Styling Bonsai with Variegated Foliage

[doctorater]

Meeting the Styling Challenges of Bonsai with Variegated Foliage

​

I was going to start a thread today, "Bonsai with variegated leaves - love it or loathe it?" However, I found this thread instead that addressed the same idea...

Your Views on Variegated Trees

I just feel like starting a shit stirrer thread this evening....and I also have a question or two. So, without further ado..... 1. Do you like them as bonsai or not, and why? 2. Do you own any? 3. Do they really grow slower, less photosynthetic ability? 4. Does the variegated portion really...

www.bonsainut.com

Nice thread, good comments, pics of a few really nice variegated trees. I recommend you read it if you haven't already.



Here's a follow-up question for discussion...

How would you go about styling a tree with variegated foliage differently than the same tree with standard foliage in order to present the variegated tree in the best light possible?

I suppose to help us answer that question we need to discuss the pros and cons of variegated foliage in bonsai (design challenges only, not the horticultural challenges such as possibly slower growth and increased proneness to health problems).

Here are some I came up with, I'm sure others here can add more...

Challenges to bonsai design posed by variegated foliage:

• Variegation works like camouflage, it breaks up the silhouette of the leaf and of the foliage pad making it harder showcase or emphasize either.
• The striking interplay of color and texture caused by the variegation can distract from other important elements of bonsai; trunk, nebari, silhouette, negative space, etc.
• Due to the camouflage effect, shadows and highlights may also appear more muted, minimizing sense of depth as well as making it more difficult to differentiate foliage pads.
• Some variegated varieties look more "sickly" than variegated, as if something were wrong with the tree.
• Might variegation create temptation to take shortcuts in the trees development as a bonsai? Such as allowing the striking foliage to serve as the main focal point while neglecting other important aspects of bonsai artistry?
• Can you think of other design challenges? Toss them in the comments.

The positives of variegated foliage:

• It can be strikingly beautiful on the tree in the same way a display of flowers can be.
• It's different, it might make your tree stand out in a crowd.
• Can be a crowd pleaser (though it may be found less pleasing by some members of the bonsai intelligentsia).
• If you get lazy and let your foliage get a little sloppy, it still looks nice (but, see the temptation towards the taking of shortcuts item in the challenges above).
• Aware of any other positives to variegated foliage? Toss them in the comments.

So, in designing a bonsai with variegated foliage, how might you (or how HAVE you) adjusted your design to address the challenges of variegated foliage and emphasize the positives of variegated foliage?

Have at it,

Steve

 

[Japonicus]

Bad year for pictures on my Golden Hinoki. It looks just like my Lynns Golden, so that's what I'm going with name wise.
It was the size of my fist when I got it, and has been pouting since I styled it last Fall, mostly on one front or back of the tree.

What I like is how it stands out in colour above the rest of my projects. At dusk it looks like it is plugged in and turned on.
I also have a couple golden junipers with contrasting foliage, a gold lace, and gold tipped juniper, each sporting different traits.
I style according to the species and individual plant, not the colour or peculiar colour characteristics.
I would style a a typical green hinoki the same as the one above.

Here's the Gold Lace I'm working with this year and am having fits trying to select foliage to remove now
due to the lacy thin whispy foliage. That is the chalenge for me to style, not the color. There are worse cultivars to style.
It certainly responded vigorously to heavy pruning in July last year. It's just a feminine juniper, soft by nature.

 

[doctorater]

In talking about pros and cons of designing bonsai with variegated foliage, @Leo in N E Illinois made a comment on the thread mentioned above (post 23) that I though might be relevant to abbreviate here.

• Bold variegation can be distracting and can draw attention away from the whole composition.
• Variegation often sets a perception of the time of year as Spring. For a Summer, Autumn or Winter display variegated foliage can clash with the time of year intended for the display.
• Subtle variegation of small leaves can make the foliage look even more refined. Variegation can add a lighter feel to the tree.

