grouper52
Masterpiece
A nursery up in Sequim that specializes in local plants had a dozen of these guys he grew from acorns brought back from California about 12 years before. This one looked interesting, so I got it. The first year was spent with a huge apparatus attached to twist the upright trunk counterclockwise so the two top large branches wouldn't point right at me from this front. The first photo was how it looked the next year, 2006. It looked worse the next few years, but by last year was showing some potential from a penjing standpoint - 2nd photo. This year the two men found a better tree to play under, so I've been working on it from a more naturalistic style - I think: Third photo (which is also rotated a bit counterclockwise). I used clip-and-grow the first three years, and only used wire starting this year. Several areas of back budding on the upright trunk, and now a shoot close in on the left trunk/branch give it even greater possibilities over time. It's been a fun tree, the growth habit a bit different than any other tree I've worked with, but its starting to show some promise, IMO. Enjoy.
