Two rosemaries

[Joshua]

I read this article by Matthew Ward saying that rosemary "can become a bonsai in a single year with a minimum of effort"
Sold!
I got two from the nursery at the same time as my Callistemon, a standard one and a prostrate variety. They're in 2.5L pots.

First the standard:

rosemary.jpeg

rosemary_trunk.jpeg

It's about 1.5cm at the base. Thinking I could make something with a final size of about 20cm if I start potting it down in a year but I'm not sure how quickly they thicken up.

rosemary_surfaceroots_1.jpeg

rosemary_surfaceroots_2.jpeg

Potentially decent future nebari?

rosemary_roots.jpeg

Doesn't seem rootbound just yet, but I don't know, I'm only comparing it to the next one...

The prostrate variety:

rosemary_prostrate_top.jpeg

rosemary_prostrate_side.jpeg

This one has all kinds of curves. Couldn't get great photos of the trunk because there's just so much going on.
It's thinner than the other one at the base, but it has a two trunks and a branch that are pretty much at ground level. Can't really get in to see the roots.

rosmary_prostrate_roots.jpeg

Looks root bound to me.

I've started with removing a couple of obvious unwanted branches where there are several in one place, or that are crossing, etc.
Still hesitating about what to do with each of them.
Maybe I'll try to make a small bonsai from the upright one, and cut the other one back to one or two trunks and grow it in a bigger pot for a couple of years.

A couple of questions for now:

Should I root prune now at the end of spring or wait til the start of next spring?
I'm thinking the prostrate one looks like it needs it pretty badly, but i could just slip-pot it up for now. Would it be bad to root prune this late in the season? Could I get away with it if I cut of an equivalent number of branches?
I feel like the upright one doesn't need it so much and can wait a bit more.

How hard a pruning can they take in general (when not root pruning at the same time)? How much can I take off at a time and how often?

[Watto]

I have a couple of Rosemary's and they do make good bonsai. A few things I have learnt over the years:-
1 They don't bud back on old wood so you must always cut back to green foliage (like a juniper)
2 They don't like their roots being disturbed so great care is needed at repotting time
3 The rough bark is a beautiful asset
4 Look great when in flower
5 Smell great when you are working on them

I would give it (them) a good trim and see if you can find the best (and smallest) bonsai in there.
Good luck.

[Matt S]

Rosemary can make nice bonsai, although I've also heard that the roots are touchy.

I can't offer much horticultural advice but here's a picture of a nice example that was on display at the 2018 convention in Melbourne. I spoke to the owner for a while (can't remember the name) and he said it was dug from a garden at Victor Harbor.

Rosemary 2018 convention.jpg

Cheers,
Matt.

[Joshua]

So neither of these survived in the end, but I did take a cutting off the prostrate one at the time. It was planted it in a big pot next to some other plants, and over the top of a flat piece of plastic to force the roots to fan out. It has since grown a little and seemed quite healthy. I dug up and potted it by itself. It's in a mix of pumice, seramis, and chabasai, with some osmocote.

rosemary 2022-04-14 before.jpeg

before

rosemary 2022-04-14 roots trimmed.jpeg

Roots trimmed a little.

rosemary 2022-04-18 after repot.jpeg

A few days later after the repot.

[MsGreth]

I grow lots of Rosemaries, think currently 13 varieties and there are three that would particularly lend themselves to bonsai. Berenden Blue is reasonably available, strong blue flower but particularly a very fine leaf, which improves the miniature look. One I just got from cutting is called Fine and Dainty, also a very fine leaf, not sure on growing habit yet, but the parent looked upright and bushy. And there is a dwarfish one with a short leaf called Roman Beauty, which again has a visual advantage. I planted a Berenden Blue to grow on specifically for bonsai years ago, the thing is over a metre high and wide now, haven't checked the base to see if it could be useful, but think it is too large for lifting now! Irene is a variety which is poetically called weeping style, but it seems to kinda hunch and droop, I don't find the habit very appealing.