Collected Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata)

[Hartinez]

Absolutely Beautiful...top job Hartinez.
They remind me so much of our Victorian Tea Tree - Leptospermum laevigatum.
Gnarly shapes with gorgeous bark and blue/green/grey foliage.
You find a lot of them growing in wind blown,coastal areas...the shapes are just phenominal (but nature always is : )
Love the pot too...awesome!

Thank you!! I follow several Aussie bonsai artists on Instagram and I love seeing there differing species used and how similar they are to our high desert trees!

 

[Hartinez]

I'm not sure how to feel about sagebrush as bonsai, though I commend your efforts to test the waters.

In terms of are they good bonsai I guess my questions would be:

1. Can they live long term in containers?

Most likely given they will grow in small gaps and cracks and very small pockets of soil in extreme weather conditions.

2.What is the lifespan of Artemisia Tridentata?

I certainly remember a lot of dead ones in those enormous expanses of land and perhaps blowing tumbleweed style across the highway.

3.Is it too 'easy' in terms of what is has to offer for bonsai?

As you pointed out these are literally endless in population and span a large range and elevation.

Spectacular and old specimens of any size and shape exist in every possible contorted form you could imagine and they are regarded as weeds or trash in the west.

Now I might just be a snob because I grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho where as stated these are literally everywhere.

I treat the local invasive species of Lonicera where I live in the st. Louis area with the same disdain despite once again seeing amazing specimens all the time I just can't bring myself to work with them.

So does there commonality as naturally twisted, gnarled, and compactly growing shrubs cheapen them as material?

Not sure. On an international level I think people would be fascinated. People from the western United States might have a hard time taking them as seriously.

Again kudos for doing the work with them, it is the only way we will ever know with the native species in America -so many of which have unique and unexplored characteristics.

Just my opinion as a once Westerner, certainly wish I was interested in bonsai than as I was way up in the mountains constantly.

Here’s a good example. Yes these trees have a ton of natural characteristics that in many cases can be instant bonsai. But that is still not standard when it comes to these. This tree here has a great twisting live and deadwood trunk, great vigor, but needs some significant intervention to get it looking like a bonsai and not just a sagebrush in a pot. I will need to some how bring down several branches through very heavy bends to creat more balance in the foliage and get the eye to draw slowly up the trunk. creating pads if you will. Ive only wire a few sagebrush and havnt done any major bending, so I can’t say for sure wether it will be an easy task or if its even possible. Easy “cheater“ subjects? I think not. But def excellent candidates for some amazingly unique trees.

 

[Hartinez]

My buddy snapped this one of me after a hike showing home my collection and Sagebrush. I’m not stoned. I swear it.

 

[PonderingSage:]

I was able to bend some decent sized branches usind wet rafia and electrical tape…and thick wire. More than l thought l would.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Love your "Hart with Artemisia" portrait. Nice.

Here in the more moist Chicago-Milwaukee area, Artemisia are actually a little tricky to grow. At our local Bonsai shows, there used to be an insistence on moss on every pot from edge to edge. There is a certain east coast bonsai politics to blame here, but that is ancient history. In the 1960's & 70's all Bonsai had to have moss on them. Turns out, if you have moss on your pot of Artemisia, no deadwood will survive, it will rot away. Often taking the whole plant with it, sometimes leaving just a youthful live vein. Here we have to be careful to use an open mix, high in pumice or lava and prevent moss from growing too close to the trunk.

Artemisia are very cold hardy if it is dry. Again we have trouble, our winters are cold and wet. So wet that JWP sometimes drown if you are not careful.

We can grow them , but they are tricky.

 

[Hartinez]

Love your "Hart with Artemisia" portrait. Nice.

Here in the more moist Chicago-Milwaukee area, Artemisia are actually a little tricky to grow. At our local Bonsai shows, there used to be an insistence on moss on every pot from edge to edge. There is a certain east coast bonsai politics to blame here, but that is ancient history. In the 1960's & 70's all Bonsai had to have moss on them. Turns out, if you have moss on your pot of Artemisia, no deadwood will survive, it will rot away. Often taking the whole plant with it, sometimes leaving just a youthful live vein. Here we have to be careful to use an open mix, high in pumice or lava and prevent moss from growing too close to the trunk.

