Deciduous literati!

Joe Dupre'

Omono
Messages
1,680
Reaction score
3,631
Location
Belle Rose, La.
USDA Zone
9a
I think my specimen would have flourished..........at least for a while............if I didn't have had to dig it up 2 months after it sprouted after collection. I may try one again. I'm an experimenter at heart. I like to tell my buddies that I've spent more and gotten less in my life.

My "thing" is collecting and trying local trees and shrubs as bonsai. Some work and some don't. Failure is a learning experience.
 

Underdog

Masterpiece
Messages
2,677
Reaction score
6,873
Location
Ohio
USDA Zone
6
I have this Texas cedar elm I picked up this spring from Florida.IMG_20180925_111026927.jpgIMG_20180925_110939357.jpgIMG_20180925_111108301.jpg I've thought about layering the top off or removing the lower branches for literati style.
I love the bark. I've done nothing but put it in the basket and the two guy wires to get it used to my climate this year. My winter may be pushing it's winter hardyness. Waiting to see if I get any branching out of the center of the trunk next spring as well as it surviving.
I think it could be a interesting tree in that style. What do you think?
 

ABCarve

Masterpiece
Messages
2,676
Reaction score
11,452
Location
Girard, PA
USDA Zone
5a
I agree, but if you find an excellent trunk, might be worth the heartbreak. I ran across one with a heck of a nebari and aged pine-like bark a couple of decades ago. I collected it and it became a pretty nice (if unstable) bonsai. It hated pruning. Died back on developed branches, threw suckers from its base and produced extremely strange threadlike roots in a dense mat once in a container. It also drew borers, tent caterpillars, aphids, wooly adelgids, you name it all through the growing season.

It was a complete hassle but during the two months in the spring when it was presentable, it was a great bonsai. Gnarled and black barked --closely resembled the ume in Japan.

After 16-18 years or so in a bonsai pot (and numerous apex replacements), it finally died because of fungus and other nasty stuff. I'd collect another one if I could find one with a similar trunk. I won't touch the smooth gun metal grey trunk this species usually has though. Not worth the trouble.
Did it ever flower?
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
Messages
14,182
Reaction score
22,183
Location
Fairfax Va.
USDA Zone
7
Did it ever flower?
Yes. It did, but black cherry (prunus serotina) flowers are nothing like traditional cherry blossoms. They are more like wisteria blossoms, a series of small flowers attached to a four or five inch long spike. Not the most attractive blooms. They did produce cherries though, small, hard, sour mostly inedible cherries. The birds liked them though.
 

bonhe

Masterpiece
Messages
4,147
Reaction score
8,758
Location
Riverside, CA
USDA Zone
11
I have this Texas cedar elm I picked up this spring from Florida.View attachment 211130View attachment 211131View attachment 211132 I've thought about layering the top off or removing the lower branches for literati style.
I love the bark. I've done nothing but put it in the basket and the two guy wires to get it used to my climate this year. My winter may be pushing it's winter hardyness. Waiting to see if I get any branching out of the center of the trunk next spring as well as it surviving.
I think it could be a interesting tree in that style. What do you think?
Hi Underdog,
It is very nice tree with trunk line. I would use it for literati .
Thụ Thoại
 

f1pt4

Chumono
Messages
836
Reaction score
1,383
Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
USDA Zone
5
I have this Texas cedar elm I picked up this spring from Florida.View attachment 211130View attachment 211131View attachment 211132 I've thought about layering the top off or removing the lower branches for literati style.
I love the bark. I've done nothing but put it in the basket and the two guy wires to get it used to my climate this year. My winter may be pushing it's winter hardyness. Waiting to see if I get any branching out of the center of the trunk next spring as well as it surviving.
I think it could be a interesting tree in that style. What do you think?

If you're planning on literati with this one, remove the lower two branches as you don't want that bottom portion to thicken too much. Slender trunks on literatis are best.
 

Wilson

Masterpiece
Messages
2,353
Reaction score
4,384
Location
Eastern townships, Quebec
USDA Zone
4
I recently had a day off to tour a bunch of nurseries,and came home with a few future literatis. 2 aromatic sumac, a tortured nine bark, and a honeysuckle. The sumac have a beautiful roughbark, and their leaves look closer to hawthorn than sumac. The nine bark has the crazy deadwood, and the honeysuckle has a nice twisted grain to it.20190830_193942.jpg20190830_194009.jpg20190830_194111.jpg20190830_194207.jpg20190830_194232.jpg20190830_194248.jpg20190830_194305.jpg20190830_194320.jpg
 

Underdog

Masterpiece
Messages
2,677
Reaction score
6,873
Location
Ohio
USDA Zone
6
Here's where I am at with the above tree.IMG_20190831_085608378_HDR.jpg
Got a nice root cutting going off of the bottom too.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20190831_090112507.jpg
    IMG_20190831_090112507.jpg
    166.4 KB · Views: 53
Last edited:

MACH5

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
6,066
Reaction score
28,393
Location
Northern New Jersey
Well my deciduous literati is not collected but I'll post it anyway. This was created from a simple Japanese maple seedling. The photo is from last winter. I continue to develop it carefully as I want to preserve its simplicity and delicacy. The tree now is on its third year as a bonsai. Will post again when leaves fall.

IMG_0063%20A_zps7n1baoxg.JPG
 
Messages
408
Reaction score
397
Location
St. Louis Missouri
USDA Zone
6b
Anybody know the difference between literati and bunjin?

I thought literally was similar but leaned off to one side.

A solid explanation would be great seeing how I have trees in training for both styles... yet I can’t tell the styles apart really lol
 

ABCarve

Masterpiece
Messages
2,676
Reaction score
11,452
Location
Girard, PA
USDA Zone
5a
Collected Crabapple. Hasn’t flowered yet. Don’t know if it ever will. Literati or is it a little ratty? A0F19058-1FE0-4F7A-A9C5-EE485B346649.jpeg
 

Joe Dupre'

Omono
Messages
1,680
Reaction score
3,631
Location
Belle Rose, La.
USDA Zone
9a
Anybody know the difference between literati and bunjin?

I thought literally was similar but leaned off to one side.

A solid explanation would be great seeing how I have trees in training for both styles... yet I can’t tell the styles apart really lol

From what I’ve read, bunjin is the actual Japanese classification and literati is more like a descriptive adjective..... as in “literati style”.
 

Underdog

Masterpiece
Messages
2,677
Reaction score
6,873
Location
Ohio
USDA Zone
6
Hi Underdog,
It is very nice tree with trunk line. I would use it for literati .
Thụ Thoại
Here it is again. Tx Ceder Elm with new spring growth. Survived a second Ohio winter.
IMG_20200415_105242832_HDR.jpg
The moss sure helps keep is wet in a little pot but, the roots grew into it.
IMG_20200415_105506894.jpg

I feel I need to cut the straight section off the top.
IMG_20200415_163617490.jpg
IMG_20200415_163512383.jpg
IMG_20200415_163545219.jpg
 
Last edited:

bonhe

Masterpiece
Messages
4,147
Reaction score
8,758
Location
Riverside, CA
USDA Zone
11
Here it is again. Tx Ceder Elm with new spring growth. Survived a second Ohio winter.
View attachment 296364
The moss sure helps keep is wet in a little pot but, the roots grew into it.
View attachment 296366

I feel I need to cut the straight section off the top.
View attachment 296368
View attachment 296370
View attachment 296371
Very nice. It is getting there 👏👏
Thụ Thoại
 
Top Bottom