Possible Windswept Taxus

[nzsouthbonsai]

Hi all, This is my first post as you'll see, so any constructive criticism welcomed. I managed to obtain some taxus from a fellow club member which had been collected 3 years ago and just been left to sit, being regularly feed every fortnight. Unfortunately for him he had to relocate overseas and could not take his tree's. Very fortunately for me i have ended up with a few of his slightly larger yamadori, which have now been in their current pots for 3 years and have established well, with prolific back budding and plenty of new growth. I feel this tree lends itself well to the windswept style and possibly has a few options in that respect. Please feel free to tell me im a little crazy if that's what your thinking lol, either way any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Stan Kengai]

The windswept style is one attempted by many but only successfully achieved by a few. Robert Steven is particularly adept in pulling off this style.

I cannot offer you any advice on this genus, other than I can't get them to grow in my climate. But it looks like you have a nice tree, with loads of potential in that trunk and nebari. Your material looks somewhat similar to this Graham Potter tree. And here is another tree by Graham Potter that may interest you.

Wish you the best with this tree.

 

[Poink88]

The windswept style is one attempted by many but only successfully achieved by a few. Robert Steven is particularly adept in pulling off this style.

Agreed. Note that his trees also display best when at their semi-defoliated state...something you cannot do with your taxus (or me w/ my boxwood )

I personally think semi-cascade is a better style for this tree.

 

[bonsai barry]

Agreed. Note that his trees also display best when at their semi-defoliated state...something you cannot do with your taxus (or me w/ my boxwood )

I personally think semi-cascade is a better style for this tree.

I agree! Semi-cascade was my first thought, although it is difficult to fully view this tree in its current conditions, it seems to lend itself to a semi-cascade (which I like better than most windswepts that I see).

 

[berobinson82]

Sweet trunk and welcome to the forum. I'll co-sign the notion that a windswept design would not be the best idea for this tree. I'd be tempted to style it as a slant maybe something like this:


google image grab without context:

 

[fourteener]

Compress the foliage

Now that the tree is healthy, I think your next step is to push the foliage back towards the trunk. It's good that it's come to be healthy after being gathered. However part of getting healthy has created too much extension.

To me the 2nd picture of the three is the future size of this tree. That's where all of the intrigue is. Over the next three years I think you need to push it back to that point. I would cut back all of your branches by 1/3 this year + emliminate any branch that are for sure not part of future design.

I would love to see a picture after you clean up that shari. That by itself is going to move this tree along in a spectacular way.

Really cool tree!

 

[Vance Wood]

I was looking at some YouTube videos last night and Grahm Potter took a Yew, that most of us would have tossed in the garbage or given away, and turned it into a master piece. I'll see if I can find the link and post it. It's a real eye opener when you understand that you have to push yourself beyond what you first think in the beginning.

Here is the video I promised you. I'm not telling you to go out and start doing what this guy does but it should give you an idea that the best bonsai are created by understanding the best qualities of the material and working to make the best qualities spectacular. The video starts out with an add that can be skipped by hitting the "skip add" near the bottom right of the page. Watch the whole thing it is amazing.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mSnRm7PicYs

 

[october]

This tree has amazing potential. Probably higher end exhibitions in time. However, I think windswept is not the best idea. This tree is very powerful. In my opinion, a windswept would not do this material justice. Some kind of slant or maybe a semi cascade might be better

Also, I do not know your bonsai experience. However, to make this tree a future show stopper. It will take a skilled, experienced hand. There will probably need to be some major branch bending and placement, carving and wiring. The initial styling work will be crucial to this tree's future success. If you think that you might be unsure about certain things, I would definitley seek out an experienced and seasoned bonsai artist to help out with this. Providing you have the funds, maybe doing a private session or workshop with a master or seasoned bonsai artist for the initial styling. The price of the workshop would be well worth it to get this tree on the right path. These are just my opinions.

Rob

 

[Vance Wood]

This tree has amazing potential. Probably higher end exhibitions in time. However, I think windswept is not the best idea. This tree is very powerful. In my opinion, a windswept would not do this material justice. Some kind of slant or maybe a semi cascade might be better

Also, I do not know your bonsai experience. However, to make this tree a future show stopper. It will take a skilled, experienced hand. There will probably need to be some major branch bending and placement, carving and wiring. The initial styling work will be crucial to this tree's future success. If you think that you might be unsure about certain things, I would definitley seek out an experienced and seasoned bonsai artist to help out with this. Providing you have the funds, maybe doing a private session or workshop with a master or seasoned bonsai artist for the initial styling. The price of the workshop would be well worth it to get this tree on the right path. These are just my opinions.

Rob

Absolutely, good and competent instruction in the beginning is priceless, something I only had for a very short time.

 

[nzsouthbonsai]

Thank you all for your advice! I would have to say i totally agree with the idea of a semi-cascade design now im looking at the tree in a slightly different light, and was definitely somewhat limited by my own perception in this instance. This tree is on the larger end of the scale for what i am used to dealing with, and has been stated, lends itself towards possibly being a rather nice tree if it receives the initial styling it deserves. Which is where my concern lies! I have very limited carving experience and, feel that my skill set does not quite match that of what is needed for such material. So, this will be the exciting part then, finding someone with the adequate experience and knowledge and absorbing said knowledge in as much quantity as possible whilst undertaking, hopefully (budget provided) a private workshop to obtain the best from this tree.

I also have a few other trees of this size and slightly smaller so the workshops will be invaluable in helping me confront those too.

Thanks Again

 

[Vance Wood]

Thank you all for your advice! I would have to say i totally agree with the idea of a semi-cascade design now im looking at the tree in a slightly different light, and was definitely somewhat limited by my own perception in this instance. This tree is on the larger end of the scale for what i am used to dealing with, and has been stated, lends itself towards possibly being a rather nice tree if it receives the initial styling it deserves. Which is where my concern lies! I have very limited carving experience and, feel that my skill set does not quite match that of what is needed for such material. So, this will be the exciting part then, finding someone with the adequate experience and knowledge and absorbing said knowledge in as much quantity as possible whilst undertaking, hopefully (budget provided) a private workshop to obtain the best from this tree.

I also have a few other trees of this size and slightly smaller so the workshops will be invaluable in helping me confront those too.

Thanks Again

If you have trees of this caliber please do take the workshops, this material should not fall into the hands of someone who has only been stumbling around in the dark a few years longer than you.