grouper52
Masterpiece
I thought I'd posted a progression on this tree before at BNut, but I can't find it. Not surprising: I've thought a great many things over the years, and the vast majority of them turned out to be nonsense.
This guy - whom I used to call, "Japanese Pine - Ugly," is finally starting to look like something worth owning.
The first picture shows it within the first year of buying it from a little roadside landscaping nursery. I liked the wild nebari, but the mid-tree stove pipe presented a huge problem for me.
The next photo shows a bit of progress, having abndoned any fantasy of making use of the top part of the tree. Still, what you gonna do with that thing?
Well, the third photo shows what I did: I hollowed out the main branch with a die grinder until I could muscle it down into something of a cascade.
The last photo taken today shows the decision to make the back the front, such that the nebari and the deadwood make a nice focal point. I think it is much better, but it obviates the need for such an obvious cascade, which now even draws the eye away from the focal point and defeats its purpose. Next season, therefore, I will shorten, simplify and thereby de-emphasize the cascade, making it look a bit more natural, rather than this stiffly classical, more obvious style. Needle shortening and further other foliage development should refine the image more. I kind of like the pot and mounded rootage look, though your visual milage may vary. It's a mica pot, though - a nice Tokoname of similar design may suit it well.
The apex stands about a foot from the base of the trunk.
Enjoy.
G52
This guy - whom I used to call, "Japanese Pine - Ugly," is finally starting to look like something worth owning.
The first picture shows it within the first year of buying it from a little roadside landscaping nursery. I liked the wild nebari, but the mid-tree stove pipe presented a huge problem for me.
The next photo shows a bit of progress, having abndoned any fantasy of making use of the top part of the tree. Still, what you gonna do with that thing?
Well, the third photo shows what I did: I hollowed out the main branch with a die grinder until I could muscle it down into something of a cascade.
The last photo taken today shows the decision to make the back the front, such that the nebari and the deadwood make a nice focal point. I think it is much better, but it obviates the need for such an obvious cascade, which now even draws the eye away from the focal point and defeats its purpose. Next season, therefore, I will shorten, simplify and thereby de-emphasize the cascade, making it look a bit more natural, rather than this stiffly classical, more obvious style. Needle shortening and further other foliage development should refine the image more. I kind of like the pot and mounded rootage look, though your visual milage may vary. It's a mica pot, though - a nice Tokoname of similar design may suit it well.
The apex stands about a foot from the base of the trunk.
Enjoy.
G52