Your Views on Variegated Trees

Here's a variegated j. maple I've had for a few years. It's called 'Shirazz' but also known as 'Gwen's rose delight.' I've been meaning to air layers a few branches for a couple years; maybe I'll get to it this year... New growth has tons of pinks and purples, but matures to green and white...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[doctorater]

View attachment 321221
Bad year for pictures on my Golden Hinoki. It looks just like my Lynns Golden, so that's what I'm going with name wise.
It was the size of my fist when I got it, and has been pouting since I styled it last Fall, mostly on one front or back of the tree.

What I like is how it stands out in colour above the rest of my projects. At dusk it looks like it is plugged in and turned on.
I also have a couple golden junipers with contrasting foliage, a gold lace, and gold tipped juniper, each sporting different traits.
I style according to the species and individual plant, not the colour or peculiar colour characteristics.
I would style a a typical green hinoki the same as the one above.
View attachment 321232 View attachment 321226 View attachment 321230
Here's the Gold Lace I'm working with this year and am having fits trying to select foliage to remove now
due to the lacy thin whispy foliage. That is the chalenge for me to style, not the color. There are worse cultivars to style.
It certainly responded vigorously to heavy pruning in July last year. It's just a feminine juniper, soft by nature.

I really like that golden hinoki.

 

[Japonicus]

I really like that golden hinoki.

Thanks I just wish I’d got all the cuttings the lady had at $10 a piece.

Hinoki Golden variety cut and style under way

I got this from another local nursery since closed. They had several established cuttings in 2" pots. Not the size of my hand when I got it, I just love the change up in colour amongst the other trees on my porch. Front Back Right Left Wrong pot, and roots are filling this one up, yay...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[Shima]

Wish I'd brought this ivy with me even though our then sensei Mas Imazimi-san (RIP) once said at our weekly study group, " It's just an ivy." I'd planned to graft small leaf green ivy to the branches. It was huge. And yeah, too pointy, but still...

 

[doctorater]

Wish I'd brought this ivy with me even though our then sensei Mas Imazimi-san (RIP) once said at our weekly study group, " It's just an ivy." I'd planned to graft small leaf green ivy to the branches. It was huge. And yeah, too pointy, but still...View attachment 321429

That is a very unique piece; variegated ivy bonsai with nice, fat trunk. How big is it?

 

[Forsoothe!]

This is just a matter of personal taste, for which there is no accounting. If anybody does bonsai to somebody else's tastes or standards rather than for their own tastes or pleasure, they deserve the disappointment that inevitably that follows from that. Purists can say that you must do this or have that and if you want your trees to be acceptable to them, if that's what you want to accomplish, then so be it. If you want to make art to your own taste, then that's different and you do what you want. The purists do not accept variegated trees.

 

[doctorater]

Thanks I just wish I’d got all the cuttings the lady had at $10 a piece.

Hinoki Golden variety cut and style under way

I got this from another local nursery since closed. They had several established cuttings in 2" pots. Not the size of my hand when I got it, I just love the change up in colour amongst the other trees on my porch. Front Back Right Left Wrong pot, and roots are filling this one up, yay...

www.bonsainut.com

Thanks for linking the thread about your golden cypress. It was nice to get some more views of it. I liked your final pot choice.

Do you plan on wiring more movement into the main trunk line at some point or are you going to leave it straighter?

 

[doctorater]

The purists do not accept variegated trees.

Ha, no, they do not. I loved @Walter Pall's comment in the referenced earlier thread...

I hate them. You can give them to me and I will not take them.

Classic.

Steve

 

[Japonicus]

Thanks for linking the thread about your golden cypress. It was nice to get some more views of it. I liked your final pot choice.

Do you plan on wiring more movement into the main trunk line at some point or are you going to leave it straighter?

Thanks
If I remove the top I will may have to twist the upper portion some,
but I'm mostly going to be concentrating on proper maintenance for a while.

It's been a while since I read through the thread this one spun off of,
are the trees you posted pics of, your variegated trees?

 

[doctorater]

Thanks
If I remove the top I will may have to twist the upper portion some,
but I'm mostly going to be concentrating on proper maintenance for a while.

