MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
This is an Engelmann spruce (Picea Engelmannii) collected by Loren Buxton which I purchased from him earlier this year. It is a single trunk tree that divides into several sub-trunks. Plating old bark throughout most of its length gives it a rugged, aged look. I left the tree grow for the entire growing season without any work done to it. Fall is a good time to wire spruce, so I decided to give it its first styling. Looking at the tangled web of trunks and branches it was not easy to see exactly what to do with this piece of material. Most likely it offered several ways to approach it but I ended up settling on one: Multi-trunk literati with multiple apexes.
Engelmann spruce has become one of my favorite native species for bonsai. I think superior to the Colorado spruce. It has very agreeable, small, soft needles that are easy to work with. This spruce is probably one of the closest in appearance to the true Ezo spruce (Picea glehnii). For anyone interested, this tree is available for purchase.
This is the tree before the work.
In order to create a multi-trunk style composition, two of the trunks were brought up and firmly repositioned with guy wires. Also one of the four original trunks was cut off to simplify the design. The foliage was then carefully cleaned up and prepared for wiring.
Work in progress.
The work completed which yes, it includes.... a crossing trunk! The multiple apexes I think gives the tree its own special character which is also found in nature where sometimes trees have multiple leaders. From soil level, the tree stands 27" high.
Virtual with a bonsai pot. But it may end up looking best in a drum or large namban style container.
At-a-glance comparison with several hours of work in between the two photos.
Engelmann spruce has become one of my favorite native species for bonsai. I think superior to the Colorado spruce. It has very agreeable, small, soft needles that are easy to work with. This spruce is probably one of the closest in appearance to the true Ezo spruce (Picea glehnii). For anyone interested, this tree is available for purchase.
This is the tree before the work.
In order to create a multi-trunk style composition, two of the trunks were brought up and firmly repositioned with guy wires. Also one of the four original trunks was cut off to simplify the design. The foliage was then carefully cleaned up and prepared for wiring.
Work in progress.
The work completed which yes, it includes.... a crossing trunk! The multiple apexes I think gives the tree its own special character which is also found in nature where sometimes trees have multiple leaders. From soil level, the tree stands 27" high.
Virtual with a bonsai pot. But it may end up looking best in a drum or large namban style container.
At-a-glance comparison with several hours of work in between the two photos.