And here Are a Few More

grouper52

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So here are a few more ... Enjoy! 1. Threadbranch False Cypress, 2.Siberian Elm Clump, 3. Cork Bark Chinese Elm, 4. Shore Pine, 5. & 6.: Two views of a 3.5 foot ancient windswept Mountain Hemlock Dan Robinson collected years ago in a bog on northern Vancouver Island - recovering from a rough transplant into a reasonable size pot, but looks like it will make it.

Threadbranch Faklse Cypress - 1.jpg Siberian Elm Clump - 1.jpg Cork-Bark Chinese Elm - 1.jpg Shore Pine - 1.jpg Windswept Mountain Hemlock -1 - 1.jpg Windswept Mountain Hemlock -2 - 1.jpg

Enjoy!
 

Brian Van Fleet

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Looking good Will. Nice to see the threadbranch false cypress again. It is one of my favorite trees on this forum.
 

Cadillactaste

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Greetings my Friend! I've been so busy this spring/summer. I am not sure if you've posted and I missed them. But good to see you back to posting. 😎 amazing trees. The clump, is pretty sweet. But they all are spectacular.
 

grouper52

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Looking good Will. Nice to see the threadbranch false cypress again. It is one of my favorite trees on this forum.
Thanks for you kind words, Brian. Yes, the Threadbranch is a the top of my list as well - it has a quiet elegance that my eyes just love to rest within. BTW, I like your Avatar!!!
 

grouper52

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That elm clump... well you know me and the clumpy ones. And I'm with Bri, that cypress is great to see again.

Thanks, Judy. Were you officially coronated as Queen of the Nuts in some elaborate ceremony, BTW! Congratulations! I've never known any royalty before!

That clump was found, or perhaps planted and forgot about, or something - there are several renditions - in a cow pasture near Spokane, where the cows helped each year with the pruning, I am told. It's still very much in training, but with great potential, and a vigor that keeps me busy. BTW, although it may be hard to see in the photo, it's got seven trunks (the "odd number" Japanese requirement fulfilled - WHEW!!! I was really worried about that, you know :) ).
 

grouper52

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Greetings my Friend! I've been so busy this spring/summer. I am not sure if you've posted and I missed them. But good to see you back to posting. 😎 amazing trees. The clump, is pretty sweet. But they all are spectacular.
Thanks Darleen. No, I haven't posted for a long time until now. Glad you like the clump - it was quite the find, and has kept me very busy.
 

grouper52

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The movement and character of that shore pine is incredible!
Thanks for your kind words. It was one I collected in the lowland bog at the tip of Vancouver Island a dozen years ago when collecting there with Dan Robinson and Pete Wilson, and I think George Heffelfinger. An earlier collecting trip there is presented with lots of photos and explanation in my book about Dan, Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees, but the short explanation is as follows: The soil in that bog has a pH of 4.7!! That leads to incomplete absorption of nitrogen, which leads to abnormal production of chlorophyll in the few species that can even survive there. The Shore pine, Pinus contorta, can grow there, but the growth is very slow and the wood is very weak and poorly formed, easily collapsed into contorted forms by the snow and winds.

So, with such weak and easily-contorted wood, these trees are a joy to style. This one had a great base such as you see here, but the rest was just a long, undulating whip .... not very promising except that they are so easy to mold. All I did, besides some minor tweaks over the years, was to hollow out a small section of the heartwood in the back of the trunk and do an almost 180 degree bend back and towards the base again!
 

Cadillactaste

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Thanks Darleen. No, I haven't posted for a long time until now. Glad you like the clump - it was quite the find, and has kept me very busy.
Glad to see you back. I'm a sucker for a good clump. Glad it's giving you a run for your money and keeping you busy. Sounds like a fun species then.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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Wow, that shore pine gave me some good hopes for a few pines of my own. I was kind of stuck on where to take them next. Thanks for posting!
 