It's been a while since I read through the thread this one spun off of,
are the trees you posted pics of, your variegated trees?

Only the last pic of the two Buxus sempervirens "Elegantissima" growing in the garden are mine. Picked them up a couple of months ago, gave them a trim and put them in the ground. So basically, the only ones that are mine are the ones nobody would want . I do like this particular variety though, beautiful color, consistent variegation, nice growth habit. I got this one as well, still in its pot...



Nothing special about it, but maybe over time will be nice. The other pictures I just grabbed off the internet.

Steve

 

[leatherback]

comments

Very nice and elegant elm. Yours?

 

[Shima]

That is a very unique piece; variegated ivy bonsai with nice, fat trunk. How big is it?

That is a very unique piece; variegated ivy bonsai with nice, fat trunk. How big is it?

About 2.5 feet high, 7" trunk.

 

[doctorater]

Very nice and elegant elm. Yours?

Not mine, wish was.

 

[doctorater]

About 2.5 feet high, 7" trunk.

Holy cow. It's a lot bigger than it looks.

 

[Bittenfox]

Meeting the Styling Challenges of Bonsai with Variegated Foliage

​

I was going to start a thread today, "Bonsai with variegated leaves - love it or loathe it?" However, I found this thread instead that addressed the same idea...

Your Views on Variegated Trees

I just feel like starting a shit stirrer thread this evening....and I also have a question or two. So, without further ado..... 1. Do you like them as bonsai or not, and why? 2. Do you own any? 3. Do they really grow slower, less photosynthetic ability? 4. Does the variegated portion really...

www.bonsainut.com

Nice thread, good comments, pics of a few really nice variegated trees. I recommend you read it if you haven't already.

View attachment 321215

Here's a follow-up question for discussion...

How would you go about styling a tree with variegated foliage differently than the same tree with standard foliage in order to present the variegated tree in the best light possible?

I suppose to help us answer that question we need to discuss the pros and cons of variegated foliage in bonsai (design challenges only, not the horticultural challenges such as possibly slower growth and increased proneness to health problems).

Here are some I came up with, I'm sure others here can add more...

Challenges to bonsai design posed by variegated foliage:

• Variegation works like camouflage, it breaks up the silhouette of the leaf and of the foliage pad making it harder showcase or emphasize either.
• The striking interplay of color and texture caused by the variegation can distract from other important elements of bonsai; trunk, nebari, silhouette, negative space, etc.
• Due to the camouflage effect, shadows and highlights may also appear more muted, minimizing sense of depth as well as making it more difficult to differentiate foliage pads.
• Some variegated varieties look more "sickly" than variegated, as if something were wrong with the tree.
• Might variegation create temptation to take shortcuts in the trees development as a bonsai? Such as allowing the striking foliage to serve as the main focal point while neglecting other important aspects of bonsai artistry?
• Can you think of other design challenges? Toss them in the comments.

View attachment 321216

The positives of variegated foliage:

• It can be strikingly beautiful on the tree in the same way a display of flowers can be.
• It's different, it might make your tree stand out in a crowd.
• Can be a crowd pleaser (though it may be found less pleasing by some members of the bonsai intelligentsia).
• If you get lazy and let your foliage get a little sloppy, it still looks nice (but, see the temptation towards the taking of shortcuts item in the challenges above).
• Aware of any other positives to variegated foliage? Toss them in the comments.

View attachment 321217

So, in designing a bonsai with variegated foliage, how might you (or how HAVE you) adjusted your design to address the challenges of variegated foliage and emphasize the positives of variegated foliage?

Have at it,

Steve

Ok, so I am a newbie, so I apologize now, for my lack of knowledge. I have the exact same plant as the one posted above this...and mine grows the opposite ... like OUT and not UP. It looks like it needs a lot of direction, so how did you get this one, in the photo, to look like this? I will try to attach two photos. One from the top looking straight down into it, because it looks so naked in the center, and the other from the side, so you can see the trunk (there's even a spray bottle in the pic for reference)....Could you help me design my plant a tiny bit better? I would appreciate any positive guidance you can give.