KIRKY's Flowering apricot

[melbrackstone]

What a stunner KIRKY! Yes a huge tease for those of us who want our own!

Sounds like you need someone with a camera to visit your collection.

[KIRKY]

Thanks Mel, my pics dont do it justice I sorry to say need to practice more I think.
Cheers
Kirky

[bodhidharma]

Love the flowering Apricot's and this has a beautiful trunkline. I am also a wannabe for these. What is the height Kirky?

[treeman]

Much better!

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How long since a repot Kirky?

[apgar000]

Nice [CLAPPING HANDS SIGN][THUMBS UP SIGN] how old??


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[Pearcy001]

Great job Kirky! Looking the goods indeed.

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[KIRKY]

Thanks Mike, the larger pic's are easier to view thank you for your assist.
Last repotted 2015 it will be repotted this year after flowering and trimmed back. One thing I would like to know can I use these cuttings? I know to take cuttings late Spring for propagation, just wanted to know if I can use these too?

Bodhi it is currently including pot about 70cm tall. I will be cutting it back to about 50cm once the flowers are done back to a leaf bud.

apgarr not sure how old it is I got this beauty just over a year ago from John Henry.

Thanks Pearcy, I'm a lucky girl, Wedding Anniversary pressie from the hubby who constantly tells me I have too many trees.
Cheers
Kirky

[melbrackstone]

Absolutely beautiful, what a great pressie!

I'd be trying the cuttings, for sure. Good luck!

[treeman]

I can fill in a bit of the history of this tree.
It was grafted at some stage. I think about 15 years ago or so. I had three varieties at one stage. A double pink similar to this maybe a bit darker, the weeping form that we commonly see around the place - also pink, and a double white. I did a few crosses between these three and ended up with this and a similar flower ( but white) which were the best of the bunch. They were grafted on to seedlings of the same batch. I still have the original plant of this variety in the ground which is now giving me lots of fruit/seed. I have tried semi-hardwood cuttings and hardwood without too much luck. It's not easy from cuttings but possible. It's unlikely they will strike from flowered branches but worth a try rather than throwing them out. Haven't tried layering but I might this year. There are a few specimens from this batch floating around now. Probably around eight or so.
I stopped doing them for a few years because no one seemed too interested. But now of course everybody wants one and I have none and not many people do. So I'm starting all over again. I would STRONGLY advise anyone who sees one to grab it because you may never get another chance. The price for something this size is now quite high but well worth the temporary pain. I would now value this tree at $3000 if not more.

[Bonbon]

I can fill in a bit of the history of this tree.
It was grafted at some stage. I think about 15 years ago or so. I had three varieties at one stage. A double pink similar to this maybe a bit darker, the weeping form that we commonly see around the place - also pink, and a double white. I did a few crosses between these three and ended up with this and a similar flower ( but white) which were the best of the bunch. They were grafted on to seedlings of the same batch. I still have the original plant of this variety in the ground which is now giving me lots of fruit/seed. I have tried semi-hardwood cuttings and hardwood without too much luck. It's not easy from cuttings but possible. It's unlikely they will strike from flowered branches but worth a try rather than throwing them out. Haven't tried layering but I might this year. There are a few specimens from this batch floating around now. Probably around eight or so.
I stopped doing them for a few years because no one seemed too interested. But now of course everybody wants one and I have none and not many people do. So I'm starting all over again. I would STRONGLY advise anyone who sees one to grab it because you may never get another chance. The price for something this size is now quite high but well worth the temporary pain. I would now value this tree at $3000 if not more.

Really a stunning tree. $3000 is a bargain if you are willing to sell

[Bonbon]

I often browse Chinese bonsai forum. Funny thing is prunus mume , prunus Persica etc are very common and very cheap in China. Our quarantine law isolated us from all the best material from the world esp China and Japan.
Just bought one in Sydney for $250. The same tree in China should be around $50 RMB which is A$10.
Sometimes I really envy of the Americans and other countries one can pack trees in the luggage with soil and bring them back to their country.

[Bonbon]

One stupid question,

The Prunus Mume I saw in the internet and including this lovely one, most of them the branches are all straight and growing in all directions. Can't they be styled too? Flower is the main attraction of this species but the placement and movement of the branches should boost the tree too.

[Bonbon]

Like the difference of these two

[treeman]

I often browse Chinese bonsai forum. Funny thing is prunus mume , prunus Persica etc are very common and very cheap in China. Our quarantine law isolated us from all the best material from the world esp China and Japan.
Just bought one in Sydney for $250. The same tree in China should be around $50 RMB which is A$10.
Sometimes I really envy of the Americans and other countries one can pack trees in the luggage with soil and bring them back to their country.

Tell me about it! I did try to buy ume seeds from China - not expecting much. They sent me Chiomnanthus praecox. Any add from china or Hong Kong selling ume seeds will send you Ch praecox. It was worth a try. Can we see the tree you got in Sydney?? (there are very few good Ume bonsai in the US)

[treeman]

One stupid question,

The Prunus Mume I saw in the internet and including this lovely one, most of them the branches are all straight and growing in all directions. Can't they be styled too? Flower is the main attraction of this species but the placement and movement of the branches should boost the tree too.

Yes they can but with difficulty. Especially the developed forms as apposed to the wild one. Branches sometimes have only 1 or 2 buds so there is often not much to work with. Wiring needs to be done with the leaves on because they are extremely brittle. You have to cut back hard each year for the first decade to get good ''wild'' movement. Any time spent on them is worth it.

Wild type...The bloke up in QLd was selling seedlings of this type on ebay. I got one.

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Red cultivated variety

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Weeping variety ?

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All good