Atlantic white cedar

[WNC Bonsai]

Over the weekend I picked up this Atlantic white cedar “Chamaecyparis thyoides “Meth Dwarf”. Searching the site and the internet I could only find a couple photos of AWC bonsai and nothing really on them otherwise. This one has a really open structure with a lot of limbs and secondary stems which apparently is common for the species in general. This one has one strong main stem and a couple smaller ones. I debated whether to make it a 2 or 3 trunk specimen and decided it keep it as I found it. I am going to make one of the secondary stems deadwood. Anyone else have any experience with this plant?

 

[Forest Bean]

All trees need time and the right work. If you use the right techniques at the right time, it could become a nice cluster style tree.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Usually very positive most trees have some potential. This tree had to wonder why buy this? Only potential personally obvious is in smallest trunk still easy to be bent and made interesting but is still so thin.

 

[Vance Wood]

Usually very positive most trees have some potential. This tree had to wonder why buy this? Only potential personally obvious is in smallest trunk still easy to be bent and made interesting but is still so thin.

The biggest problem I have with this tree is the terrible execution in photographing it. All you need to do is look at the photo and realize this is like taking a picutre of a black cat in a coal mine.

 

[sorce]

Lol @Vance Wood ....a black cat in a coal mine!

@Cofga....how is this tree?

I came from another thread looking to see when these have been successfully repotted.

Thanks!

Sorce

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Doing well. It is a water hog and slow grower. I did a complete wiring of it about a month ago and if Inget time today will post photos. One thing I don't like is the inner foliage tends to yellow as it ages. I’ll show this i closeup photo.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I suspect this critter won't be real easy to back-bud. It is now ~fairly open~ and leggy to boot. On a scale of 1 to 10...

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Ok, here are some photos from today. I cut it back from 3 to 2 trunks and have kept it in the nursry pot. I had hoped to negotiate a sunny space in the garden for helping to increase girth but so far have not been successful with SWMBO. If nothing becomes available next spring I may just stick it in a grow box and see if it will thicken up some that way.

In looking online at other bonsai of these trees they all look this way, tall and lanky, which is how the tree grows in nature. In Florida they average a height to width ratio of 20:1 but in other parts is is closer to 40:1. This tree is about 3” across and 39” tall for a 13:1 ratio. Not exactly the 6:1 we like to see but better than out in the swamp. I need to give it another visual evaluation to see if there is any way to reduce the top. First though I need to see how the wiring takes.

Anyway I was really taken with the nebari on this one. I have tried to bring the long lanky branches in closer to the trunks using a lot of very snakelike wiring. This also has opened it up some more and if you look close you can see places on the branches where this has induced some back budding.
Still tall and lanky

But nice nebari

And snakey wiring

Older foliage looks a little yellow in full sun

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I had not noticed the back budding on this tree until I looked closely at the photos I took yesterday. So this morning I went back out and gave it another inspection. There are buds all over the place on it! I can only assume that this is a result of the pruning and bending that I did when I styled the tree back in August. In some places towards the cut ends of branches there are masses of new buds popping. also in comparing the first photo shiwing th tree when first purchased with the second shot yesterday it is obvious that the foliage has filled in a bit. Some of this may be an optical illusion created by the foreshortening effect of the branch bending, but near the top I didn’t do that. So the tree is on the path to filling in. Now I just need to get it in the ground to fatten up a bit and possible find a way to do a trunk chop. However for that to happen the branches will need to fill in a lot more to keep everything in balance. In looking online there are only a couple examples of these as bonsai and those are forest or group plantings.

Here is a closeup showing backbuds all along one of the branches. Hopefully they will go ahead and develop into new foliage and fill in some more.

 

[Plantersbycam]

Really lovely tree, these are native to where I live but very rare because of over development. I think this tree will look great with more refinement please keep us updated !

 

[RJG2]

Really lovely tree, these are native to where I live but very rare because of over development. I think this tree will look great with more refinement please keep us updated !

And where is it you live? You can click your profile icon to edit and add your location. It will help give context when you post in the future.

Welcome to the forum!