1 bunjin juniper, 4 designs: you decide

Which design?

  • A

    Votes: 9 42.9%
  • B

    Votes: 6 28.6%
  • C

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • D

    Votes: 6 28.6%

  • Total voters
    21

Meh

Mame
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Last night I styled this lovely shimpaku at a workshop, but left very dissatisfied with the result. With the magic of Microsoft paint, I present 4 different variations on this tree. I'd really like your input!

1: Status Quo
IMG_20181108_072216.jpg

2: More Compact
Bunjin right branch removed.jpg

3: Hardly Anything at All
Bunjin both branches removed.jpg

4: Dynamic
Bunjin dynamic.jpg

Thanks for voting!
 

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
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I wouldn’t recommend taking any more off at this point, especially if you’re headed into winter. When it does fill in a bit more, it would help the design if you removed the foliage hanging below the branch lines (outlined in red). Later, you might consider adding more movement to some of the branches (yellow arrows), and make an apex. Apices are difficult to style at first, until you realize it’s simply another pad.
C1C7963F-EE12-4BCE-8483-CBBE0663A615.jpeg
 

Meh

Mame
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I wouldn’t recommend taking any more off at this point, especially if you’re headed into winter. When it does fill in a bit more, it would help the design if you removed the foliage hanging below the branch lines (outlined in red). Later, you might consider adding more movement to some of the branches (yellow arrows), and make an apex. Apices are difficult to style at first, until you realize it’s simply another pad.
View attachment 216851
Thanks for your advice. You would keep all these branches in the final design?
 

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
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Thanks for your advice. You would keep all these branches in the final design?
Too early to tell, but I definitely wouldn’t be taking any more off now. Let it grow into the design, and take another look in 6 months or so. If you get too hasty, you could end up losing the tree.
 

GGB

Masterpiece
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i like the first three options but voted for the third. I'd love to have a tree like that on my bench. definitely take it slow, this tree is cool
 
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Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
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@Zach2 - nice tree, nice start, this is young material, it needs to develop in stages. You got an excellent development plan from @Brian Van Fleet , if I were you I would stick to his plan as closely as the tree will allow. Nicely done directions Brian.
 

Potawatomi13

Imperial Masterpiece
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Drop 1st left, 2nd right straight down, sweep foliage outward;). Worry about top later.
 

Si Nguyen

Omono
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It looks ok, not bad, but I am not crazy about the first curve (the lower trunk line). The C-shaped curve in the beginning of a literati design is not good. Could you show some other sides? Have you tried leaning it more? I would not remove any more branches at this point. Let it recover first, like BVF said. :)
 
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Meh

Mame
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Any update?
Thanks for asking! I repotted in the spring, and am just letting it grow this year. As for the design I did some sketching and came up with this idea I rather like:

1564148842443.png

Hopefully I'll have an update in the spring.
 

Meh

Mame
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End of growing season update. I repotted it in spring and let it grow untouched all summer. Here is a current photo from more or less the same perspective as the original:
1569611899815.png

I plan to leave it be likely until next fall and give it another season of unrestricted growth. Here is an alternative front I am warming up to.

1569612803675.png
 

n8

Shohin
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I like the alternative front here and how the trunk looks from this angle. With this as the front, I think that dropping right branch could come off and then splay out that foliage above it out to the right to balance. It's coming together.
 
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