Skinny trees

[catfish chapstick]

I can see what the general attitude in bonsai is. Chop low for maximum taper. Most prefer a fat and stately trunk and for some, the fatter the better, aesthetically speaking. Am I wrong on this? I understand that desire for a masculine, powerful trunk with extremely pronounced taper to show great age and size. What about tall and reasonably skinny by comparison? And I don't mean literati.

Do you have any examples of skinny trees that you like?

Are you currently growing a skinny tree?

Do you hate skinny trees?

I don't mean stick-in-a-pot skinny. Just not short and fat. These examples I got from yamataya.com

 

[rockm]

"I can see what the general attitude in bonsai is. Chop low for maximum taper. Most prefer a fat and stately trunk and for some, the fatter the better, aesthetically speaking. Am I wrong on this? I understand that desire for a masculine, powerful trunk with extremely pronounced taper to show great age and size."

While there is a "fad" of sorts for heavy trunked pines nowadays, the thought that it's the only thing that's appreciated is very inaccurate. There is certainly room for graceful, thinner trunks, always will be. I've got a few myself.

HOWEVER, a thin trunk is no excuse for a simply badly done skinny tree with no character. It can take no less time and effort to adequately develop a nice graceful trunk than to make a big powerful one with dramatic taper.

 

[Don Blackmond]

Personally, I prefer tall trees. Skinny, tall trees are better yet.

 

[amkhalid]

I can see what the general attitude in bonsai is. Chop low for maximum taper. Most prefer a fat and stately trunk and for some, the fatter the better, aesthetically speaking. Am I wrong on this?

I think this is a generalization therefore in many cases yes, you are wrong.

Taper is a nice feature to have in some bonsai but I don't think "the fatter the better" is something most are striving for.

Fundamentally, I think good design and character should be the goal. Good design is always essential... but if your tree also has character, you probably have a great bonsai. Taper is one way of adding character... but certainly not the only way.

 

[Don Blackmond]

this cypress is a favorite. skinny in relation to height.
the jbp is good too.
the japanese maple is my kind of tree and imo simply spectacular

 

[Fangorn]

I don't have any in pots, but I did find this blueberry growing on a old tree stump while walking out on the ice the other day. Just something about it endeared it to me

 

[johng]

this cypress is a favorite. skinny in relation to height.
the jbp is good too.
the japanese maple is my kind of tree and imo simply spectacular

I have to agree with you all accounts Don. I realize that the "general" goal of bonsai is to recreate images of ancient trees. Often that is done with large tapering trunks. I can't say that all of my trees or even most of them fall into this category though... As I look at my collection, most of the trees that I have created tend to be on the tall and skinny side...it very much reminds me of many of the trees I see and admire in nature.

So, I am also happy with tall and skinny trees.
John

 

[catfish chapstick]

I think this is a generalization therefore in many cases yes, you are wrong.

Taper is a nice feature to have in some bonsai but I don't think "the fatter the better" is something most are striving for.

Fundamentally, I think good design and character should be the goal. Good design is always essential... but if your tree also has character, you probably have a great bonsai. Taper is one way of adding character... but certainly not the only way.

oh, good. I've noticed a fad. I see on here lots of advice to make the shortest tree possible, as if it were the only way. Its probably even more difficult in some cases to pull off a good design that is tall and slender.

Personally, I prefer tall trees. Skinny, tall trees are better yet.

I'm glad I'm not the only one although it might be because I don't see enough of them. Those are great examples.

 

[catfish chapstick]

I don't have any in pots, but I did find this blueberry growing on a old tree stump while walking out on the ice the other day. Just something about it endeared it to me
View attachment 32329

I like it too. I've always wanted a blueberry bonsai.

 

[amkhalid]

I see on here lots of advice to make the shortest tree possible, as if it were the only way.

Well, often this is the best design solution. Short and compact usually looks nice.

Of course it all depends on the starting material. Reduction can be a quick way to add interest to boring young material. But I doubt there are many people here advising others to trunk chop old collected conifers. But still - more compact is usually a design goal regardless of the material.

 

[rockm]

"I see on here lots of advice to make the shortest tree possible, as if it were the only way. Its probably even more difficult in some cases to pull off a good design that is tall and slender."

