AusBonsai

Posted: **March 7th, 2023, 8:58 pm**

If you ever want to go for a trip, Bonsai World Jiliby have a great selection of ficus in the nursery stock, semi-worked and worked range. All at very reasonable prices.

Nesci's have some collectible level ficus (think large/impressive), they also have some in a section which have been worked on (already trimmed and placed in ceramic pots) but I only spotted a couple of PJF in their nursery stock section. They did have about half a dozen nursery stock willow-leaf ficus. They did have quite a few in their starter range.

Agree it's hard to find developed stock online.

Posted: **March 8th, 2023, 10:09 am**

BonsaiBobbie what variety of ficus are you after?
Cheers
Kirky

Posted: **March 8th, 2023, 11:04 am**

KIRKY wrote: ↑March 8th, 2023, 10:09 am BonsaiBobbie what variety of ficus are you after?
Cheers
Kirky

Hi Kirky,

probably Port Jackson. Seem to do best at my house / in the new apartment.

Posted: **March 8th, 2023, 11:12 am**

TimIAm wrote: ↑March 7th, 2023, 8:58 pm If you ever want to go for a trip, Bonsai World Jiliby have a great selection of ficus in the nursery stock, semi-worked and worked range. All at very reasonable prices.

Nesci's have some collectible level ficus (think large/impressive), they also have some in a section which have been worked on (already trimmed and placed in ceramic pots) but I only spotted a couple of PJF in their nursery stock section. They did have about half a dozen nursery stock willow-leaf ficus. They did have quite a few in their starter range.

Agree it's hard to find developed stock online.

Ta. That is good to know. I'll factor in a trip there the next time I visit my Mum up North, or do a Bonsai road trip!!!

Posted: **May 7th, 2023, 10:21 am**

Walked past this at one of my usual nursery haunts and figured it was time i gave natives a go, and angophora is one that i've considered a few times before but haven't found any decent material to begin with.

Angophora costata, nice start to a trunk, no idea what i'm doing with it whatsoever so i'll be trying to find some threads other people have done on them. I am hesitant to cut back hard on it and scar the beautiful trunk, but i may not have too much choice in that either.

IMG_2023-05-06-16-00-21-122.jpg

IMG_2023-05-06-16-00-10-374.jpg

Posted: **May 7th, 2023, 11:38 am**

TimS wrote: ↑May 7th, 2023, 10:21 am Angophora costata, nice start to a trunk, no idea what i'm doing with it whatsoever so i'll be trying to find some threads other people have done on them. I am hesitant to cut back hard on it and scar the beautiful trunk, but i may not have too much choice in that either.

Hi TimS,

I also picked up an Angophora costata just recently that looks identical to yours, shape, trunk, width etc. I treated it exactly the same as the example in this post:
viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724

And this has a photo of the Angophora costata that I purchased as well:

viewtopic.php?p=298929#p298929

Depending on where you live though, I wouldn't be doing anything with it now until about October/November.
By memory I repotted and separated the roots of the Angophora costata in about February as well. I would not be doing that now at this time of year though.

The costata is alive and well, but hasn't put on any new growth really, apart from a few tiny shoots. Its the same for the polyanthemos. Bloody pests nibble away at the polyanthemos, but they don't touch the Angophora costata though. Gall wasps will plague the costata in time though. They always do.

Also, I'm not familiar with the potter in the background of your photo. Is that one of Tim The Toolmans?

Posted: **May 7th, 2023, 1:19 pm**

Rory wrote: ↑May 7th, 2023, 11:38 am
TimS wrote: ↑May 7th, 2023, 10:21 am Angophora costata, nice start to a trunk, no idea what i'm doing with it whatsoever so i'll be trying to find some threads other people have done on them. I am hesitant to cut back hard on it and scar the beautiful trunk, but i may not have too much choice in that either.

Hi TimS,

I also picked up an Angophora costata just recently that looks identical to yours, shape, trunk, width etc. I treated it exactly the same as the example in this post:
viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724

And this has a photo of the Angophora costata that I purchased as well:

viewtopic.php?p=298929#p298929

Depending on where you live though, I wouldn't be doing anything with it now until about October/November.
By memory I repotted and separated the roots of the Angophora costata in about February as well. I would not be doing that now at this time of year though.

The costata is alive and well, but hasn't put on any new growth really, apart from a few tiny shoots. Its the same for the polyanthemos. Bloody pests nibble away at the polyanthemos, but they don't touch the Angophora costata though. Gall wasps will plague the costata in time though. They always do.

Also, I'm not familiar with the potter in the background of your photo. Is that one of Tim The Toolmans?

