Progression of Spiraea nipponica ‘Snowmound’

BonsaiRic

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Clump Style

October 2005 - Plant bought for $0.88 in the clearance bed of a local nursery. It looked weak but Spireas are tough so I gave it a chance. I potted it up in a slightly larger nursery container for the winter.
 

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BonsaiRic

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2006 - Renewed vigor! I let it grow on for 4 more years to thicken the main trunks of the clump.
 

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BonsaiRic

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October 2008 - Tree was still growing with great vigor but the trunks were satisfactory for the finished height and scale of the future bonsai. I decided to begin reducing the root mass and train the top over the next several years.
 

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BonsaiRic

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2010 - Spirea in initial bonsai pot. The original media from the nursery had degraded to black goo at this point so I sprayed out the root ball with a jet of water when I repotted it.
 

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BonsaiRic

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2011 realized that this tree needed a smaller pot. I transplanted it into a Tom Holcomb oval pot. I used a water jet to clean out more of the original “black goo” media in the heart of the root ball.

My observation in working with Spiraea: In spring, Spiraea growth flush begins lower on the shrub so I’ve been pinching the vigorous lower shoots to direct more energy to the buds further up on the stems. The upper buds have started to swell but are held at bay by the vigor of the energy going to the lower emerging shoots. Pinching the lower shoots (even though only ¾” long) will redirect some of the energy to the buds being held back.
 

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BonsaiRic

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In this virt I’ve reduced the left-most trunk to balance it better with the rest of the composition. The trunk on the right of the clump needs to be the dominant trunk. I’ll carve the left trunk to reduce its visual weight.
 

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Si Nguyen

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Nice work! I like where you are going with this. Never heard of this tree before. Is it a flowering schrub?
Si
 

BonsaiRic

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June 2011 Bonsai Show at Dawes Arboretum. Tom Holcomb pot.100_3678rsbigger.JPG
 

davetree

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Nice little tree. I have pics of four of mine in my gallery. I prune and wire a lot to keep the long straight branches out of the design, as these are prone to vigorous shoots. I remove all the strong shoots during the growing season unless I need one for a branch. If you do that you should be rewarded with finer more compact growth.
 

plant_dr

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Nice little tree. I have pics of four of mine in my gallery. I prune and wire a lot to keep the long straight branches out of the design, as these are prone to vigorous shoots. I remove all the strong shoots during the growing season unless I need one for a branch. If you do that you should be rewarded with finer more compact growth.
I know this thread is extremely old, but I just acquired one of these that someone ripped out of their yard and left on the ground sideways. I looked at the ones in your gallery and was wondering if you still have them.
 
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