Prunus dulcis..Almond in flower.

[bodhidharma]

Sorry i have been A.W.O.L and have not been contributing much of late. My world outside of Bonsai has become unbearably busy. Still, i cannot help but post my Almond which has excelled itself this year to make me happy i am a Bonsai Artist, and i smile every time i walk up to photograph it. Its story so far..It was collected five years ago from a back yard bulldoze at a friends place. Its height was 6-7 metres and very unhealthy from no attention whatsoever. We dug it with a backhoe and i reduced its height and placed it in a grow box. It zoomed back to life. With further height reduction i then ripped the tree in half with a couple of strong companions to alleviate the graft swell at its base. I then started to plan its design which i had given a lot of thought, and set in motion what you see now. It took four years to create the top main branches and the tree has rewarded me with flowers and also Almonds. The pot (which i had secured a while ago for another tree) was used for this tree at the suggestion of Quentin Valentine. The photos might be a little long winded but i wanted to show the changing moods of the tree during bud swell. Future plans will be to finish the carving and ramification of the branches which you see here. Patience, patience, patience.
The trees dimensions are..Height 800mm width at base 160mm :

[kvan64]

Wow, so beautiful! Not even a single leaf, all flowers. I just love it. Nice rock paving too. thanks for sharing Bodhi.

[bodhidharma]

G'day Kvan,
yes, i love how the tree flowers on bare wood. Also lightly perfumed, best of both worlds.

[Bretts]

Hey Bodi
Nice display
I pinched a seed of almond from a tree down the street years ago and suprised to find it germinate. I ended up giving it away to a friend whose big tree in thier yard had died as I thought it would be no good for bonsai but recently saw an article on them in Bonsai Focus. Not sure how much use the article is but I will give it a read and see if it has any usefull info

[bodhidharma]

G'day Betts, flower display is tremendous and makes the Almond a good subject. I have had trouble with leaf reduction though. They look a bit shabby with their leaves on. I will work harder on it this year.

[kvan64]

Hi Bodhi, actually it doesn't look too bad when in leaves. I have much bigger leaves on my peaches. I love almonds now

[walko]

hey bodhi, looks great in flower its a beautiful tree

[bodhidharma]

hey bodhi, looks great in flower its a beautiful tree

Thank you Walko I hope i get Almonds again this year.

[alpineart]

Hi Bodhi , never would have given a thought to nuts but after seeing your tree , i would be inclined to give it a shot .Love the flowers , that is a very nice show . How long does it last in bloom ? .Have you tried defoliating or semi defoliating ?. Be very interested in getting my hands on a few .I know of some Yamadori Nuts , {small rounded marble size fruit} up this way regularly slashed , might take a closer look and give them a try .Thanks for posting . Cheers Alpine

[bodhidharma]

How long does it last in bloom ? .Have you tried defoliating or semi defoliating ?.

G'day Alpine,
the tree leads up to flowering for about 6 weeks which in itself is quite attractive. It usually holds its flowers for 3-4 weeks(with care, taking it out of winds etc) but this year i think they will hold a little longer. With our wet Winter again everything seems a little more intense, perfumes and flowers are somehow more accentuated. No defoliation as yet but probably this Summer.

[bodhidharma]

My Almond has again given me pleasure and put a smile on my face I pruned it after its last flowering to get backbudding and better structure in its branching and it has rewarded me with two more branches to play with. It is a little difficult to get ramification on this tree so has to be cut back hard. Once the branches extend more it will be a stunning picture. Sorry for the picture location but i cannot shift anything with a broken ankle

[Olivecrazy]

Hi there found this post the other day an was hoping to see a update on its progress do you have any tips on using almonds as bonsai as ive just collected one

[Watto]

Thankyou, I am impressed with the simplistic but still elegant styling. A large tree done very well.

[Peter Hobbs]

So beautiful

[bodhidharma]

do you have any tips on using almonds as bonsai as ive just collected one

A very rewarding tree O.C. What i know about them is that they grow well but if you are not ruthless in your pruning habits the get long extended branches with long gaps between your secondary's. Be prepared to cut.

Thankyou, I am impressed with the simplistic but still elegant styling. A large tree done very well.

Thanks Watto, i am looking forward to when the branches are longer and more ramified.

So beautiful

Thanks.