The Mugo thread aka the Vance Wood cult

jeanluc83

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It was foretold that on Friday the 13th when the moon is full the followers of Vance Wood would unite... (lightning crashes)

Ok well maybe not but it seems that there have been a lot of people getting into mugos lately due, in no small way, to Vance. I think the time has come for a mugo picture thread to show what can be done with the species but also a bit of a census of who’s working with them. So post your mugos no matter how bad you think they are. Include as many details about the tree as you can (ie. age, how long in training, the cultivar etc.)

There are enough threads out there for questions and feedback please keep this one just pictures.

Here is a picture of my pathetic mugo from about a month ago. It is a Pumilio purchased it from Lowes for about $15. It is not much to look at but it is something to learn on.
 

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Vance Wood

Lord Mugo
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I promised the wife I would haul my fat butt out and go for a walk with her.

I'll be back-------------------
 

RKatzin

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I'm in, pass me some coolaide

For my first entry, a Mugo I've been working on for five or six years.

The first two are front and back as bought. I was really sucked in by the bushy fullness of the tree.

The tree had no trunk. The whole lower end was wrapped in strangler roots. I planted the tree out and began working away at the errant roots. Slowly a trunk of sorts began to emerge.

Each season I took a bit more root and a few branches, back budding was generous and this season in preperation for digging I've cleared away the rocks from the mound it was planted on. Rain and watering has removed alot of excess soil and the ants have moved out.

Another week or so and I'll have her potted up and we'll see where we go from here.
 

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M. Frary

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I have a couple but no pictures right now. I really can't seem to find a decent one to work with though. However I'm making a trip in a couple weeks and more than likely will be returning with a couple.
 

Vance Wood

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Here's one I have not shown for a couple of years. It is my world famous/despised Mugo Pine and it really did only cost five dollars. I picked it up from a vendor at one of our shows 1996 I think when our guest speaker decided not so show and I needed something to work on.

TY27xVY.jpg
 

Vance Wood

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Here is my oldest Mugo started in 1972 from a nursery tree obtained form Franks Nursery. It is on the poster advertising our show for this year. If you're in the area stop by and give me a chuckle.

xUIWNay.jpg
 

jkd2572

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Vance,
You don't see mugos in the stage of development of your trees for sale anywhere. The rarity of your trees should make them pretty valuable. I have been thinking about that for a while. What are your thoughts on it? Kinda of like cork bark pines always bring super high prices.
 

Vance Wood

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Vance,
You don't see mugos in the stage of development of your trees for sale anywhere. The rarity of your trees should make them pretty valuable. I have been thinking about that for a while. What are your thoughts on it? Kinda of like cork bark pines always bring super high prices.

To give you some idea of the kind of "shit" I have had to put up with over the years with my envolvement with Mugo Pines, at one point I was looking into having them insured. There was a local bonsai business, now gone, where the owner would be glad to give me some estimates for insurance purposes. I took this tree in and he said he thought it to be worth about $150. I was at a loss for words. I told him so you are telling me the tree is only worth $26.00? I bought the pot from you for $135.00. So when it comes to this kind of thing I am kind of at a loss. My father always said that a thing is only worth what you can get someone else to pay for it.

Of course there is another aspect of this and that is jealousy. Believe it or not the individual with the $150 quote for my tree was insanely jealous of my work and I did not know it. He some how thought he should be the big kahouna of bonsai around these parts. On one side of our relationship he was all friends and complements when he thought he could get me to spend money in his business but when it came to acknowledging something like what I was asking the truth was beyond him. After all; he volunteered to perform the service. He said he could buy Mugos like that one all day long for less than a hundred dollars. I then told him please do so I would be glad to pay him the hundred dollars for more trees like this one. Of course I never saw one or heard of one or was called about one.

However I appreciate you assessment of my trees. The only reason why my trees are the way they are is because I discovered how to keep them alive and I took them seriously. Discovering early on that there were a lot of things about the Mugo that made it a superior Pine to the ubiquitous and sought after Japanese Black Pine and that it possessed many of the graceful and feminine characteristics of the Japanese White Pine I continued to work with the tree. When I first brought in several of my Mugos for my first involvement in our annual show every body thought they were Japanese White Pines, until they got a close look; then they couldn't believe they were Mugos. 1993 or there about.

xUIWNay.jpg
 
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Vance Wood

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RKatzin

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'Poor Little Thing'

I can't wait for you to lay hands on my Mugo. Spit in a hanky and mail it off to me so I can feed it to my trees LOL.

This is my very first mugo, bought as the typical little domed mushroom nursery stock, I'm guessing at eight years back. At the time I had no internet, just that Sunset book on bonsai, and an insane desire to make bonsai and a double doze of over-confidence.

This is the tree I did everything wrong with and it's the first conifer that did not turn black when I touched it.

Most of my work on the tree is undocumented, but I put it through my usuall chop and crop and slam into the smallest trainer I could fit it to. As I watched all my other conifer slowly turn black this little tree never skipped a beat. Shined on through it all. I fell in love with the Mugo Pine and have always referred to this tree as, 'that poor little thing'. Through several tossings I ended up setting it as a root over rock semi-cascade. Wisdom prevailed in the end and four years ago I planted the tree as is on it's rock out in the garden.

This is her this season. The tree is better than my pics. I mound planted several trees at this time to test their development opposed to flat ground planting, which I did several of, too. They are ready to come in this season and we'll have a look see.

I tried to pull the foliage back to see the branches. I have some deadwood branches (that I created by defoliating). I'll have to look at my angles once I'm out of the ground (tick tock tick tock). Waaaaaiting on the Mugo! She's got a nice fat butt and I like the way she walks, can't wait to dance with her!
 

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Vance Wood

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It looks to me like Pumelio Mugo. They have a tendency to get really dense and prostrate though they can be made to stand upright. It seems this sub-species comes from really high altitude and the low growing nature of the tree aids in its survival. I love this tree and as you can see, as long as you continue to abuse it;---it will love you.

Seriously when I started fooling around with Mugo Pines I had not a clue how to cultivate a Pine as a bonsai, I was stumbling in the dark in the beginning.
 
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Joedes3

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I put this in a pond basket last year. Any recommendations?
Joedes
 

Joedes3

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Pictures.

Joedes
 

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RKatzin

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'Seriously when I started fooling around with Mugo Pines I had not a clue how to cultivate a Pine as a bonsai, I was stumbling in the dark in the beginning.' Vance

I always describe my early research as going out in the dark and swinging around a big stick, and then go out in the morning and see what you hit! LOL Ya! We've come a long way.
 

bonsairxmd

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Hi Vance. Since I'm about to own both types can you elaborate on the characteristics of mugo pines that you like over Japanese black pines?

Thanks!
 
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