[Andrew Legg] Ulmus parvifolia Suberosa

[gerald randall]

Andrew, it remains a great tree. The branch seems to be reasonably ramified, it merely needs to slant lower. It already looks on track with the work you did now.

I will post a photo of a pot I recently bought. It may be on track with what you want. It is rectangular, not oval.

[gerald randall]

This is going for $40. Chinese handmade artist pot and 30cm long.

[Andrew Legg]

Gerald,

Yip - thanks - getting there!

I think that pot is a bit heavy visually. I had something more like this in mind. Available from Zenjapanstyle on eBay for about $70. There are only two reasons why I've not yet bought it. A.) Its a bit big, and more importantly, B.) I'm broke!

2014-09-03 09-45-09 PM.jpg

Cheers,

Andrew

[gerald randall]

Andrew, great pot.

The pot I posted, I bought one some months ago. The smaller one. I potted a tree and the next day the glaze had turned to crackle glaze. You can see a bit of crackle on the photo I posted, but once the tree goes into it, it crackles. I'm just hoping that the glaze will hold. I'm told it will.

The oval pots always look softer.

[Andrew Legg]

So at last I found the pot I wanted for this tree! I was recently in Japan on business and luckily had a weekend in Tokyo in between work on either side. I did the obvious and headed for Omiya on both Saturday and Sunday. Wow!

All I can say is get there folks. It's worth the time and effort!

So back to the pot. I spent a very pleasurable 3 hours in Master Hatsuji Kato's Mansei-En (what a pleasant gentleman), working my way slowly through the trees and unbelievable selection of pots on offer (I have a bit of a pot fetish). As is the trick in visiting nurseries, always look round the corner. I found my pot in a back section of the nursery and knew it was exactly what I wanted straight away! Size, colour, patina. It has it all. Funny thing is that when I compare it to the pot above, it is so similar it's almost uncanny. So, the pot was made at Reiho Kiln in Tokoname. I've potted the elm into it now and you'll have to excuse the lack of moss etc, but for now I though I'd share it with you as an update to this thread. Grow little tree! Grow!

Next up some root grafts or toothpicks on the left, but I want to practice that on rough stock of the same species first!

Elm.jpg

[kcpoole]

What a beautiful pot and tree
Congratulation Andrew

Ken

[milly.abrahams]

Very nice combination Andrew!

[Boics]

Fantastic tree, splendid pot.
Awesome photograph.

Very well done Andrew.
You should be very proud of this one.

[Andrew Legg]

Ken, Milly, Boics, thanks!

[Andrew Legg]

Hi all,

Update on the tree and branch growth over one season. I'll update the pics again when I've done the winter pruning, so the photos that follow do not show winter pruning done. It's a few weeks early for that here still.

If I am totally honest, I'm not really that chuffed with the growth this season that's been. I guess it is because I put the tree into the small and shallow pot. Premature? Perhaps, but I'm not after course growth. I want movement in my branches and ramification. I may pot the tree into my new mix this season which is small particle Leca and 2mm dolomite chip with a pinch of this and a drizzle of that. This as opposed to the mix it is in now which is 6mm sandstone chip and pine bark with no pinches and no drizzles! Ho hum. Choices choices.

Any comments, observations or feedback welcome as always!

Cheerio,

Andrew

Elm June 2015.jpg

Branch 9.JPG

Branch 7.JPG

Branch 6.JPG

Branch 5.JPG

Branch 4.JPG

Branch 3.JPG

Branch 2.JPG

Branch 1.JPG

[EdwardH]

Hi Andrew, I have been following this post with interest. I really like the tree although I believe that it would be improved by lowering the first branch on the right. it goes up at too sharp an angle. You've mentioned a few times that you plan on developing the roots on the L.H.S. How is that work progressing? Also have you changed the pot again? Of all the pots used I think that the original oval green pot is the best.
Kind regards Edward

[Andrew Legg]

Hi Edward,

Thanks. Yes I agree on the branch angle. I'm trying to grow a sub-pad downward to bring he visual mass down, but struggled a bit with that this last season. I defiantly have to work out what to do about that branch as it does look a bit odd. I'm also worried that the tree's top section looks a bit straight. Ho hum ho hum. . . . . Choices choices.

It has been in this pot now for one season, and I must say I prefer it to the green/blue one. The joys of differences in artistic opinion! That said I preferred the one you like to the one it was in last, the chocolate brown one. Is it the different colour or the larger size that you prefer on the other pot?

I,ve not done anything about the roots yet. I want to run some experiments with some more marginal stock elms first before messing this one up. In particular, I want to test the cork bark's ability to ground layer, and I want to try the toothpick thingy as well.

Cheers,

Andrew

[[ Kane ]]

Keen to see an update on this one!

[MJL]

Andrew Legg,

As someone who generally posts developing pre-bonsai twigs ... you have shown me so much here.

Anyone who is relatively new to bonsai should check out Andrew's thread from the beginning.

Bl@@dy good; Bl@@dy helpful: Bl@@dy hell ... I've got a lot to learn - possible patience being the biggest learning.

Cheers to you Mr Legg, thanks for passing on such knowledge.

Mark