[Category 2] Melaleuca linariifolia. -4 months training.

[Mitchell]

Melaleuca linariifolia.

90 cm tall
95 cm wide
16 cm trunkbase at soil
Currently residing in a 30cm black poly pot

Collected from Riverview Nursery 4 months ago. At the time it was ground growing and had extensively rooted out.
The tree was chopped at 1.2 meters high and removed form ground. Roots were trimmed and it was slip potted into a marginally larger black plastic pot.

Since collection the tree has been reduced to 90 cm tall and had several reductions of branching / new growth with fire.
One total defoliation and extensive pruning with a pencil blow torch.

The pictures given are of the plant in its current form. Total dis-array. I hope for this to be the starting point, from which I create a presentable bonsai.

I apologize for the quality and background of the shots, if I could do better I would, but a computer malfunction and lack of location are not helping atm.



Details of 4 months in training available in thread. viewtopic.php?f=104&t=6869


Any gentle persuasions from the judges, as to how I am heading will be welcomed and appreciated.

d.JPG

c.JPG

b.JPG

a.JPG

[Mitchell]

"Mitchell I would like to know which view is your prefered front please"

At this point in time there is no preferred front, nor are the 4 shots particular sides. The tree will decide which way it wishes to be displayed, when the time comes.

If I was to follow some type of fireswept/windswept styling "D" or "B".
Though "A" has interest to me as an upright. "C" reveals the original chop which would be hard to conceal.

[Mitchell]

The tree has now stopped throwing out copious growth, though as expected most is headed skyward. One of my bigger challenges will be to turn this juvenile foliage, into some thing that looks a bit more aged in the time period.

My initial approach is to bring the foliage back down, before putting movement into the straight branches. The new growth comes from several points on the trunk, each point has multiple branches emerging from it. This would have been tedious/messy to get good wiring on the branches, hence I chose lines.

Some growth is left heading upright for cover above, main branches are bought downwards to a level where they can be worked.

Blue string (cotton) was chosen for photographic/presentation purposes. It will rot off in a couple of months, that's all the time I need to set the new branches downwards.