Newbies - want to share your trees?

[Vali]

I like this thread too, so I'll put this airlayered euonymus here

 

[heeclee]

Local Home Depot is having clearance on trees/shrubs. Picked up a Pieris japonica with about 2 inch base.
If it survives until the spring, I could move it to training pot and get rid of the straight and thick branches.

 

[heeclee]

Here's my elm with all the leaves gone. Will need some branch cleanup in the Spring.
It's been slowly losing cork bark no matter how much I try to keep the trunk dry with careful watering, and it's almost all gone now

 

[Kievnstavick]

Here are a couple more of my trees. I made an effort to get better pictures of my trees to I could begin making specific threads on them in the very near future.



This is a Korean Fir "Ice Breaker". It was going to be my 'hurry up and get it in a pot", but went through some severe dieback from sap loss (not sealing the cuts and spider mites). So i cut the dead branches off and sealed them a few days ago. I left two of the dead lower branches, that I cut the bark off, as an experiment for myself. Needless to say, it will not be going in a pot this year or getting a repot.



A tree that I got from a friend this year. I don't know what it is (probably a juniper) but I also haven't really taken the time to figure it out yet. I also didn't fully appreciate the way it looks until I took some photos of it a few days ago.



One out of 14 of my Ablizia Samanea aka Raintree or Monkeypod tree. This is the best looking one of them so far at only 1 year old. Almost all of them have already started dividing their trunk lines into threes. I have enjoyed the expirements on these so far.



One out of three of my Adonsia digitata aka Boabab. This is the the best growing out of them. It has mature leaves and is already dividing its branches. At one year old, this has a few years to go before I really start playing with it.



My Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Ericoides'. Inspired by Fidur, I set to work playing with this guy. I am still exploring how the tree itself will end up looking, but I wired some of the branches to let more light into the interior as well as cleaned up the trunk. Definitely one of my favorites so far.

 

[ShadyStump]

Here are a couple more of my trees. I made an effort to get better pictures of my trees to I could begin making specific threads on them in the very near future.

View attachment 467561

This is a Korean Fir "Ice Breaker". It was going to be my 'hurry up and get it in a pot", but went through some severe dieback from sap loss (not sealing the cuts and spider mites). So i cut the dead branches off and sealed them a few days ago. I left two of the dead lower branches, that I cut the bark off, as an experiment for myself. Needless to say, it will not be going in a pot this year or getting a repot.

View attachment 467562

A tree that I got from a friend this year. I don't know what it is (probably a juniper) but I also haven't really taken the time to figure it out yet. I also didn't fully appreciate the way it looks until I took some photos of it a few days ago.

View attachment 467563

One out of 14 of my Ablizia Samanea aka Raintree or Monkeypod tree. This is the best looking one of them so far at only 1 year old. Almost all of them have already started dividing their trunk lines into threes. I have enjoyed the expirements on these so far.

View attachment 467564

One out of three of my Adonsia digitata aka Boabab. This is the the best growing out of them. It has mature leaves and is already dividing its branches. At one year old, this has a few years to go before I really start playing with it.

View attachment 467565

My Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Ericoides'. Inspired by Fidur, I set to work playing with this guy. I am still exploring how the tree itself will end up looking, but I wired some of the branches to let more light into the interior as well as cleaned up the trunk. Definitely one of my favorites so far.

The foliage on that Korean fir is very interesting. Is that all juvenile foliage, or is this what it always looks like?

 

[Kievnstavick]

The foliage on that Korean fir is very interesting. Is that all juvenile foliage, or is this what it always looks like?

I can't say for certain unfortunately. From my understanding the folliage should stay like that as it is a witch's broom. We will see with time if it changes.

 

[TacomaBonsai95]

Hi everyone!
New here, here's 2 JBP and a Shore Pine I collected!

 

[Fidur]

Chamelaecium uncinata. Bought this one almost a year ago:


Chopped and repoted:



A week ago, broke one of the two main branches while bending (it's very fragile). So it looks like this now....

 

[Tieball]

Chamelaecium uncinata. Bought this one almost a year ago:
View attachment 467646

Chopped and repoted:

View attachment 467647

A week ago, broke one of the two main branches while bending (it's very fragile). So it looks like this now....

View attachment 467648

That last photo with the wise man looking up is a really nice composition. The man, the small bush and the tree complement each other…color and position….exceptional color coordination even with the man’s head and hair balanced against the flowering color at the very top of the tree. The pot you’ve selected is also well chosen as it mirrors the curve of the moss mound. I like that each of the elements has a complementary curve working together. Lots of individual elements all working to create the scene. It all assembles as a nice peaceful setting accomplishing what I hope bonsai should do in my opinion. Impressive. Well done. Mighty fine!

 

[KikurageOtomo]

The foliage on that Korean fir is very interesting. Is that all juvenile foliage, or is this what it always looks like?

I believe the regular Abies koreana still has a significant twirl to the foliage but its less pronounced than the Dwarf / Witches Broom cultivars like "Kohout's Icebreaker" and the like.

 

[ananta]

Thank you for this thread! Finally I feel confident enough to post something on this forum (which is completely not due to the friendly nature of the people on bnut, but a mentality i’m trying to shake). I started bonsai post-covid (if that even exists) because of my father-in-law who had a boatload of books and his own thriving juniper, with some slight nudging from my fiancée. I’ve killed my first tree, a Sageretia Theezans, and messed up a Chinese Privet which I hope to trunk chop in spring. I’ve bought some nursery stock that I hope to slowly transition to bonsai soil and terracotta training pots in spring. There’s my Juniper Procumbens Nana, which is probably my favorite. Then there’s my Thuja Occidentalis which was very cheap so I figured I’d give it a whirl. Last but not least, a Pinus Mugo which I’m totally intimidated by in terms of styling so I hope the slow transition to proper soil will give me time to get inspired.

 

[PowerTap]

I'm excited to put this star magnolia into a pot this spring. I bought it right before Christmas 2021 and it was nice and healthy all summer while I did some initial shaping. So into a pot it goes.

 

[ShadyStump]

Thank you for this thread! Finally I feel confident enough to post something on this forum (which is completely not due to the friendly nature of the people on bnut, but a mentality i’m trying to shake). I started bonsai post-covid (if that even exists) because of my father-in-law who had a boatload of books and his own thriving juniper, with some slight nudging from my fiancée. I’ve killed my first tree, a Sageretia Theezans, and messed up a Chinese Privet which I hope to trunk chop in spring. I’ve bought some nursery stock that I hope to slowly transition to bonsai soil and terracotta training pots in spring. There’s my Juniper Procumbens Nana, which is probably my favorite. Then there’s my Thuja Occidentalis which was very cheap so I figured I’d give it a whirl. Last but not least, a Pinus Mugo which I’m totally intimidated by in terms of styling so I hope the slow transition to proper soil will give me time to get inspired.

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This thread popped up about the time I joined the site, and I felt the same way.
All my trees now are about as bad as back then, but I have ALLOT more. LoL

I think this is my favorite thread on the site.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Thank you for this thread! Finally I feel confident enough to post something on this forum (which is completely not due to the friendly nature of the people on bnut, but a mentality i’m trying to shake). I started bonsai post-covid (if that even exists) because of my father-in-law who had a boatload of books and his own thriving juniper, with some slight nudging from my fiancée. I’ve killed my first tree, a Sageretia Theezans, and messed up a Chinese Privet which I hope to trunk chop in spring. I’ve bought some nursery stock that I hope to slowly transition to bonsai soil and terracotta training pots in spring. There’s my Juniper Procumbens Nana, which is probably my favorite. Then there’s my Thuja Occidentalis which was very cheap so I figured I’d give it a whirl. Last but not least, a Pinus Mugo which I’m totally intimidated by in terms of styling so I hope the slow transition to proper soil will give me time to get inspired.

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I like your style!

Where on this fixed, spinning rock are you located? Updating your profile to reflect this, will provide you with more comprehensive answers, advice, and dialogue. (It can be vague, mine just says "northeastern Wisconsin")

I have some questions to ask, and things to say about your trees, (all pretty mild, I'm not a rude one )

So if you'D LIKE, we can get a PM conversation going so I don't "muddy" this thread with my "long-talking".

 

[ananta]

I like your style!

Where on this fixed, spinning rock are you located? Updating your profile to reflect this, will provide you with more comprehensive answers, advice, and dialogue. (It can be vague, mine just says "northeastern Wisconsin")

I have some questions to ask, and things to say about your trees, (all pretty mild, I'm not a rude one )

So if you'D LIKE, we can get a PM conversation going so I don't "muddy" this thread with my "long-talking".

Ofcourse you can PM me! I’m in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Well, I’m moving to The Hague next week but in terms of USDA it’s the same zone, 8B I believe.

 

[BillyBons(ai)]

hey guys,

My names Billy, I’m about 3 years into Bonsai now and making a whole lot of mistakes (but not killing any so far gladly).
See my working progresses and note the larger Chinese Elms which is starting to lose its shape!
Any thoughts and comments welcome!

 

[Dryad]

Newbie here! Attached below is a pic of my first ever bonsai, a chinese elm gifted to me in 2019... technically my only bonsai considering my 20+ other trees are still in the trunk-building phase.
I pretty much spent the first year just trying to keep it alive, slowly understanding its flaws and figuring out how to remedy them. Its previous owner certainly took the 'S' shape to another level!

View attachment 354731

Was pleasantly surprised by its beautiful fall colours, although it decided not to show them the following year. (Brought indoors purely for photography purposes).

View attachment 354732

Come summer 2020, following a much needed repot in March, I decided it was time to do some tidying up. I had a general idea of where I wanted the foliage pads to emerge, but I was still nervous to cut back too much.

View attachment 354733

This winter I took the plunge and cut back the leggy and straight branches, hoping to rebuild them in the coming years to give them interesting, naturalistic movement. While I still feel like an absolute newb, at least now I'm a newb courageous enough to experiment (and thus, learn!).

View attachment 354736

Note: If anyone has advice on growing out the branches which I've reduced in the above pic, lemme know.

2023 update on my first ever bonsai - my 'S trunk' Chinese Elm! Gave it a hard winter prune last week to set the pads structure in place, this year I'm planning on letting it grow out vigorously, before repotting and wiring in Spring 2024.

Really loving how the bark is aging on this one.

 

[eugenev2]

Angles on these photos aren't the best, but proud of this one as it's from scratch from bush to tree

 

[August]

My very first "tree", a Cestrum nocturnum I picked up in a greenhouse last spring. This was right on the edge of me falling into bonsai so I picked it up at first as a flowering houseplant but wanted to practice on something; this is what a year of learning the hard way looks like, haha
It's been through ups and downs but is happy and healthy so I'll take it. Not sure if it will ever flower again what with all the hacking I've done to it (haha)

This is a lantana that I've only been working on since midsummer but am impressed by. Probably the closest thing to a "bonsai" I own but still very very young.
It looks kinda scraggly after a recent pruning, but if I let it grow out, and squint my eyes really hard, it almost looks like a tree


I have many many more silly little sticks in silly little pots but I'll spare everyone!

 

[Lumaca]

Haven't really been able to work with trees in a while because of circumstances... I had a bunch of trees die because of moving, heatwave, etc. But here's hoping this dude survives, finally moving to proper-ish pot.