Rulingia

[shibui]

Have been fascinated by this species since seeing it on the cover of Bonsai with Australian Native Plants by Dot and Vita Koreshoff so got hold of some material and grew some cuttings a few years ago. They have made great garden plants and last week this one was judged best flowering pot plant at Myrtleford show.

Rulingia hermanifolia.JPG

Rulingia hermanifolia 2.JPG

R. hermannifolia appears to be a hardy little prostrate plant that gets absolutely covered with flowers in spring. I have lost a few in pots when they get a bit dry, especially if they have not been repotted for a while. The notation on the pot indicates that this one was repotted on 12 Nov 2011 and 3/4 of the roots were removed in the process. it has not missed a beat since.
The one on Dot and Vitas book was styled as a cascade. As you can see it appears to style itself that way naturally so worth thinking about. Next step is to get a few into bonsai pots.

[Bonsai4ever]

I love Rulingia but believe that they are finiky with fertilizer. Tony Bebb is an expert on this species, he had one of the best cascades I have ever seen.

[Dario]

I tried to bonsai one during my first 6mths of bonsai (before I started taking pictures).. It was 20cm from the soil line and I loved the small leaves and their texture.
I found it hard to build foliage pads (they were very flat) but that was probably because I had no clue at that stage.
They look great when in flower! I killed mine through lack of experience...not enough water and too much fert.
I had completely forgotten about this species untill I saw this thread. I will have to try again.
Congratulations on the prize at the Myrtleford show
Let us know how you go with them as bonsai please shibui.
Tony, do you have any tips with Rulingia as bonsai?
Cheers, Dario.

[Boics]

I've had this little one for under a year now.
First time flower for me and what a show!

Haven't and won't do much more than just grow for some time.
I must say that the spent flowers turn into little seed pods which look kinda cool too!

Cheers,

[marcela]

Hi All,
I got one of these a few months back, have wanted to get one ever since I saw it on the cover of the book also. Finally I got one, it's very young still, the flowers haven't opened yet but are ready to do so.
Boic's is yours currently in flower, asking because we are both in Melbourne and if so it's interesting that yours is already flowering?
Will post a pic when I can.
Marcela

[Boics]

Yep still in flower.
Those pics where taken just last night.
I think it's actually been in flower for around a week or so now!

[katelara]

I would like to see the foliage clipped so that the branches take on a more cloud like appearance whilst keeping a slight weep to them. Study old trees in nature, particularly the way branches/foliage are shaped and the way they all form the canopy while still maintaining individuality.

[shibui]

Agreed Kate. You may not be aware that this is an Australian native plant and the difficulties we have had working with them. Most of our plants have rarely been used as bonsai. Many of them do not respond to traditional bonsai techniques so we are constantly experimenting with techniques and timing to find what works best. That's why these plants are just starters rather than the advanced bonsai that we would prefer to show you.

There is also much debate about possible Australian styles because many of our trees just do not grow in the same shapes and manner as northern trees. Well worth keeping your eyes out as bonsai with Australian trees starts to gain momentum, just to see what we can come up with.

[Little Tree]

I purchased one today, not the best looking but the only one at the nursery...
I am curious if it will back bud off old wood if I pruned it heavily?
Do I just use a fertiliser for Aussie natives & are they frost tolerant?
I'm in ACT & our climate sux to be honest, freezing winters & dry hot summers

Cheers Dug

[shibui]

I have not been game to cut back below leaves Dug so not sure whether they bud on bare wood.
They are frost tolerant. It is not quite as cold her as in Canberra but close so i expect yours will be ok.
An aussie native fert will be ok but mine get the same fert as all the other trees. Banksias and Adenanthos are the only ones I use exclusively low P ferts on. I have not had any problem with other natives with any normal fert.

Just out of interest. The tree that started this thread went into a bonsai pot as a cascade but the lower part died back over a period of time. Not sure whether it was a reaction to being wired or maybe the upper part weakened the cascading branch too much. Now that you have reminded me i will try to remember to take a picture and post the latest.

[Little Tree]

Thanx shibui
I will give it a good cut back & see how it responds.. Have nothing to lose really.. I will make an example of it by making it my crash test dummy, cut back make cuttings & see what happens...
It's kinda ugly & I bought it to experiment with... I'm new on here & haven't tried to load pic's yet & i hate trying to resize pics to load them.... Any hint's for best way to add pics on here? My computer skills are not really good

[Little Tree]

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