Just about every oak I see in nature starts straight and then branches out in every directionWould hate to lose good bark but recommend cutting lower yet eliminating most straightness of trunk. Straight Oaks don't compute!
Good point. What would you do with it? Also I thought you lived in North GaYou are correct that the present crop of oaks are pretty straight to start with. I think thats because of the multiple generations logging America for hardwood. This allowed more space and light for the new crop of trees, hence straight trunks in stands of trees nowadays.
When I was a kid in Wisconsin and Illinois way back in the day there were still some older growth forests that hadn’t been clear cut in generations, if ever. Similar to the old growth preserves here in PacNW. In these areas trees all have to compete for light from the gitgo. The result is trees with the classic gnarly twisted growth characteristic of a dominant species in an old growth stand.
Its natural to think that just because ’nature’ looks like it does now, to project that that’s the way it looked years ago. Couple those ideas with the impressionistic ’standard’ tree forms in bonsai and it’s really hard to mentally generate an image of an old growth dominant tree.
cheers
DSDS sends
A bonsai Oak ~styled~ to look like such old growth would be regarded as poorly done. Il cognoscenti only blesses trees with "proper" form. The old gnarled trees and seeking light deep in the shadow of others were/are decidedly unbalanced. I'm sure we have all attended critiques of trees in shows where the judge leans towards trees that are examples of that single one on the crest of a hill in a pasture. (On hardpan so the nebari is pronounced). Show up with an unbalanced tree and be damned.You are correct that the present crop of oaks are pretty straight to start with. I think thats because of the multiple generations logging America for hardwood. This allowed more space and light for the new crop of trees, hence straight trunks in stands of trees nowadays.
When I was a kid in Wisconsin and Illinois way back in the day there were still some older growth forests that hadn’t been clear cut in generations, if ever. Similar to the old growth preserves here in PacNW. In these areas trees all have to compete for light from the gitgo. The result is trees with the classic gnarly twisted growth characteristic of a dominant species in an old growth stand.
Its natural to think that just because ’nature’ looks like it does now, to project that that’s the way it looked years ago. Couple those ideas with the impressionistic ’standard’ tree forms in bonsai and it’s really hard to mentally generate an image of an old growth dominant tree.
cheers
DSDS sends
Honestly I don’t care about a show. I love trees in nature so that the ultimate goal. Something I can work on a lifetime and show off to my friends that care nothing about bonsai lol.Yep! Yet is the ultimate goal a show?
I need to change the title of the post but can’t. I found out somewhat recently that’s it’s a Laurel Oak. Semi-deciduous.Very nice. But also terrifying. I could never get a live oak to survive a transplant. Probably because they naturally make one huge taproot and not much else.