Lantana Yamidori

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MelaQuin
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Lantana Yamidori

Post by MelaQuin »

My hairdresser had a lantana in a pot in his unruly garden and when I mentioned that it could make an interesting bonsai he gave it to me... even delivered it. Nice man.
Mind you, I tried to dissuade him... too big for me but he would not hear of a refusal. So what do you do... you start doing.

What I would like from the forum is some ideas on how to handle the upper trunk. The back is alive with branches, the deadwood is rotted. I cut some away but will wisely wait until the tree has a chance to get over the trauma and start rooting before I subject it to Dremel work. But even removing the deadwood and getting a concave structure to my eyes the upright section is too top heavy. Having said that, lantana grows well [as any well brought up noxious weed will] and I am trying to picture this with clumps of foliage which will greatly alter the current view.
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I removed more branches - especially the one that was crossing the trunk at the bend. The long branch on the right is either going to be a near horizontal or the new header if I cut the entire top off.
Now - styling comments from anyone with a good eye. It is day 2 and the leaves are fully hydrated so that's a good sign. It is lantana Chelsea with these flowers.
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Assuming it survives and flourishes I will ensure that the flowers are cut off when they are finished as I have found several seeds on this plant. The seeds should be infertile but you never know and Sydney has more than its share of the wild lantana. I don't want to add to the misery.
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tinto
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Re: Lantana Yamidori

Post by tinto »

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MelaQuin
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Re: Lantana Yamidori

Post by MelaQuin »

I can see it. Realised last night that quite possibly I should not have removed the branch crossing the trunk but taken off the long right one instead but Monday morning quarterbacking never gets you anywhere and the branch is gone. I really don't like the thought of removing all the upper structure but inwardly a leaf whisper tells me that is what I will eventually do. It also has to be taken into account that the wood is VERY soft and will not make good shari. But I do want to hollow it out first before being drastic [at the same time knowing that I am kidding myself].

Other ideas welcome.
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Re: Lantana Yamidori

Post by Nate.bonsai »

Ha ha, the benefit of hindsight. I sometimes put a twisty tie on a branch that I am considering removing and then let it sit for a couple of months, making sure to spend some time visualising it with a severed limb. I agree that leaving that branch on would have been good.

But, still more than 'salvageable'. I think that the rotted section is too straight and uniform. For me, I would cut it off at a backwards sloping angle (scar at the back) at about the point where your deadwood carving stops and then use one of the 2-3 branches there as a new leader and main branch. That very drastic change in direction should also help mirror the gnarly lower trunk and roots.


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Re: Lantana Yamidori

Post by KIRKY »

Once the top is removed and you start your liquid feeds in a few weeks you will have alot of back budding to choose your new canopy and structure. Remember these things are weeds, and grow accordingly.

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MelaQuin
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Re: Lantana Yamidori

Post by MelaQuin »

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This is better than Lego.... what a fun Christmas present.
I took a punt because the wood is so rotten and did some carving. Interesting effect but no refinement done. Again, silly because the wood is too soft for deadwood but why not get some carving practice.
Still, the top is too heavy and, as we all agree, too straight. So I took a large slab off the top right corner off. Used a bit of wood sealant because there are a couple of well placed shoots near the cut and I don't want to wreck their chances of survival [anymore than I already have].
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I'm now FOR SURE leaving this tree be until it stabilises but I have still not discarded the hope of keeping some of the vertical. The heart says yes, the head says no but the trunk is substantial enough to carry it, it gives the tree a greater interest than just the trunk as a semi cascade. It all depends on how the new shoots develop and what branching is chosen. With the top lightened the structure is not as straight and there is still choice about its future design. Another point... since when do flowering trees have deadwood? And then again.. why not. [Because the wood is too soft, you dilly!].
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Re: Lantana Yamidori

Post by Watto »

The carving has taken out some of the straightness of the upper trunk and improved the taper a bit.
However I think I'm still in the camp of reducing the height, maybe not for a semi cascade type, but using the first right branch as the new direction?
Harry Harrington is an advocate of using supper glue as a sealant and reports he has had considerable success with that method. Maybe worth investigating?
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Re: Lantana Yamidori

Post by MelaQuin »

Not quite 5 weeks after I got the lantana and put it in an open bonsai mix it is adjusting to its new life superbly and getting shape and flowers. I even feel it could be repotted into a bonsai pot at this stage since the roots were well trimmed for a future pot and the container should now be full of healthy feeder roots.
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A couple of upward shoots need to be trimmed back and the right horizontal branch needs more development to balance the tree but it is coming along well. What it really needs now is less of the good stuff, more water restriction, to allow the foliage to harden a bit and reduce leaf size as well.

It flowers profusely and being Lantana, will flower over a long period with just a few weeks between major flowerings to rest and rebud. I am still not 100% convinced that the deadwood is the right way to go but overweighing removing it is the fact, as a yamidori, it is can be different especially now the foliage and the flowers are balancing the starkness and giving it a better perspective. Without the deadwood it becomes another bonsai, with the deadwood it has a striking difference that enhances the tree. It is definitely not your average informal upright.

Once the styrofoam has been replaced with a bonsai pot the tree will have even more impact. It is 54 cm tall which I feel is the best height. This is definitely not a shohin!! It is up for sale... I simply cannot handle a tree this big and this heavy. Maybe not heavy for many but for me... yes. Especially when it is in a pot. If anyone is interested... send me a PM.
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