In some cases, but not all. Doesn't make one better than the other. Just different. Your goal IS to make the shortest tree possible WITHIN the design. That is precisely where tall trees can go very wrong. A tall slender trunk has to have some kind of dynamic interest or it's just boring. That means whittling it down to its essentials--possibly including lopping off some of the tall...

 

[Paulpash]

It depends on the tree and perspective you want to achieve - feminine twists and curls on some of the deadwood junipers where the interplay between dead wood and trunk is more important than girth is lovely. The tree viewed from afar perspective would not work with a big trunk base as the ratio would be all wrong.

 

[Smoke]

I love thinner trees too.

 

[amkhalid]

This is a friend's tamarack that has been in training for something like 30 years. I would never have collected this tree... very boring. Tall, no taper, no dynamic movement.

But now it is a gorgeous bonsai. Well designed and age has developed character.

I think you can have a tall skinny tree with hardly any movement that is still a nice bonsai.

 

[Smoke]

More little skinnies

 

[Smoke]

But I have equal love of the fat ones too.

Their just different looks. I would get pretty bored with a bunch of skinny trunks. I like my trees like I like my women...a variety.

 

[catfish chapstick]

But I have equal love of the fat ones too.

Their just different looks. I would get pretty bored with a bunch of skinny trunks. I like my trees like I like my women...a variety.

Lol, I was thinking something similar only tall and skinny. I think with trees though variety is the way to go. Same for any collection I suppose. I like your trees. I get the feeling that thinner trees are seen as inferior or "easy" by some.

I am attracted to the skinny ones (trees that is) for their elegance and delicate, picturesque grace. I am really inspired by this one. I can't remember where I found the image.



On the topic of variety, I realize there isn't just fat and skinny, but, a wide range in between. It just seems that the tallest/skinniest are also the fewest.

 

[RichKid]

The first japanese maple you posted is my ideal tree. I love it. And I prefer skinnier trees to fatter ones. Tall and slender just looks so graceful. I just repotted a blueberry a few days ago in a training pot from its nursery can. Going to see what I can do with it.

 

[nathanbs]

This is a friend's tamarack that has been in training for something like 30 years. I would never have collected this tree... very boring. Tall, no taper, no dynamic movement.

But now it is a gorgeous bonsai. Well designed and age has developed character.

I think you can have a tall skinny tree with hardly any movement that is still a nice bonsai.

The "hardly any movement" is all the difference in the world over NO movement. As others mentioned often times the material will dictate what can be made out of it. Or more accurately what can made that is a balance between best overall outcome versus time invested.
I had a brief conversation with my 99 year old grandmother about bonsai and about a particular friend in bonsai that is an amazing fine artist. My friend struggles constantly with the design and balance or tension she is trying to create. As an artist she needs to visualize the finished tree before proceeding whereas I just trek forward slow and steady starting with what I know and working towards the unknown and somewhere along the line I figure it out(sometimes with the help of others). My grandmother didnt understand what I was explaining as she thought bonsai was merely a small scale model of a larger tree. I explained that this was the case however due to the interpretation of the artist and the viewing public we tend to exaggerate certain features of the tree. I told her for example an old hollow on a full scale tree can look really scary and deep whereas the same hollow on a bonsai if strictly interpreted to scale may look like a small hole drilled in the tree. So we tend to amplify the hollow so there is no mistaking what one is looking at. I think this idea holds true for deadwood, taper, movement, height(whether short or tall) and many other aspects of the overall design. I dont mind tall or skinny trees as long as they are interesting and typically speaking to be interesting they need to be exaggerated.

 

[nathanbs]

Lol, I was thinking something similar only tall and skinny. I think with trees though variety is the way to go. Same for any collection I suppose. I like your trees. I get the feeling that thinner trees are seen as inferior or "easy" by some.

I am attracted to the skinny ones (trees that is) for their elegance and delicate, picturesque grace. I am really inspired by this one. I can't remember where I found the image.

View attachment 32343

On the topic of variety, I realize there isn't just fat and skinny, but, a wide range in between. It just seems that the tallest/skinniest are also the fewest.

Maybe thats why I at least like short as my girlfriend is only 5' but shes not fat though. If she was she might be perfectly round at 5' tall.
I hope this doesn't offend you but I tend to feel that a lot of skinny trees are easier. Especially like the one you just pictured. Short and fat can be easy as well as long as someone else has already grown the trunk like the one pictured by smoke above. Thats the hard part in my opinion.