Lonicera

[Neli]

I have had this in my garden for many years. Trained is a lollipop, but recently decided to dig it out. I planted it in sand and it started shooting.
It is composed of many branches and they have fused together at some points.
It looks very weird to me as bonsai material. Have no idea if I can do anything with it and if yes what.
Airlayer it?, remove some of the stems? Use it the way it is? I cant figure it out.
What would you do if it was yours?

 

[DesertPanda]

Please realize I am limited by such paltry considerations as time, technology, and actual skill but here is a suggestion (which I am sure someone will come up with a better mock up for). Lonicera are very good at back budding and given a little time and patience, I am sure you can get the limbs in the right area to do something like this.

 

[Neli]

Thanks a million but I dont understand what you mean. Are the green areas branches with leaves? I am a newbie....Please be patient with me.
It has shoots almost everywhere by now. Maybe I start pinching the shoots (ones I decide what style to make it, and remove the unwanted growth) since I noticed it is a climber and the internode distance on the mother plant was very big.

 

[nathanbs]

i would leave all of the stems(trunks) and develop it into a bunjin style of tree. Remove your sucker growth at the base and anything that is at least in the lower half of the trunk and perhaps even higher.

 

[Neli]

i would leave all of the stems(trunks) and develop it into a bunjin style of tree. Remove your sucker growth at the base and anything that is at least in the lower half of the trunk and perhaps even higher.

OK! I googled bunjin= literati Is that not a very hard style to achieve for a newbie? I have tried hard to learn upright formal and informal and little bit of cascade...
The virtual posted was it a literati?
In reality literati should be easy to physically make (not too many branches) But the creative part of it must be hard???? I will try to figure out something after looking at lots of pictures.
I have been looking the whole evening and found this, but not sure if it is suitable at all.
What do You think?
Is that like literati or is some kind of weeping style?

 

[nathanbs]

you are correct, Literati is one of the easiest styles to do but likely the hardest to do well. This tree, that is tall, slender, very little to no taper lends itself well to this style. Do your best with it and the worst that happens is you restyle it later as you learn. The virt is bunjin/literati as is the fukien tea(?) you pictured. And correct again it is a bunjin in the weeping style

 

[Neli]

Thanks!
I tried to do a virtual. Did three stiles...One looks awful. This are the remaining two: But the weeping literati I think looks a bit better.
What do You think.
I think the last one is the awful one.
The two largest trunks are crossing on top. I thought of reducing them a bit at an angle so the crossing is not seen much and leave the tiny branches to form the apex. Another option is to curve the largest branch while reducing the second largest?????
Should I leave the bottom shoots for trunk thickening?

 

[nathanbs]

virts look good! Embrace the elegance dont try and thicken this thing up. Remember with bunjin sometimes. ok most of the time less is more. Simplicity is the beauty of bunjin most often

 

[DesertPanda]

Agreed, nice virts...much better than the finger painting I did....got the point across beautifully.

 

[Neli]

virts look good! Embrace the elegance dont try and thicken this thing up. Remember with bunjin sometimes. ok most of the time less is more. Simplicity is the beauty of bunjin most often

Thanks ! Will note that!
You did not tell me which one you like better (not best)

 

[Neli]

Agreed, nice virts...much better than the finger painting I did....got the point across beautifully.

Thanks for the effort! You tried to help and that gave me an idea, though I did not understand much, but I am sure it is not your fault...but mine. At list I got the flow.

 

[nathanbs]

Thanks ! Will note that!
You did not tell me which one you like better (not best)

Im not familiar with the foliage on a lonicera and thats kinda important to help dictate or determine your finished tree. I would say i like a cross between desert pandas and the second one. I guess i dislike the weeping style for this tree. I think you need 3-5 distinct foliage pads on your finished tree

 

[DesertPanda]

Lonicera can be either shrubs or vines…by the looks of it, you have the vine variety. I would be very hesitant to say which kind though with the light bark, light green leaves, and such it looks to be common or cape or one of the other varieties. Most vining honeysuckle will produce opposite leaves that turn into vining sections themselves. Vigorous pruning and maintenance can keep this in check and produce foliage clumps (they back bud like crazy). Fortunately, it is also a vigorous grower in the trunk/hardwood which means making limbs and such should not be too much of a problem.

 

[Neli]

Im not familiar with the foliage on a lonicera and thats kinda important to help dictate or determine your finished tree. I would say i like a cross between desert pandas and the second one. I guess i dislike the weeping style for this tree. I think you need 3-5 distinct foliage pads on your finished tree

Yes, I think I get your point. First of all I will need to consider the fact that it is multi trunk. If I dont have a pad emerging from each trunk some will die.I dont think that will be a very big problem as long as they dont rot.
Now that you mentioned it I dont think with the kind of leaves it has it will be a good idea to have it in the weeping style.
I will need to go with the second option, or something else in the literati stile with pads. Good I asked for advise or I was going to waste a lot of time doing nonsense.
Thanks!

 

[Neli]

Lonicera can be either shrubs or vines…by the looks of it, you have the vine variety. I would be very hesitant to say which kind though with the light bark, light green leaves, and such it looks to be common or cape or one of the other varieties. Most vining honeysuckle will produce opposite leaves that turn into vining sections themselves. Vigorous pruning and maintenance can keep this in check and produce foliage clumps (they back bud like crazy). Fortunately, it is also a vigorous grower in the trunk/hardwood which means making limbs and such should not be too much of a problem.

Even if I dont manage to produce anything nice, it will teach me something. I am a total newbie.
This is the vine variety. What type not sure. But it is a vigorous grower, and that is good for now since I will see some results soon and get some practice faster.

 

[nathanbs]

Yes, I think I get your point. First of all I will need to consider the fact that it is multi trunk. If I dont have a pad emerging from each trunk some will die.I dont think that will be a very big problem as long as they dont rot.
Now that you mentioned it I dont think with the kind of leaves it has it will be a good idea to have it in the weeping style.
I will need to go with the second option, or something else in the literati stile with pads. Good I asked for advise or I was going to waste a lot of time doing nonsense.
Thanks!

I was looking at the trunk a little more and you may want to eliminate one or more of the thinner trunks in the future if it conflicts with your styling design based on what you mentioned about each trunk needing foliage and that they hide some very interesting movement in the main trunk

 

[Neli]

I was looking at the trunk a little more and you may want to eliminate one or more of the thinner trunks in the future if it conflicts with your styling design based on what you mentioned about each trunk needing foliage and that they hide some very interesting movement in the main trunk

Thanks!
I was thinking of reducing them at different hight and see how they look like, or if it is not OK, eliminate them totally.
But I am also thinking about air layering them, in order to use just the top part of the main trunk...Just thinking. What do You think about that? It has some very nice movement on top.
But I guess it is never too late...Maybe see how it will shoot from every where and then decide.

 

[nathanbs]

There is currently zero taper so your best tree is the current heighth I would say

 

[Neli]

I suspect so too. That is why I wanted to use the branches to create the illusion of tapper, by cutting them at different hight.
The trunks in the lower part are fused together. Top half only in some places they are joined.
What do you think about this possibility?

 

[nathanbs]

My advice would be to attempt to make a believable bunjin for the next couple of years without removing any of the smaller trunks and if you get bored or dont like the end result then air-layer at that time