Breynia cernua ‘ironstone range’

[Rory]

Progression thread: Breynia cernua ‘ironstone range’ 1

Dark mauve colours appear on the new growth. This species is very hardy. HOWEVER, do not grow these in a heavy mix. They will not tolerate wet feet for extended periods. Rot will soon set in if you do. They are fine in a medium or fast drainage mix, but be careful to not let them get completely bone dry.

It grows adorable small berries. Its the Australian equivalent of Loropetalum.

Like other previously mentioned material, you get warning that the material is in danger of drying out, as the foliage starts to droop on these. Then once you give it a good watering it will spring back in a few hours and have no dieback.

Lovely material and the trunk thickens fairly well. Tolerates a heavy root removal and heavy pruning.

B. cernua 1-01 20Feb2020.jpg

20Feb2020

B. cernua 1-02 15Jan2021.jpg

15Jan2021

[Raging Bull]

Hi Rory, I have a group planting of Breynia nivosa, which are very similar. I think the main difference is that the leaves on the B. nivosa have a lot of pink and white in them when grown in full sun. They lend themselves very well to literati style, with slender, elegant trunks. Don't know why we don't see more breynias as bonsai as they they are a nice looking plant.
Cheers, Frank.

[Rory]

Yeah Frank.... the leaves can change colour as they age. It’s very nice to see. I’ve not seen one as a bonsai before, so it is a bit of untested waters for me, but I’ve had them for a few years now so I started this progression. The berries will be a beautiful compliment once it’s a well defined shape in about 10 years.

[Rory]

I had a massive tree branch fall on this and crack the end of the main trunk. Makes it a little more interesting now.

This hadn't pushed out any new growth in September/October, so I didn't repot it. It isn't wise to touch these unless they're strongly pulling water out of the container. If they are overpotted, they rot. So I will wait till maybe late Jan or Feb 2023 to repot, and probably more so separate the roots and not do a heavy root cut back. When its in full growth like it is now and next month, it will be much safer. (from past experience of losing them).

I realize its not quite yet 01.01.2023, but its easier to post that its 2023, so looking back people can easily distinguish that its a year apart. Its only 1 day before the actual date.

B. cernua 1-04 01Jan2023.jpg

01Jan2023

[Rory]

B. cernua 1-05 03Nov2023.jpg.jpg

03Nov2023

Placed into a Tokoname 'Kieshin' pot.

I haven't done much with this one. I'm just continuing to allow it to thicken and do its thing. I'll cut it back probably around December. Its starting to produce those adorable little red berries now, as the tree is covered in them.

[Rory]

This Sara Rayner pot is a nice compliment for this Breynia in my opinion, and when all the foliage is red, its even more spectacular. Its a forever home.

This species is one of the must underrated species for bonsai in Australia. Its best to grow it on the slightly larger side, and make sure you get this exact species, otherwise some of the other genus have leaves that are just too big.
Its producing its little red fruit which will soon cover the tree. Beautiful.

B. cernua 1-06 15Nov2024.jpg

15Nov2024

[Rory]

This is one of the most underated sources of Australian Bonsai material of all time.
It is the Australian Maple, and this time of year is the best time to photo it as the foliage starts to colour up like a deciduous tree as it starts to approach winter. The foliage will soon have a really pretty strong orange colour to it as the leaves die. It doesn't normally lose all its leaves where I live, which is another plus, as the aged colour of the leaves is so so pleasing to just sit and stare at.
This is a long project, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I have decided to grow this twice as big as this so it looks more natural with the leaf size.
Remember, if you want to grow this, make sure you acquire this exact species, as it has the smallest of all the other species I've seen in this genus.

When it produces the berries in combination with these colours, its just magical.

B. cernua 1-07 12Apr2025.jpg

12 Apr 2025