Is Prunus mume the best flowering fruit tree for bonsai?

[Perrywinkle]

I have been looking into Prunus species for bonsai and can only find information on Prunus mume and sometimes Prunus serrulata. I understand that oftentimes the most common species is used for a reason, and that Prunus mume is more hardy to disease than some other species. But is it really that much better for bonsai? Or is it mainly convention/accessibility?

I found a Prunus mexicana on sale at a nursery a year ago and have been thinking it could make a decent bonsai

 

[penumbra]

There really is no single best except in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Perrywinkle]

There really is no single best except in the eye of the beholder.

Perhaps best was not the correct adjective. I as a novice don’t have much of a formed opinion on what is ‘best’ anyways. But I was surprised when looking for information on Prunus mexicana that I could only find info on Prunus mume. Usually bonsai-ists are very experimental in the trees they use.

 

[Kanorin]

There is a lot of information on Prunus mume because they have been growing them in Japan for many many years (100? more?).

The use of North American natives for bonsai (especially deciduous) is a much newer phenomenon. That coupled with the fact that there are probably about 50-100x as many species to potentially work with means information on them is lagging.

I say try it out!

 

[SeanS]

Chaenomeles is also a very popular species for bonsai, as is malus (crabapple)

 

[Pitoon]

I would say a lot of it has to do with the longevity of the species you're working with. Does it make sense to put in 20-30 yrs worth of work into a tree that has a life expectancy of 30-40 yrs? Prunus mume is said to be the longest living of the flowering fruit species. There's a reason why it's used as bonsai.

The best trees that are produce now should be masterpieces for the next generation to maintain and that process should be repeated. You can't really do that with short lived trees.

 

[Pitoon]

There is a lot of information on Prunus mume because they have been growing them in Japan for many many years (100? more?).

The use of North American natives for bonsai (especially deciduous) is a much newer phenomenon. That coupled with the fact that there are probably about 50-100x as many species to potentially work with means information on them is lagging.

I say try it out!

The Japanese and Chinese and every other Asian country near that vicinity is doing nothing different than what the US is doing now our natives. They have been using "their" natives as bonsai for centuries.

 

[Canada Bonsai]

I understand that oftentimes the most common species is used for a reason, and that Prunus mume is more hardy to disease than some other species. But is it really that much better for bonsai? Or is it mainly convention/accessibility?

Bjorn recently posted a short version of the history of bonsai, and Prunus mume are mentioned a few times: https://bjornbjorholm.com/bonsai-history-japan/

One could argue that the reasons for their usage are cultural, historical, agricultural, artistic, as well based on regional availability and so on, and there is truth to all of that. But none of that can explain why I as a Canadian, and so many others outside of China and Japan, are captivated by Ume. For me, it is the contrast of the bark and deadwood with the delicate flowers, combined with the health and training challenges, that make Ume not only the best species of Prunus, but a supreme material for bonsai:

If you're going to have fun with bonsai, ume are the best... for me anyway - Nobuyuki Yanai

Putting the question of bonsai aside for a moment, I think it's worth noting that Ume scores incredibly high in 4 out of 5 human senses: touch, sight, smell and taste, giving it a cumulative score that surpasses most other species. (You can add hearing if you count the birds and squirrels that come ravage the fruit).

My personal interests are with Ume in pots that are much larger than what we generally consider bonsai (see attached). The extremely wide variety of Ume flowers plays a larger role in this domain than it does in bonsai proper.

 

[Pitoon]

Bjorn recently posted a short version of the history of bonsai, and Prunus mume are mentioned a few times: https://bjornbjorholm.com/bonsai-history-japan/

One could argue that the reasons for their usage are cultural, historical, agricultural, artistic, as well based on regional availability and so on, and there is truth to all of that. But none of that can explain why I as a Canadian, and so many others outside of China and Japan, are captivated by Ume. For me, it is the contrast of the bark and deadwood with the delicate flowers, combined with the health and training challenges, that make Ume not only the best species of Prunus, but a supreme material for bonsai:

If you're going to have fun with bonsai, ume are the best... for me anyway - Nobuyuki Yanai

Putting the question of bonsai aside for a moment, I think it's worth noting that Ume scores incredibly high in 4 out of 5 human senses: touch, sight, smell and taste, giving it a cumulative score that surpasses most other species. (You can add hearing if you count the birds and squirrels that come ravage the fruit).

