Carpinus betulus

[BobbyLane]

First styling of a European Hornbeam I acquired recently, raw material nursery stock....the tree had/has some faults that ive tried to correct. inverse and bulges in places, although ive now carved some taper into the trunk line, depending on the tree's angle the bulge in the base is less visible...the first left branch in time should fatten the nebari and trunk below it in time and improve the trunk base..

How i received it..

 

[fredtruck]

The nebari is outstanding!

 

[sorce]

DAMN!

Sorce

 

[GrimLore]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing!

Grimmy

 

[djm4243]

@BobbyLane Hornbeams are one of my absolute favorites [along with Tamarack]. Your progression is amazing. My biggest weakness lies here.....seeing a tree through raw stock. I find myself paralyzed at times trying to move forward. Pictures like this go a long way helping someone artistically challenged as myself. Thank you, Sir.

 

[Cypress187]

Looks good.

 

[BobbyLane]

@BobbyLane Hornbeams are one of my absolute favorites [along with Tamarack]. Your progression is amazing. My biggest weakness lies here.....seeing a tree through raw stock. I find myself paralyzed at times trying to move forward. Pictures like this go a long way helping someone artistically challenged as myself. Thank you, Sir.

I was the same way at first mate and ive still a lot to learn, apr 2016 will be my 4th year on this bonsai journey and ive still never even done a workshop!
I draw a lot of my inspiration from trees in nature and bonsai that look like real trees so im a huge admirer of WP's trees or anyone that practices that style.
This tree has a long way to go, but i think ive set it on the right path, over the next few months the tree will be compacted and cut back in areas for taper and the fine ramification built up over the time, the scar on the front where a branch was removed will be a Uro, the carved area will be refined maybe even extended will see.
btw, keep looking at your trees and at real trees and at natural looking bonsai and eventually ideas will come to you, use a piece of tin foil or whatever a cloth even and block out areas of the tree, before removing bits, to see how drastic cuts/chops would effect your image. hope that helps.
taking pics also helps you to notice things that dont look right

 

[BobbyLane]

Ive reduced the top on this, as i was never really happy with the direction of the apex, i think it would of more suited a windswept style and it wasnt right from a few aspects, its always different seeing the tree in 3d! so this is where im heading with it now, more of a pollarded Oak look, a tree that has lost its main apex through struggle, there are now three smaller apex's and the tree will be developed into the broom form.

will update in spring

 

[BobbyLane]

Update, this one has gone on to a landcape slab to mimic a lone tree on a hill top. change of angle and some cutting back...the tree will now be left to establish and develop

 

[Jacos]

I liked the look of this EU Hornbeam on the pictures in your earlier post (Dec 11, pic 4&5).

Now,. well it's all a little too much carving work for a little deciduous tree.
And on the slab it's not my piece of cake.
The tree will also have a difficult time producing a canope on this slab Imho.

 

[Tentakelaertje]

These projects are the reason why you need a garden m8.
We want more!

 

[BobbyLane]

Thanks for the comments folks, will update later in year.

 

[JoeR]

I like it SO much better now, although the carving on the two roots could be better. To be honest I did not care for it at all in the first photos,


I get so tired of everyone on here telling people to turn trees into generic cookie cutter forms. Get rid of those branches or these roots or those twigs, they dont follow the 'rules'.

 

[JoeR]

Can you bring the right branch up more with less of a perfect curve?

 

[BobbyLane]

Hi Joe, that branch will likely be cut back if and when it back buds further back. there are some breaking buds right beside it out of view, so also waiting to see what they do.
the roots can be improved i agree, as i think they are too similar and need variation, will refine later in season.

 

[BobbyLane]

I liked the look of this EU Hornbeam on the pictures in your earlier post (Dec 11, pic 4&5).

Now,. well it's all a little too much carving work for a little deciduous tree.
And on the slab it's not my piece of cake.
The tree will also have a difficult time producing a canope on this slab Imho.

Hi Jacos, I think the top bending away in the earlier styling just somehow didnt look right. i would never be happy with it, i took it to an expert to get a second opinion on it first though, before diving in so to speak. we both agreed that the top had to go and tilting the tree would improve the look.
slabs are usually reserved for forests, slanting or windswept styles.... so may not look right to some, i thought so too. but then again, the tree does have some slanting elements, the strong left anchoring root. i think it works and maybe represents a tree on a hill top.
there are four primary branches on the tree, with some selection and cutting back i plan to build a canopy from those, they are already at a required thickess for the size of the trunk. but the secondaries and teritarys need to be developed, on a Hornbeam that shouldnt be a problem, they are vigourous, even on this slab. will see how it all pans out though buddy. regarding carving, hopefully i havnt done too much, ive been guilty of this in the past..but i do like the final result

 

[Tentakelaertje]

Looking at it again, but noticed I can't see back branches. Could you post some photo's of the sides, so we can see the depth too?

 

[Dalmat]

I won't enter the esthetics but the tree is horticulturally ruined. You'll most probably lose this carved roots.
That left main branch will make the bulge and reverse taper, because you take away a possibility from base to grow accordingly,exactly what you have try to solve in first place. That's how it works with Carpinus.
In short it was to soon to do that hard curving work for the idea of the tree that you had in mind.
No big deal to correct it later, just some 10 years.

 

[BobbyLane]

Looking at it again, but noticed I can't see back branches. Could you post some photo's of the sides, so we can see the depth too?

A birdseye view of the four primaries

 

[BobbyLane]

I won't enter the esthetics but the tree is horticulturally ruined. You'll most probably lose this carved roots.
That left main branch will make the bulge and reverse taper, because you take away a possibility from base to grow accordingly,exactly what you have try to solve in first place. That's how it works with Carpinus.
In short it was to soon to do that hard curving work for the idea of the tree that you had in mind.
No big deal to correct it later, just some 10 years.

Well not really because the left branch can always be cut back, also the strong left root under that left branch is fully intact. as is the one directly opposite it, this can be seen from the birdseye. whether those two carved roots die off is debatable, roots in nature get eaten away all the time and callus over. but if they die its not an issue for me, because the intention was to make a dead wood feature, Hornbeam wood is very hard and takes a long time to rot.