Callitris glaucophylla

[Grant Bowie]

Time for an update.

I really like working with this Callitris. the foliage is so soft and .blue

January 2011.JPG

Feb 2012.JPG

Grant

[pommie_mal]

I really like the direction you have taken with this tree Grant. It's almost a literati style now & looks very convincing. Well done.

[Grant Bowie]

I really like the direction you have taken with this tree Grant. It's almost a literati style now & looks very convincing. Well done.

Sigh, oh well,

You will have to wait till the morning to see my overhaul of a few months ago.

New pot as well finally.

Grant

[Grant Bowie]

June 2013.JPG

I have tried to make it more true to the growth habit of the tree in the wild; while keeping it as a bonsai.

Grant

[alpineart]

Hi Grant , most certainly looks like some of the Callitris I've seen . There is some exceptional examples out there in Nature , thanks for the update .

Cheers Alpine

[Jan]

A classic "as seen in the wild" bonsai, Grant. It brings to mind fond memories and is a joy in itself.

Having lived in Black Cypress country (I've planted a small grove of trees that I grew from seedlings at the new place to remind us of those forests), I've always had a soft spot for the species. An excellent reminder to get mine off the back of the bench and give it a tidy up. What is the best season for pruning and for root work?

I kept some for bonsai as well as growing on some for the new forest grove; I have one that has been growing on (read here neglected and forgotten about, time does get away on us!). Roots have filled the pot and it needs to be reduced; luckily I pruned and spread the roots a few years ago so the roots should have reasonable form but the pot is too deep and the plant does need to be pulled back into line. How much can be cut off without causing problems?

Thanks,

Jan.

[Grant Bowie]

A classic "as seen in the wild" bonsai, Grant. It brings to mind fond memories and is a joy in itself.

Having lived in Black Cypress country (I've planted a small grove of trees that I grew from seedlings at the new place to remind us of those forests), I've always had a soft spot for the species. An excellent reminder to get mine off the back of the bench and give it a tidy up. What is the best season for pruning and for root work?

I kept some for bonsai as well as growing on some for the new forest grove; I have one that has been growing on (read here neglected and forgotten about, time does get away on us!). Roots have filled the pot and it needs to be reduced; luckily I pruned and spread the roots a few years ago so the roots should have reasonable form but the pot is too deep and the plant does need to be pulled back into line. How much can be cut off without causing problems?

Thanks,

Jan.

I treat them as a conifer; which it is, rather than as a native per se. I repot them either in early autumn or late winter as per other conifers.

They do however behave as a native in that it seems to grow all year round; I am sure it has bulked up in the last few months (over winter) since I overhauled it. This would indicate to me that it could be repotted over a much greater period of time.

So you must make your decision on where you live and its climate; ie a colder climate I would repot in early autumn or late winter but in a warmer climate you could lengthen those windows of repotting.
These trees should be easy to overhaul from neglected material as you can bend down the branches at quite extreme angles (carefully) to match their habit in nature.

Grant

[Grant Bowie]

IMPORTANT UPDATE.

Hi all,

The Callitris seems to have entered a completely new phase of growth as a bonsai.

In the past I have wired the branches down and the new growth has grown vigorously and in an upwards direction.

This year the new growth is elongating dramatically and vertically down; which is obviously what they do in nature with age. It is complementing the style of the tree perfectly.

IMG_6271.JPG

IMG_6272.JPG

IMG_6273.JPG

IMG_6274.JPG

I will try to trim it to reinforce the new growth.

Grant

[Stu]

I have collected cones on a drive home from Adelaide to Melbourne. Would this be C.glaucophylla?
I have had them in a paper bag for a while but I don't see seeds. The cones looked ripe. Any special tricks to get the seed out and what am I looking for?
Anyone?

[Steven]

Your Callitris is looking awesome Grant. The new drooping foliage growth just adds to the awesomeness.
You have captured the essence of nature very well

Regards,
Steven

[Steve B]

Spectacular!!
Damn. That's another native on the to do list......

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk

[Grant Bowie]

I have collected cones on a drive home from Adelaide to Melbourne. Would this be C.glaucophylla?
I have had them in a paper bag for a while but I don't see seeds. The cones looked ripe. Any special tricks to get the seed out and what am I looking for?
Anyone?

Depends on the tree you collected it from. On the road between Hay and Wagga Wagga there are both the blue and the green callitris.

leave them in the paper bag and if mature they will dry,open and the seed will fall out.

Grant

[Jan]

Really coming along well now, it seems to love the position/pot/mix it's in. The new growth is looking glorious - I can almost smell it looking at the image!

Perhaps a few mini baubles for a truly Australian Christmas Tree?

When I lived in Black Cypress country, (we had acreage and lots of timber), it was a family tradition to go on the quest, checking out trees to find "the one" for Christmas. Even when our "kids" had their own families, they still came to join in the Christmas Tree quest and take one home for their families as well, so that's three generations for whom a Callitris tree, and it's scent, is the essence of Christmas.

Again your beautiful tree brings back timely, fond memories -Thank You!

Jan

PS: The grove that I mentioned planting in an earlier post is going gangbusters now that it has settled in. Most are over the top of the wire netting guards that we put around them (didn't want to loose them to the local wildlife - wallabies love eating Callitris, and hares are compulsive ring barkers). They are a real feature of the place and I look forward to being able to sit in their shade on a warm day and soak up their scent.

[Grant Bowie]

I believe that the Callisi virus killed off enough rabbits that for a while new callitris were thriving for a while.

I hope it continues.

grant

[boom64]

Hi Grant, The Callitris is looking fantastic . I was out west (Riverina) this week amongst a field of Callitris and yours would fit in so well. I have potted 3 blues into bonsai pots and 1green into a small plastic pot ready for next year . I did this at the end of November and they are pushing out new growth similar to yours ,only most is growing in a upward direction. I need to do some serious wiring. Thanks for the inspiration ,Cheers John.