Beech Group no. 1

Shogun610

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Beech Group no. 1. This is European Beech, the other trees in the group unfortunately died off, so this is a studio rescue. I ordered 3 European Beech from Evergreen Garden Works today to complete what o was once lost. It has some wire scars on the base. Luckily the wire digs in, still leaving the outline of the base. I’m going to cut those open and fill with paste to restore it.
 

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Shogun610

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Got three more European beech for this forest composition next spring. The one seedling appears to be sun scorched or something, it’s not dead just leaves are brown on it. But we’ll see
 

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Shogun610

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Here are is a update of these trees as they change color. Going to plant these together this spring is this awesome container. Also found this European beech, going to cut real low but not after it’s planted in a grow box/ flat and air layered so more European beech trees can be added to this forest in the future. Really stoked to put this first rendition together, and to have this tall beech to air layer from before it’s regrown.
 

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A. Gorilla

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Beech Group no. 1. This is European Beech, the other trees in the group unfortunately died off, so this is a studio rescue. I ordered 3 European Beech from Evergreen Garden Works today to complete what o was once lost. It has some wire scars on the base. Luckily the wire digs in, still leaving the outline of the base. I’m going to cut those open and fill with paste to restore it.
Thats very relaxed and charming exactly as is.

Some tidy moss....👌👌
 

Shogun610

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Here is another shitty forest but it’s in a beautiful @NaoTK pot. I know some of the branches aren’t in right spot .. I know I just got in planted and will work on positioning later in season.
 

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TomB

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It's not the worst forest at all, it's nice for what it is with a good arrangement of trees - but it's really very young.
The pot is completely wrong (even if it was ready to be in a bonsai pot). Forests need much wider pots, to create the feeling of space and give the trees room to develop. Ovals typically work better too.
Probably not the comment you wanted, but hey ho. :) This will look really nice after a few years of development.
 

rockm

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OK, so if you want feedback, here goes. Nice effort, but a couple of things...

The pot, although very very nice, is too small for the trees in it. The planting feels cramped at first viewing. It will get worse when the trees leaf out.

Negative space is EVERYTHING in a forest composition. Space allows the eye to rest and the brain to visualize a forest. It's as important to plan out negative space in a forest planting as it is to place trees. Ideally, identifiable negative space should be at least a third of the composition.

Additionally, the trees are mostly spaced too far apart and too evenly spaced from each other. Space between trunks should vary, with some being VERY close together, forming coherent subgroups within the larger overall group. The spacing here is a bit monotonous as it looks pretty much the same between most trunks. Close spacing is difficult to do, particularly with comparatively older trees, but should be a goal--if you can't get trees close together, you're going to have to work the root masses together with selective root and branch pruning.

The subgroups of trees should all have larger "dominant" trees, along with successively smaller trees around it. Although there are some variations in trunk diameter among the trees here, most are the same or at least feel the same.

I'm probably preaching to the choir. You know all of this, but executing on it is not easy. It's alot to keep track of while the trees are on the bench with their roots drying out in the sun. Been there...If I could choose only one thing to concentrate on it would be getting the trees closer together. That can solve the negative space issue as more closely spaced trunks produces more openness in the planting. Also, I completely understand wanting to use spectacular containers for stuff, BUT tempering that feeling with 'what works' makes for better compositions. For instance, using only half of the trees in this pot would make for a better forest...
 

rockm

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One other thing to consider--height ratio to the pot...The bigger trees are far too tall to be in proportion with the pot. I'd top the tallest trees out by removing a third of their height. I'd also top smaller trees out as well, depending on their relationship--The goal is to induce a kind of "dome" of height among the trunks. You can tend to treat forest bonsai as a single unit tree, only with multiple trunks, using individual traits on each trunk to contribute to the overall image of a cohesive whole. There are obvious exceptions with forest material, but, that would be my approach with a forest like this. .
 

Shogun610

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OK, so if you want feedback, here goes. Nice effort, but a couple of things...