Thanks very much for the links there, i'll have a good read through them and get my head around this whole native bizzo. I did commit sin #1 by not checking what the roots were doing when i picked up up whoops. Can't do much about the gall wasp, it cost me all of about $40 so not like i'm into it for big bucks anyway.

Not sure about Tim the Toolman, but the potter may be accurately described as TimS the Tool

Old treated pine fence palings i had laying around from years back when a fence got replaced. It was knock up some grow boxes with them, or pay the tip to take them, so i knocked up some boxes knowing i wasn't going to be putting edibles in them. Not convinced about their effectiveness, but when you're out of suitable training pots then needs must as the devil wants.

Posted: **May 8th, 2023, 12:17 pm**

Welcome to Eucalypts! You can cut hard, in the heat of summer when you do root pruning. Because it has large leaves, you'll be looking for a large bonsai, so grow long, cut back hard each time, and make a trunk with interesting movement!

The A. costata at the NBPCA is magnificent, large, and old, and shows what you can do with the species. You can see the scars of a number of heavy cut-backs on the back of the tree - it has been grown very skilfully.

Large pot, plenty of water and fertiliser, and watch it go mad! Don't expect them to do what they're told...

Gavin

Posted: **May 8th, 2023, 1:46 pm**

I love the Angophora Costata or the Red great first Euc’s imo. It will need to be a larger bonsai as Gavin stated.
Also make sure to keep it well watered come summer. I have found bonsai Euc’s during summer are really thirsty.
The one at NBPCA was originally a garden tree well over 10 feet at the time it blew over during a storm after weeks of heavy rain here in Melbourne. Probably one of the earliest native tree I had seen used as a bonsai. It was successfully saved and turned into a bonsai by Ted Williams. Well worth a look it’s a stunningly natural tree stands last time I saw it at about 80-90cm. If anyone has a recent pic of it would love to see it again.
Cheers
Kirky

Posted: **May 8th, 2023, 4:27 pm**

GavinG wrote: ↑May 8th, 2023, 12:17 pm Welcome to Eucalypts! You can cut hard, in the heat of summer when you do root pruning. Because it has large leaves, you'll be looking for a large bonsai, so grow long, cut back hard each time, and make a trunk with interesting movement!

The A. costata at the NBPCA is magnificent, large, and old, and shows what you can do with the species. You can see the scars of a number of heavy cut-backs on the back of the tree - it has been grown very skilfully.

Large pot, plenty of water and fertiliser, and watch it go mad! Don't expect them to do what they're told...

Gavin

Thanks very much indeed for the tips about the large pot and plenty of feed and water and the being ready to adapt to them doing what they want. Certainly the NBPCA tree is huge influence in giving it a go myself, and since i tend to prefer large scale trees i'm not put off at all by that. Looking forward to the learning process with it and doing something a bit different to my usual maples

Posted: **May 8th, 2023, 4:29 pm**

KIRKY wrote: ↑May 8th, 2023, 1:46 pm I love the Angophora Costata or the Red great first Euc’s imo. It will need to be a larger bonsai as Gavin stated.
Also make sure to keep it well watered come summer. I have found bonsai Euc’s during summer are really thirsty.
The one at NBPCA was originally a garden tree well over 10 feet at the time it blew over during a storm after weeks of heavy rain here in Melbourne. Probably one of the earliest native tree I had seen used as a bonsai. It was successfully saved and turned into a bonsai by Ted Williams. Well worth a look it’s a stunningly natural tree stands last time I saw it at about 80-90cm. If anyone has a recent pic of it would love to see it again.
Cheers
Kirky

Totally agree, even as an admitted exotic deciduous species addict, the NBPCA one is so so special and a large incentive for me to give it a crack. It will be nice to think outside the box after years of JM and exotic deciduous growing, but also expanding on the maples and the prunus as well!

Posted: **May 8th, 2023, 4:37 pm**

These are from May 2021, I'm sure someone has later shots. It was very impressive then, no doubt it's improved a lot even in the last two years.

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_DSC3977.jpg

Posted: **May 8th, 2023, 7:47 pm**

Thanks Mel

Cheers
Kirky

Posted: **May 9th, 2023, 7:01 pm**

My latest purchase was this shimpaku from Neil from shibui bonsai. Great branch structure and trunk. Hopefully I can trim and wire it to do it justice

Posted: **May 11th, 2023, 8:31 am**

Abarnes93 wrote: ↑May 9th, 2023, 7:01 pm My latest purchase was this shimpaku from Neil from shibui bonsai. Great branch structure and trunk. Hopefully I can trim and wire it to do it justice

Did you pick it up at the Northwest show? I grabbed a few prunus there with the same SB code and assumed it was Neil's including a nice purple leaf plum with a good little twin trunk

When you've given it a trim and wire post up the results, looks like a good start for a great mini tree in future

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