Few photos from the back yard

[Brian Van Fleet]

In no particular order...just a few shots from this evening.
One Bench, Hawthorn, Zelkova (needs a haircut), Hornbeam

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

A few more...
Arakawa Maple, J. Maple, Kurume Azalea (sans flowers), Black Pine, Shimpaku

 

[stacy allen muse]

I really like the fluting on Hawthorn...
nice trees

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

And a few more...
Tall, lanky collected Virginia Pine, Kyokko Yatsabusa JBP, Collected Pyracantha

 

[mat]

Great trees, Brian. I like the Virginia Pine's pot.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Great trees, Brian. I like the Virginia Pine's pot.

Thanks...DaSu Studios, Dave made it for this tree a few years ago. It's huge, and I'll probably never need to repot it...

 

[fore]

Very nice Brian. That Shimpaku has some great bones and will look fantastic I bet when done....relative term I know

 

[tanlu]

Nice trees Brian! I love that Hawthorn!! How come you took these at night?

 

[JudyB]

I really like that V. pine, it looks very tall! But it's got a really nice base.
Have you thought of changing the apex to the lower branch on the left? That big dogleg on the current apex as well as (from this angle) some reverse taper (maybe?) seem to detract from the overall image. But maybe it's just the pic...
What are your plans for it?

Thanks for the post, it's always nice to see your trees.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Thanks all.
@fore, I've loved each juniper I've bought from Brent, and am very eager to start working on this one. I got it in December and maybe will start a little branch selection with Kathy next spring.

@ tanlu, dark was the first chance I had to shoot them, plus I like the effect sometimes. I don't like how much I have to reduce the photo quality to load them up.

@Judy, the V. Pine has no plan at the moment other than to keep it healthy and get it growing strong. If you look at the tree from the side, it is just an upside down U shape, it's a 4' tall trunk with a single branch pulled down from which all the foliage emerges. It's old and has good bark, but that's about all. Maybe one day I'll try to graft some red pine scions into the trunk and see what happens.

 

[Shimpaku]

Amazing stuff and something for me to aspire to. I also like your benches. It has the wheels turning. How long have you been doing Bonsai?

 

[garywood]

Briar, if you have a couple of red pine in gallon pots, thread graft so all the angles will be what you want.
Wood

 

[mcpesq817]

Really nice collection of trees Brian - thanks for sharing! How is the spruce doing?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

@ shimpaku: thx, about 18 years now...

@ wood...I do and I just might... ;-)

@ mcpesq817...ezo is pretty good, had to do some big time root work, and it's just now starting to move. Probably need to get it into less sun than its all day sun perch, and not expect it to do more than recover for the next couple years. You get one yet? Can't seem to remember...

 

[fore]

So Brian, you allow a 2 yr recovery from major root work, like from going from a large nursery pot to training pot, for conifers or just this particular one, that Ezo? I don't recall you waiting 2 yrs on that JBP progression...

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

So Brian, you allow a 2 yr recovery from major root work, like from going from a large nursery pot to training pot, for conifers or just this particular one, that Ezo? I don't recall you waiting 2 yrs on that JBP progression...

No rules, just basing it on how the tree responds. JBP are tough as nails, and I've gotten to know mine pretty well so I can gauge when it's time to work or time to wait. The ezo and juniper are new, but aren't moving as fast as their neighbors, so I will take time and let them get strong. No shortage of other things to do in the meantime!

 

[fore]

Ah, experience! Give me another few years and I hope to have that knowledge of what trees can tolerate, and how they respond to insults (potting, styling, etc...).

"No shortage of other things to do in the meantime!"

Not from what I saw in your backyard pics! Very nice btw Brian if I didn't say so there! I'm kinda at the beginning of developing 'substantial' trees. Planted in ground all the small stuff, exc. a few, that'll I'll prob. not live long enough to have any real substance. That leaves me with 4 new dug up field grown trees, 3 yamadori and the upcoming JBP. Most need absolutely nothing done to them exc. fertilize the hell out of them, and to keep that darn needlecast at bay on the pines. It's endemic here.

It'll be a relatively small job this spring/summer for me. But that's ok. I hope to get to the point of a collection like you, Marcus, Jim Lewis, and Pavel just to name a few, in 5-10yrs. At least that's my goal.

 

[mcpesq817]

@ mcpesq817...ezo is pretty good, had to do some big time root work, and it's just now starting to move. Probably need to get it into less sun than its all day sun perch, and not expect it to do more than recover for the next couple years. You get one yet? Can't seem to remember...

Glad to hear Brian, hope it recovers nicely this year.

I ended up getting a good sized collected Engelmann Spruce up at Nature's Way a few weeks ago. A guy that was there lives in southeastern Virginia and bought an Engelmann the year before and it did well despite the heat and humidity. He keeps his in partial shade once it starts getting a lot hotter. Mine doesn't have a great rootball at the moment, so I have it in pure pumice and will see what happens. Buds are pushing on it, which is hopefully a good sign that it is hanging in there.

 

[fore]

mcpesq817, do you have a picture? I'd love to see it!
Chris

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Moving day is Thursday, but the trees went on ahead...here are a few photos from the new back yard.