Identification help, please?

[Atom#28]

Hello! I’m super new to bonsai and even newer to this forum, but have been learning so much from you all!

I have a ton of trees in my yard and I’m gonna try to get some help in identifying them. These guys (junipers?) are all over my property, ranging from 15 to 25 feet tall. I have been researching and suspect these are “Hollywood Juniper”. If so, that makes me sad, as I hear they aren’t great bonsai material. Anyways, thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Forsoothe!]

The purple berries says Juniper, the foliage is mature so it could be several varieties. Looks like J. chinensis 'Shimpaku', but I don't know how big they get outside of Detroit where they are dwarfs, not as big as yours. Are you asking if these can be collected? They look too big for that... If you have collectable seedlings, that's different. Show us a seedling?

 

[Atom#28]

Are you asking if these can be collected? They look too big for that... If you have collectable seedlings, that's different. Show us a seedling?

Thanks for your reply. I was hoping to try to air layer some branches. A few of these trees are pretty huge and could use a good pruning!

 

[Forsoothe!]

Go for it.

 

[punsai]

Tolurosa juniper

 

[TN_Jim]

These are indeed cones in the family Cupressaceae. Most junipers don’t get 20’ tall around here.
Hollywood ain’t a bad guess, but the foliage of them I see seems tighter than your photo.
Wonder is some species of chamaecyparis

 

[TN_Jim]

Tolurosa juniper

That’s what’s up
Thanks

 

[Atom#28]

Torulosa is synonymous with Hollywood Juniper, right?

 

[TN_Jim]

Torulosa is synonymous with Hollywood Juniper, right?

Try the cypress, Cupressus torulosa

 

[punsai]

Torulosa is synonymous with Hollywood Juniper, right?

Yes sir

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Nice.

Sorce

 

[penumbra]

From the photos it looks a bit too tight for Torulosa and I suspect it is Robusta. I have a Robusta that was planted 30 years ago that towers over the house. Unfortunately it has been in decline for several years.

 

[rockm]

You are wasting your time trying to air layer these. Conifers are notoriously hard to air layer. Air layering, especially if you've never done it before, is not a walk in the park. Skip it.

What you have pictured are a couple of different kinds of juniper. Were these planted by you or previous homeowners? I have a feeling they were...

If you're truly serious about working these into bonsai, particularly the smaller tree (which looks like Chinese juniper-a common bonsai subject), DIG IT UP next spring. Get it to survive in a container for a couple of years, then work on it.

 

[Hartinez]

I’d say tolurosa or robusta juniper. But probably tolurosa.

 

[Atom#28]

Welcome to Crazy!

Nice.

Sorce

Dude... I tried my best, but all I can see is that sweet bowtie. Maybe I'm just not ready for this bonsai stuff....

 

[Atom#28]

You are wasting your time trying to air layer these. Conifers are notoriously hard to air layer. Air layering, especially if you've never done it before, is not a walk in the park. Skip it.

What you have pictured are a couple of different kinds of juniper. Were these planted by you or previous homeowners? I have a feeling they were...

If you're truly serious about working these into bonsai, particularly the smaller tree (which looks like Chinese juniper-a common bonsai subject), DIG IT UP next spring. Get it to survive in a container for a couple of years, then work on it.

Yeah, planted by previous homeowner, about 50 years ago. Some of the oldest branches look like they are tailor-made for formal upright bonsai. But I don't want to kill them, so I'll focus my energy on something that's more beginner-friendly (I have 5 really nice 50 year old Japanese Maples that i'm also cionsidering air-layering...) Thank you for your advice!!

 

[Gsquared]

I’m not sure about it being Hollywood juniper. The overall foliage impression looks like it, but the trunks don’t look like Hollywood. Hollywood trunks in California have a very wavy, undulating surface with lots of dips and rises. If you were to cut a cross section of a Hollywood you wouldn’t get a circle, more like an amoeba. And I’ve not seen many Hollywood grow straight. They are usually somewhat contorted. How far north are you? I’ve not seen many, if any, since moving to Portland. They are all over California though.

 

[Atom#28]

I’m not sure about it being Hollywood juniper. The overall foliage impression looks like it, but the trunks don’t look like Hollywood. Hollywood trunks in California have a very wavy, undulating surface with lots of dips and rises. If you were to cut a cross section of a Hollywood you wouldn’t get a circle, more like an amoeba. And I’ve not seen many Hollywood grow straight. They are usually somewhat contorted. How far north are you? I’ve not seen many, if any, since moving to Portland. They are all over California though.

I'm in eastern WA. The trunk of the tree I posted with all that shaggy bark is about 9"-10" diameter, and very undulating in places. Cross section would def look amoebaesque. I'll try to get more pics when I get home from work tonight.

 

[punsai]

You are wasting your time trying to air layer these. Conifers are notoriously hard to air layer. Air layering, especially if you've never done it before, is not a walk in the park. Skip it.

What you have pictured are a couple of different kinds of juniper. Were these planted by you or previous homeowners? I have a feeling they were...

If you're truly serious about working these into bonsai, particularly the smaller tree (which looks like Chinese juniper-a common bonsai subject), DIG IT UP next spring. Get it to survive in a container for a couple of years, then work on it.

Follow this tip.
Agree with @rockm

 

[misfit11]

My first reaction when I saw this tree was “Hollywood Juniper”. I think the previous folks are right.