A couple ideas for spruce

[wireme]

During winter while I'm all snowed in I can't help but to look at pics and dream designs, chore day at the house today, tomorrow I'll go skiing and forget about trees for a bit.

Here's this spruce, collected a few years ago, untouched so far but looked at a fair bit. This seems to be about the best tree I can find in there, reduced down to the lowest few buds close to the trunk and develop from there. I wouldn't do it all in one shot. Slowly over a few years exploring other options along the way but I could see it looking alright in about 6-10 seasons or so maybe?
And another idea, much stranger, utilize some of the long stronger branches on one side and go for the "tree that mostly fell over but stayed alive and branches started to take over style". I'm not sure if that style is in the books or not but it could be fun. It's a thought but it would take up quite a bit of space that way. Not sure I want to use that much space up for something that might just turn out to be odd and never really good...

 

[wireme]

Taking the first idea further virtually. The foliage would never be so fine but maybe a similar silhouette and ideally keeping a more kind of decrepit feel to it. I believe this is potentially achievable and would look pretty good eventually, hope I'm not fooling myself. Any thoughts on the actual real world potential/likelyhood of the design idea?

 

[Tycoss]

I like your first virtual a lot. Over the period of time it would take to reduce back that far those buds should fill out to a nice little crown. It would make for a very rugged little tree. As to the raft type form in the second image, I haven't seen it done with spruce, but see no reason it shouldn't work. You could also shorten most of the branches and make a naturalistic upright style, tall and thin. If it were mine, I'd do that first option most likely. Nice trunk and subtle movement on this one.

 

[Tycoss]

A semi raft wild spruce. Still green on top. Reminds me of your second idea.

 

[wireme]

A semi raft wild spruce. Still green on top. Reminds me of your second idea.View attachment 130938

Yep, that's exactly the type of thing I was thinking of, you find those around a lot.
Quite often here the forest comes in lodgepole pine initially then spruce and fir come up in the understory. The lodgepole get killed by pine beetle once they reach an age and they start falling across and knocking over the younger spruce. You wind up with quite a few horizontal trunks with branches becoming new trunks and sometimes they can grow like that for a long time. Many other causes too of course but that's the most common in my parts.

 

[AlainK]

I agree with Wireme taking your first idea further.

 

[wireme]

I agree with Wireme taking your first idea further.

Thanks, yeah I think it's better, Save the other idea for another tree another time probably. This tree has been a bit of a head scratcher and I questioned whether I should have collected it at all a few times. Optimistic now.

 

[wireme]

Over the period of time it would take to reduce back that far those buds should fill out to a nice little crown.

That's my hope, it's good to see those future goggles functioning well!

 

[herzausstahl]

I was gonna say it's not a style you'll see in a book but definitely in nature & isn't that the goal of most, make your bonsai look,like a tree? Lol or at least my goal eventually. Although I think the rules can definitely help accomplish that goal of course.

 

[wireme]

The tree today.

It’s been reduced partway and repotted this spring. Ditched the fallen over idea by now, long forgotten until I opened the thread.

First pic shows whole tree from a different front. You can see there are for now still options for using more of the tree than my first virt above.

This is erased down to the ultimate keeper material to be used to develop the tree if I stick to the plan. Doesn’t photograph well but this is probably still where I will be going with this. Will make the call next spring and remove more if I’m still on board with original idea by then.

 

[wireme]

Found this guy when placing back on bench. Beautiful little fella.

 

[wireme]

This is the lowest branch for proposed design. Comparison from fall of 2016 to today. From very weak and small to something with some juice behind it. Will develop relatively quickly from here I believe.

The buds needed for ramification near the trunk on this branch are small but already exist. They’ll grow more next year.

 

[wireme]

So. Still watching for alternate ideas as I slowly pare it down. Haven’t seen any I prefer yet. I’ll take it down more next year and all the way the next.

 

[leatherback]

Nice tree.

Muy suggestion would be to already wire and place the branches that you have. They are now thin and flexible, allowing you to put in subtle curves?

 

[wireme]

Nice tree.

Muy suggestion would be to already wire and place the branches that you have. They are now thin and flexible, allowing you to put in subtle curves?

According to my forecast I am now one day away from being frozen solid here.

It’s a good idea and I will look at it in spring.

 

[leatherback]

According to my forecast I am now one day away from being frozen solid here.

But.. But.. but.. it is SEPTEMBER!!!
Don't talk about John Snow!

 

[wireme]

Still heading for roughly the virtual. Whether the end result will be worth the time I don’t know. But suddenly a lot more of the needed ingredients are there.
Not much to say except I started the Shari. I’ll expand it progressively over a few years and see if the resulting callous ridges give a nice natural deadwood texture that doesn’t need carving.

 

[Arcto]

Interesting concept. I’ll be watching you bring it along. And look...it had babies!

 

[Hartinez]

Still heading for roughly the virtual. Whether the end result will be worth the time I don’t know. But suddenly a lot more of the needed ingredients are there.
Not much to say except I started the Shari. I’ll expand it progressively over a few years and see if the resulting callous ridges give a nice natural deadwood texture that doesn’t need carving. View attachment 309175View attachment 309179

It’s so healthy! Great job with the reduction AND health. I feel like you’ve got everything you need to make a nice composition. Removing too much more is maybe a bit unnecessary. That first virt you did looks good however and you should execute as the tree guides you!

 

[wireme]

Interesting concept. I’ll be watching you bring it along. And look...it had babies!

I think those are little larches. Cousins!
I figure if I stick to the plan without hiccups 3 more years will be enough to see if the proposed design actually looks good!