Black Hills Spruce Forest

[CasAH]

The Midwest Bonsai Society meeting last night was on forest plantings. BC Bonsai provided one and two year old trees such as JPB, JRP, trident maples, Japanese Maples, English oaks, bald cypress, dawn red woods and other species. I chose black hills spruce.
We had a lot of fun and I forgot to take pictures during the building of the forest. The tie down holes dictated where the trees ended up. I could not get the trees as close as I would like, but maybe that is better once they grew bigger.
Here is my first forest planting, a seven tree composition. The planting is back in the unheated garage.

 

[Carol 83]

It will be fun to watch the progress.

 

[RKatzin]

Nice, but no cigar. Honest? Looks like a plantation not a forest. Still time for a redo if you want.
You have seven trees to work with. Set them in odd groups. Two sets of three and a solitary. One group of five and two singles. Trees this small there's really no need to wire. Your pot is plenty deep for your soil to hold things in place. A few stones on the surface helps too.
Trim your roots on the sides of the trees where the trunks face to get them closer together. Three become like one trunk with a radial root spread. Get these seven set out with an eye to the future. You have room for many more trees, but you will always see this in the midst of any composition you try to build around it. Do it now before it sets up. Start out random and add variety.

 

[CasAH]

Nice, but no cigar. Honest? Looks like a plantation not a forest. Still time for a redo if you want.
You have seven trees to work with. Set them in odd groups. Two sets of three and a solitary. One group of five and two singles. Trees this small there's really no need to wire. Your pot is plenty deep for your soil to hold things in place. A few stones on the surface helps too.
Trim your roots on the sides of the trees where the trunks face to get them closer together. Three become like one trunk with a radial root spread. Get these seven set out with an eye to the future. You have room for many more trees, but you will always see this in the midst of any composition you try to build around it. Do it now before it sets up. Start out random and add variety.

You are right I will rework this over the weekend. I will get some 1/4 inch hardware cloth to create tie down points, as the trees tended to flop over if not tied down. The hardware cloth will give me better options for placing the trees closer.

 

[RKatzin]

You know I just saw 5 of these for sale for twenty bucks plus shipping. Really nice and healthy. Would really fill out your forest nicely. If you do FB they're listed on .99cent bonsai. If you can't swing it, I'd be pleased to secure them for you out of my personal endowments to the arts fund. PM an address and I'll have the seller ship directly to you. Quickly, the auction end 6pm today!
Assuming you're ok with that? I know I'm a wee bit forward, no holds barred when I get an intuition, but there you have it. Lol

 

[sorce]

You know I just saw 5 of these for sale for twenty bucks plus shipping. Really nice and healthy. Would really fill out your forest nicely. If you do FB they're listed on .99cent bonsai. If you can't swing it, I'd be pleased to secure them for you out of my personal endowments to the arts fund. PM an address and I'll have the seller ship directly to you. Quickly, the auction end 6pm today!
Assuming you're ok with that? I know I'm a wee bit forward, no holds barred when I get an intuition, but there you have it. Lol

May that mountain repeatedly bless you my friend!

Sorce

 

[CasAH]

You know I just saw 5 of these for sale for twenty bucks plus shipping. Really nice and healthy. Would really fill out your forest nicely. If you do FB they're listed on .99cent bonsai. If you can't swing it, I'd be pleased to secure them for you out of my personal endowments to the arts fund. PM an address and I'll have the seller ship directly to you. Quickly, the auction end 6pm today!
Assuming you're ok with that? I know I'm a wee bit forward, no holds barred when I get an intuition, but there you have it. Lol

thank you for the offer, it was very generous.

 

[RKatzin]

Offer is still good even though that auction is done. I contacted the seller and there's plenty available. I bought a clutch of flowering Dogwood from him.

 

[CasAH]

Thanks, but I need to reposition these trees before they could get here.

 

[RKatzin]

Usually 2-3 days delivery on live trees and it's only March so there's still plenty of time. These are nice trees in 4" pots.
Hey, we're both members of the same club here. I'm just trying to help out a fellow club member.

 

[sorce]

The tie down holes dictated where the trees ended up

I was making a larger forestish type pot yesterday, and had this in mind come tie down making time!

Thanks!

Looking forward to this' future.

Sorce

 

[CasAH]

Usually 2-3 days delivery on live trees and it's only March so there's still plenty of time. These are nice trees in 4" pots.
Hey, we're both members of the same club here. I'm just trying to help out a fellow club member.

Thank you. Message sent.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

I agree with @RKatzin ’s initial assessment. One of the big advantages of starting forests with seedlings of this size is that they are very easy to plant very close together, take advantage of that!

 

[CasAH]

I agree with @RKatzin ’s initial assessment. One of the big advantages of starting forests with seedlings of this size is that they are very easy to plant very close together, take advantage of that!

He is sending me six additional seedlings that I will be adding to this planting and I will replant the whole forest at that time.

 

[CasAH]

@RKatzin the trees arrived today. They are healthy and well packed. I will replant the trees this weekend and post.

 

[CasAH]

Replanted and added the trees @RKatzin had sent to me this evening. Looks a little better. Now have 13 trees in this planting.

 

[RKatzin]

Well done! And kudos to Kevin Williams for those nice trees.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Looks much better.