Ta Daaaaa... Ilex opaca forest

Forsoothe!

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Made a little trade with @Bonsai Nut, and here's the thing...
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (2).jpg
Seven Ilex opaca here, and a bigger one for the landscape. They are organized on the floor in the same position they are supposed to fit together in the pot.
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (1).jpg
Luckily, I just happen to have an empty forest pot and a cage to suspend trees while lining up all of them before in good relative positions before healing any of them in.
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (7).jpg
All the trees are dusted with hormone then put in position 1 at a time,
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (8).jpg
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (9).jpg
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (10).jpg
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (11).jpg
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (12).jpg
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (13).jpg
7 & 8 are from one root and each tree needed a little tweaking to be in the best position relative to its neighbors, and that's where the cage really comes in handy. Add some media, sprinkle on some alum sulphate and 10-10-10...

To be continued...
 

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Forsoothe!

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Tamp down all that together then cover all that with Oak leaf smithereens...
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (14).jpg
Check out the arrangement one more time...
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (15).jpg
Reposition #6 and it looks right to mud-in...
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (18).jpg
It's late in the growing season and I want these trees to park until late winter with a low demand on the leaves, so most leaves have to come off and just a few of the better, newer but mature leaves per tree are left on...
IO f 2020_1009 forest potting (19).jpg
Now out to the garden to sit quietly until new leaves next spring. The branches are all thin enough to be wired next spring after the trees are ready for some more abuse. They look wild and badly positioned, but when viewed with the third dimension not possible here are where they need to be to be wired to visually support the design of a whole forest.🥳
 
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penumbra

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So glad to see someone do this. I had a large American holly tree spaded in 30 years ago when we bought out house. Now I have dozens of them around the property. I will scout them out today and flag some.
 

Forsoothe!

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All for naught. The forest, one in-ground, one in my bottle farm, and an Ilex x meserveae 'Emerald Magic' all died over winter. However, I lost a big Ilex x meserveae 'Honey Maid' in front of my house that blew over in a strong wind because it had a root system mostly in my deep mulch and parallel to the house, so I Chopped it this spring and potted it (posted elsewhere and can't find) and it is alive and budding out...
Ix HM site.JPG
Ix HM chopped.JPG
Ix HM potted.JPGIx HM rear angle.JPG
Ix HM channeled.JPGIx HM top view.JPG
Ix HM finished.JPGIx HM budding out 060521 b.JPGIx HM budding out 060521 c.JPGIx HM budding out 060521 d.JPG
No buds on the major trunk, but we'll see. This is more than I could have hoped for! One for five, a .200 hitter, but with one triple...
 

Forsoothe!

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All of the American Holly forest perished in winter, and the lone tree planted in my landscape too didn't make it. On the plus side of the ledger the Honey Maid is doing pretty good. It isn't growing on the side that I chose as "front", but I'm not giving up on that just yet because it's growing well from the other side and there are buds kind of all over lower on the mass. I'm not doing anything other than growing it on and waiting for next spring to make decisions...
Ix HM 100421 SQ.JPG
This is in a 20" x +4" deep pot.
 
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