AusBonsai

About 5 or 6 years ago I dug this tree in Canberra from a garden with the idea it would make a good bonsai. Either it has failed to deliver or I have failed to treat it correctly to bring out its best features. If that sounds like I'm a bit frustrated that would be correct.
I don't know if it is worthwhile persevering with it or not.
The option of chucking it is high as I can't see a future for it.
Chopping it down and creating a small bonsai with that low branch may have some merit?
Or is there a way I can make it look reasonable?
I would appreciate any and all thoughts.

Would be a pity to waste it. I would chop it about where the small stump of broken branch is low on the trunk. The new shoot on the lignotuber is sure to grow, but dormant buds near the cut on the trunk may come to life. If they don't, the chopped trunk can be used as a Jin. Just my worth.
Cheers, Frank.

Has it ever been out of that tiny pot so it can put on some actual solid growth? I haven't got anything for scale to see the size of it, but looking at the photos it appears like it's never been given a chance to grow and develop if that's after 6 years?

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I might be alone here but I really like its sparse whimsy character. I would cut at these sites to try to remove the long straight sections, also a few years in a bigger pot to gain vigour and allow a few more frequent cut backs probably wouldn't hurt either.

Please don't ditch it, at worst give it to someone else or plant it somewhere infested with all the weed hawthorns and plums we love to dig

I really like the pot combination too, matches the tree beautifully. Is it a watto?

I like the very low bend. If I owned this tree, I'd remove the small shoot from the base, repot into a larger grow pot to thicken up the trunk a little to make the transition from the base to the current trunk junction a little smoother (tapered) and then cut back to the red line on the main trunk to retain the "wiggles" and develop the next section of trunk. I guess if you want to keep the tree smaller, you could cut right away.
I have a base similar to this which is now sprouting new shoots after a chop a couple of weeks ago.

Squatjar did a meatloaf and “took the words right outta my ... keyboard”

+1 on what SJ said.


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nice------I would use a couple of clamps to give the mid section a bit more movement--- as said before a bigger pot and let it run free for a couple of years. It has good potential for a really nice aussie literati especially if that is a normal foliage colour.

I agree with Squat!
I like it!
When you look at some Aussie natives around the place you see them long and leggy.
I’ve just purchased a Callistemon that has similar characteristics.
Keep it! Or I’ll take it haha

Hi Watto. I would be tempted to wire the top section of foliage down hard to the left.. A kind of weeping look, I think it would balance well with the trunk. Cheers John.

Thank you all so much for your time given and input.
It appears that one of the options I was think about is off the table, and that was the chucking option.
As I said this was a garden dig and I don't yet know which species it is. It was grown in a plastic pot for a few years and then planted into this pot (which is one from Graham Cook) in late spring 2018.
My take from the suggestions is that I should put it into a larger "growing" pot for a couple of years with the usual care of plenty of fertilizer and plenty of water. There are a few that say keep the current height (within reason) and a couple who think a reduction in size would be good. I admit I am a fan of the literati style so that has merit to me.
Again thank you and I will mull over this for a few days and let you know the results.

For what it's worth I quite like it as is for what it is, a bit of wire here and there would shape it up a touch.
I'd have it and don't think I'd chop it just yet. I agree that maybe whacking it in a bigger pot or grow box would probably be beneficial to age it along.
I'd consider defoliating first before making any chops, maybe even twice over a couple of years. That should give you more options to play with as it grows out.
Do you know the species or did I miss that?

Depnds how far you want to push it ... you could try something like the comments above PLUS wire/pull the branch down, mock up below. Though this looks a bit too much like the number 7, just food for thought?

Hopefully it back buds along the way up the branch for some extra interest?
- Daniel

Looks thirsty . Is Goulburn running out of water ? . The new shoot will suck the life out of the old trunk . The trunk is a few years growth so i would snip the young one . I like the style and pot but the tree is struggling at the moment .