Artemisia are very cold hardy if it is dry. Again we have trouble, our winters are cold and wet. So wet that JWP sometimes drown if you are not careful.

We can grow them , but they are tricky.

Hart-emesia

 

[Hartinez]

This is the picture I sent to a potter who lives and works in Taos NM, right around the corner from where this Sage was collected. His glaze techniques and firings are very well known in northern NM and I commissioned him to make a pot. I gave him size parameters and the essential needs of a good bonsai pot. The rest I am leaving up to him. Hoping for something magical and atypical from him to match this specimen.

Logan Wannamaker Pottery

Contemporary ceramics gallery in downtown Taos, New Mexico featuring the ceramics of Logan Wannamaker and other nationally renown ceramic artists. Specializing in atmospheric pottery influenced by the hues, formations and geography of the New Mexico Landscape.

www.loganwannamaker.com

 

[ShadyStump]

It deserves it.

 

[Hartinez]

 

[PonderingSage:]

Disguised as a juniper…

 

[Hartinez]

Repotted this one today. The entire nursery can was full of roots. Problem is, the root system was entirely one sided. When I put this one in a pot, it had little no roots on it. I thought for sure it would die. So when I potted it up I did it very quickly and just packed in pumice.

Survive it did and then some. It quickly shaped up to be as good an example of a sagebrush bonsai as I had seen. It took some doing to get this thing wired in tight, but it is sure snug.

While I have intentions for a custom pot long term I figured this pot suited its look quite well for now. I trimmed the tree back significantly as it was so overgrown and even grew quite a bit over winter.

I was also able to apply a good amount of wire on the brittle branches placing pads and branching where it is needed long term.

The smaller branches were easily moved, the larger ones needed to be wrapped with wet paper towels for a time to allow moving. Once the tree recovers I expect some great images

 

[Hartinez]

 

[Carol 83]

Repotted this one today. The entire nursery can was full of roots. Problem is, the root system was entirely one sided. When I put this one in a pot, it had little no roots on it. I thought for sure it would die. So when I potted it up I did it very quickly and just packed in pumice.

Survive it did and then some. It quickly shaped up to be as good an example of a sagebrush bonsai as I had seen. It took some doing to get this thing wired in tight, but it is sure snug.

While I have intentions for a custom pot long term I figured this pot suited its look quite well for now. I trimmed the tree back significantly as it was so overgrown and even grew quite a bit over winter.

I was also able to apply a good amount of wire on the brittle branches placing pads and branching where it is needed long term.

The smaller branches were easily moved, the larger ones needed to be wrapped with wet paper towels for a time to allow moving. Once the tree recovers I expect some great images
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It drank your wine!

 

[Hartinez]

It drank your wine!

Haha! It’s a Gosé. A type of sour beer. I’m a fan. No way I’m letting my trees drink my drink!

 

[PonderingSage:]

Lookin good! Mine are still waiting for spring to push

 

[Hartinez]

Foliage started filling back out and extend. These trees are such a combination of juniper and deciduous tendencies.

 

[Abhishek Dasgupta]

Foliage started filling back out and extend. These trees are such a combination of juniper and deciduous tendencies.
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Amazing and very well done …

Did you find that they respond well to repotting in shallow bonsai pots ? What soil mix do you use in your area

 

[Hartinez]

Amazing and very well done …

Did you find that they respond well to repotting in shallow bonsai pots ? What soil mix do you use in your area

Thank you! They respond very well to bonsai techniques generally. Very prolific root growers. Though the roots are somewhat brittle at repot. Probably one of the thirstier varieties in my collection. My mix is pretty standard, APL, though with these I’m using more akadama to retain moisture.

 

[Hartinez]

Collected 3 yesterday in Taos. Weather is still quite cool up north. Fully bare rooted and sprayed off the roots present and used screws into the trunk to secure tightly in the pots. I went pretty hard on these, but I have a feeling things will work out just fine.

 

[Hartinez]