Bald cypress

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
Messages
14,182
Reaction score
22,184
Location
Fairfax Va.
USDA Zone
7
This is a bald cypress I got from Zach Smith ) --Woodview Gardens (if I remember correctly) back in the mid 1990s or a little earlier. It's a bad pic as it shows the side, not the front, since I'm too lazy to move the dang thing for a proper angle. I've redesigned it a few times since growing out the leader. I originally started to make a "young" variant which is the typical triangle shaped silhouette, but changed my mind about eight years ago and began on the flat-top. It's coming along...the pot was made by Ron :Lang
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0223.jpg
    IMG_0223.jpg
    79.6 KB · Views: 407

alonsou

Mame
Messages
126
Reaction score
7
Location
Norwalk, CA
USDA Zone
10a
So what its the typical shape those BC's are supposed to have as Bonsai's? I have one and would like to have an idea of how it may look in a few years.

Bald_Cypress_1_8-4-11.jpg
 

Zach Smith

Omono
Messages
1,513
Reaction score
2,852
Location
St. Francisville, LA
USDA Zone
8
This is a bald cypress I got from Zach Smith ) --Woodview Gardens (if I remember correctly) back in the mid 1990s or a little earlier. It's a bad pic as it shows the side, not the front, since I'm too lazy to move the dang thing for a proper angle. I've redesigned it a few times since growing out the leader. I originally started to make a "young" variant which is the typical triangle shaped silhouette, but changed my mind about eight years ago and began on the flat-top. It's coming along...the pot was made by Ron :Lang


You've done a great job with this tree, though I have to confess I don't remember it (memory fades after you pass the magic 55). The pot is especially nice, well suited to the specimen. Woodview Gardens was indeed the name of the nursery; it's now Bonsai South, reincarnated last year.

Thanks for the blast from the past.

Zach
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
Messages
14,182
Reaction score
22,184
Location
Fairfax Va.
USDA Zone
7
No problem. Didn't expect you to remember me from almost 20 years ago:D I can't remember my next door neighbor's name half the time...

FWIW, I stopped by your place in St. Francisville back then with my wife, brother and sister in law. We drove up from N.O. I wanted to see what you had, as I was only a beginner at the time and was intrigued by your ads in Bonsai Today about "native trees." That wasn't exactly a huge topic back then. In any case, when I saw all the BC, hornbeam, oaks and other stuff at your place, it pretty much cemented in my mind what I wanted to do in bonsai...

This BC has been a really great tree to work with. It is rock solid health wise and VERY winter hardy here. It's survived winter lows below Zero F several times over the years --unlike Fla. collected BC I've had...
 

DaveV

Shohin
Messages
408
Reaction score
56
Location
Nebraska
USDA Zone
5a
So what its the typical shape those BC's are supposed to have as Bonsai's? I have one and would like to have an idea of how it may look in a few years.

Bald_Cypress_1_8-4-11.jpg

You should google "Vaughn Banting flat top bald cypress". I think your tree is too tall. You may have to lop off the top 1/3 and start a new leader. Look at rockm's tree and you can see where the chop was made and a new leader started. Vaughn has a nice BC. Also look up Gary Marchel - Cajun Bonsai.
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
Messages
14,182
Reaction score
22,184
Location
Fairfax Va.
USDA Zone
7
"So what its the typical shape those BC's are supposed to have as Bonsai's? I have one and would like to have an idea of how it may look in a few years."

It will look however you want it to look :D There are several ways BC can be done, but it take a concerted effort on the grower's part to MAKE them look that way. They will not grow into specific forms by themselves. Left alone, they quickly become scraggly, shaggy bushes.

Take a look at existing BC in photos, or around you if there are any in landscapes. Here are a few places to start:
http://www.cajunbonsai.com/largecypresspage.htm
http://www.vlbanting.com/strangetrees.htm
http://www.tree-pictures.com/bald_cypress_tree_pictures.html
 

Zach Smith

Omono
Messages
1,513
Reaction score
2,852
Location
St. Francisville, LA
USDA Zone
8
No problem. Didn't expect you to remember me from almost 20 years ago:D I can't remember my next door neighbor's name half the time...

FWIW, I stopped by your place in St. Francisville back then with my wife, brother and sister in law. We drove up from N.O. I wanted to see what you had, as I was only a beginner at the time and was intrigued by your ads in Bonsai Today about "native trees." That wasn't exactly a huge topic back then. In any case, when I saw all the BC, hornbeam, oaks and other stuff at your place, it pretty much cemented in my mind what I wanted to do in bonsai...

This BC has been a really great tree to work with. It is rock solid health wise and VERY winter hardy here. It's survived winter lows below Zero F several times over the years --unlike Fla. collected BC I've had...

You wouldn't think there would be that much difference between Florida trees and ours, but there does seem to be a greater distinction than the relatively short geographical distance would suggest. I've sent BC's up north a good bit, recently one to upstate New York, and they don't mind as long as the winter protection is adequate. In any event, it's gratifying to learn that some of those trees are still with us.

