Hello

[Monkey]

Hi all, I am very new to bonsai and I've decided to try my hand at it. I grow lots of plants as a hobby, and I've focused mainly on orchids and carnivorous plants. So, to start I read a couple of books and watched a lot of youtube videos so I picked up a Japanese holly and a boxwood. I've trimmed them down and then I kinda hit a stand still. I'm not exactly sure what direction to go next. Should I wire? Should I just let it be for a bit to get some denser foliage? I don't think I want to trim roots and repot until the tree has more of the look I'm going for. I'll attach a couple of pics to give you guys a general idea of what I'm working with. (BTW the boxwood is definitely the better of the two I believe.)

Boxwood in the foreground, holly in the back


Different light


Holly



Thanks

 

[edprocoat]

Hi, welcome to the affliction ! This is a great place with lots of info and tons of knowledgeable people here to help you out. The Boxwood is a nice start, nice movement and I love the roots. Search Boxwoods here for old threads with pics and info on Boxwoods. Do you plan on cutting back the trunks and growing out the branches? You need to try to envision what you would like to see the tree look like, learn the Bonsai trees basic styles.

And above all,
Have fun !

ed

 

[bonsai barry]

These should be a couple of fun trees to work start with, good luck! Since you have growing experience already, you probably realized these species of plant will not survive if kept indoors. (I have about 100 trees, all outdoors.)

If these trees were mine, I would be encouraging the branches to backbud (send out growth lower on the branches). This will allow you to trim the current branches next season and make the bonsai's look more treelike rather than looking like bushes. If it were me I'd allow them to grow as is for a season (but fertilize heavily) hoping to increase the girth of the current branches and hopefully push out some branches lower to the trunk. If no new sub branches grow lower on the branches by next season, I'd cut back the current branches leaving only a few green leaves on each branch and encouraging the tree to produce more subbranches closer to the trunk.

 

[Poink88]

Welcome to B-Nut!

I agree that both should be outside. While I like back budding as well, I am the opposite of Barry (approach wise). I'll be brutal and chop them both and start building the branches where I want them now.

For example, I will do the boxwood as marked, just because I have to leave some leaves at the branch tips. For the ilex, chop anywhere you need and it should pop new buds everywhere near it.
View attachment 36199

I will also start wiring the boxwood ASAP...the longer you wait the more the wood lignifies and harder to bend.

Good luck!!!

 

[Monkey]

The trees live outside. they were only inside for some quick night time pictures.They have a nice corner in my vegetable garden where they can get some extra humidity and protection from our insane winds. I appreciate all the advice I've received so far, and will take it all into account. I would like the boxwood to be shorter and fuller, I was just apprehensive on how much I could cut it back and still maintain the health of the plant. I'm used to growing much less resilient plants lol. I'll probably take the clippers to it this weekend and post some more pics.

A few questions though. Where could I get good wire? Would baling wire work, it's steel wire. I assume I would need something more flexible. Also, keeping these trees in their current pots until I'm satisfied is the correct way to go about training these trees? If so, should I put them in a larger pot to encourage growth, or just leave them be?


Also, I've recieve a lot of advice on the boxwood. How about the holly? Is there much hope for it, or should I wait a few seasons?

 

[Monkey]

New haircut

And. here it is.

 

[Poink88]

Since you basically have 4 branches coming from same spot/proximity...you might want to remove one or 2 also. You should know best seeing it all around but the 2nd on the right looks like a candidate.

After that, you can let it bush out.