Swamp Cypress and Serissa

[NathanM]

A Swamp Cypress I got from Tess @ Bonsai Northside Bursery in the first week of August. Put into the large pot a coulpe of weeks after.
It's just not stopped. It's growing so well. I really like this one. Just need it to thicken up a bit

swamp041009.jpg

My girlfriend got me this Serissa for Christmas last year. It's a nice little tree, and I love Serissa's. It was in a bonsai pot, but I took it out in August to try and grow it out a bit.

serissa041009.jpg

[MasonC]

good finds. in 2 or 3 yrs they will acceptional. i really like the cypress.

[NathanM]

Wow, having a look at this thread from not even a month ago, this thing (the swamp cypress, not the serissa) has at least double the foliage now. It's insane. It was always getting more water than the other trees, but the last few weeks it's been in a tray of water (albeit I don't think the tray is big enough or deep enough ideally) and jsut hasn't stopped. I'm at a point where I don't really know what to cut off =P I'll have to have a good look at it on the weekend. I really want to get the trunk to thicken up though, so maybe it needs still more water? The little tray it's in always seems to run out before I get home from work.
It's got 3 large branches/potential trunks now. Ill get some pictures =)

[Tim]

If you want it to thicken the work up to a heavy fertiliser routine. Dont over water. If its growing fast then youre doing the right thing already. As for pruning, only prune to generate more growth, the more branches it has the faster it will thicken.

[Asus101]

Over water a swamp species?

[Jester]

Hi Nathan, nice to finally see someone else with a Serissa. The variety you have is Serissa Foetida "Pink Snowrose". Soon I want to create a website dedicated to the various species and cultivars of Serissa as well as growing techniques. The flowers are beautiful on this particular variety but the bad news is that It will not give you a very thick trunk no matter what you throw at it. All members of the Foetida family are generally spindly in nature. I have seen one that was reasonably thick from China but it had to be over 50 years old. The only variety that will give you this is Serissa Serissoides. I actually took a photo of one of my smaller ones today. I have let it go out of control deliberately to thicken the trunk as much as possible. This one is approx 8 years old. By the way, like Asus, I do not think that it is possible to overwater a Swampie. In the Florida keys, these guys stand in water!!

P.S. Notice that with the Serissoides variety that the shape of the leaf is more elongated. It is the only variety that has a leaf shaped as long as this. Notice how compact the foliage is to the point where you can't even see through the canopy. If you want compact foliage, once a shoot takes off, cut JUST above a pair of leaves to give it the best chance of multiplying. I have one like yours where I have been doing the same.

IThe first Photo is of a Serissa Foetida "White Snowrose" that I found on the net. Hopefully it will inspire you.

[Tim]

Over water a swamp species?

Yeah, can you tell i wasnt thinking?!

[NathanM]

Jester,
Mate!! That's fantastic!! Thanks for the info!! I really want to do a serissa cascade, I think it would be good in the pot that my little junipercame out of. I've seen teh Serissoides before, they have a nice rough sort of bark.
I'd like to get a few more serissa's. I really like them. They make nice Shohin sized trees due to the small stature. And the flowers are great. Small leaves and small flowers, perfect!
That one of yours is looking good! Tess has a few decent ones at her nursery at the moment.

So with the Cypress, it's best not to cut too much off? I'll take another picture tomorrow to show how much it has grown.

[Joel]

I've also got a few serissa going, and they are fairly common amongst the bonsai community. But i agree there hasn't been much on here about them.

JayC

[Jester]

Yes, I would have to agree with you about not having much about Serissas on the forum which is a shame but hey, everyone has their own tastes I guess. Nathan, you're right, they DO make nice Shohin but I think these little shrubs can be more than a match for the likes of say a thick trunked Chinese Elm. You just have to push the envelope. My Large Serissa is already overtaking my Elm as we speak and it is only half the age. They have so much going for them. POssums hate them due to the bitterness of the leaves so they know how to defend themselves ..and they rarely get touched by pests apart from the odd Spidermite. Nebari I hear you say??? Let the Serissa work it out for you.!! And trimming them is almost better then sex. Oops....did I say that??

PS JayC, any chance you could post a few photos of your Serissa?? Iwould absolutely love to see them


John

[Joel]

My serissa are to be used as an accent. due to the lack of thickness in the trunk. I have one raft on slate, and one semi cascade on a rock. I have a number of others that i have dug up but not worked yet. I also have a raft that i have just started on, and needs some fine carving. I will upload pictures later today.

I agree that they have great potential too, i just wish the trunk thickening happened quicker. I have a few dotted around the place (in my otherwise native garden) that will stay in the ground for quiet some years. But all my serissa come from a single shrub in the ground anyway. They layer themselves remarkably well naturally. As soon as a branch hits the ground, it roots. Great from cuttings too!

They are just a really fun plant to work with.

JayC

[NathanM]

A new pic of the swampy taken yesterday, just to show you all how much it's grown!!

swampcypress011109pic1.jpg

[Joel]

Sorry i took so long! Also im sorry the pics are so crap. My cammera was running out of battery so i quickly snapped these 2 pics.

JayC

[Jester]

They're just young that's all. Give it time mate!

[NathanM]

Nothing to be sorry for man!! They are young, but definately headed in teh right direction!!
The semi cascade looking one will be very cool in a few years!!