I'm not in the exact same spot as before, but fairly close by. In a year or two I should have a decent setup for visitors, in case you ever make another trip down.

Zach
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
Messages
14,182
Reaction score
22,184
Location
Fairfax Va.
USDA Zone
7
"You wouldn't think there would be that much difference between Florida trees and ours, but there does seem to be a greater distinction than the relatively short geographical distance would suggest. "

The Fla.-collected tree sat right next to this one under heavy mulch. The Floridian went toes up after a winter that didn't see temps much below the teens :rolleyes: .

The foliage is much better on the La. trees too. The foliage on Fla. trees is more awl-shaped, like pond cypress, although there do seem to be individual Fla-collected trees that have both...
 

grog

Shohin
Messages
385
Reaction score
22
Location
Iowa
USDA Zone
5
The Floridian went toes up after a winter that didn't see temps much below the teens :rolleyes: .

Interesting. I have one bc in the yard and one in a pot that both made it through last winter here in Iowa. Seems similar to what happens with the actually-from-China Chinese elms that can barely take a frost vs the Chinese elms that are grown as hedges around here.
 
Messages
954
Reaction score
2
Location
HELL
"The foliage is much better on the La. trees too. The foliage on Fla. trees is more awl-shaped, like pond cypress, although there do seem to be individual Fla-collected trees that have both..."

What is this crap ??? The reason the foilage on the FL tree looked like a pond cypress, was that it probally was !!! Who ever collected it probally did not notice the difference... they can often time be found here in FL growing almost side by side.

Listen I love LA as well and I am not trying to take anything away from it, but to just come out with some nonsense to try and justify your love for "only LA trees" is just dumb. I know this is only your opinion... but perhaps it should be stated as such...

As far as only your FL tree going toes up after a winter that didn't see temps much below the teens... Perhaps one should have been a little smarter than to leave it out in such conditions... seeing that here in FL, where the tree came from, we don't get temps. that cold ??? Hmmmmm.... Doesn't seem like the tree's fault, perhaps operator error ???

I do like your tree, tough...
 
Last edited:

mcpesq817

Omono
Messages
1,810
Reaction score
499
Location
VA
USDA Zone
7
What is this crap ??? The reason the foilage on the FL tree looked like a pond cypress, was that it probally was !!! Who ever collected it probally did not notice the difference... they can often time be found here in FL growing almost side by side.

Listen I love LA as well and I am not trying to take anything away from it, but to just come out with some nonsense to try and justify your love for "only LA trees" is just dumb. I know this is only your opinion... but perhaps it should be stated as such...

As far as only your FL tree going toes up after a winter that didn't see temps much below the teens... Perhaps one should have been a little smarter than to leave it out in such conditions... seeing that here in FL, where the tree came from, we don't get temps. that cold ??? Hmmmmm.... Doesn't seem like the tree's fault, perhaps operator error ???

I do like your tree, tough...

Wow, really? Someone needs to relax...
 
Messages
954
Reaction score
2
Location
HELL
relax... I would, if the absurd idea that a type of tree was some how better comming from one state vs another... I much prefer New York maples to New Jersey maples... la, la, la...
 

mcpesq817

Omono
Messages
1,810
Reaction score
499
Location
VA
USDA Zone
7
relax... I would, if the absurd idea that a type of tree was some how better comming from one state vs another... I much prefer New York maples to New Jersey maples... la, la, la...

I've heard from two others who work with collected bald cypress, in addition to Rockm, who said that LA collected bald cypress tend to be more winter hardy for those of us up north than FL collected bald cypress.

As for the foliage difference, if there is a difference and someone prefers one versus the other, what's the big deal? There are plenty of trees that have different types of foliage - just look at shimpaku junipers, where some prefer itoigawa, some prefer kishu, etc.
 

fore

Omono
Messages
1,848
Reaction score
247
Location
Portland, OR
I have a BC from nursery stock 15yrs ago in Houston. Did great there, did great in N. Cali, and is doing great here in Chicago. Feathery leaf pattern, but what's interesting, the trunk is pretty much round at the base, no flaring like the cool ones I've seen from LA. But it goes to show, these are very hardy plants.
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
Messages
14,182
Reaction score
22,184
Location
Fairfax Va.
USDA Zone
7
"What is this crap ??? The reason the foilage on the FL tree looked like a pond cypress, was that it probally was !!! Who ever collected it probally did not notice the difference... they can often time be found here in FL growing almost side by side.

Listen I love LA as well and I am not trying to take anything away from it, but to just come out with some nonsense to try and justify your love for "only LA trees" is just dumb. I know this is only your opinion... but perhaps it should be stated as such...

As far as only your FL tree going toes up after a winter that didn't see temps much below the teens... Perhaps one should have been a little smarter than to leave it out in such conditions... seeing that here in FL, where the tree came from, we don't get temps. that cold ??? Hmmmmm.... Doesn't seem like the tree's fault, perhaps operator error ???


