Picea glauca and Picea pungens as bonsai?

[Alain]

Hi there,
Xmas is coming and Home depot sell some Picea (glauca and pungens) as re-plant-able Xmas trees.
They are kinda cute and I was wondering if they would do good bonsai material (does anyone here tried?) once Xmas will be gone and assuming that I remove the red velour ribbon they come with...

 

[Bunjeh]

Picea Glauca

The Alberta Spruce are tempting because they look like you are already half way there. However, they do not back bud very easily and do not take to wiring very well. If you want to keep it as a small conical conifer, however,...it will do.

 

[edprocoat]

Alain I have seen a dozen very nice ones in person. I Bing searched and found literally hundreds of beautiful Spruce Bonsai. They are stubborn about setting in position on wired growing branches the key being to keep them wired for several years to add enough heartwood so the growth will not move the branch. Naturally you have to watch for wire bite and re-wire as needed. I have a Dwarf Alberta Spruce the trunk I twisted into a literati type style and plan on keeping it bound for 2-3 years so it will gain enough heartwood to hold its position. I believe anything can be made into a Bonsai, some have their drawbacks though.

Check these out for inspiration http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=spruce+bonsai&qpvt=spruce+bonsai&FORM=IGRE
ed

 

[Vance Wood]

Hi there,
Xmas is coming and Home depot sell some Picea (glauca and pungens) as re-plant-able Xmas trees.
They are kinda cute and I was wondering if they would do good bonsai material (does anyone here tried?) once Xmas will be gone and assuming that I remove the red velour ribbon they come with...

For what it's worth here is a Picea Pungens I have been working on since 1985. There is a coupld of others on the Net I cannot now find but they are worth the search and the trees are worth the work. They are difficult however.

 

[Alain]

Thanks guys!
Nice work Vance!
Ok, I think I'll go for it and Merry Xmas!

 

[Bunjeh]

Picea

Spruce are underrated as Bonsai. Naturally short leaves and easy to care for, but hard to style into Bonsai, mostly because it doesn't backbud easily. I am currently working with a picea pungens, several picea sitchensis (native and readily available) and some picea abies. I have have had no luck with the picea glauca. Maybe it's me. Try this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibF3T-o2r1U

 

[sorce]

Im up for a Spruce X-mas tree challenge!

Oooohhh Vin! Give me the excuse!

That feller on youtube.......hasn't any new videos of these trees. At least not that I could find....
Ill leave it at that.

Last year I had a boxwood X-mas tree. Spruce will be a bit more fitting.

Alain, cant wait to see what you make of it....them!

Sorce

 

[Alain]

I have have had no luck with the picea glauca.

i sure hope it's you because my pocket money budget tells me it will be a glauca!...

 

[Alain]

Im up for a Spruce X-mas tree challenge!
Sorce

It could be a good idea!
I didn't have the cash to participate to the juniper one.
Although due to the shape of the glauca (it will be a glauca) I can't really think about something else than formal upright

 

[Vance Wood]

It could be a good idea! I didn't have the cash to participate to the juniper one.
Although due to the shape of the glauca (it will be a glauca) I can't really think about something else than formal upright [/QUOTE]

That's should really not be a parameter for the species. Nothing could be more iconic or thought of as a formal or informal upright than the Colorado Blue Spruce, as in the photo I presented in this thread earlier. However; there are a couple of examples on the Net that far out-strip my Spruce and demonstrate that there are more ways than one to skin this cat. You should not force yourself or your imagination to be limited by this idea.
http://bonsaimirai.com/bonsai

 

[Alain]

That's should really not be a parameter for the species. Nothing could be more iconic or thought of as a formal or informal upright than the Colorado Blue Spruce, as in the photo I presented in this thread earlier. However; there are a couple of examples on the Net that far out-strip my Spruce and demonstrate that there are more ways than one to skin this cat. You should not force yourself or your imagination to be limited by this idea.
http://bonsaimirai.com/bonsai

Agreed.
What I meant is that those I saw at Home depot (for the glauca) are really straight so - in the optic of a contest where time isn't involved as you display just after you buy - I don't really see how to change that much.
But in fact the one I'll buy for me I actually want to make it a formal upright, that will be the first tree in this style I'll have.

 

[Vance Wood]

Agreed.
What I meant is that those I saw at Home depot (for the glauca) are really straight so - in the optic of a contest where time isn't involved as you display just after you buy - I don't really see how to change that much.
But in fact the one I'll buy for me I actually want to make it a formal upright, that will be the first tree in this style I'll have.

That's fine I didn't mean to suggest that you were unable to look beyond that form. From the way you talk about these trees I am under the impression that your experience level is not too many in years, that's not a problem either. However; the Formal Upright tree is one of the most difficult forms to achieve in bonsai, there are only a hand full of good ones because the branch placement is so difficult to obtain effectively and artistically without creating a bunch of bar branches,---the bane of the Spruce species.

 

[barrosinc]

Im up for a Spruce X-mas tree challenge!

Sounds like a great idea

 

[Alain]

Bah, next X-mas then