydney at the Moden Art Museum where implements of torture were attached to bonsai in the name of art. Not my cup of tea but I suggested we not react as publicity would be what the artist was after. Grant

Check out Pinus leucodermis on google. It is also a native close to where you live and is called the Bosnian pine. Somewhat similar to P Thungergii and P Nigra. Grant

Well you can grow the trees sitting in plastic pots sitting in water during spring and summer. Some precautions apply so check out other threads on this topic with bald cypress.. You can grow on sacrifice branches and cut them off later. However with a group planting it is not necesarilly...

Hi Phillip, It sounds like you already know what to do. Here is a group of Montezuma cypress that I put together in 2004. The oldest tree was started in 1974 from seed and was grown as a single bonsai till about the early 90s when i bought it. The rest are from seed I collected in 1993. some...

Thanks everyone for the input. I will see how it comes out in the flesh. Grant

Hi, The back would be very difficult to use as the trunks all move significantly towards the existing front, plus I do prefer the roots in the current position as well. A hard trim back and thin out will yield some interesting results I feel. It is early summer here and the tree will go...

Hi Si, That sketch is absolutely fabulous. Would you be able to send me a larger format of it? Grant

plus 10 degrees, plus 20 degrees, back, minus 10 degrees, front

After a trim

Thanks all, yes there are some great problems with this tree. I will trim back and do a few more photos and repost with some closeups and my thoughts. I am travelling the rest of the day so I will post in two days time. Grant