It's about bloomin' time!

[Andrew Legg]

Well well,

I've been a member here on Ausbonsai for a bit now, so I thought I'd do something daring and actually get me an Aussie native!

Bout bloody time eh!

So I was at the local general nursery here today looking for a few odds and ends and I found this little porker:

Calistamon 1.jpg

It's about 4 feet tall and pretty scraggly, but the bit that I was particularly interested in was the base . . . .

Calistamon 2.jpg

which in my humble looks pretty smart! Lotsa potential me thinks.

So wish me luck boys and girls - time to go and read up on all the posts here and see what I can do with it!

[alpineart]

Hi Andrew Legg, very nice base on that Calistermon/Bottle Brush . I'm sure you have big plans for it or should i say little plans for it .Which ever way you go with this trunk i'm sure it will be a bloomin ripper .

Cheers Alpineart

[bodhidharma]

It was only a matter of time before you were absorbed into the Aussie way Oi Oi Oi.

[kcpoole]

Nice work Andrew and about time

Lovely base I agree

ken

[Andrew Legg]

OK, so my first Bottlebrush has benn sprouting out nicely and I'll probably give it it's first repot this coming spring to get it into a good bonsai mix. I took a visit to a nursery locally and came across this one!!! It's really really nice! Also picked it up for a steal . . . . . . only read on if you have tissues and are sitting down . . . of only AUD 20!

I still have to figure out a way to get it home as it is too big to fit in my car, but that's a problem for another day. Result is I only have this dodgy cellphone photo. . . . . .

IMG-20130609-00314.jpg

Looking forward to developing this one!

[Neli]

Looking very good Andrew...That is a fantastic find...I think half my bonsai are aussie natives. This people are infectious.

[Phoenix238]

I still have to figure out a way to get it home as it is too big to fit in my car, but that's a problem for another day. Result is I only have this dodgy cellphone photo. . . . . .

Take your hacksaw down and lop the top half off

[MattA]

Great score Andrew

My initial thougths after reading your post & seeing the thumbnail was also cut the bugger up... BUT... hard to be sure from the pic but it is possibly Cal. 'Little John' in which case whoah up nelly.... They are awesome awesome awesome, I am still learning to work them but they are probably the best Callistemon for bonsai IMHO save every piece you can for layering as they dont thicken fast, the bark is amazing, nice short growth & 'brushes' in proportion.

Look forward to watching where you go with it

[Andrew Legg]

Great score Andrew

My initial thougths after reading your post & seeing the thumbnail was also cut the bugger up... BUT... hard to be sure from the pic but it is possibly Cal. 'Little John' in which case whoah up nelly.... They are awesome awesome awesome, I am still learning to work them but they are probably the best Callistemon for bonsai IMHO save every piece you can for layering as they dont thicken fast, the bark is amazing, nice short growth & 'brushes' in proportion.

Look forward to watching where you go with it

Thanks Matt. Currently it's sitting in a nursery about 130kms away, so when I get it back to town I'll be sure to clean it up and post some better photos as well as getting loads of advice. Little John is a common version here, so it is quite likely to be that one.

Cheers,

Andrew

[Andrew Legg]

Well I eventually got them home! Yay!

IMG-20130713-00450.jpg

IMG-20130713-00448.jpg

And then this one:

IMG-20130713-00452.jpg

IMG-20130713-00453.jpg

Ho hum. Now I have to decide what to do with them!!!

[Josh]

WOW. They are awesome trees. That is an amazing buy. They are going to great fun for you to get your teeth into. Looking forward to seeing these progress. As Matt said, if your not in a hurry air layer the tops off and you'll have great stock to play with.

Josh.

[Neli]

Very nice!

[Andrew Legg]

WOW. They are awesome trees. That is an amazing buy. They are going to great fun for you to get your teeth into. Looking forward to seeing these progress. As Matt said, if your not in a hurry air layer the tops off and you'll have great stock to play with.

Josh.

Thanks Josh. I'm giving one of the trees to Brett, so I'll probably keep the multi-trunk. Gotta have a close look at roots and decide what to do with it. I'm pretty excited though! . First will be to resist doing too much until spring!

[Andrew Legg]

Some advice please guys: Is it the correct time to pot? How heavy handed can I be with the roots? I'm pretty sure these are Little Johns.

IMG-20130829-00647.jpg

IMG-20130829-00648.jpg

Thanks,

Andrew

[kcpoole]

I repot mine in late spring after the tropicals are done preferrably.
You can do them almost all year round here as they never really stop growing.

Ken