The pot, although very very nice, is too small for the trees in it. The planting feels cramped at first viewing. It will get worse when the trees leaf out.

Negative space is EVERYTHING in a forest composition. Space allows the eye to rest and the brain to visualize a forest. It's as important to plan out negative space in a forest planting as it is to place trees. Ideally, identifiable negative space should be at least a third of the composition.

Additionally, the trees are mostly spaced too far apart and too evenly spaced from each other. Space between trunks should vary, with some being VERY close together, forming coherent subgroups within the larger overall group. The spacing here is a bit monotonous as it looks pretty much the same between most trunks. Close spacing is difficult to do, particularly with comparatively older trees, but should be a goal--if you can't get trees close together, you're going to have to work the root masses together with selective root and branch pruning.

The subgroups of trees should all have larger "dominant" trees, along with successively smaller trees around it. Although there are some variations in trunk diameter among the trees here, most are the same or at least feel the same.

I'm probably preaching to the choir. You know all of this, but executing on it is not easy. It's alot to keep track of while the trees are on the bench with their roots drying out in the sun. Been there...If I could choose only one thing to concentrate on it would be getting the trees closer together. That can solve the negative space issue as more closely spaced trunks produces more openness in the planting. Also, I completely understand wanting to use spectacular containers for stuff, BUT tempering that feeling with 'what works' makes for better compositions. For instance, using only half of the trees in this pot would make for a better forest...
Okay thanks for the feedback.. I crave it . Definitely good to consider if I can still move them around or atleast do that next spring. I did plan on reducing some heights .. just wanted them to establish first. I need more forest containers from Nao.. but he’s my favorite potter and I just had to use it for this group. It is harder than it looks for forest.. tried to go back and have my pops who was helping me out.. hold up each tree and I stepped back to look at it.. I didn’t want to block and trees which is what I read but I should try to get them closer together and recuse heights. Forests are not easy. I’ll just also prob put into grow container and save the nicer one for something else ..
 
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rockm

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Okay the and for the feedback. Definitely good to consider if I can still move them around or atleast do that next spring. I did plan on reducing some heights .. just wanted them to establish first. I need more forest containers from Nao.. but he’s my favorite potter and I just had to use it for this group. It is harder than it looks for forest.. tried to go back and have my pops who was helping me out.. hold up each tree and I stepped back to look at it.. I didn’t want to block and trees which is what I read but I should try to get them closer together and recuse heights. Forests are not easy. I’ll just also prob put into grow container and save the nicer one for something else ..
FWIW, decent forest pots tend be be LARGE, like twice what you have here for plantings of this scale. Those are not inexpensive.
 

LanceMac10

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The two most important things....base of some trunks have to be close together, and forests are not easy!

...and yes, a larger container would help, not the least of which, for horticultural purposes....


Why not keep it together? Some stunted growth and benign neglect never hurt anybody. :D
 

LanceMac10

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Not me. Did see some frustration from a lack of response. Looks like you know what your doing, why worry? :cool:
 

ShadyStump

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Letting them grow out some and creative branching and wiring can compensate some for the spacing. You'll still have evenly spaced bases, but the rest of them can move around and fill in. Might make for an interesting work.
 

Shogun610

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Letting them grow out some and creative branching and wiring can compensate some for the spacing. You'll still have evenly spaced bases, but the rest of them can move around and fill in. Might make for an interesting work.
Thanks, I tried it be uneven though and create assymetry..with the entire composition.. can you elaborate on how too far apart?
 

KiwiPlantGuy

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Hi,
I don’t know if this helps, but my BC forest was put together this winter, and has been cut back lots this Summer (New Zealand). Far from perfect or finished but you get the idea. Also a forest book by Saburo Kato is a very good buy and I use it the pictures as templates etc.
3FCFEE2F-0D68-4177-A1A6-9197989CD3C8.jpeg9DAA58FA-68DD-4E76-B13A-2CC891B7D161.jpeg
Also this has taken 3-4 years of buying different girth trees to big pots and little pots to get a sense of old and new trees etc.
Charles
 
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