Tycoss

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Thanks for your kind words. It was one I collected in the lowland bog at the tip of Vancouver Island a dozen years ago when collecting there with Dan Robinson and Pete Wilson, and I think George Heffelfinger. An earlier collecting trip there is presented with lots of photos and explanation in my book about Dan, Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees, but the short explanation is as follows: The soil in that bog has a pH of 4.7!! That leads to incomplete absorption of nitrogen, which leads to abnormal production of chlorophyll in the few species that can even survive there. The Shore pine, Pinus contorta, can grow there, but the growth is very slow and the wood is very weak and poorly formed, easily collapsed into contorted forms by the snow and winds.

So, with such weak and easily-contorted wood, these trees are a joy to style. This one had a great base such as you see here, but the rest was just a long, undulating whip .... not very promising except that they are so easy to mold. All I did, besides some minor tweaks over the years, was to hollow out a small section of the heartwood in the back of the trunk and do an almost 180 degree bend back and towards the base again!
I was recently on Vancouver island and saw some shore pines and mountain hemlock in an environment similar to the one you described.
Fantastic trees there for sure. You have a very distinctive and expressive style to your trees that I enjoy very much.
 

JudyB

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Thanks, Judy. Were you officially coronated as Queen of the Nuts in some elaborate ceremony, BTW! Congratulations! I've never known any royalty before!

That clump was found, or perhaps planted and forgot about, or something - there are several renditions - in a cow pasture near Spokane, where the cows helped each year with the pruning, I am told. It's still very much in training, but with great potential, and a vigor that keeps me busy. BTW, although it may be hard to see in the photo, it's got seven trunks (the "odd number" Japanese requirement fulfilled - WHEW!!! I was really worried about that, you know :) ).
Nope, not a ceremony, but it's fun to run into nuts out there who know of the "title" lol. Cause you know me, all uppity like that...

Yeah, thank goodness it had the odd number, otherwise you would have had to send it to me as I'm like the island of misfit toys for even numbered trunk clumps. I have a 4 and a 6 nowadays. Keep on rocking out your visions, you have a singular point of view that resonates with a lot of us apparently!
 

Arcto

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Worth the wait. Your Mt Hemlock is showing yellowing needles on some branches. The scourge of one of my favorites this year. Misting appears to be helping mine some. But I’m terrified of losing any more branches.
 

grouper52

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Glad to see you back. I'm a sucker for a good clump. Glad it's giving you a run for your money and keeping you busy. Sounds like a fun species then.
Sorry, Darlene, to have forgotten how to spell your name! And deep thanks again for all your support back when things were much more dark for me than they are now. Will
 

grouper52

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Worth the wait. Your Mt Hemlock is showing yellowing needles on some branches. The scourge of one of my favorites this year. Misting appears to be helping mine some. But I’m terrified of losing any more branches.
Yes. They're not the hardiest of species to work with. They can certainly be finicky and fragile and fickle and funky at times, and this one of mine went through quite a bit of root disturbance when I was trying too reconnoiter exactly how much rootage, and its configuration, was left after it was collected into a HUGE pot, since I would have to reduce it to an appropriate size pot. Dan actually predicted I had killed it by my mucking around amoung the roots, but this wasn't my first rodeo with these trees, so I predicted it would make it... I think it has, now, making it to early July (most trees would die here in June if they are going to), but now I'm pretty certain the main two area of foliage will be fine, and I'm about 2/3 certain at least one section of the still-green foliage on the third tuft will make it. We'll see. I tried the misting on the lesser top, but I wasn't convinced it made much of a difference, so I stopped, but perhaps I should start it again ....
 

grouper52

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Nope, not a ceremony, but it's fun to run into nuts out there who know of the "title" lol. Cause you know me, all uppity like that...

Yeah, thank goodness it had the odd number, otherwise you would have had to send it to me as I'm like the island of misfit toys for even numbered trunk clumps. I have a 4 and a 6 nowadays. Keep on rocking out your visions, you have a singular point of view that resonates with a lot of us apparently!
LOL! How'd the bonsai world ever think to praise something that is "Odd" and demean anything that is "Even"?!? Your "Evens" are NOT misfits! Where can I find them here, BTW, I'd like to see them.

And having met you, I wouldn't think of you as uppity at all, but deserving of a "Royal" title!!! :)
 
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