juniper squamata cascade, first attempt at cascade

[Jamie]

hey all, i'm sitting on my couch bored going through my pics and found this cascade i have been styleing for a while just trying to develop the pads a bit more.
i bought this as nursery stock. no styling done just a juni in a plastic 100 mm pot with a bit more foliage. sorry no before pics.
this one just lent itself to the style, it was basically instant, just trim and prune and minor wiring.
creating a little bit of movement in the trunk just to exagerate it more, and to bring the foliage up a little bit, most of the movement was there. the taper is natural.
i have pinched out and trimmed it recently to let the light in.

this is my first attempt at a cascade, i would like the vey top foliage to thicken out more so i can create an apex. it is starting to do this, also it is only small, the pot is about 10 inches high, octagon shape about 4 inches across at the top.
the tree from the top foliage to the tip at the bottom is about 15inches overall.

well guys and girls let me know what you think i would like any styling advice and critique. appreciate everything!!

regards jamie

[aaron_tas]

i thin your tree is lovely jamie

but i don't like the little tiny upright trunk coming from your nebari...

i think you're going in the right direction but i also think that branch is sentimental

i like the canopy that sits to the right above the cascade, those three branches define a nice crown to me...

[Jamie]

thanks for the positive comment too!


yea that top one bugs me a bit too. i am still trying to figure out if i can thicken it some how...

i am worried bout taking it off and losing something in it.. i like it but im nott to sure bout it either

[Jamie]

the pot by the way was somewhat of a bargain, i think the shop made a mistake, but it is engraved all the way around. i will take photos of the seperate pictures on it tomorrow. they are all different but the i thought the dragon suited the trunk and worked well with it...
what is it called feng shui?

have a guess at the price if you guys like, will give it up after a few more posts

[Jamie]

any virts are welcome too

[aaron_tas]

30 bucks??

[Jamie]

cold..

will tell anyways, im in an excitable mood, $14.95


and as for the idea of the top going here is a virt of it gone, im gonna work with it for a couple of ideas any ways. will post them in the virtuals section

[Jamie]

hey guys,

after a very appreciated phone call to antonio he has given me some guidance in a few ways to go about this,i have to do some research on these techniques but has allowed me to know which way to go with this. i will have to keep everyone waiting in anticipation on this. these techniques will be a time consuming thing but will greatly improve the tree!
the top branch wont be going, it will be developed for now.
his guidance and ideas have opened my eyes to a whole new way of development. appreciate this a lot ant.
thank you

until then, we'll have to wait to see what happens!!

[aaron_tas]

until then

until when

im superkeen to see what's happening...

[anttal63]

aw aw go jamie!
im in suspense to now cause i dont know which scenario ya GOING WITH. BUT I LIKE YA MOJO ON THIS.

[MelaQuin]

Great success at your first cascade. I agree with those who disagree with the first branch. I think it's too far out of line to be an apex but I would leave it until the pads have developed as you envisage. As a sacrifice branch it can work to thicken the trunk. But you have nice realistic movement of the tail and nice placement of the branches. Good going.

[Jamie]

until.... nope not saying yet
i will probly pull you in on this one soon antonio when i decide which scenario to go with if thats ok with you?
that way we can keep them all going lol
so many options..

thanks melaquin, appreciate the positive comments, its always good to know that i am headed in the right direction!
as for the size of it some people may have noticed there is no size comparison object there(something that me and antonio talked about) this is only a small tree, to give you an idea the whole tree pot and all is no bigger than a 2 litre container of milk! the trunk at the base is about 30mm approx. root spread is not far from the edge of the pot which makes watering a bit hard.

until then.. patience is a virtue Aaron.. im still trying to learn that to tho

[Jonden]

I think that the tail needs to be thinned out and made smaller, it appears to be too heavy for the rest of the tree.
The tail should finish in a small well defined pad, and the branches should become smaller as you decend the trunk.
But a great start hte rest will take time to acheive.
Regards, Jonden

[Jamie]

I think that the tail needs to be thinned out and made smaller, it appears to be too heavy for the rest of the tree.
The tail should finish in a small well defined pad, and the branches should become smaller as you decend the trunk.
But a great start hte rest will take time to acheive.
Regards, Jonden

this is interesting, i have heard a few different ways about this, can i call on ant on this to confirm???

[anttal63]

warning this will become very subjective.

the apex should always be smallest, the lowest branch should be the biggest. on a normal upright tree, pretty general ( not do or die ).

why is a cascade different ? the end pad/pads is the lowest branch so to speak. this type of styling will serve you well aestetically. it will also serve you horticulturally ( even though not easy to do), keeping the cacade strong and vigorous. the sap needs to be drawn down in a cascade more so than an upright. again this is not do or die. there are many variations of cascade. its just that i believe in and totally agree with master oishi kasan pg 118 STYLING A CASCADE, PINE MASTERS SERIES.

now im goin into hiding