Arbutus

[craigw60]

Does anyone know anything about these trees. I dug one out of a garden this morning in a bit of a rush, is it likely to live ?. It was a pretty rough job.
Craig

[alpineart]

Hi Craig60 , Arbutus uneda or the Irish strawberry bush. I would think it would make a good Bonsai .I have seen 2 trees up here in the N.E Vic area both are very old and are now growing like Clump style or Turtle Back .These have clusters of white bell shaped flowers and small round red textured fruit very sweet .Leaves are serrated and the bark is flakey .Haven't been fortunate enough to manage a cutting or grow from seed .Cheers

[MelaQuin]

I have read references to arbutus being used as bonsai but never seen one myself. But with their bark and the bright lime green trunk as the bark splits they could be magnificent. How it handles root pruning I don't know but good luck.
Here's some inspiration - a tree at the end of Wenthworth Falls Rd, Wenthworth Falls NSW

MelaQuin_Arbutus_01.jpg

MelaQuin_Arbutus_02.jpg

MelaQuin_Arbutus_03.jpg

[craigw60]

Thanks Guys,
Arbutus is on the weed list here in the Dandenongs and there are some lovely old trees around but I don't know anything about their bonsai cultivation or how they transplant. I have seen some fine examples in bonsai focus but that magazine tends not to deal with cultivation as the old bonsai today used to.
Thanks for your help.
Regards from Craig

[craigw60]

So far so good. this tree had some really rough treatment and seems to be pulling through. Must be a good tough species.
Craig

[Gerard]

I am often mistaken but....
When I visited Bodhi in January I was quite taken with a tree he was growing. I believe he referred to it as an "Irish Strawberry" and was waiting to capture it at its best before posting pictures
If this is the same species then, Bodhi is the man to speak to. (or visit his nursery)

Regards Gerard

[craigw60]

Hi Gerard,
Irish strawberry is the common name.
Craig

[FlyBri]

Gday Craig & Co!

I'm no expert, but... I dug a couple Arbutus in Panton Hill during my Bonsai infancy, and found them to transplant really well, despite having collected almost zero roots. The ones I got out flared in a major way just beneath the soil, and I can't help wondering if they might even survive the kind of treatment given to collected Olives . I have subsequently killed one, but I'll endeavour to post a photo of the remaining one tomorrow.

I believe that they are a weed in Nillumbik Shire too, and I know a place to collect a few...

Good luck!

Fly.

PS: Please don't take offense, but I'm moving this one out of the "Deciduous" section.

[Jamie]

i look forward to seeing this one fly, i have been intruiged by them since this post was put up but never bothered to look it up might do that now

[craigw60]

Thanks for moving the post I don't know what I was thinking putting it in deciduous.
i will be interested to see your tree Fly, How well do the scars heal ? this one is going to need some major cutting once it settles in.
Craig

[FlyBri]

i will be interested to see your tree Fly, How well do the scars heal ?

Gday Craig!

Here's the photos, albeit a bit tardy. This tree hasn't really been 'styled' as such - I've mostly just used the clip'n'grow to create the rather ordinary shape it has now... Some time in the last year or so, most of the bark died - possibly through sunburn - and there are only a few live veins left (as seen in the first view). I wish I could answer your question about scars healing, but it is obvious that I haven't taken care of this tree as well as I might have...

Arbutus_Apr_10_01.jpg

Arbutus_Apr_10_02.jpg

Arbutus_Apr_10_03.jpg

Good luck!

Fly.

PS: I believe that this tree (and Craig's) are a different species to the ones MelaQuin showed above.

[craigw60]

Hi Fly,
Thanks for that, your tree has loads of potential. All of us have our priorities in our collections. I live very close to Pirianda gardens which is a bit of a special tree collection, there are a number of arbutus species growing down there so when the leaves on mine mature I will take one down and work out which species it is.
Craig

[Asus101]

You guys never seen one as a bonsai?? DAMN you guys are missing out! These make wicked bonsai, I want some pretty bad.
You'll find they collect them in europe alot, they use extensive use of uro's on them.

Let me find some....

There are better examples ill keep looking but for now
http://my-bonsai.com/trees/
you need to be a member, but its worth it.
http://internationalbonsaiforum.com/vie ... ?f=30&t=52
http://internationalbonsaiforum.com/vie ... f=30&t=221


there are more somewhere....

[nealweb]

I have grown two from ordinary 200mm nursery stock. They seem to do ok, pretty tough. Its good to wire the new growth green as it gets pretty stiff when it thickens. Mine don't always shoot back from old growth very relaibly. I have found it a little hard to get ripe fruit, they tend to shrivel and drop off but lately i have repotted into a mix of medium sized akadama and small kanuma (they like an acid soil) and the plant seems to love it so maybe next year i may get some fruit. The wounds heal fine too, i'll put up a pic when i figure out how!
The leaves are pretty big and coarse but the bark is really beautiful, as are the flowers so i reckon they make a nice bonsai subject

[nealweb]

Here come some pics (hopefully). Is this the correct size to upload them?