AusBonsai

Species: Melaleuca Styphelioides

Style: Group/forest

Height: 27cm

Origins: collected November 2012 from previously demolished school site/prospective development site (free)

These are prevalent in Sth East Melbourne both in native parkland and as street trees and therefore lots of inspiration around.

Update ... now we can see what's going on

OK so a probably bit late to keep qualification but here's the update from june that missed out due to TapaTalk upload failures ...

Any chance of some photos from the wild? I've no idea what they look like naturally, although I've got a couple in pots...

Thanks,

Gavin

GavinG wrote:Any chance of some photos from the wild? I've no idea what they look like naturally, although I've got a couple in pots...

Thanks,

Gavin

Here ya go Gavin, taken today especially for you unfortunately the photos loaded sideways but once clicked on they view ok

Anyway these were all in parkland in Glen Waverley, maybe not 'wild' but have certainly grown untouched. I did notice that when growing in amongst other trees and getting less light they grow thinner, fairly straight up and appear to have defined foliage pads on multiple levels, where as the bigger, older trees tended also to stand away from other trees and are quite full in structure with branches starting not far from the ground and foliage all around the silhouette in a teardrop shape .

No photos of their street tree siblings but they all tend to have lower branches removed to about 6ft and be mutilated before they reach the power lines.

Very interesting indeed, and very useful. The trunk/branch reticulation is full of character - now are we going to grow trees that do this?

Thanks again for posting,

Gavin

Only one survived after being repotted into a smaller ceramic pot late spring last year...

So style has been revised to Informal Upright

Not much to update, but nice day for it ...