AusBonsai

I found this peppermint at a local nursery tucked away pretty neglected and sad looking. I was drawn to it due to it having some age evident in the bark, and also what I thought was character and quirkiness in the multiple slender trunks, and interesting root base.

It wasn't labelled but I have a feeling it is the 'nana' dwarf variety of Agonis Flexuosa. But still not 100% on that.

I spent the first year giving it a repot into a nicer fresh mix, and then cutting back and growing several times to encourage backbudding and pull the growth back in nice and bushy.

By the time it was getting bushy with a lot of branches to start working with I was still unsure of where I wanted to head with it. The Perth national convention was around the corner so I decided to take it as one of my trees for a masterclass workshop with visiting Japanese artist Masayuki Fujikawa, a former apprentice of Masahiko Kimura. That was a great experience and I very much enjoyed his perspective and thought process.

He talked about giving the branch design a gentle flowing habit up and down as it stretched out like water. I then could see it as a peppermint on the bank of a river reaching over the water in a very relaxing environment. I am excited to keep developing this project

Now that it is pushing a lot of new growth months later, I have repotted into a shallower terracotta pot and covered the root base a lot higher to try and encourage new roots to grow and fill in the big open gap you will see pictured. I also gave a partial defoliation of the big leaves to let more light in.
April 2022 from the nursery
April 2022 first cutback
Repotted
The rootbase with large opening
Before work at workshop May 2023
End of workshop May 2023
Repotted July 2023 before partial defoliation
After partial defoliation July 2023

Hi Patmet ,always interesting to see your new adventures. This looks like another good one. The long weeping branch got me in , very cool. Cheers John.

Very graceful, and not done to a formula - this will look well as it matures.

Gavin

A thin out of the growth post prune and repot in July. This will let more light and air in to the interior.
Before
After

Nice curl-around at the left edge. It will be good to see it develop over the years.

Gavin

I’ve been chipping away at this over the last week or so whenever I can find time. Prune and partial defoliation, cutting any of the large leaves I need to keep in half to balance the energy and stop them shading out other areas. I then gave it a full wiring.

This would have to be my favourite project in my collection. It’s not my most advanced tree but I just love it. I can see a good future when things mature and develop further.
Before prune
After prune
After wire

Good progression and transformation from when you first got it.

I'm a big fan of the flowing long branch style, and you have captured it here so beautifully! I look forward to watching this tree mature.