I would agree with this....some more variety in tree sizes and spacing, some asymmetry would be nice. Here is a good blog post describing putting together a forest, with some good photos as examples/inspiration:So a consensus maybe that the planting is incomplete? There needs to be larger and smaller material added beyond what is there as well as more haphazard spacing?
Sorce, if I superglue some crabapples on, will it be better accepted?
One of the BEST books on bonsai in my opinion. A must for everyone's library!There's not much wrong with that group that some refinement of the big cuts and 4 or 6 seedlings wouldn't fix. One of the hardest things to get right when first planting a group is to work the roots so that some trees are very close together. You could kill a lot of that even spacing by working little trees into the mix right at the base of the larger trees.
All of you who get goo goo over the sight of a fine forest need to IMMEDIATELY order "Forest, Rock Planting & Ezo Spruce Bonsai" by Saburo Kato ( put together in English by Bill Valavanis--- a huge contribution) for the sale price of $19.95 at Stone Lantern-- USA, not S. Africa. You will never get a better book. In fact, if you pay the 20 bucks and don't like it, I'll buy it back from you. It was incredibly influential in the old Japanese version, and is that much better now.
john
Here is a Vine Maple Forest I started a couple years ago.
Yes but I haven't found the secret yet.Have you tried keeping them in shade most of the day? They are definitely an understory species and don't mind shade at all.
It might be that you need keep the roots cool = well below 90F. Wet towel(s) over the pot might do the trick.I'd love to work with vine maples but when I've tried our summer heat wipes them out.