Twisted California Juniper

[Mike Page]

This California Juniper was collected in the mid 1970's by Harry Hirao, aka "Mr. California Juniper". My first sensei, Bob Kato bought it from Harry. When Bob died 20 some years ago, I bought it from his widow. At that time, no work had been done on it, so I started from scratch.
This is one of those rare trees where the trunk and live vein makes a full 360 degree twist. The height from the pot rim is 41 inches.
Today I've been doing some trimming, a little wiring, cleaning up the live vein and applying lime sulfer to the dead wood. The long term plan is to have it show ready by next spring.

Mike

 

[greerhw]

This California Juniper was collected in the mid 1970's by Harry Hirao, aka "Mr. California Juniper". My first sensei, Bob Kato bought it from Harry. When Bob died 20 some years ago, I bought it from his widow. At that time, no work had been done on it, so I started from scratch.
This is one of those rare trees where the trunk and live vein makes a full 360 degree twist. The height from the pot rim is 41 inches.
Today I've been doing some trimming, a little wiring, cleanig up the live vein and applying lime sulfer to the dead wood. The long term plan is to have it show ready by next spring.

Mike

Drool !!!!

keep it green,
Harry

 

[jjbacoomba]

WOW!! Beautiful. Great Job!!

 

[cascade]

Drool !!!!

keep it green,
Harry

I could not have said it more eloquently..

-dorothy

 

[Smoke]

I wish a few of you folks could put a finger on this one.

Bonsai or potted half dead plant?


Patrick Henry Keppler says: "Give me canopy or give me death"....

 

[Victrinia Ensor]

Awwwww Al... it's gunna get there... It would be odd not to... just cuz the trunk would be too heavy without more foliar mass. It's a great... envious... wonderful... place to work from though.

I think the pot needs more character, I'm assuming it's a training pot.

Great job Mike...

(I think I would like to unleash an acid trippin' termite or two on it... )

 

[Smoke]

Awwwww Al... it's gunna get there... It would be odd not to... just cuz the trunk would be too heavy without more foliar mass. It's a great... envious... wonderful... place to work from though.

I think the pot needs more character, I'm assuming it's a training pot.

Great job Mike...

(I think I would like to unleash an acid trippin' termite or two on it... )

....twenty years.....TWENTY YEARS!


...edit..... TWENTY SOME YEARS!

 

[Victrinia Ensor]

Maybe so... but it would be worth it.

 

[Smoke]

Maybe so... but it would be worth it.

No dear...he has had it twenty years. How much more time?

 

[Victrinia Ensor]

No dear...he has had it twenty years. How much more time?

Hmmmm.... this is why before photos are a good idea... it could have been a mess. Lord knows it's a monster... i just realized how BIG it is... 41 inches? That's huge. Just getting it into that "tiny" of a pot might have taken the 20 years love...

Mike... do you have any befores from back in the day?

 

[Smoke]

Hmmmm.... this is why before photos are a good idea... it could have been a mess. Lord knows it's a monster... i just realized how BIG it is... 41 inches? That's huge. Just getting it into that "tiny" of a pot might have taken the 20 years love...

Mike... do you have any befores from back in the day?

ahhhh...all the more reason it needs a canopy? It's only big cause it needs a chain saw taken to it. It needs some scupting and refinement.

wow..everyone's nice tonight.

I should start posting some of those raffle prize trees I got at GSBF convention and get some ohhh's and ahhh's.

 

[Victrinia Ensor]

Well... it's hard not to be nice to Mike, because he's nice... and frankly a lot of his trees smoke (no pun intended) 95% of the trees owned by other people on this site. I find it hard to cast stones when I'd happily own it. I post trees sometimes and no one says much about the tree, they're not pencils in pots or stock so rough that advice is obvious... so it's hard for most of the folks who enjoy this site to comment on such trees as this. That is the reality when you are a little further along than the average. Take your trees... it's hard to make a lot of comments beyond "Love it!" when I see your trees... because they are structurally set, and are being offered for the pleasure of the viewer more than discussion. Not much to discuss when the trees are already great.

I'll skip the chainsaw with this one, and just wish I had a chance to do some work with a die grinder. Showing it in a state like California would be challenging at this stage, simply because there's so many well developed trees there... but you have to admit, it'll score points with a lot of people on the "shock and awe" factor for shear size alone.

V

 

[greerhw]

ahhhh...all the more reason it needs a canopy? It's only big cause it needs a chain saw taken to it. It needs some scupting and refinement.

wow..everyone's nice tonight.

I should start posting some of those raffle prize trees I got at GSBF convention and get some ohhh's and ahhh's.

Now you're just blowing SMOKE you old turd, post em if ya gottom. Just an after thought, do you know where that saying originated, I do........

keep it green,
Harry

 

[JasonG]

Mike, this is my favorite tree of yours that I have seen you post!! If you are ever in need of downsizing your collection to smaller trees and would want to work a trade for something more "managable" please, please let me know.

I think the canopy it in very rough form and IMO is very raw and ready to be styled. The live vein at the top needs a little bending as well. I wouldn't touch the deadwood, man can not duplicate what mother nature has already done so well.

Thanks for showing this tree Mike, again, I like it a bunch.

Thanks, Jason

PS. in a few years I sure hope I get an email letting meknow you are ready to go with smaller trees

 

[greerhw]

I could not have said it more eloquently..

-dorothy

Yeah, I have a way with words.................................

keep it green,
Harry

 

[Victrinia Ensor]

I think the canopy it in very rough form and IMO is very raw and ready to be styled. The live vein at the top needs a little bending as well. I wouldn't touch the deadwood, man can not duplicate what mother nature has already done so well.

Knowing Mike runs or is at least part of the "electric termites"... I would be more than willing to credit him with the form of the deadwood... I don't think this is only mother nature's work at this point. And aside from whatever one may think of one artist or another... I'd be willing to counter that Francois Jeker's work could argue your point. His deadwood work is beautiful...
http://www.parlonsbonsai.com/Interview-de-Francois-JEKER.html (it's in French... but the photos are awesome).

 

[Mike Page]

Regarding the pot. Plain it is. Cheap it was not. Tokoname. The trunk being very complex, it seems to me a more deco pot would be "guilding the lilly". However, I always have an eye out for a better pot for any of my trees
Regarding the deadwood. Completely natural. No power tools have touched it except for a rotary wire brush for basic cleanup and rot removal. This tree is an example of Mother Nature showing we poor mortals who is boss.

Mike

 

[Victrinia Ensor]

I stand corrected... Though I disagree that you would do it any disservice by lending your hand to it... I've admired your work for years...

 

[Mike Page]

I stand corrected... Though I disagree that you would do it any disservice by lending your hand to it... I've admired your work for years...

Thank you Ms. Vic!

 

[yenling83]

Mike-

Overall that is an exceptional piece of material that I am very jealous of! You are a very talented person, and I love your trees. The twist in the trunk makes it very unique-esp that it makes a full 360 turn and you see the life line disappear and then come back around for a second look. Personally, if it were mine I might bring the foliage in closer to the trunk and continue growing out the crown and I would extend the primary branch down a little lower to accent the flow of the tree. I would not carve the deadwood. But, that is just my opinion and I am a beginner.