NATURAL Bonsai Progression Competition

[Rory]

While I’m checking, no one has said anything negative about my first entry, so I’m assuming cultivars of Australian native trees are allowed?

Yes, all good mate.

[Rory]

Ah, Rory, I feel for you... Must nearly be tearing your hair out
Something that sounds so simple - competition with just a few rules starts to become a minefield of 'what if?s' and 'what about?s
Good luck sorting all the ramifications out mate

Hi Neil...
At 41 years old fortunately I have a full head of hair.
We better be seeing some entries from you and other masters.

[MJL]

Hi Neil...
At 41 years old fortunately I have a full head of hair.

Ha! No need to rub it in Rory!

At 50 years old with no hair ....I’m jealous!

[SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH AND TIGHTLY-CLOSED EYES]


Bonsai teaches me patience.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

Ha! No need to rub it in Rory!

At 50 years old with no hair ....I’m jealous!

Hey MJ - Root hormone mixed into a paste, apply as a shampoo. Rinse & repeat (results may vary! )

[squizzy]

Just camping in hat head and exploring the National Park getting some inspiration

Natural???? I guess so.

9A44FB02-B105-4181-85E6-CAC8B78EEFBD.jpeg

[Rory]

Just camping in hat head and exploring the National Park getting some inspiration

Natural???? I guess so.

9A44FB02-B105-4181-85E6-CAC8B78EEFBD.jpeg

Awesome job squiz...

We should encourage others to post trees in nature that they like. Doesn't have to be as dramatic as squizz's, but just to show some good examples.
I've got a tonne in my phone when I get a chance.

On a side note, one of the most interesting things you'll notice about a lot of Eucalyptus is, that if they are growing as a stand-alone-tree in an open field with full sun they often have branching all over and down low, not just like the traditional big Y that we tend to style them in. Nothing wrong with a big Y, but more just an observation.

[GavinG]

Squizzy, it might be a bit thicker than 1cm, and you know how pernickety young Rory is getting... Damn fine line though, well spotted. They're not angles you get from wiring, but from cut hard/grow long. I'd like to have it in the collection.

Gavin

[MJL]

Hey MJ - Root hormone mixed into a paste, apply as a shampoo. Rinse & repeat (results may vary! )

Sounds better than a (H)air-layer ....that’s said, if I can handle my forehead being roughed up and a bandana of moss for 4-5 weeks.... TimS may be able to help!

Dad jokes abound .... I think I’d prefer to stay bald.

Happy New Year when it comes around everyone. [THUMBS UP SIGN]


Bonsai teaches me patience.

[melbrackstone]

Love that natural tree Squizz, notice how many straight upwards facing branches it has!

[MJL]

Just camping in hat head and exploring the National Park getting some inspiration

Natural???? I guess

What an amazing time lapse video it would be to see how a solitary tree ends up like this ... wind, storm damage, hungry animals... nature is amazing - it is our hobby, trying to gain inspiration from it and our folly trying to emulate it. A few (very few) masters may get close - the rest of us look on with admiration.


Bonsai teaches me patience.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

We should encourage others to post trees in nature that they like. Doesn't have to be as dramatic as squizz's, but just to show some good examples.

This little euc has been styled by Kangaroos, wallabies & cows ONLY.. It's trunk line is almost a corkscrew!
How natural is that???

Euc.jpg

Euc-trunk.jpg

[squizzy]

That’s a cracker KCR

Very natural indeed

Squizzy

[Starfox]

Hey all,

Thought I'd share just a few more natives that I originally ordered weeks ago with the contest in mind but they had to come from France and got held up in all the protests and had to be resent. Now I already have my entries so I think I will just play along with these in conjunction to it, the contest is great motivation to use Aussie natives and that is where I want to concentrate anyway.

Left to right are Melaleuca ericifolia, Allocasuarina cunninghamiana, Agonis flexuosa and Banksia speciosa.
The Banksia doesn't have a great deal of info on it aside from it suffers rot quite easily so hopefully it is not too humid in the spring and autumn here for it and the Agonis appears to have a lignotuber above the soil line before thinning back down, could be a graft but not really sure.
All that said looking forward to messing about with them and if it wasn't for the contest I probably wouldn't have ordered them so cheers Rory.

IMG_20181231_132301197a.jpg

[MJL]

Hey all,

Thought I'd share just a few more natives that I originally ordered weeks ago with the contest in mind but they had to come from France and got held up in all the protests ....[/attachment]

Happy New Year Starfox... you’re spot on in thanking Rory for this competition - it has invigorated a broader interest in native species and their application to Bonsai. Regardless of the competition outcome, I am sure that it will have a lasting effect on many and swell the ranks of the many people that have been creating native Bonsai for many years now.

I must ask one question though - to your post above ‘They had to come from France?’

Huh? Cool but what’s the background to them coming from France?

[MJL]

Howdy folks. Apologies in advance for a long post.

I need a size ruling please - I am happy to take the judges call. No drama - just checking size before I begin a rather ridiculous vision.

This vision is essentially a Bonsai inside out. Let me try to explain....

I love the Mornington Peninsula and I want to attempt a Moonah forest but it (in my mind) it must include a forest tunnel path - inspired by a image like below.

IMG_6126.jpg

And that’s what I mean by inside out... if I succeed - in say... 20+year’s time - this landscape will be beautiful from above but also beautiful from eye level if you can look through a narrowing, twisting tree tunnel.

Now to do that I need a shed load of trees from the get go! See Exhibit A - 30 Moonah seedlings at $2.50 a pop. Young enough that I can wire some aggressive curves but also some gentler sweeping curves too. Any walk down to any beach on the Peninsula includes both.

No drama with these 30 they are tiny and I have a close up photo of the two biggest to show how young they are. No drama in size here.

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Now - to make this more realistic and perhaps create a few areas of focus across the landscape. Most coastal landscapes (from where my vision comes) includes numerous varieties - mainly tea tree co-located with Moonah. I will also need a few older trees ... here’s where size becomes interesting.

These three are fine again:-

IMG_6121.jpg

IMG_6122.jpg

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But here’s where I need a ruling please.

One moonah and one tea tree are right in the limit.

IMG_6125.jpg

Here’s two close ups of the Moonah. I think it scapes in.

IMG_6114.jpg

IMG_6115.jpg

Here’s the tea tree - right on the limit.

IMG_6116.jpg

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So - before I start this crazy project - can I have a call please. Again - no drama either way. I DQ’d my own Kunzea seedlings - I’ll take these out if needed too.

In truth - I am not sure I should add Tea Trees anyway ... I could just go with a Moonah forest only. I am just picturing a future where both varieties are flowing together .... wow! I reckon a firm view of where a design is heading is core to success - my view has the vast majority of Moonah and just a few tea tree.

Sorry again for the long post.

And again, happy to take judges call and no further correspondence will be entered into.




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