Challenging JBP - ideas anyone?

[Chris H]

This tree has been with me since 1995. In around 1999 it fell off a bench and got lost under an azalea. Fortunately the dogs liked to dig around that shrub and when we left the house the owners dogs still liked to sit there and it kept some light coming into where the little tree waited to be found by the owner of the house who fortunately remained a good friend.

Over the years I found a few possibilities, have had it in cascade pots, thought it wasnt going to survive etc. a year ago I repotted it into a new position hoping to find the best tree. Its been with me a long time, starting as a little starter from Koreshoff's Ive learnt a fair bit and its survived since my bonsai beginning. and Im wanting one day to make it something everone will appreciate.

So lets hear some ideas and virts.

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[coocarch]

You should buy little cristmas lights and do it up for winter time!

[Andrew Legg]

You should buy little cristmas lights and do it up for winter time!

Hartos took nine photos and that's the best we come up with!!!

[Andrew F]

[Dario]

Hi Hartos, good job with all the pics/angles
As a beginner I find this very challenging!
It is hard to tell without seeing it in person but I am wondering about raising the pot so it is vertical or close to it, and over time, cutting down to the first branch and developing it from there?
I am thinking pic 6-180 degrees (although it would be optimal to show some deadwood too), and tilt pot up to the left.
So in other words, a cascade in a cresent type pot.
The straight section of trunk would need some serious bending (twisting?) with advanced techniques such as drilling out etc.
I am probably way off the mark and over complicating things though...but as of yet you haven't had many replies so I thought I would add my
I am also very interested to see what other members suggest.
Sorry, no good at virts yet...I could only get it to vertical (can't adjust angle) and I don't know how to bend branches or move foliage so sorry as I wish I could show you what I can see in my head. Also could keep the second branch too, and place it above next to the trunk (or just use that and don't have a lower one).
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Best of luck, Dario.
Edit: tired and can't spell![

[Chris H]

Thanks. The branches will bend pretty easily so it's possible to do what you say without bending the trunk. Using a front between 45 and135 the line ofthe trunk twists and the Shari make it interesting.

Good idea.

[emi93m]

Job done mate I dont know about anyone else but I can appreciate this tree already.... JBP are challenging and I like the story of this tree.

Regards Mick

[cuwire]

Yeh me too .. looks the goods ... What took you so long!!!

You might consider a fancy dan pot .. dragons snakes and things.

cheers David

[PeterH]

Hartos,

Maybe you should talk to Grant about his bending techniques which would enable you to compress the trunk and take out some of the straight areas,

Peter.

[Steven]

G'day Chris,
I'm no good at virts but how about something along these lines?

Hartos pine1.jpg

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[Chris H]

Thanks Peter, I have had the pleasure of joining in with Grant in Melbourne rapping his pine which was seriously bent, it could be a solution for the straight areas if I am still keeping the top foliage.

Steve nice work on the virts. I like that idea too.
Number two really shows the tough life that it has been through. Might need to borrow your grafting knife to get some braches to fill in all that space though!

[Gerard]

Hi Hartos,

Nice trunk and shari,
Not so nice how the root mass dominates on one side of the trunk. I expect that this is the result of raising the trunk to a more upright position.
Deadwood on the trunk makes bending a problem.
Pictures do not show if the trunk moves toward or away from the viewer but lots of views from different angles makes it easier.
It is hard to tell how far the deadwood extends up the trunk.
If you like something a bit different perhaps a sharp bend at the top of the shari bringing the foliage toward the base of the tree which you could repot at an angle closer to where it was originally.

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A smaller head on the tree would draw focus to the shari and trunk

[Chris H]

Thanks Gerard.
Another good idea.
The return in direction back away from the slope of the trunk jars a little bit with me but it is that sort of tree and as you say if we keep the head of the tree solid and I could extend the deadwood higher. This dramatic change of direction tells a story of two circumstances, ie whatever was blocking the light might have fallen and damaged the top of the tree and so the tree generated back in the other direction.

As you say not being able to see the tree in the bark makes it harder.

Appreciate it.

[GavinG]

I'd agree with Dario and Gerard about reducing - the best thing about the tree is the low trunk. Like Gerard, I'd think to cut the 1st right branch off, or short jin it, and take the first left branch as the body of the tree - the dramatic sweep back is very effective, I don't see why you have reservations. Not all "stories" have to be straightforward - trees in the wild sometimes do wild things. It might be possible to roll the trunk forwards a little to expose the trunk shari a bit more, and bend the rising trunk back a bit to straighten it up - hard to tell in two dimensions.

Another approach might be to take the branches right back to their closest foliage, to focus attention on the trunk, and twist the top into something that matches the lower stuff better. The pre-potting shot, with the trunk lying on the ground and the tree moving off to the right could be a useful angle.

It's a good tree to make you think - thanks for posting.

Gavin

[Andrew F]

I like Stevens 3rd Virt with the 3 tier canopy.