BearBerry - salvage...

[Bavarian Raven]

As seen in the pics below (sorry about the low quality ), this is an 'ancient' bearberry I managed to salvage a few days ago at work (i know it's not the best time to have collected it, but it was either save it or dump it, so...). According to the owner, this patch of mostly dead (shaded out) bearberry was planted 40ish years ago.

It came out with an okay-ish root system and I planted it in good growing soil in a crude training pot. But considering it doesn't have much green growth atm (but plenty of healthy buds!), it shouldn't be a problem. What I like about this one is the deadwood. It looks especially nice when cleaned up and 'polished'.

Eventually I think It will look better if planted on an angle but I won't rush this one, and my first plan is to let it recover over the coming growing season. I will try to have patience and go slow.

Any thoughts or ideas are always welcome - I will try to post pictures as this one evolves into something hopefully beautiful one day. But since I'm a newbie, only time will tell. Cheers.

 

[sorce]

Hopefully time tells it loud!

That's interesting!

Sorce

 

[wireme]

Great potential, hope it does well for you. Nothing wrong with just letting it grow for a few years while dreaming up an eventual design.

 

[Bavarian Raven]

Thanks for the encouragement, for future reference that trunk is about 2.5 inches in diameter.

 

[Vin]

That's going to be a tough one but it definitely has potential. As wireme stated, there's nothing wrong with letting it grow until you come up with something. Good luck!

 

[Random User]

Wow, I like that... hopefully a bear-bear doesn't come with it.

 

[Random User]

It's got the beginnings of a raft style... but I don't know these trees, it might not be a suitable style for this species.

 

[Tycoss]

Bearberry usually "wants" to cascade. If you shorten that horizontal piece to create some taper, then let the foliage with the flowers and berries flow to the left, it could look very nice indeed. I would keep the foliage tight of course, so as not to detract from the powerful deadwood at the base.
I've heard these can be hard to collect. Hope it does well for you. If so I'll be totally jealous.

 

[Random User]

After a search, I see that I have heard of this plant, but never by bearberry... the First Nations ppl call it "kinnikinnick" and they use it in their medicine(s)... I don't think I've ever seen anything that come to a bonsai able size though; I think you have a real prize there... I love the unusual.

 

[Bavarian Raven]

After a search, I see that I have heard of this plant, but never by bearberry... the First Nations ppl call it "kinnikinnick" and they use it in their medicine(s)... I don't think I've ever seen anything that come to a bonsai able size though; I think you have a real prize there... I love the unusual.

It's one of the thicker specimens I've ever seen, and while not having the best root system I hope it makes it for the solid dead wood apparently has a cedar like hue when cleaned up. Hopefully that's true.

 

[augustine]

Very nice! Since it's old I would let it establish for at least 2 years, 3 years better. Don't do anything but feed lightly after 6 or 8 weeks. Don't overfeed either. Pump it up with seaweed emulsion or dry seaweed, both easily found in garden centers, farmer's co-op's, etc. For this I would use primarily organic feed.

Have to go esp slow with an old plant.

 

[just.wing.it]

Weird and cool.....will be interesting to see where you take it.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Kinnikinnick is in the same genus as west coast madrone, similar red bark. Seldom do you see nice trunks on kinnikinnick, as it is so dwarf, compared to others in the group. I tried one a couple times, never got one to survive the initial transplanting. Good luck. Let it recover at least two summers before drastic work.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

My mistake -Kinnikinnick is not related to madrone - it is related to manzanita. Duh. Too many names bouncing around in my head.

The genus name is Arctostaphylos, and Kinnikinnick and the 15 or so species of manzanita are all members of this genus.

The taller manzanitas should be good as bonsai, but everyone so far has had trouble collecting the larger, older, gnarly specimens, and nursery grown manzanita does not develop character right away. They are difficult to keep alive in pots over the long term.

Not saying it can't be done, just saying I read many have had trouble and my one or two attempts with manzanita failed. In addition my attempts with Kinnikinnick also failed. But I accept I can't grow everything. This genus is a challenge I may return to someday.