My personal interests are with Ume in pots that are much larger than what we generally consider bonsai (see attached). The extremely wide variety of Ume flowers plays a larger role in this domain than it does in bonsai proper.

Picture #3 is spectacular!

 

[Arlithrien]

I have been looking into Prunus species for bonsai and can only find information on Prunus mume and sometimes Prunus serrulata. I understand that oftentimes the most common species is used for a reason, and that Prunus mume is more hardy to disease than some other species. But is it really that much better for bonsai? Or is it mainly convention/accessibility?

I found a Prunus mexicana on sale at a nursery a year ago and have been thinking it could make a decent bonsai

I've read the more exotic flower colors like red are less hardy.

In my opinion, they're severely underutilized in the US as an alternative to flowering cherry. So many people in warmer climates want ornamental cherries, and have no idea Ume exists. For bonsai I do not see too many mature specimen in the US, hopefully that will change over time. If I could afford to import a finished tree from japan, it would be an ume.

 

[rockm]

Ume is great. If you can find a decent one for a reasonable price. Native species, Prunus Mexicana, Prunus Americana etc. probably have similar potential, they just haven't been used for bonsai much....Mexican plum below. FWIW. I collected one of these once in Texas. Left it in a bucket with soil, and holes in the bottom in my uncle's back yard in east Texas. It was there for a year, it pushed new trees all over the yard and rooted through the bucket. Extremely hardy and vigorous trees...

 

[Perrywinkle]

Thank you all for your replies. I think what Pitoon said about longevity is definitely part of mume’s popularity. Many Prunus species are past their prime by their 15th birthday, so yes many are not suitable for Bonsai, in that sense. This was what I had in mind when asking this question, whether there were practical reasons to use mume over other species, in the same way that willow is not as good for bonsai as, say, an oak.

But Canada Bonsai came up with another good point that there is some almost intangible appeal to mume that captivates a lot of growers. There is some sort of poetry behind the look and feel of a good mume bonsai, and lots of people want to cultivate that themselves.

As for me, I am going to chop my Prunus mexicana down and start training next Spring. If it lives for 40 years, then I’ll be very old by then so I’d count it a success But I have a suspicion that a Bonsai’s lifespan is quite different from a wild tree.

 

[Perrywinkle]

Ume is great. If you can find a decent one for a reasonable price. Native species, Prunus Mexicana, Prunus Americana etc. probably have similar potential, they just haven't been used for bonsai much....Mexican plum below

Yes they’re beautiful in Spring. Honestly up there with any other flowering fruit tree. They grow wild around here so they are easily enjoyed each year.

They do have one flaw though: like bald cypress, the leaves look very ragged by the end of summer. But, mine is growing in a pot and watered twice a day and it looks as fresh as ever. It may only be in the ground that the leaves age so quickly.

 

[Pitoon]

Thank you all for your replies. I think what Pitoon said about longevity is definitely part of mume’s popularity. Many Prunus species are past their prime by their 15th birthday, so yes many are not suitable for Bonsai, in that sense. This was what I had in mind when asking this question, whether there were practical reasons to use mume over other species, in the same way that willow is not as good for bonsai as, say, an oak.

But Canada Bonsai came up with another good point that there is some almost intangible appeal to mume that captivates a lot of growers. There is some sort of poetry behind the look and feel of a good mume bonsai, and lots of people want to cultivate that themselves.

As for me, I am going to chop my Prunus mexicana down and start training next Spring. If it lives for 40 years, then I’ll be very old by then so I’d count it a success But I have a suspicion that a Bonsai’s lifespan is quite different from a wild tree.

I should have mume available next year......

 

[Perrywinkle]

I should have mume available next year......

Yes! I saw your post on grafting. Best of luck with all of those trees! I will definitely consider my options when the time comes.

 

[penumbra]

I should have mume available next year......

And I will be waiting my friend.

 

[Paradox]

I should have mume available next year......

I too would be interested if you are successful getting some cuttings going.

 

[Pitoon]

I too would be interested if you are successful getting some cuttings going.

Cuttings will be attempted this winter, plenty of good branches to try

 

[Carol 83]

And I will be waiting my friend.

Me too. We're way too easy.

 

[Kanorin]

Cuttings will be attempted this winter, plenty of good branches to try

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