Khaiba
Sapling
Hey everyone!![Waving hand :wave: 👋](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/6.6/png/unicode/64/1f44b.png)
I thought I would make a poll to determine the best possible front/style for this Acer Palmatum 'Little Princess' I got for 60€ from a local nursery!
Since I'm very new to bonsai, I'm not entirely sure if it's the best bonsai material, but the nebari seemed promising and the graft fairly low and unnoticeable in my inexperienced opinion (personally I can't even make out if it is grafted but since most nursery stock maples are, I guess it is, too).
![maple.jpeg maple.jpeg](https://www.bonsainut.com/data/attachments/356/356519-b7f26c2fc71532cb56379b3db263ba63.jpg)
Now, before I start ruining this 'potentsai', I would like to ask you experienced enthusiasts on how you would procede with styling and developing this maple
.
Possible fronts and cuts I thought about (pictures are in the attachments):
Front 1: This was the most intuitive front that came to me, showing a broad base and root flare. Not sure if I would want to keep the smaller trunk in the back, either making it a twin-trunk or triple-trunk tree.
Also concerned a bit about the fat root pointing to the front and the two roots on the right that emerge from below the nebari level (better visible on nebari.jpeg)
Front 2: Another triple-trunk front that puts the strongest trunk in the center however. Nebari and base aren't as wide and tapered as on Front 1 due to the large root gap on the left,
but the overall shape of the trunks would make a nice triangle. The point from which the trunks emerge looks a bit awkward to me, not sure how this would change over time.
Front 3: A twin trunk approach showing similar nebari as Front 1. Both trunks are pretty straight from this angle, but this seems to be appreciated in twin trunk designs (at least looking at other classic twin-trunk trees this seems to be the case) .
Front 4: Second twin-trunk front, this time leaving the largest and the smallest trunk. Shows more movement and decent taper, but the main trunk curves a bit towards the observer and roots aren't as interesting and broadly spread.
Front 5: Love the nebari from this view, but no idea what to do with the trunk. Maybe cut off the one on the left/front? Would leave a huge scar however.
My biggest concerns are the intersection of the trunks, the straightness of the trunks and awkward roots and gaps in the nebari. Cutting it back to one trunk could also be an option.![Thinking face :thinking: 🤔](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/6.6/png/unicode/64/1f914.png)
Which one of these do you see having the biggest potential? If you see a better front, I would love to hear about it as well! Any thoughts, criticism and comments are highly appreciated.
Also, is Little Princess the same cultivar as Kiyohime? Haven't found any definitive answer to this so far.
Cheers,
Khaiba
![Waving hand :wave: 👋](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/6.6/png/unicode/64/1f44b.png)
I thought I would make a poll to determine the best possible front/style for this Acer Palmatum 'Little Princess' I got for 60€ from a local nursery!
Since I'm very new to bonsai, I'm not entirely sure if it's the best bonsai material, but the nebari seemed promising and the graft fairly low and unnoticeable in my inexperienced opinion (personally I can't even make out if it is grafted but since most nursery stock maples are, I guess it is, too).
![maple.jpeg maple.jpeg](https://www.bonsainut.com/data/attachments/356/356519-b7f26c2fc71532cb56379b3db263ba63.jpg)
Now, before I start ruining this 'potentsai', I would like to ask you experienced enthusiasts on how you would procede with styling and developing this maple
Possible fronts and cuts I thought about (pictures are in the attachments):
Front 1: This was the most intuitive front that came to me, showing a broad base and root flare. Not sure if I would want to keep the smaller trunk in the back, either making it a twin-trunk or triple-trunk tree.
Also concerned a bit about the fat root pointing to the front and the two roots on the right that emerge from below the nebari level (better visible on nebari.jpeg)
Front 2: Another triple-trunk front that puts the strongest trunk in the center however. Nebari and base aren't as wide and tapered as on Front 1 due to the large root gap on the left,
but the overall shape of the trunks would make a nice triangle. The point from which the trunks emerge looks a bit awkward to me, not sure how this would change over time.
Front 3: A twin trunk approach showing similar nebari as Front 1. Both trunks are pretty straight from this angle, but this seems to be appreciated in twin trunk designs (at least looking at other classic twin-trunk trees this seems to be the case) .
Front 4: Second twin-trunk front, this time leaving the largest and the smallest trunk. Shows more movement and decent taper, but the main trunk curves a bit towards the observer and roots aren't as interesting and broadly spread.
Front 5: Love the nebari from this view, but no idea what to do with the trunk. Maybe cut off the one on the left/front? Would leave a huge scar however.
My biggest concerns are the intersection of the trunks, the straightness of the trunks and awkward roots and gaps in the nebari. Cutting it back to one trunk could also be an option.
![Thinking face :thinking: 🤔](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/6.6/png/unicode/64/1f914.png)
Which one of these do you see having the biggest potential? If you see a better front, I would love to hear about it as well! Any thoughts, criticism and comments are highly appreciated.
Also, is Little Princess the same cultivar as Kiyohime? Haven't found any definitive answer to this so far.
Cheers,
Khaiba