Projects from Erich's yard

[erich_raudebaugh]

Sharp's pygmy from November 2019. This is an Iseli Nursery tree, and looked good right in the nursery can. I can't find pictures from when I purchased it in 2018, but I didn't work on it much that year. I put it in an Andersen flat so it would grow a bit better, plus it's easy to add guy wires. I want this tree to be a naturalistic broom (maybe modified broom), so I'm trying to avoid scars.

 

[erich_raudebaugh]

Repotted into a mica training pot February 2020, added some sphagnum to aid rooting. I cut a few thick roots and added sphagnum at the ends, hoping for fine roots. The nebari is OK but needs work.

 

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The tree today after cleaning much of the sphagnum off, and adding guy wires again.


Tons of fine roots.

 

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The tree from the side. After lowering the long back branch, it will need to get cut back this summer. There are still some long straight branches that need to get cut back, but I'll taking that little by little.

 

[erich_raudebaugh]

Last year (2020) I dug up an Italian plum seedling from the front yard. The parent tree had red leaves that were much larger (it was the neighbor's tree, he cut it down). I watched it for a couple years, and since it was growing well I decided it might make a fun project as it has really small leaves.

Repotted a couple days ago, the buds have started to open. Possible literati, who knows? We'll see in a couple decades. I've been growing a number of collected seedlings with the idea that I can sell or trade them with club members.

 

[Woocash]

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The tree today after cleaning much of the sphagnum off, and adding guy wires again.
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Tons of fine roots.

Forgive me Eric, because I love the structure of this tree and the final image will be beautiful, but what is your plan with the apical growth? All of those branches seem to have lots of growth emanating from similar positions which will cause swelling will it not? I do not know of the growth habits of Sharp’s Pygmy, but that is just something which stood out to me when I first saw the tree.

 

[erich_raudebaugh]

Forgive me Eric, because I love the structure of this tree and the final image will be beautiful, but what is your plan with the apical growth? All of those branches seem to have lots of growth emanating from similar positions which will cause swelling will it not? I do not know of the growth habits of Sharp’s Pygmy, but that is just something which stood out to me when I first saw the tree.

That's a good question. The plan is to let everything extend, then in May, trim all the unwanted twigs. Some of those branches will be cut back to lower growth, as they are a bit long and straight and lack taper. Sharp's pygmy isn't as responsive as standard Japanese Maple so I'm being a bit careful and leaving more twigs on the tree than I would otherwise. I trimmed it just enough in the fall that it responded by popping new buds all over, so everything is going according to plan so far.

So my plan is to produce lots of back buds so that I'll have plenty of locations to cut to.

 

[erich_raudebaugh]

Variegated boxwood I bought in June 2019, kinda on a whim. Just a shrub in a big nursery can.



I hacked it back a bit to expose a triple trunk. Over the last couple years I've been reducing it slowly, letting it respond and then cutting again, rather than the drastic cuts usually done with boxwood.
My reasoning is that by cutting it incrementally, it would back bud in more places and I could choose future branches with more discretion and lose nothing to dieback. This is a bit of an experiment, and not the way that I see boxwoods treated as bonsai very often.

Also, even though the tree is quite strong with a huge root system, variegated trees and shrubs are less vigorous in general. I'm drawing on my experience with horticulture here, which consists of a bachelor's in environmental science with a focus on forest ecosystems and arboriculture, plus years spent as a landscape designer and installer, which is what I did with that degree out of college (the first time around, I went back for more degrees).

The tree has been heavily fertilized.



I used the nursery can to place guy wires and position branches. Picture from 2/3/2021.



I cleaned out the top inch or so of soil, in preparation for a ground layer. I want to make this into a clump. The inverse taper would likely be an eyesore for too long I think.
My plan is to ground layer it in May-June as close to the division as I can get.

 

[Woocash]

That's a good question. The plan is to let everything extend, then in May, trim all the unwanted twigs. Some of those branches will be cut back to lower growth, as they are a bit long and straight and lack taper. Sharp's pygmy isn't as responsive as standard Japanese Maple so I'm being a bit careful and leaving more twigs on the tree than I would otherwise. I trimmed it just enough in the fall that it responded by popping new buds all over, so everything is going according to plan so far.

So my plan is to produce lots of back buds so that I'll have plenty of locations to cut to.

Good stuff, it’s obviously all in hand. It’s going to be a beautiful tree. I have a soft spot for those maples with the uniform, short nodes, but I know their growth habits aren’t always the most predictable in where they will just form a mass of foliage or actually extend some growth as well. Looking forward to seeng it’s progress

 

[erich_raudebaugh]

Good stuff, it’s obviously all in hand. It’s going to be a beautiful tree. I have a soft spot for those maples with the uniform, short nodes, but I know their growth habits aren’t always the most predictable in where they will just form a mass of foliage or actually extend some growth as well. Looking forward to seeng it’s progress

Thanks! I'll keep posting progress updates.

 

[erich_raudebaugh]

Mellietia japonica in April 2020.



today before pic



after minor styling, this species is hard to ramify

 

[erich_raudebaugh]

This Japanese maple I consider a 10 year project. The goal is to try to get a bonsai in 10 years by just growing a tree in pots the whole time, starting from a seedling. I may decide to leave it in it's wooden box, and just see where it is in 10 years.


It's the tree behind with the red arrow pointing at it, this is the only picture I have in the year it was purchased from Portland Nursery. Likely grown by Wee Trees, probably 2-3 years old in 2013.


The tree in July 2018 after pruning and wiring. The tree's right side has been weaker that the left so I've let it grow out more every year since 2018.

Between 2013 and 2018, I let some low branches grow as sacrifice branches, also a series of leaders. Here's one cut off that year.


The tree in August 2019 with a sacrifice leader.



This year it came out of the terracotta pot and I made a cedar box for it. I moderately pruned the roots, and it's grown like mad.



The right side is being left to extend a bit, also the crown. I'll chop the sacrifice leader back in a year or two.

 

[erich_raudebaugh]

Uncovered a root over rock trident today, I used some cotton string to tie the roots to the rock, after a couple years they are pretty tight to the rock and the string had not rotted at all.

 

[erich_raudebaugh]

After repotting. I'll let it grow for a year, cut back hard and regrow, uncover the roots again and repeat. Should not take too long for the roots to start fusing. I had to tie the roots again just below the soil level.