Rosemary Progress

[Vin]

Picked this Rosemary up last year. I had Sonny Boggs make a pot for it (Moonscape) and potted it up today. Still has a way to go but I like it. Any thoughts
?

 

[Giga]

I like it. The pot finish almost look crypt like to me, love it.

 

[Bunjeh]

I am very impressed.

 

[Kimberley82h]

I am no expert, but thas looks like the makings of a lovely tree, I really like the pot you found too ! Looks great.

 

[ABCarve]

Is that an upright flavor or a creeper? The foliage looks like an upright but the trunk, turning down, looks like a prostrate variety.

 

[Vin]

Is that an upright flavor or a creeper? The foliage looks like an upright but the trunk, turning down, looks like a prostrate variety.

It's a creeper. The growth pattern is definitely different than the others I have.

 

[ABCarve]

Looks like that'll be a fun one. Never much liked playing with the uprights....too much wiring for what you get visually. Let it grow...let it grow....let it grow.

 

[Vin]

Looks like that'll be a fun one. Never much liked playing with the uprights....too much wiring for what you get visually. Let it grow...let it grow....let it grow.

Will do!

 

[charlotte1983]

beautiful. how old is it?

 

[Vin]

Thanks! I'm not real sure how old it is. Rosemary is a slow grower, kind of like Boxwood. I'd estimate it to be 10 or so years old.

 

[philart]

Nice start, I've been impressed with the old rosemary bonsai I've seen. But, knowing how much water rosemary needs I've been hesitant to try one myself. How often do you have to water this guy?

 

[Vin]

Nice start, I've been impressed with the old rosemary bonsai I've seen. But, knowing how much water rosemary needs I've been hesitant to try one myself. How often do you have to water this guy?

Watering will depend a lot on where you live. In Colorado you may need to water it everyday in the summer because of the dry weather. Mine is in full sun and gets watered every other day from March through November. In the winter months I water it once I see the soil starting to dry out on top. I'll probably need to figure something else out with this one since I added the moss though (i.e. chopstick method). Sometimes I'll lift the pots (I have four more Rosemary in plastic pots) and can tell if they need watered by their weight. They are pretty hardy but do not like repotting. I had the pot for this one made specifically for it and only had to remove a little bit of soil to get it fit. As the years pass, I'll remove more and more soil and add bonsai soil until I get about a 50/50 mix of organic and inorganic. I hope this helps.

I've been on the lookout for a "big" one for couple years. Nothing yet though.

 

[whfarro]

Here's my rosemary after a repot.

 

[ABCarve]

I've been on the lookout for a "big" one for couple years. Nothing yet though.

Mark from Mulberry Creek nursery has some that are 6" dia. trunks in ten years. He's zone 5b. He puts then in the ground in early may and digs them out in early December and keeps their roots from freezing in the winter. That also keeps large roots from forming outside the the pot line. They don't like large roots cut off.

 

[Vin]

Mark from Mulberry Creek nursery has some that are 6" dia. trunks in ten years. He's zone 5b. He puts then in the ground in early may and digs them out in early December and keeps their roots from freezing in the winter. That also keeps large roots from forming outside the the pot line. They don't like large roots cut off.

I don't have a freezing issue so maybe the 10 years can be reduced? I have one in the ground (since last year) but the trunk doesn't look to have changed much in size. What's he feeding them! Also, do you happen to know if he's selling any? Thanks!

 

[coh]

Mark from Mulberry Creek nursery has some that are 6" dia. trunks in ten years. He's zone 5b. He puts then in the ground in early may and digs them out in early December and keeps their roots from freezing in the winter. That also keeps large roots from forming outside the the pot line. They don't like large roots cut off.

This comment caught my eye because I had a lengthy conversation with Mark about rosemary bonsai a few months ago. He told me about the technique (planting in the ground for the summer) and said that it worked well for a number of non-hardy plants (plectranthus and begonia richardsiana). He also mentioned that he has found that certain cultivars of rosemary are better for bonsai than the ones that are typically available at garden centers and nurseries. One that he suggested was "herb cottage", another was "Salem". I didn't write down what made these cultivars superior, something about the growth habit.

His final observation was that rosemary isn't as sensitive to root work as is commonly believed.

 

[ABCarve]

I don't have a freezing issue so maybe the 10 years can be reduced? I have one in the ground (since last year) but the trunk doesn't look to have changed much in size. What's he feeding them! Also, do you happen to know if he's selling any? Thanks!

The pulling out of the ground schedule is essentially root pruning once a year. I don't know what he feeds them or if he feeds them at all. He has very good agricultural soil. He does sell them but not the very big ones. A friend bought one from him that's about 1-1/2 to 2 in. in caliper. That's the biggest I noticed that were for sale. He has killed some big ones. My experience is that if you chop big roots you get big problems. You can chop through the small fiberous stuff at will. That is what grows at the outer edge of the rain line in the ground or the outside of the pot. If its in the pot to long those big roots start to form as it pushes against the outside of the pot and can be problematic when you repot.

 

[whfarro]

Rosemary blossoms.