Sapling Division: A Forest of Misfits

[ghues]

The following are an assembly of left overs from a club Japanese Larch Forest workshop. The trees were grown by seed by a forest seedling nursery for their first year, then transplanted into 1gal/2gal plastic pots for two more years, before the club get together. I took some of the unwanted and have grown them for an additional 4 years, trying to add some character, structure always with the intent to join the two groups. Hopefully things will go well and I’ll repot them together next spring. 7 in total for now but have a few others growing out in a field, to increase the density.
The inspiration for this grouping is a small islet off the Broken Group of Islands, in the middle of Barkley Sound Vancouver Island...went Salmon Fishing there and was just in awe of the beauty....yes we hooked a few.
Cheers
Gman

 

[thatguy]

It's official...im in love with larches. They look pretty great for misfits! Will be cool to see you work this group over time and especially adding in the larger ones from the field.

 

[Kanorin]

I see a lot of potential here, very nice! When are you thinking to put them together in one pot?

 

[cmeg1]

Awesome stuff right there.
Amazing job.Forest will look outstanding!!

 

[HorseloverFat]

VERY nice!

I’m abundantly excited to witness these particular “progression events”

 

[Forsoothe!]

This, I gotta see. These are pretty big to be bunching up next to each other...

 

[Kanorin]

This, I gotta see. These are pretty big to be bunching up next to each other...

Yeah, probably the easiest way would be to have a bit of negative space between the bunch of 3 and the bunch of 4. Doing that plus finding the right angle plus the right pot that fits them all will be a challenge

 

[ghues]

I see a lot of potential here, very nice! When are you thinking to put them together in one pot?

Next spring, they are on top of the potential slab, thinking of a number of little landscape rocks added, lots of tie eyelets were added. Probably turn out to be a 4 hander’.....

 

[ghues]

This, I gotta see. These are pretty big to be bunching up next to each other...

Over the last number of years, I worked all of them, I have found that this species is amazingly tolerant to small amounts of disturbance, if given to moderate rather than radical treatments. Using standard procedures, they’ve taken well to root wedge removal, cutting back, setting trunk alignments, branch configurations, cutbacks....in other words “ fun to work with”...

 

[ghues]

Yeah, probably the easiest way would be to have a bit of negative space between the bunch of 3 and the bunch of 4. Doing that plus finding the right angle plus the right pot that fits them all will be a challenge

No pot for the time being, free formed slab. Poor photo angle, actually it’s 3 and 5. I also may add others... maybe..
Negative space is a thought, maybe a River, Trail, or a part of the islet with a gap.

 

[leatherback]

this species is amazingly tolerant to small amounts of disturbance

I have foudn they also take well to more extreme rootwork if the tree is truely dormant.

 

[ghues]

After wiring and looking how to join the two groups.....imagine if you can the tallest tree in the right group placed into the gap (right front) on the left group.....perhaps with the left group a little higher.

 

[HorseloverFat]

imagine if you can...
View attachment 345651View attachment 345652

I can!

...nice!

 

[ghues]

Another option...tuck the biggest and its two companions into the space at the back of the group on left....? In between the two co-dominate ones? This would have the two smallest ones on the edge of the group of 8.....

 

[sorce]

Is there a best "branching gap"?
It seems the front/left of the small group is the most lacking in branches. I'd try to press the best branching gaps together, while keeping a second tallest directly next to the tallest.

I wonder of elevation couldn't help you mix up heights a bit.

Nice.

Sorce

 

[ghues]

Is there a best "branching gap"?
It seems the front/left of the small group is the most lacking in branches. I'd try to press the best branching gaps together, while keeping a second tallest directly next to the tallest.

I wonder of elevation couldn't help you mix up heights a bit.

Nice.

Sorce

Thanks @source....seeing the same, yes the tall one does lack lower branches but that’s OK (for me)......it may reflect/sow it’s dominance and the lower branches have been shaded out.......exactly.....leaning towards the 5 being higher (elevated), so that the tallest isn’t too tall in the entire group.......time will tell.....I.e. root balls...will probably have to slice and wedge depending on root formation.

 

[ghues]

I envy those of you who have a large indoor working areas....my shed is large enough for small projects.
Forecast was for rain but the trees told me “IT’S TIME”.....what’s a guy gotta do......I put on all my rain gear, gum boots, rain hat and rubber gloves....and got to work on this group on the bench were it will stay for the next few weeks.

Over the last few years I had removed most of the large downward roots in anticipation of a forest/grove.......my original concept was to put all 8 together (from the 3 and 5 group)........even tough of adding a couple more.
I separated 5 of the 8, leaving a cluster of 3 that were well “joined” and just looked great together.... like it could anchor the middle of the group. I performed lots of different combinations....and did more exploration and experimentation again until I was happy with this 7 tree final structure. No matter what I tried the tallest one just didn’t fit/belong so I put it into a colander. Thinking of my back.......it may stay like this and I’ll start on another group with the remaining trees after they recover from extraction from the field earlier this month and last fall.
Photos show the slab (Portland grout with a large drainage screen built in), the grouping of the three and final for now. Moss was laid on the front half and sphagnum moss on the back.

 

[Carol 83]

I envy those of you who have a large indoor working areas....my shed is large enough for small projects.
Forecast was for rain but the trees told me “IT’S TIME”.....what’s a guy gotta do......I put on all my rain gear, gum boots, rain hat and rubber gloves....and got to work on this group on the bench were it will stay for the next few weeks.

Over the last few years I had removed most of the large downward roots in anticipation of a forest/grove.......my original concept was to put all 8 together (from the 3 and 5 group)........even tough of adding a couple more.
I separated 5 of the 8, leaving a cluster of 3 that were well “joined” and just looked great together.... like it could anchor the middle of the group. I performed lots of different combinations....and did more exploration and experimentation again until I was happy with this 7 tree final structure. No matter what I tried the tallest one just didn’t fit/belong so I put it into a colander. Thinking of my back.......it may stay like this and I’ll start on another group with the remaining trees after they recover from extraction from the field earlier this month and last fall.
Photos show the slab (Portland grout with a large drainage screen built in), the grouping of the three and final for now. Moss was laid on the front half and sphagnum moss on the back.

Very nice job.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Western Larch?

 

[Cadillactaste]

Dedication to do it through the rain. It's been miserable here along with strong winds..lovely composition. Thanks for sharing.