Style, Tradition and Exceptions.

[W3rk]

I know that we have rules for a reason. They give us a framework to work within and a starting point to build our understanding. But sometimes rules are meant to be broken and there are always exceptions.

In Bonsai design we want good taper and try to avoid reverse taper. It gives trees a sense of strength, stability and age. But check out this Cork Bark Pine from the National Museum. It certainly looks a bit out of balance and is thin at the base. Of course that's because the bark is just so incredibly thick and chunky the rest of the way up. Kind of interesting and thought I'd share.

First pic. is the front view but I liked the bit of curve you got in the 2nd pic. that I took from just off to the side.

 

[hemmy]

Grotesque! I dig it. Although that pot doesn’t do it justice.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Suspicions that others will chime in. However most of these are grafted on black pine stock. Many poorly such as present example. Some few grafters do far better very near soil line. Again however some claim this poor grafting is "acceptable" idiosyncracy of cork bark pines. I do not find at all acceptable and disagree with suspicion many silently feel same way.

 

[sorce]

Amen @Potawatomi13 ...

This is "need for a species" taken to an unacceptable level.

Especially here...framed by a lot of ugly...

You may as well cut all the branches and that skinny base off and just have the bark bronzed.

I mean...illl...this would be a chore to care for. A bane. A burden. It's that ugly!

Sorce

 

[Cadillactaste]

This may be the tree one needs to see in person to appreciate fully. I've seen some of these sell lately with a much lower graft closer to the ground I admired more. But the angle up to the graft area...in person may make it less bothersome than in 2D. I do like the quirky nature of that upper bark through. Imagine viewing it...it draws the viewer in.

Species does factor in to things...but a good graft is priceless.

 

[M. Frary]

I wouldn't have that thing ever.

 

[Adair M]

Cork bark pines are a novelty. They don’t make good bonsai as a rule. I have seen a couple that were started as cuttings that actually have cork on their surface roots!

JBP are admired for their bark as much as anything else. The Corkers take that to the extreme! You really can’t apply the usual bonsai rules to them.

I personally don’t like them. I don’t have one. I used to have one or two, not any more.

To my eye, they look like a muscle car where the engine is so big it won’t fit under the hood

 

[LanceMac10]

 

[Anthony]

Firstly - Like tree - life out of harshness.

Secondly - if had to be lowered - perhaps root grafts or an airlayer
on the root stock to lower into the soil.

Thirdly - perhaps a better pot. Though I only saw the itree.

It is easy to be a fault finder and a fault pointer outer and
forget solutions.
Good Day
Anthony

*heh heh maybe one day a seedling will give us the 1 inch
needles naturally and another the corky bark.

Gotta love the Pines.
Caribbean / Honduran / Japanese / Scots and so on................