juniper for critique/ideas

[strawbs]

i bought this juni bout 3 years ago didnt do much to it just pinch pinch pinch.
the first pic is how i got it, the pads were so dense u couldnt see the main branch looking down on it.
i pinched it back pretty hard 2 years ago to let some light in and it responded quite well.
i repoted it last season, was badly pot bound,gave it a good root prune and used a nice free draining mix.
it suffered a bad case of die back after i repoted , only cut about 30% of the roots just enough to fit back in the same pot
with a bit of soil around it.

PB280002.jpg

the tree as it is now

IMG_4476.jpg

IMG_4474.jpg

IMG_4473.jpg

IMG_4474.jpg

throw some idea's at me im a bit stuck on this one.
i have some thing in mind but id like to hear your thoughts.
cheers guys and girls.
strawbs

[BonsaiBoy]

Im no expert strawbs but it looks too tall to me. Id be cutting it back pretty hard or turning the top into some sweet dead wood.
BB

[aaron_tas]

yea, i agree with bb on this one

i like the movement of the trunk, and if it were mine, i would probably give it a new angle... maybe a bit of branch placement...

junicroppedandrotated.jpg

juni1 styled.jpg

just one idea

[simonm]

i have no idea about bonsai stuff yet so i will just say that its looking a bit messy and just everywhere on the last few pics

[Jamie]

strawbs,

i think aaron has a good idea there. to make this juni a bit more dynamic you need to bring the foliage in closer. it looks a bit to spread out, the movement of the trunk is good. reducing the foliage mass and bringing it in closer will help alot. think about foreshortening, bending the branches in and out towards the front and back will help with this. if you removed the foliaged and put a load of dead wood up top, reduced and wided the foliage in tight to the more triangular shape i think you will have a much more pleasing shape

good luck


regards jamie

[kcpoole]

I think Aaaron has hi the nail on the head there
Tha big U shaped bend is offputting and if you can get the foliage in tight as a suggested you woudl be on a winnner

Ken