Clump Shimpaku

[coltranem]

I bought this small shimpaku about a year ago. It was repotted in the spring. After it started growing I selectively pruned to open it up and try to get some ideas. Everytime I walked by I scanned it for ideas looking for a design. I am still fairly new so this takes me time. I brought to my october club meeting with a basic concept. I started working at the meeting but had to leave early so I finished at home.

After repot


I ended up dropping the soil level some because I planted it too deep.

After mid summer cleaning


After wiring


The lower left branch will become a jin and most likely the lower right. There are still some bar branches which I will sort out in the coming years.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Nice start. Now let it grow.

If it were mine, I'd let it grow, end of each summer wire the new. Maybe prune, or jin, or maybe not yet. You can wire shapes into branches that are intended as jin, just to give the jin some curves. Repeat this process, with the though of accumulating branches, trunk size, and choices to use when it is finally ready to "put a style on it".

Branches will bud back. Each year will add more to choose from. In time, you can have a really interesting juniper.

Your juniper looks a lot like mine about half way into the "getting it ready to style'' process. You only need a few more years, and this will be ready. Mine took 9 years from cutting to first styling. I need to dig a photo.

 

[coltranem]

I like your plan Leo.

 

[coltranem]

I am prepping this one for my club's show. It certainly has come a long way. After the show my next job is to work on pulling the apex down and hiding some of that straight section on the left trunk.