Hmm, maybe someone doesn't really understand winter conditions and storage north of Fla....?? Yo, dude, I stand by opinion. Fla. collected BC up here in Va. simply don't fare nearly as well as those collected in La. Can't really help it if you think that's some kind of insult. As far as "operator error" yeah, it was my error for expecting similar results with a tree collected in Fla. If you do some research, you will find similar remarks among university research that note regional differences in this species...

I obtained the Fla. tree after I had had the La. tree for a decade. I expected the same performance. Didn't happen. Fla-collected trees require additional (if not complete) protection from freezing--I've heard and seen this not only at the National Arboretum, but from many local growers in the region who have been doing bonsai for decades. The foliage is coarser. It is consistently awl shaped and harder to work--at least for me). I have no intention of investing in a greenhouse for one tree.

My love for La. trees is hardly based on state preference. It is based on experience over two decades of growing this species here in Va. If I had my druthers, I'd be growing VIRGINIA grown BC, but collecting them here is problematic since most grow in protected wetlands in the Southern part of the state.

In any case, La. trees (and Ark., North Carolina, and Texas BC) are, in my experience, simply hardier in colder climates. I've grown both La. and Fla. collected trees side by side. The Fla. tree failed to thrive under the same treatment that the La. tree received. The La. tree outperformed the Fla. tree IN MY CLIMATE...
 

fore

Omono
Messages
1,848
Reaction score
247
Location
Portland, OR
In any case, La. trees (and Ark., North Carolina, and Texas BC) are, in my experience, simply hardier in colder climates. I've grown both La. and Fla. collected trees side by side. The Fla. tree failed to thrive under the same treatment that the La. tree received. The La. tree outperformed the Fla. tree IN MY CLIMATE...

rockm, it's kind of interesting about this...LA and FL really aren't that far from each other, yet vastly different tree's hardiness. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
 
Messages
135
Reaction score
13
Location
vancouver, wash.
"What is this crap ??? The reason the foilage on the FL tree looked like a pond cypress, was that it probally was !!! Who ever collected it probally did not notice the difference... they can often time be found here in FL growing almost side by side.

Listen I love LA as well and I am not trying to take anything away from it, but to just come out with some nonsense to try and justify your love for "only LA trees" is just dumb. I know this is only your opinion... but perhaps it should be stated as such...

As far as only your FL tree going toes up after a winter that didn't see temps much below the teens... Perhaps one should have been a little smarter than to leave it out in such conditions... seeing that here in FL, where the tree came from, we don't get temps. that cold ??? Hmmmmm.... Doesn't seem like the tree's fault, perhaps operator error ???


Hmm, maybe someone doesn't really understand winter conditions and storage north of Fla....?? Yo, dude, I stand by opinion. Fla. collected BC up here in Va. simply don't fare nearly as well as those collected in La. Can't really help it if you think that's some kind of insult. As far as "operator error" yeah, it was my error for expecting similar results with a tree collected in Fla. If you do some research, you will find similar remarks among university research that note regional differences in this species...

I obtained the Fla. tree after I had had the La. tree for a decade. I expected the same performance. Didn't happen. Fla-collected trees require additional (if not complete) protection from freezing--I've heard and seen this not only at the National Arboretum, but from many local growers in the region who have been doing bonsai for decades. The foliage is coarser. It is consistently awl shaped and harder to work--at least for me). I have no intention of investing in a greenhouse for one tree.

My love for La. trees is hardly based on state preference. It is based on experience over two decades of growing this species here in Va. If I had my druthers, I'd be growing VIRGINIA grown BC, but collecting them here is problematic since most grow in protected wetlands in the Southern part of the state.

In any case, La. trees (and Ark., North Carolina, and Texas BC) are, in my experience, simply hardier in colder climates. I've grown both La. and Fla. collected trees side by side. The Fla. tree failed to thrive under the same treatment that the La. tree received. The La. tree outperformed the Fla. tree IN MY CLIMATE...


i agree with rockm
LA bald cypress are very hardy where i live in Vancouver, WA.
i have an LA bc acquired from Guy Guidry around 12 years ago.
this tree has survived a couple of ice storms and 8 degree temps last winter with minimal protection other than covering the entire tub with an old blanket.
 

Attachments

  • LA bald cypress.jpg
    LA bald cypress.jpg
    49 KB · Views: 104
Last edited:
Messages
954
Reaction score
2
Location
HELL
Ok... I still find it a little hard to believe, but if you guys say so...
 

Smoke

Ignore-Amus
Messages
11,668
Reaction score
20,724
Location
Fresno, CA
USDA Zone
9
relax... I would, if the absurd idea that a type of tree was some how better comming from one state vs another... I much prefer New York maples to New Jersey maples... la, la, la...

Everytime you open your mouth you become more ignorant.

Ever heard of a Mikawa Pine, a Shoukoku pine or an Awagi pine. All Japanese Black Pines growing in different regions of the island with unique characteristics to the region.

But you knew that right......

Give me a break...you know absolutely nothing. Just so you know...you have become fodder..or maybe a muse
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom