Windswept Procumbens Nana Styling

[tmjudd1]

I've just completed my 'first' initial styling on a juniper that I purchased off of ebay. It's branch structure leads me to believe that it wants to someday become a 'semi-cascade' windswept design. I know, I know... it's a 'Stick in a Box', but hey. "Us greenhorns have to start somewhere!" I know that this Bonsai will never become a valuable specimen, but it will hopefully teach me a thing or two about learning how to properly design and style a juniper Bonsai!
The 'BEFORE' and 'AFTER' photos are shown below..;

'BEFORE'... This is how the Juniper arrived to me. I bought it because it seemed to have a bit of character... and I saw possibilities for future refinement;


'AFTER'... This is how it now looks... after I laid my own hand, and a bit of wire to it. No real pruning involved. I simply opened things up and helped the branches go to where they 'already' wanted to go;


... Now, "Does anyone know of any tricks that I can incorporate, into my training, that will ultimately give this Juniper's foliage a pleasing 'windswept' look?"

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Well, it sounds like you have really put a lot of thought into this, which is a good thing, your thought process shown in your post will lead you to designing better and better bonsai over time.

Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but it is incredibly common for people starting out in bonsai to want to try to style a windswept or cascade. I just got a serious flashback to one of the first trees I ever wired trying to make it “windswept” ?. The reality is that windswept is one of THE hardest styles of bonsai to pull off in a believable way and that for every great cascade style tree there are 200 not so great cascades. I tell you this not to discourage you from either style but to fuel your fire.

I think that this tree could lend itself to a decent informal upright, or twin trunk informal upright and that’s what I would suggest you do as it may prove to be a more pleasing tree for you. You can do this by wiring both the main trunks upwards. Do as much research as you can on what makes the greatest windswept or cascade trees what they are, and by all means pursue that. But learning to style a basic informal upright could really help inform your styling decisions down the line in a good way.

Also, I hope you didn’t pay too much for this tree. You could find a procumbens of equal or greater quality from a local garden center for 20 bucks. Good luck, happy bonsai!

 

[Adair M]

Ok, I will give you credit for trying.

Now, work with me a bit... go to Google, and google “windswept bonsai”, then click on the “Images” tab. And scroll down and look at the trees.

<I’ll wait here for a minute while you do that.>

Ok.

Which trees looked like they were really windswept? The ones with no leaves! Right? We’re there any decent Procumbens Nana windswept? No, I didnt see any either.

It’s really, really hard to have a tree with foliage look like it’s windswept. Even the pines! At best they can look “wind influenced”, but Procumbens foliage (as you have apparently discovered for yourself) will never appear to be “being blown” unless you tediously wire every single little tuft! And no one does that!

You can get shimpaku foliage to look “swept”, by the way. Still a ton of work, but it’s “possible”.

Ok, I think you got that lesson!

So now what?

Let’s return to Google. This time search on “procumbens nana bonsai”.

<Go ahead, I’ll wait...>

What did you see?

Most of them are skinny little trunks that go up at an angle for 4 inches or so, then turn horizontal. In a big oval puff of foliage. Ugh

Then, there are the cascades, where instead of the curve being turned up, it’s turned down to make a cascade. Also, ugh.

And then there are the “S” curves. Tall, skinny trunks weaving side to side, with a few branches and somewhere there’s a long branch growing sideways! Some of these are awful! But some are ok. If they’ve managed to restrain the “long horizontal” problem, they look ok.

Procumbens Nana donot grow up if left to themselves. They prefer to sprawl out sideways along the ground. To make them into a tree form, we have to force them upright. So, “letting the branches grow the way they want to grow” will end in failure. That’s why we use wire in bonsai.

Get heavy wire, and bend a branch upright to force it to create an upright trunk.

Now, remember those “S” curves? Some were really ugly, right? Some were better than others. To my eye, the thin trunks that have lots of little curves, in all directions, look better than the ones with one or two big wide curves.


There, that will get you started.

I see you are in Dallas, Tx.

If you are really serious about learning about bonsai, I suggest you contact Howard and Sylvia Smith. They can teach you everything from the fundamentals all the way up to masterpiece bonsai.

See: www.bonsaismiths.net

 

[tmjudd1]

If you are really serious about learning about bonsai, I suggest you contact Howard and Sylvia Smith. They can teach you everything from the fundamentals all the way up to masterpiece bonsai.

Thanks Adair, I looked them up. Sounds like there is a good chance of me running into them at the Bonsai Society meeting, here in Dallas. You're correct about windswept vs wind influenced. Mine will be a bit more 'influenced' than swept. That being said. I have an idea as to how I might get all the tufts to 'lean', as though being windswept... but, I'll save the details until I have tried it out and know whether or not it will work. For now, I'll just keep 'influencing' the style while practicing techniques.

The winds are starting to pick up, but it will be a while before they are blowing at full force.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

In all, this isn’t bad. As Adair said, windswept is difficult to pull off, but It is a very common early attempt.
Slanting, or having a definite direction is better, and you’re close on this; think of a juniper on a coastal cliff.

I’d recommend removing the branches with yellow X and tightening up the bottom right branch (blue lines) by adding a little left-right movement, and then allowing the branch to come forward a bit. I actually like the branch structure visible in the upper part of the tree.

 

[tmjudd1]

Hello Brian.
Funny you should mention the branch in blue. I tightened it up after standing back and getting a better view of everything. As for left/right movement, it's actually there, just not so noticeable at that camera angle. The lower branch, in yellow... I was thinking about turning that into a deadwood feature. I agree that the 'other' yellows could go away. They, as well as a few more small 'back' branches are still there because I did not want to hastily remove anything, now, that I might regret later. I'll clip and style a little, then I'll stare at it for a very, very long time before doing anything else.
I need to buy your JPB book. I have two JBP's on the way to me!

 

[coachspinks]

Good first effort. Listen to the guys (and gals) here. There is a ton to be learned.

Buy a bunch of pro cumbens, cut up, wire, pot, buy more, repeat. It is one way to learn how to do these things on relatively inexpensive material.
I have several pro cumbers. I even have a tiny cascading one! Most of them are for learning on and will never be nice bonsai. A couple have very nice sized trunks but that is rare. As you keep reading and learning you will understand what Adair is talking about. At some point you will move on to plants that are more conducive to making really nice tress. It is at this point you will realize how much you really don't know yet and will appreciate the advice of Brian, Adair and many others here.

 

[Adair M]

Hello Brian.
Funny you should mention the branch in blue. I tightened it up after standing back and getting a better view of everything. As for left/right movement, it's actually there, just not so noticeable at that camera angle. The lower branch, in yellow... I was thinking about turning that into a deadwood feature. I agree that the 'other' yellows could go away. They, as well as a few more small 'back' branches are still there because I did not want to hastily remove anything, now, that I might regret later. I'll clip and style a little, then I'll stare at it for a very, very long time before doing anything else.
I need to buy your JPB book. I have two JBP's on the way to me!

Ah! Black Pine! You ARE getting serious about bonsai! Brian’s book is a great reference.

With JBP, timing is everything. With Procumbens, you can pretty much work on them whenever you want. But JBP require knowledge of their seasonal growth patterns.

Again, pardon me if I once again recommend you contact the Smiths. They are EXPERTS with JBP. It is easy, unfortunately, to mess up a tree by over enthusiastic pruning or needle pulling or decandling or wiring that can set you back for years.

 

[tmjudd1]

Again, pardon me if I once again recommend you contact the Smiths. They are EXPERTS with JBP. It is easy, unfortunately, to mess up a tree by over enthusiastic pruning or needle pulling or decandling or wiring that can set you back for years.

Yep! The cost of their workshops seem insanely reasonable and downright cheap for what is being offered. (I hope they aren't reading this)

 

[tmjudd1]

Brian,
I downloaded your e-book concerning JBP. Due to the way the 'add' reads... I was afraid that I'd not be able to read it on my PC. "Not the case". It reads fine on my desk-top PC. No kindle, nor phone app required...

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Brian,
I downloaded your e-book concerning JBP. Due to the way the 'add' reads... I was afraid that I'd not be able to read it on my PC. "Not the case". It reads fine on my desk-top PC. No kindle, nor phone app required...

Thanks for your purchase!

 

[tmjudd1]

... "two fresh boxes opened... and a cat in two black pine tree pots!" Okay, this ends my twelve days of Christmas!

...to be continued in the proper 'cat'agory!..