Bottlebrush yamadori questions

[Joshuro]

I have just bought a house with 12 old bottlebrush trees planted in the backyard. I believe they are approximately 25 - 30 years old. I am uncertain of which exact cultivar they represent, but I live in Southern California in a rather arid climate and they appear to be quite healthy growing in ground without regular watering. They have all been kept cut short by the previous owner to a height of around five feet and the majority of them show a bushy multi-trunked structure while a few have single thick trunks.

I think they have great potential for yamadori bonsai projects!

I am a bit tentative, because I have no experience with collecting trees for yamadori and have only rudimentary experience with bonsai in general, so before I dig these precious trees out of the ground I thought it would be best to seek advice from anyone who may have experience with the species and with working with them as yamadori bonsai.

In particular, I’d like to ask for tips about the best method for ensuring that they survive the transition from the ground to the pot, and whether it would be best to try shaping them for a while while they remain in ground before I dig them up, or if it is best to wait for shaping until after they are established in pots.

Thanks in advance for any kernels of wisdom,

Josh R.

 

[Shibui]

I assume you are talking about Australian native Callistemons here. Some photos would help to ensure we are talking about the same plants. Pics of whole plant, older bark, close up of leaf and if possible, flowers will help us ID these more accurately.

In general most Callistemon species are quite easy to transplant and can be pruned hard because they sprout readily from old wood - usually right down to the base of the trunk.
Optimum transplant time seems to be late spring and into summer, even if they are actively growing. Transplant in cold weather really sets them back and they often die. I have seen reports from growers in warmer climates (frost free) that they can transplant all year round.
I usually prune both roots and tops when I transplant callistemon from gardens. They seem to cope well with top reduction as well as root reduction. Tops can be pruned to bare wood if necessary to get the tree down to manageable size. Sometimes takes a few months for new buds so don't give up hope too soon.
So far only one attempt has failed. It had very deep roots so was left with almost nothing after digging. Others have had quite severe root reduction right after removing from the garden and have just continued to grow.
Aftercare is much the same as other species - trees potted into a suitable container in well drained mix then somewhere just a little sheltered from strong sun and wind. Trees do need sun to survive so some direct sun is essential even in recovery. Plenty of water. Recently collected trees should not dry out. I have had good success with containers actually sitting in a shallow tray of water until new growth becomes strong. Many callistemon species grow naturally close to water so can tolerate wet roots better than some other trees.

In the wild, dead wood is quite common on callistemon so we are using jin and shari when styling these, especially to help reduce collected trees. Wood is quite soft and will rot relatively quickly so regular lime sulphur or other wood preservative is recommended if you include dead wood in the designs.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Shibui

Thanks, that is helpful, I did not know this about Callistemon. Thanks

 

[Joshuro]

I assume you are talking about Australian native Callistemons here. Some photos would help to ensure we are talking about the same plants. Pics of whole plant, older bark, close up of leaf and if possible, flowers will help us ID these more accurately.

First off thank you very much for your detailed reply. It is very informative and helpful. I truly appreciate that you took the time to write it.

Secondly, I’m sorry for letting it sit here so long without a response. Things have been hectic for me over the last few weeks with moving into the new place and hauling my backside into work everyday. I’ve hardly had time to turn my attention to anything else.

If I haven’t lost you I’d appreciate the opportunity to benefit from your familiarity with Callistemons. I’m attaching some pictures that I took of a couple of the supposed bottlebrush trees. I say “supposed” because I am not very familiar with the genus. I assume that they are bottlebrushes because the person who sold me the house planted them many years ago herself, and she told me that is what they are. These pictures represent only a few of the fourteen trees of the same variety that are growing on the property.

Please let me know if they are Callistemons and if you have any guesses as to which variety they represent. Looking at the pictures I realize now that I have none that show a close-up image of old bark. I can take one tomorrow if necessary.

 

[Joshuro]

I just discovered a bloom on one of the trees. Looking at the bloom I am rather confident that it is a bottlebrush.I’m going to try to pull a few of these out of the ground over the coming years and make bonsai out of them. I have no REAL experience with bonsai and am a bit worried about botching the first few attempts. I’ll probably start by digging out only one this year and experimenting with it. My instinct is to choose one of the least interesting ones to work with first. That way I don’t feel the regret of having ruined the potential of one of the really choice specimens. The problem is, I actually don’t know what to look for to distinguish a tree that has really good potential from one that doesn’t.

Here are images of a few more of the trees. Please forgive my poor photography skills:


Would my odds of success be better with one of these trees that has more growth low on the tree and is bushier? Or with one that has a more unitary trunk lacking low branches? I assume I would have to cut the single-trunked tree down to bare wood and hope for budding to occur from the stump?

 

[Shibui]

Definitely Callistemons. I can't give a variety ID straight up but will do some research. The red flowers will eliminate some species and the pink growing tips should help with ID.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Ironically, my wife just picked one of these up this weekend. Callistemon citrinus aka Scarlet Bottlebrush. This is one of the large species - up to 10' in landscape. It requires 6+ hours of sun per day, but once established is considered to be a "water-wise" plant.

We use Callistemon viminalis ‘Little John’ extensively in our HOA landscaping but as a dwarf it only gets to about 3' tall. Can't help you on your ID other than to say that the size of your bushes may help narrow it down. It looks similar to mine... but that is as far as I'm willing to go

Callistemon species list

 

[Starfox]

I would say that C. citrinus is a good fit here. All that soft, red new leaf growth is exactly what mine looks like now and if you crush one of the older green leaves it should have a slight lemony smell to it.

Also known as Melaleuca citrina depending on who you take your nomenclature from.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca_citrina
It would be a good fit since these have been introduced everywhere but often under old world names like C. lancelota or laevis.

I think your plan seems good, try one out first before going all in and don't let it dry out.

 

[Shibui]

I see the Bnut and the ex-pat in Spain have beaten me to an ID....
I've also come up with Callistemon citrinus. Upright habit, wide leaves and red flowers. It responds to pruning as you already know from the shape of the trees at your place.
Lists have a few selections and hybrids. 'Splendens' aka 'Endeavour' 'Harkness' is another cultivar/hybrid of C. citrinus. 'Kings Park Special' is another red flowered one but I can't track down origins or species for that cultivar.