Cornus florida: can it be used?

[Kyushu Danji]

Does anyone keep a cornus florida (as opposed to kousa) dogwood as a bonsai? If they are any good as bonsai, I think I might be able to do something with this tree:






I rescued it from a cramped corner of the garden and gave it a severe pruning, with no intention of it ever becoming a bonsai. It has thrived in its new position over the last 4 years, but unfortunately this year the leaves at the very top of the tree are starting to get scorched because as you can see its not in the most suitable location. Its nothing too major yet, but I have decided I am going to move it in late autumn. So I was thinking, since it never really gained anymore height since I planted it, whether I should dig it up and develop it into a bonsai.

The drawbacks to this tree are that it has a fairly ordinary shape to the trunk and it has scars where I cut it back 4 years ago. On the other hand, the trunk is rather mature looking, the leaves are a beautiful bright green and it has fantastic pink blossoms in spring. Its also not much more than a meter tall, so I wouldn't need to do that much size reduction

Of course the first issue is keeping it healthy. If it is a suitable species for bonsai, should I place it into a growing container while the branches develop more and the roots are able to recover from being dug out of the ground? If all is well, it will then need some refining, especially where I cut it back 4 years ago. Any ideas on what would be the best way to do this? I was thinking that it may suit a medium to large sized broom or informal upright style.

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated as always.

James

[Kyushu Danji]

[bodhidharma]

Dogwoods are used extensively in the states where they are extremely popular

[Kyushu Danji]

That may be the case, but I have searched the internet, its forums and blogs, as well as checked the books that I have available, and there is little if any info about them as bonsai. Before I start, I would like to make sure there is info out there about how readily the leaf size will reduce, examples of how to deal with cuts made to the tree (making hollows etc) and just general photos of the tree as a bonsai so I get an idea what sort of style works with this tree.

[craigw60]

Hi James, you have a bit of a passion for cool climate trees it seems, as you probably know the Japanese occasionally use cornus kousa for bonsai but I have never heard of florida being used. I think your best bet would be to post your tree on IBC "internet bonsai club" where there are lots of American members, I am sure some of them will help you, if you intend to move your tree it would be best done in late winter rather than autumn. 12 months is not a long time for a tree to settle in, I would have thought 3 years is more like it.
Craigw

[LLK]

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2517 ... 9860QhDQBU
See above photo of the American dogwood (common name of Cornus florida) as bonsai.
http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Cornus.html = info on the three Cornus species most commonly used as bonsai.

[Kyushu Danji]

Hi James, you have a bit of a passion for cool climate trees it seems, as you probably know the Japanese occasionally use cornus kousa for bonsai but I have never heard of florida being used. I think your best bet would be to post your tree on IBC "internet bonsai club" where there are lots of American members, I am sure some of them will help you, if you intend to move your tree it would be best done in late winter rather than autumn. 12 months is not a long time for a tree to settle in, I would have thought 3 years is more like it.
Craigw

It is true, I do love the cool climate plants! I went up to sydney yesterday and at Kinokuniya bookstore I found a book that actually had a photo of a cornus florida as a bonsai in Japan It was in the informal upright style, and a little smaller than I anticipated this one of mine to end up being...but nevertheless, it exists.

I will take your advice and give a good few years to settle in, as well as moving it in late winter

Thanks again for your help!

James

[Kyushu Danji]

I decided since this tree was getting scorched that it was worth risking a move about a month ago. I dug it up on a very wet and unseasonably cold morning, and to my surprise the root system had hardly grown at all since I planted it there from a pot three years ago. I have temporarily put it back into the ground in a new location - one which receives partial sun throughout the day. I did no root trimming (it was unnecessary and risky) but I did remove the scorched leaves from the apex. It is doing well and actually has new growth starting to come through, which I really did not expect since these trees are pretty slow growing. I plan to take it up in winter when it is completely dormant and put it into a good sized grow box.

I am still wanting advice on how to approach this tree. Although it is certainly small in size for its age, I'm afraid that its height is still a little large for the width of the trunk if it were to be trained as bonsai. I would rather not have to layer it, so could another alternative be wiring it (when the time eventually comes) the branches in a way so that the tree appears shorter than it is at the moment? Do you even think that this is necessary if I find a fairly thin, oval pot to accentuate the bark?

Any thoughts are appreciated at this stage. I would like to hear from someone who has had experience with using dogwood as bonsai, as I have already mentioned. Especially for further down the track when I attempt to style it - how it responds to wiring, whether it is possible to reduce leaf size. I also want to know how thin a pot I would eventually be able to use. If, like with wisteria, the roots will suffer from the soil drying out too quickly, then I may have to rethink which approach I take.

Thank you in advance,

James

[Kyushu Danji]