Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

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baldtwitlion
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by baldtwitlion »

They all grow as they should
No one dominant
Cohesion with a little chaos


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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by GavinG »

To answer tgward: "I was addressing a previous post by someone here--"the more diversity the better as far as I'm concerned"--"
True, but as I understand it he simply wanted a large number of viewpoints, not necessarily "diversity as the main goal," as you suggested.

Mike, in answer: The other side of dominance is repression, and there is no excuse for that in a civilised society. Or need. Repression of minorities is justified by fear of "what they might do", hence my question.

Sno: great trees, great angles, thanks for posting,

but

EVERYBODY!!! ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THE DOG-WHISTLE POLITICS!!! PLEASE!!!

Trees. photos. discuss.

Grumpy old cuss.
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by baldtwitlion »

ImageImage


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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by tgward »

Gavin :cool: --perhaps I misunderstood----
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by bodhidharma »

To soothe all the savage beasts, a little bit of Autumn harmony with a bit of dominance and diversity thrown in. My place last year during a month long meditation retreat, awakening.
Ginkgo leaves on the universal symbol of male/female principles, one cannot live without the other.
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by boom64 »

Recently have been out in the Riverina and took some pictures of one of my favourite species Callitris. Sorry about the quality of the pics as it was a very grey day and also these were taken at a small country cemetery. Although not sure if this had any bearing at all . A bit of a progression showing the effects of father time. Unfortunately could not get a pic of the last stage ,trunks splitting ,deadwood becomes a major feature and branches continue to grow in wildly distorted shapes. Maybe next time.
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by Rory »

Yeah, they’re amazing trees John. I love them too. But I don’t have enough sun to grow them.
Grant and PeterH have some very nice ones.
I’ll stick with Casuarina.
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Growing Australian natives as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=289480#p289480

Buying and repotting Native nursery material: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724

Growing tips for Casuarina as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=244995#p244995

How to reduce moss from the trunk without damaging the bark: viewtopic.php?p=295227#p295227
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by Keep Calm and Ramify »

boom64 wrote:A bit of a progression showing the effects of father time.
Thanks for posting the pics Sno & Boom - it is the last pic that starts to show the tree's individual character through it's abnormalities, that is so hard to foresee (particularly when starting off with young or immature material.)
By studying more forms in nature, and less from other bonsai, it's easy to see how added interest could be achieved by retaining or even accentuating some "flaws?" that would otherwise be removed or hidden - provided you are brave, and remain styling for your own self satisfaction.
Luckily, it's not to everyone's taste.
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by treeman »

="GavinG"]

Mike, in answer: The other side of dominance is repression, and there is no excuse for that in a civilised society. Or need. Repression of minorities is justified by fear of "what they might do", hence my question.

EVERYBODY!!! ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THE DOG-WHISTLE POLITICS!!! PLEASE!!!

Nice. Make a definitive statement and then call for an end to discussion.
I used the same example as sno used to illustrate his point..... My point on page 4 proved once again.
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by GavinG »

Baldtwitlion, the Venerable Bodhi, and boom64, thanks for the photos, particularly the last, which showed some branches getting old, complicated and dynamic.

Mike, I did you the courtesy of explaining my question that you queried.

Back to bonsai:
Some interesting branches with energy, direction and angles.
Definitely NOT natural. at all. never.
P1010668.jpg
Some serious dancing jins.
P1010669.jpg
A tough life at the bottom.
P1010671.jpg
Similar, but more directed, less struggle.

Enjoy,

Gavin
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by Matthew »

While I appreciate the "natural" style especially some examples that Mike has provided and some trees I have had the pleasure of seeing my Bonsai journey started spending every weekend at a bonsai nursery. I was taught I guess the traditional methods and what to me is pleasing to the eye ie negative space , trunk to apex alignment , left-right-back etc branching for formal and some informal styles . These styles mostly are still proberly the most pleasing to MY eye and I know seeing numerous trees in those styles can seem "cookie cutter" but again I find each one in ther own right unique.
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by melbrackstone »

Strange how the word "natural" has crept into this discussion, considering the OP didn't mention the word

Wild trees and bonsai, on the other hand....

I personally look forward to seeing more Native trees that actually look like Native trees, rather than Japanese replicas, and hopefully discussions like this will help feed that trend. We have a lot to be grateful for, from Chinese and Japanese knowledge, t'would be nice to build on that and grow our own identity.

As Gavin stated
Just some thoughts. If I want my bonsai to look like a tree, I have a loooong way to go.
I suspect we all have a long way to go, however if we're attempting to break the mould, that can only be a good thing, yes?
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by GavinG »

I'm indeed getting mouldier by the minute, mel...

Incidentally, thanks for setting the native bonsai prize at the NBPCA.

Gavin
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by treeman »

GavinG wrote:
Mike, I did you the courtesy of explaining my question that you queried.
You did nothing if the sort Gavin. Your ''question'' to me was the presumptuous...''Why are you afraid of minorities?'' My query was ''When did I say that''?
So please either concentrate or stop.
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Re: Things we don't much do in bonsai. Why?

Post by baldtwitlion »

It was very presumptuous of you to assume that Sno couldn’t think for himself


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