Firey Jim Carpinus

[Bretts]

This little fellow is one of my favourite trees and I think is now officially the tree I have owned the longest. I am sure it is not to everyone's taste but look through many bonsai books at the authors first trees that looked pathetic to how they are today if they survived and you may see the tree I envisage here in the future.
I have just realised that I never started a thread for this tree which I guess is because it was put back in a nursery pot for a wire tourniquet root base replacement last season which got no where.
It did not grow heaps last year and although it seemed to miss my fungal attack last year when leafing out this season it did show some and stopped growing just like the seedlings when affected. But just like the seedlings this year it has shown new vigor with excellent growth. I planned to just let it grow out to invigorate the inner branches that had lost some buds but could not hold the scissors totally away from it today.

fire.jpg

fire2.jpg

The tree is aptly called Firey Jim by my daughter.
One big asset this tree has is amazing Autumn colour. I will try to get around to posting my history about this tree and elaborating on the amazing Autumn colour:)

[Bretts]

Ok first of all this tree introduced me to the hornbeam species. I must have been at Ray's in the right year at the right time because when I bought the tree it had amazing Autumn colour. Ray told me it was very special as when he brought some seeds over from Japan many years ago out of the 6 that germinated only one showed this "varigated" Autumn colour where the colours are not difused through the leaf but distictly seperated by the viens of the leaf.

hornbeam bonsai firey jimFG (4).jpg

hornbeam bonsai firey jimFG (3).jpg

This is a feature of two species of hornbeam The Korean and the Cordata. Ray is adamant that this is Carpinus Carolina.
Edit: I have found that Carpinus Carolina is the most viable to cross polination. So My best guess these days due to the rough bark and Autumn colour of Ray's Carolina that it is actually a hybrid with Cordata that also has rough bark and "varigated" Autumn colour. But don't mention that to Ray he reckons if we like the tree what does it matter what it is called

[Bretts]

I must have repotted the tree in late Autumn I wonder who's advice I was following then if any

hornbeam firey jim bonsai (2).JPG

It grew fine come spring.

hornbeam bonsai firey jim1.jpg

[Bretts]

But then I found a problem that has followed me for years wityh this species.

bonsai hornbeam firey jim (8).JPG

But I was persistant to find the solution and it led me down many paths of research. Differnt mixes smaller deeper pots. Lush plantings around my Bonsai area. Just the right shade cloth. Every year I got close with great growth through the year but always seemed to drop the ball by late Summer and I have not seen a return of the amazing Autumn colour.
But the tree carried on each spring and even started to take some shape.

korean hornbeam firey jim (3).JPG

[Bretts]

Hornbeam is generally best grown in a deeper pot but I reckon this pot is perfect to exhibit it in and It grows as well in it for me as any other pot I have tried. It became a tradition to dress it up each Christmas to decorate the outside table.

bonsai firey jim hornbeam (20).JPG

bonsai hornbeam firey jim.JPG

bonsai hornbeam firey jim (11).JPG

These pictures may give the best idea of where I am heading with this tree. Now I hold my breath that I have the right formula to see a return of the amazing Autumn colour that endured me to this tree this Autumn

[craigw60]

HI Brett, your carpinus is looking good although it will take a very long time to develop in a bonsai pot, thats how I have developed mine and its a long slow job.I have had my carolina for close to 25yrs now and the bark is still very smooth and I have never had autumn colour anything like yours before. this spring has been very kind to the hornbeams they had their annual partial defoliation about 3 weeks ago and are now budding back like never before.
Craigw

[Bretts]

Thanks Craig,
This is one tree that I think I will be happy to continue developing in a bonsai pot. Maybe the green one it is in now some years but the shallow white one to display. Although I hadn't given much thought to bark development the bark of this tree is some what interesting. When international guys have seen this species of hornbeam from Ray they are adamant that it is Hop Hornbeam because of the palleted bark. Normally Carpinus Carolina is a smooth bark as yours. After much thought and research I can only guess that it is a hybrid of the Carolina with Cordata which can show the "variegated" Autumn colour and the palleted bark.
The Autumn colour can be spectacular and although international guys have stated that it is nothing unusual I am still to see a picture from anyone's hornbeam showing this same "varigated" display. Although Brent Waltson from Evergreen garden works does show a picture of some leaves under Carpinus coreana (korean hornbeam) with the same type of display.

From Bent
The real treat is in the fall when the leaves turn red, yellow and orange, not diffusely but in stripes. We have seen leaves where one half of the leaf separated by the midvein was red and the other half yellow or orange. The striping will also occur between the side veins of the leaves.

He also has a picture showing some leaves in autumn colour

coreana1.jpg

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/carpinus.htm

[craigw60]

Hi Brett, I will be very interested to see you leaf colour again this autumn and if you get a repeat performance.
You can get a great tree by slow growing in a bonsai pot but you won't get a huge thick trunk like so many people chase these days, you can however achieve a highly refined tree.
Craigw

[Guy]

stick it in the fridge every night for a week in early autumn?

[mugen]

Heya Bretts love the autumn color of your first tree. Like how he gets dressed up for xmas too!

[Bretts]

Hi Guy,
It usually gets plenty cold enough here to produce the autumn colour. The problem is getting the leaves through Summer undamaged. One obvious answer may be to defoliate in late Summer for a fresh set of leaves. If I don't get it right this year I might start experimenting with that.

Thanks Mugen I am glad you like it

[Jarrod]

I have tried the late defoliation but I found that if the leaves werent on the tree for long enough they dont get colours anything like those that have been on the tree longer. Nice little tree, slowly developing in the pot, but at least things wont get away from you and you can get it exactly the way you want it.