Jacaranda Trio

[MJL]

Good morning.

I was wandering around the garden this morning - checking to see that my plants had not washed away in the buckets of rain that poured down overnight and noted this group of Jacarandas.

I don’t think I have not posted a pic of these on this forum before because I thought it was a reasonably cr@p group ...but I am coming to really like it. (And I post a lot of cr@p anyway - so why hide the Jacarandas!)

Anyway - I think these plants are more conducive to the climate further north but they seem to be going ok. The largest was given to me by my step-dad and the other two were seedlings in one terracotta pot that I saw at a cheese factory! I asked if I could buy the little pot and they said feel free to take it with my latte... cool.

So a few years down the track and here we are. All I do is water and feed lots and trim the tops to push growth onto dead wood and reduce leaf size. I am sure they would be more verdant with more humidity but they are going ok. I will wire some movement into the second and third branches on the biggest tree in due course too.

As usual for me - they are over-potted in a training pot but I’ll reduce the size of the pot in due course. At the moment - just more of my pre-Bonsai.

As always - happy for any thoughts and advice.

Cheers,

Mark

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Bonsai teaches me patience.

[MJL]

Hot day today .... banana milkshakes and relaxing with the kids. Cricket on the radio in the background ... a bit of time to create a few bends.

I like where this trio is heading ... clip and grow keeps everything under control and it seems to bud back reasonably readily.

I don’t think I’ll ever get flowers because I keep cutting it back from the top - if I do, it’ll be a bonus. Regardless - I am enjoying this grouping.

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[Ryceman3]

I see it thickening up from your first images, it’s coming along nicely - plenty of potential if you can work it right, much like the Aussie cricket team!

[MJL]

Cheers R3. Yes, they should continue to thicken over time, I hope. While I’ve cut them off in these photos - the tree tends to get a reasonable amount of new growth on the old wood which I tend to leave to grow a little - cutting off before the scar will be too prominent. I am sure I could leave these ‘sacrifice’ branches longer.

I think the smart players on this forum would ground grow these for speed but I have little space and quite like look even though it’s in a trading pot.

In the end, I think the taper will come from continually updating the leaders on each tree/branch.


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[Pierre]

Hi MJL,
Nice trees. I like Jacaranda, they get a great bark quickly, and grow fast. Of course they come with many challenges but they do heal over cuts very well I found.
Pierre

[MJL]

Repotted these. No major changes but better. I think this trio is coming along well. I nearly reduced the size of the largest tree but decided to keep the hight for now - I hope it might bud back a little lower and then I can cut back. Maybe.

I re-arranged the layout to bring trees closer together, slightly reduced pot size and went for a glazed pot - just one I had lying around.

I did a much of the work under the soil; untangling roots and spreading better - will make for better nebari in future.

A trio that I continue to like.

Pre-repotting and roots.

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Post repotting below.

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[boom64]

Looking good Mark , trees are coming on nicely ,very harmonious. Cheers John.

[MJL]

This is a photo of relief. After the last repotting - these trees immediately shed the leaves or 90% of the leaves. Then nothing ... honestly, I thought they were cactus/dead/kaput and I was disappointed ... I know these aren't much in a bonsai sense and they'll probably never flower but I like them! Anyway, in the past 2 weeks they have sprung into life. They look a little weak but phew, happy times.

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[greg27]

I really like the movement you've put into these Mark, so much so that I've been keeping my eye out for Jacaranda seedlings that I can steal - Jacaranda are very popular as street trees in Adelaide. Just now I spied a candidate, a lot bigger than I had in mind but I can live with that, in the front yard of a house that's about to get demolished, so I'll have to come back for it soon before yard gets torn up.

[MJL]

Go Greg! Go save that tree from certain death! I am pleased to report that my trio are back and powering along.

In saving trees (or tiny little seedlings) .... when you walk your dog or whatever takes you around your neighbourhood you’ll be surprised what you find... just last week I was cutting English Elm root suckers (again). Historically, I have also spotted Cedrus seedlings no bigger than 2” high under old trees ...rare but keep an eagle eye out; self down seedlings and suckers can be great stock to play with. Oh, and some species Chinese and Japanese elms self-seed like rabbits too.

[kcpoole]

I really like the movement you've put into these Mark, so much so that I've been keeping my eye out for Jacaranda seedlings that I can steal - Jacaranda are very popular as street trees in Adelaide. Just now I spied a candidate, a lot bigger than I had in mind but I can live with that, in the front yard of a house that's about to get demolished, so I'll have to come back for it soon before yard gets torn up.

Go get I'm
They are easy to report and collect and Back bud on old wood readily. Cut them hard to generate taper and interest

Ken

[greg27]

Thanks guys, love your work. I wandered back this morning and grabbed it - turns out it's a lot bigger than I assumed - and with flowers! I've started a new thread so as to stop hijacking this one: viewtopic.php?f=129&t=27785

[MJL]

Played around with these this morning ... really just a tidy up. The bird and the bloke seem happy that I spruced up their garden. This grouping is a joy ... slowly turning into to something more interesting than sticks .... and the bones/branching better with time. I think I could cut back harder - say on the longest branch on the largest tree but not yet. Slowly slowly .... here’s a before and some afters.






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[MJL]

Bored in Melbourne. Went for a run and then decided to attack some more plants. This time this trio. Took about 6 inches or more off the top - across all trees. I read in one of my Japanese
bonsai books that sometimes cuttings take well under their own trees ... so I have either increased the group or not - nothing to lose.


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[Raging Bull]

Good luck with the cuttings. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I like the natural looking movement you've put into the trunks of the trio. My poincianas are now starting to take off, and your Jaca post has prompted me to take some pics and post progress pics.
Cheers, Frank.