Japanese Elm (Zelkova Serrata) Group Planting

[MJL]

This is a busy time of the year with various deciduous trees ready for repotting. Here's the last of my group plantings/forests. To add to the Boulevard Cypress, Japanese Maple and Chinese Elm forest that I have recently posted in the progression series - here's a group planting of Japanese Elms!

Background: I rescued some really poor nursery stock about 5 years ago. From memory there were 3 pots with multiple pot bound Zelkova's in a general nursery. I saved them from being dumped out the back of a general nursery.

Anyway... I repotted .... then root trimmed and repotted...then reduced the height.

The hardest thing to remove were some really, really ugly twisted roots. If you look at the photo below the tree on the right has a weird aerial root which today I jammed over a rock to help 'disguise' it... that root crossed the trunk a few years back! Perhaps I should have removed it like I did some others. You'll also see one of the ugly roots still at the base of the main tree. I nearly removed it today but then I sort of thought it looked ... bearable.

Anyway ... I think this group is looking OK too. Taking heed of advice recently received on this forum for other forests... I have a more subtle, winding, narrowing furrow/path with no stones... a more natural look perhaps?

Here's the group as it was earlier today in a rectangular, deep'ish pot.

IMG_5023.jpg

Not too root bound but quite wet so when I repotted today, I used a looser mix with drainage pebbles on the base of the pot this time. Learning...

IMG_5024.jpg

And into the newer lower profile oval pot.

IMG_5040.jpg

A bit more detail - you can see how I have tried to work the root into a rock. It looks OK, I think.

IMG_5033.jpg

And a side view ... I think it is correct that the main trees should be slightly leaning to the front - which they are.

IMG_5034.jpg

So there you have it. Comments always welcome. Learning by trying ...

[MJL]

A quick update. This has only just come into leaf - much later than my other deciduous forests. I was a little worried but it’s now bouncing into spring.

My young Japanese Maple and Chinese Elm forests are much denser than this Japanese Elm planting. I like this sparser group and look forward to many years of ‘clip & grow’ - over time selecting branches to grow and ramify.

IMG_5269.JPG

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Boics]

Yes zelkova are always last to leaf round here too.
Completely normal - yours are clearly ahead of mine in terms of growth too.

Watch the trunks for clusters of branches at same spot and remove to one asap.
Otherwise you will get unsightly bulges at these points.

Defoliation is an option for zelkova after leave have hardened off as well.
Good luck on your journey.

[MJL]

Yes zelkova are always last to leaf round here too.
Completely normal - yours are clearly ahead of mine in terms of growth too.

Watch the trunks for clusters of branches at same spot and remove to one asap.
Otherwise you will get unsightly bulges at these points.

Defoliation is an option for zelkova after leave have hardened off as well.
Good luck on your journey.

Cheers for the response and the advice Boics; that’s exactly why this forum is the ducks nuts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk