identify my bonsai

[joansuzanne]

my daughter just moved into her new home, a condo with a south east facing deck in chicago. these two bonsai are in a relatively deep raised bed, clearly suffering and I need help to identify them and if possible how to treat them. any and all resources and suggestions accepted with gratitude.

 

[ShadyStump]

Welcome to the nut house!

They're pines of some sort it looks like, but clearer and more detailed pics might help narrow that down.
I'll wait for someone smarter than me there.

Do you know anything at all about how they were cared for before you? What's the soil like? If dry, or compacted? It could be as simple as no one has been watering them.

Technically, they aren't quite bonsai yet. That would take some styling and a pretty pot.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Yes, a clearer photo of the foliage that looks like Juniper of some kind?

 

[plant_dr]

Most likely mugo pine. Dwarf, compact varieties are often used in the landscape next to fences like that because they won't get so huge and take over the whole planting area(at least not for a long time. )

I'm guessing the first picture was taken after you cleaned out those brown dead needles and stuff from the other picture right? There's no harm in that, those were just old needles that got shaded out by new growth. Its natural. You could sprinkle some slow release fertilizer around it but don't go crazy. Don't try to dig it out or give it tons of water trying to save it. Don't trim it or prune anything either.

 

[sorce]

Nice View!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce