New wall for Ash

[Matt S]

A few years ago I posted about this Desert Ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) that I planted in a stone wall that I built. The idea was to convey the old farmhouse ruins we have in the hills that have been taken over by local trees, either native or feral. My wife grew up in Strathalbyn on a farm and the area is full of ruins made from the local sandstone, the colours of which have always made an impression on me.

ash wall July 2019.jpg

I liked the result but I built the wall before I had chosen a tree, and although the Ash I eventually chose worked well it was moving in the wrong direction so when it was put together the wall was taller in the front than the back. I always thought I should build another wall that was better for this tree, so here we go.

As before I created a frame with split bamboo and wire, then built up the wall with liquid nails and gravel from the driveway. I kept the same dimensions and if the bamboo eventually rots away the wall will be strong enough without the base.

new wall 1.jpg

new wall 2.jpg

I then made a mixture of mortar and water, then added some oxide colouring I picked up that matched the colours of the local sandstone. It was then plastered all over the stones, then washed off the outside of the wall. The inside was brushed over with a toothbrush and the whole thing was left to dry.

new wall oxide.JPG

new wall 3.JPG

Next step will be to leave it for a week or two then go over the whole structure with a brush to remove any loose bits. It should be ready for the next repot in late July.

Hopefully it all comes together. I'm happier with both the structure and colour of the new wall, it matches the image of ruins in my head much better.

Matt.

[terryb]

Awesome Matt! I think you have captured the ruins both in form and colour. Look forward to seeing it in real life, if we ever get back to normality.

[greg27]

Looking good, you've nailed the inside vs outside texture of the wall. The oxide colouring is a nice tip, I have a project in mind that I might borrow that idea for.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

Nicely documented post Matt.
Well done & I will look forward to seeing the progression updates!

[Watto]

Well done and good info for the rest of us who might like to give this idea a go. Thanks.

[Ryceman3]

Sweet ....! I like this.

[boom64]

Inspirational work Matt.

[matlea]

Cool.. Looks good. Are you going to plant into a pot or are you going to place on a slab?

[MJL]

Excellent. I find this melding of local inspiration, memory, craft and bonsai technique really exciting. Thank you for trying different stuff Matt and for detailing your efforts via this forum.

[juan73870]

awesome
nice little ash there, too!

[PWC]

I like the original, looking forward to the new combination, the tree looks good, how long did it take to get to that level?

[Boics]

Nice work, look forward to seeing this pot up!

[Matt S]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.

Are you going to plant into a pot or are you going to place on a slab?

I don't have much luck with slabs in our harsh summers so I'll stick with a pot, probably the same one I'm using now, although you've got me thinking.

how long did it take to get to that level?

I bought the tree about 15 years ago and I've since completely restyled it. But collected Ash trees with basic branching can start to look good after 5 years.

Matt.

[rodm]

What a clever little budgie you are. Wonderful
Cheers RodM

[Matt S]

The new wall finally went in today. Right now it doesn't stand out much because I used a sphagnum moss mix over the top and the colours are pretty similar, but once the moss grows and looks nice and green the wall will stand out more.

ash new wall Aug20.JPG

My photo doesn't show it very well but in the flesh the wall looks much better, sitting a little lower and looking more run down. I'll post an update when it looks more settled.

Matt.