Still A Stick in a Pot

[ghues]

Hi Folks,
Here is a little Mountain Hemlock "stick in a pot" I've had since 2008. Back then all I wanted to do was keep it alive while learning the basics. It had struggled in the wild and is older than it appears....and although I know it will get laughed at...that's fine with me as it is a fun little tree and I plan to grow with it for many years to come. Although the bark is covered (with black inner tubing), it is starting to fissure nicely.
The mountain hemlock once healthy, can provide wonderful thick foliage pads quickly but then it starts to look immature so you have to thin often to attain the desired “aged” ramification.
Here it is in 2008, again in this summer and about a week ago, I still want to wire and flatten some of the smaller branches but maybe next year. IIt was potted into this pot in April 2010 and I plan to re-pot in the spring of 2012 and expose more of the buttress and surface roots. Not sure of a front but over time as it matures I'll determine that.
Cheers Gman

 

[ghues]

Newby Stick in a pot Update

Hi Folks,
An update on this Mountain Hemlock stick in a pot.
Soon after the last picture on the first post.... I gave this tree to a friend who knew nothing about bonsai but loved the little tree. He lives at sea level across from the ocean and I think that by looking at the tree this week it doesn't like the location... (actually its the pounding SE storms with high concentrations of salt air). He still wants to keep it so I did a little work on it and he'll keep it in his back yard protected from the storms (he's also promised to water it with a water wand after the storms, to wash the needles).

It's still a stick in a pot and even though the one main branch appears bare in the photos there was a lot of live buds so hopefully it will flush nicely later in the spring....but as my friend said...."I don't mind the dead stuff as it makes it look old...isn't that the point"!

One of the nicest things about this composition for me is the Roger Snipes (Spokane, Washington) pot. My friend has agreed that I can completely repot it next year into a different pot and have this pot back as I've got another tree in mind for it.
First photo after removing the weeds/most moss - trying different angles
Second - after I slip potted it (raised in with new soil layer)
Third - side view- does a round pot have a side view?
Come on newbies dont be shy show your sticks in pots
Cheers G.

 

[QuintinBonsai]

While I do have some better sized material, sticks in pots are my specialty. Ah go ahead and let them laugh. While it may be true that the bigger, fatter trunks are the material to go for, sometimes I just can't help myself. Especially if it's a unique species that you cannot find a fat trunk for, or you don't want to kill your wallet. This Olive was purchased at a grocery store last fall. It wasn't being sold as mallsai, but I figured something could be done for it.


Here is a Japanese Boxwood I got at Lowe's last spring for $5. It was one of the only ones that had a decent looking nebari. I did a chop on it to bring in some movement. I know it's small and dinky, but in years to come...