Laddo
Sapling
I need help deciding on the front. I plan on refining the pads and continue ramification. I think I’m happy with the trunk and overall shape of the tree. Just cant decide on this dang front. Give me some opinions! TIA!
Help me pick the front of this juniper ‘nana’
- Thread starter Laddo
- Start date
Woocash
Omono
Honestly, from my eye it sort seems like you are concentrating on the nebari while forgetting the structure of the tree itself.
A. shows a kind of crucifix form in that you have a near straight trunk with two primary branches coming off at right angles, almost bar branch in form.
B. shows two trees. The right one is more sinuous in it’s beginnings with a kink and a curve or two while the left is more angular and the two together don’t quite mesh correctly.
I think either you need to keep rotating and concentrate on what is a more cohesive trunk line and branch structure or (what i may be more inclined to do) discard the angular left hand side of the tree and figure out a new form using the more naturally mature rounded curves of angle B. If you can wire and bend the straightness out off the left side of the tree to make it fit well with your design then great, but otherwise a new design may prove more fruitful in the long run.
If you would like a preference on A vs B then I would plump for A in the here and now personally, but the curves of B have more potential for the future IMO.
A. shows a kind of crucifix form in that you have a near straight trunk with two primary branches coming off at right angles, almost bar branch in form.
B. shows two trees. The right one is more sinuous in it’s beginnings with a kink and a curve or two while the left is more angular and the two together don’t quite mesh correctly.
I think either you need to keep rotating and concentrate on what is a more cohesive trunk line and branch structure or (what i may be more inclined to do) discard the angular left hand side of the tree and figure out a new form using the more naturally mature rounded curves of angle B. If you can wire and bend the straightness out off the left side of the tree to make it fit well with your design then great, but otherwise a new design may prove more fruitful in the long run.
If you would like a preference on A vs B then I would plump for A in the here and now personally, but the curves of B have more potential for the future IMO.
Laddo
Sapling
I just bought this as a pre-bonsai and have done nothing to it. If I were to take angle B and try and bend that left hand branch, what would make it more cohesive in your opinion? I know it’s difficult to get a sense of the tree through picturesHonestly, from my eye it sort seems like you are concentrating on the nebari while forgetting the structure of the tree itself.
A. shows a kind of crucifix form in that you have a near straight trunk with two primary branches coming off at right angles, almost bar branch in form.
B. shows two trees. The right one is more sinuous in it’s beginnings with a kink and a curve or two while the left is more angular and the two together don’t quite mesh correctly.
I think either you need to keep rotating and concentrate on what is a more cohesive trunk line and branch structure or (what i may be more inclined to do) discard the angular left hand side of the tree and figure out a new form using the more naturally mature rounded curves of angle B. If you can wire and bend the straightness out off the left side of the tree to make it fit well with your design then great, but otherwise a new design may prove more fruitful in the long run.
If you would like a preference on A vs B then I would plump for A in the here and now personally, but the curves of B have more potential for the future IMO.
Tieball
Masterpiece
I don’t have a front selection yet. I honestly would study it from multiple angles to discover a front approach. In B, that lower branch concerns me to the point of removal, however, it may just be the photo angle so I’m reluctant to prune it off without close examination. Again, seeing multiple angles, not just the two you’ve defined, might suggest more frontal possibilities to me. I would find a way to bury the roots though.
Question: Is the substrate large sized and coarse all the way down? It’s possible it may just look coarse with lighting or be perfectly appropriate for the tree. Right or wrong, I do tend to use a substrate about half that coarseness. That’s just my growing method.
Question: Is the substrate large sized and coarse all the way down? It’s possible it may just look coarse with lighting or be perfectly appropriate for the tree. Right or wrong, I do tend to use a substrate about half that coarseness. That’s just my growing method.
Laddo
Sapling
Those are really the only two angle I think are possibilities. But I’m a newbie, so what do I know lol. Ill get pics of other angles and post them.
The soil is the same coarseness all the way through. I bought this pre-bonsai from a local bonsai nursery and this is the mixture they use for all their junipers. I’m in South Louisiana
PowerTap
Shohin
One thing I can advise as a new practitioner is to just get more comfortable sitting with the tree.
Great trees are the work of decades. You don't have to do anything to this tree right now. Just sit with it. Feed and water it. Turn it around a bunch. The front will become apparent eventually.
Constructive criticism here; your tree is too young to pick a front, let it just grow for 5yrs and develop some good branching and then come back, it should resemble a tree and as it is it's just a little bush. If you want to acquire real patience, do bonsai. 
If you want to acquire real patience, do bonsai.
Woocash
Omono
As has been said above, time is what will show the best path. It’s all very well me saying chop this or bend that, but you’re the one that will be living with it and that can get the best sense of how it will work with itself. There is no rush to do anything yet.
It does all depend on your style, however. When I started out I bought a bunch of trees and hacked them and wired them and spent a lot of time learning how to manipulate plants while trying to keep them alive and seeing what they could handle. It’s not advice that suits everyone because, inevitably, you will lose a lot of trees that way so most of my experiments were and still are with bargain basement trees or those that I am comfortable losing. I think this has helped with my design choices because when you know what can be done in terms of manipulation then you can easier envisage shapes and lines emerging on your trees.
Itchy fingers are a beginners worst enemy but also their best friend. At the moment its best to use them on trees or plants you are happy to lose until you are confident enough to move on to ones you want to keep.
Laddo
Sapling
very good points. I do feel like i need to do something every day, but i also am petrified to do something wrong lol. it's a constant back and forth. I've tried finding someone local to talk to/meet with but i have been unsuccessful as of yet
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
A, tilted 45 degrees to the left, with the lower left branches killed off and turned to deadwood. Develop the upper branching long term.
Laddo
Sapling
interesting. so remove the 2nd branch up from the root crown?
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
Turn the whole branch deadwood.
I disagree. Waiting 5 years to pick a front will waste 5 years that could’ve been spent developing shari and beginning root work to prepare for the intended planting angle (and subsequent development of the nebari). Also, any branches that need to be bent for the final design will be easier to bend early on vs. after they’ve thickened.Constructive criticism here; your tree is too young to pick a front, let it just grow for 5yrs and develop some good branching and then come back, it should resemble a tree and as it is it's just a little bush.
This is a good plan. ^^^
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
lol another option using the B picture is tilting it to the right and killing off the right branch as jin and developing the middle branch as the trunk
James W.
Chumono
I think picking a new angle would add some dynamism to the composition. And I agree with @Orion_metalhead choice of the future trunk.
Mike Corazzi
Masterpiece
Then stub and jin the lower left biggie in B, move it all to the left when you repot.
I disagree with your disagree, LOL. Let me show you in pictures what I'm talking about. I said 5yrs because that's what I gave this little guy after purchasing it in the 1st pic. As you can see not much to work with except foliage, not much in the way of branching, pretty much like the tree in question. Sure there's a few thick branches but nothing to give it any real shape. The 2nd pic is what the tree looked like after 5yrs of just growing, nothing else. At that point I could see where I was going to end up going, in fact I let the tree show me where it wanted to go in pic 3. After that you can see the progression which was probably another 2yrs of pinching to shape and giving it pads. I don't think it was a waste of time for approx. 7yrs to get a great looking little tree, wouldn't you agree? As I said above and I'm sure most would agree that a really nice bonsai takes time and patience, and yes it's nice to plan ahead, just stick with the plan and be patient.
