Gum Literati

[Bretts]

I thought I better make a move on my last entry. I acquired a bunch of gums for free from a defunct nursery. I plan to make a Forrest that will one day be accepted to the national collection. I am no gun with gums so that is a loong term plan
Since I acquired it a couple of years ago it has been trunk chopped.

This one jumped out as a possible literati though, so I thought I would give it a go.

I am keen to go and chop this at the moment but I thought I better upload a picture before I did the current work to stay in line with the rules.

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[Bretts]

That was easy this one pretty well had the cut points drawn on it.

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Although I new this was the chop that was needed I don't have a specific plan with this tree yet. I have been studying the gums around the area to come up with a concept of how a literati gum might look so we will see how I go.
For now this will get lots of water and a gradual increase of dynamic lifter to get the fast growth that gums are renowned for.

[FlyBri]

Gday Bretts (& Dayne)!

I hope that I'm staying within the bounds of 'non-clutter' here, but I'm sure I'll be told if this is not the case. I believe the book in question is Old Growth, by Peter McConchie.

With regards to your tree: you have the beginnings of a nice line there, without too much taper. Further pleasing movement is up to you to create, as I'm certain that you can and will.

I believe that your biggest challenge lies in bringing this tree's roots to the point where they fit into a Literati-style pot. The 'air-prune' pot will have worked in your favour, but I kinda wish I could be there when you finally remove the tree for its first root prune. Feel free to pick my brains as you go.

Thanks and good luck.

Fly.

PS: If any of this is deemed off-topic or not 'design-based' enough, I know a bloke who can move it...

PPS: Given my limited knowledge of commonly cultivated Eucs, that could be E. meliodora (Yellow Box).

[Bretts]

I guess Pup agrees with you Fly !
I will call it yellow box until some one tells me otherwise
I will be taking my time to re-pot this one Fly. I might experiment with one of the other trees first and see what we may be up against. I will be sure to ask your advice when the time comes, I'll even buy the beers if you pay for the flight . This is new stock so it may not go into the final literati pot within the year. Maybe a nice terracotta pot for starters

I was looking at Gums on a road trip a while back and as soon as I thought about Literati I saw one that was a perfect example. That one and a few road trips since I have not seen the same again. I feel I am getting closer to understanding how a Gum grows though.

Thanks Dayne And Fly that looks like a ripper book but I have used up my Book allowance for a while to come after Stone Lanterns recent Sales

[Bretts]

I have been meaning to pluck the few extra shoots of this one for the last couple of weeks but finally got around to it today.

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I am going to have to start making some decisions on the design and branch selection now.
Got a couple of hours driving to do today I will check out some gums on the way to get some more ideas.

[Bretts]

After looking at gum trees all day and some thought I removed some more un wanted branches and have come up with this idea.

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Don't pay attention to the thickness of the left branch. There is a couple of single line options there that make it look like a thicker branch. I see it as being about the same thickness as the right one.

[Jamie]

brett nice work so far, i think your idea has the basis for a gum tree, yet i feel the way you plan on branching the tree might not seem natural i am no gum tree expert by no means but from what i have seen in nature gums have a couple of different ways they can branch of.

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as you can see in the example above the branching has a flowing nearly abstract design yet looks very natural.

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yet this one has a bit more of a rigid sharper bends in the branching.

i think if you can mimic this sort of behaviour of the gum trees where they have sub trunks or main branches that go up then go out with twists and turns whether there smooth and flowing or more rigid and sharper, you will find a more naturalistic tree within the design. thats what i would be aiming for if i was doing a gum tree. i think it would be quite acheivable to get this sort of idea in not to long a time.
one other thing i noticed with the gums is that before the get to there branching the have either heavy sub trunks or branches before they span out to the flowing twisted branching then to the fingers of branching where the foliage is at the outer limits.

just an idea for ya mate hope it helps.

jamie

[Pup]

Just so we are clear the styling of the tree is the subject. I have seen and do have pictures of Gum trees on my Sons property in Denmark.
South West Australia that go straight up for 15 metres then the top goes at right angles.
So what is the natural style.

Cheers Pup

[Bretts]

Every thing you say here Jamie is true. I drove past a multitude of gum trees for an hour and a half every day and studied them. about 3 hours today was a great help. I would say this literati discussion and the Styles of penjing has done alot in my studies of how we may replicate them.
Although most grow upwards the ones that don't can have a wide variation.
A great old vibrant gum in this area may have upward swooping branches that curl over as I will try to represent in the apex of the tree. The right branch is a less seen equivalent of this. The left branch is another variation of this as a horizontal branch that then swoops down and up. One aspect I have noticed is that secandeary branching then aims up.
I believe I will be able to use these three styles of branch movement in gums to balance this tree in the literati form.
Time will tell. I am still expecting to be told by Pup that less than horizontal branches will die back on a native.
I think as we see these branches on a natural Gum then if we can not replicate it horticulturaly in bonsai we are waisting our time trying to make a natural gum bonsai so I will continue to try.

[Pup]

Every thing you say here Jamie is true. I drove past a multitude of gum trees for an hour and a half every day and studied them. about 3 hours today was a great help. I would say this literati discussion and the Styles of penjing has done alot in my studies of how we may replicate them.
Although most grow upwards the ones that don't can have a wide variation.
A great old vibrant gum in this area may have upward swooping branches that curl over as I will try to represent in the apex of the tree. The right branch is a less seen equivalent of this. The left branch is another variation of this as a horizontal branch that then swoops down and up. One aspect I have noticed is that secandeary branching then aims up.
I believe I will be able to use these three styles of branch movement in gums to balance this tree in the literati form.
Time will tell. I am still expecting to be told by Pup that less than horizontal branches will die back on a native.
I think as we see these branches on a natural Gum then if we can not replicate it horticulturaly in bonsai we are waisting our time trying to make a natural gum bonsai so I will continue to try.

Only on certain species of trees will you get die back past the horizontal. Not all as we have seen, we do have weeping trees in Autralia. Cheers Pup

[Bretts]

Thanks for the info Pup. Pity I didn't put it to good use as I was very slack with this entry. I put all my gums under the mop top in early spring after their spot got taken by the water tank. I was hoping to find some where for them after the mop top leafed out but the yard is just too crowded and they stayed there.
I am surprised they are still alive with the lack of care I have been giving them. They only get watered by the rain and when I turn the sprinkler on the ground growing area.
I dragged this guy out today to get a photo.

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I will keep this one out and give it the care it deserves.