A, B, or C?

Any would work... depending on how you style the branches. People are choosing "B" because it looks static and balanced like trees growing on a hillside... because the stock you are using is static and balanced.

However A or C would work if you styled the branches like a slant or windblown.
 
Love those trees!

Based upon many years of hiking in the mountains, not sure the tops of the trees in any option would hold the slant position for long In the wild. Even trees severely pistol butted from a landslide or avalanche will return to the vertical very soon.

That said B2 above is making the most believable design out of the clum… yet it might actually look better with more of a slant, perhaps wiring the tops vertical, or let the tree tops just do it themselves.

Yet, there is a discordance in one of the lower trunk shapes that makes all options somewhat frustrating….. (At least in these photos)… See the second trunk from the left in the photos.

IMG_1972.jpeg

Normally all tree trunks would bend successively in a similar direction. Could be just the view shown, yet one might consider doing something, blocking, wiring etc to bring the trunk into harmony.

Maybe bringing the trunk back and closer to the ground and then broaden downward and strongly sharpen the natural bend already there…. so the entire design simulates an avalanche event.

Just my two bits

Cheers
DSD sends
 
Deep Sea Diver said:
Love those trees!

Based upon many years of hiking in the mountains, not sure the tops of the trees in any option would hold the slant position for long In the wild. Even trees severely pistol butted from a landslide or avalanche will return to the vertical very soon.

That said B2 above is making the most believable design out of the clum… yet it might actually look better with more of a slant, perhaps wiring the tops vertical, or let the tree tops just do it themselves.

Yet, there is a discordance in one of the lower trunk shapes that makes all options somewhat frustrating….. (At least in these photos)… See the second trunk from the left in the photos.

View attachment 517324

Normally all tree trunks would bend successively in a similar direction. Could be just the view shown, yet one might consider doing something, blocking, wiring etc to bring the trunk into harmony.

Maybe bringing the trunk back and closer to the ground and then broaden downward and strongly sharpen the natural bend already there…. so the entire design simulates an avalanche event.

Just my two bits

Cheers
DSD sends
Click to expand...

The "problem" trunk is smaller. Perhaps the avalance was early in the life of the bigger trunks, and the smallest wasn't there yet?
 
Lots of exceptions in nature, yet this phenomenon is normally caused by a frequently occurring event, rather than a one off.

In this example of pistol butting it looks like it would be more likely caused by surficial creep commonly experienced by trees on an unstable slope, (caused by the expansion and contraction of the slope sediment creating a progressive, creeping, downward movement of the slope) rather then a landslide, which would leave scars on the uphill side.

Another possibly is the presence of a snow shoot where avalanches normally occur. (Avalanches often occur in the same areas, sometimes multiple times in a year.). Yet this is just a bit less likely as shallow rooted conifers (looks like a Fir clump?) don’t survive as well in a snow shoot… maybe behind or on a rock outcropping between shoots?

Anyways just some thoughts

Cheers
DSD sends
 
Now you are cooking with gas!

One might hop on Michael Hagedorn’s blog and check out some of this slanted breadboard designs 😉

cheers
DSD sends
 
Cruiser said:
Here you go, my friend.
View attachment 517464
Click to expand...
Yes!

You could nail a sheet of wood across the right side of the box to keep the pumice from washing out for the next few years, while the upper trunks of all will become a bit more vertical. Should the right-most tree develop some strong roots, you might choose to expose the right-most of those like happens on subsiding hillsides. Maybe it goes on a slanted slab similar to that famous Kimura composition. Maybe not, but this has the makings of exciting possibilities, that would make the process of getting there be great fun IMO.
 
Another method that we use would be to use window screening material.

Doubled plastic under load, single plastic with little load. In the case of wood boxes double edges and staple.

Here’s an example on a ceramic pot. Note 1/3 of the pot in barked in.

IMG_0337.jpeg

Best,
DSD sends
 
July 2, 2024

8 months post-collection the group was doing well so it was pruned to rein in the canopy. Long limbs were cut back to encourage growth closer to trunks, inner branches were de-needled, a couple of leader shoots were removed.

Before:
IMG_7054.jpeg
After
IMG_7072.jpeg
IMG_7058.jpeg
IMG_7059.jpeg
IMG_7093.jpeg

5/18/25
Current. July work led to bud formation and interior shoot strengthening.
IMG_0228.jpeg

How far interior backbuds formed appears related to how hard branches were cut back. Most buds formed within 3 inner-branch nodes of the cut sites. A lot of buds formed on branch collars and nodes.
IMG_0238.jpegIMG_0232.jpeg

The tree which had its leader shoot removed produced multiple new leaders.
IMG_0260.jpeg

The plan is to cut back again this July to narrow canopies and nurture inner growth. Since the group has had more time to recover for this pruning, I am hopeful it will push a second flush in response.
 
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