grouper52
Masterpiece
Well, since my hornbeam failed to evoke even a single response, let me try again with another conifer.
I thought I would start a thread on this tree, which I plan to refine over the next few years. This tree is reputed to be about 60+ years old, apparently collected, in training since 1980 down in California. I got it this spring. It had supposedly been redesigned in 2005, but the unkempt status of the pruning and branch wiring pointed to at least 5-6 years of neglect the way I calculated it.
Anyway, it was not too attractive, so for this year I wanted to simply wire in some better structure to the branching pattern in anticipation of further such work over the next season or two. Some of the foliage will also simply have to go eventually, thinning and shaping the crown into a more attractive presentation, but for now I merely worked with what was there. Inducing some back budding has been fairly rewarding, which should broaden my possibilities later. I hope to use the foliage to visually soften the rather straight trunk.
You may note that the cork bark is much more prominent on the branches than the trunk, similar to some winged species. And for those wondering how stable this is in such a small pot, the base is VERY heavy, and has only tipped over once in a strong wind, the tree remaining entirely unharmed.
Enjoy.
I thought I would start a thread on this tree, which I plan to refine over the next few years. This tree is reputed to be about 60+ years old, apparently collected, in training since 1980 down in California. I got it this spring. It had supposedly been redesigned in 2005, but the unkempt status of the pruning and branch wiring pointed to at least 5-6 years of neglect the way I calculated it.
Anyway, it was not too attractive, so for this year I wanted to simply wire in some better structure to the branching pattern in anticipation of further such work over the next season or two. Some of the foliage will also simply have to go eventually, thinning and shaping the crown into a more attractive presentation, but for now I merely worked with what was there. Inducing some back budding has been fairly rewarding, which should broaden my possibilities later. I hope to use the foliage to visually soften the rather straight trunk.
You may note that the cork bark is much more prominent on the branches than the trunk, similar to some winged species. And for those wondering how stable this is in such a small pot, the base is VERY heavy, and has only tipped over once in a strong wind, the tree remaining entirely unharmed.
Enjoy.