And it only took 8 years

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Tony Bebb
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And it only took 8 years

Post by Tony Bebb »

Hi All

Wanted to share a restyle that took 8 years to get started, and under 2 hours to complete.

I first saw this tree 8 years ago while doing workshops at the Toowoomba Bonsai Group.
DSCF0156.JPG

A member brought it along and I was instantly impressed, but fell in love with the upper trunk.
DSCF0157.JPG
The previous owner did not want to restyle it at the time, so we developed and refined the tree as a cascade. I told him if ever he wanted to sell it to let me know and he agreed.
5 years later on the annual workshop trip, I went to Marks for a private workshop to find the tree sitting on one of his benches as he had bought all the previous owners trees. :mrgreen: I told him the story and of my thoughts and he also wanted to leave it as a cascade as his wife also loved it that way. I have been in Toowoomba for the last 4 days doing club and private workshops, and started at Marks. He told me whenever I wanted to demo on the tree I could as he wanted to go with my ideas, so it was decided to do it for the club demo on Saturday. I was very excited. :tu:
So we cut the tail off and got started.
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The upper trunk is actually thicker than what the tail was, so suited the new design, although some of the branches are a little heavy. These will be hidden by foliage. The first right hand branch will probably be removed later, but was left for now to keep extra sap draw into the new trunk. The cascade trunk was cut leaving a fair stump to prevent die back down the trunk. Leaving it on for a while helps the tree grow around it slowly as the sap withdraws from the stump, and will result in a smaller scar in the long term.
DSCF0169.JPG
The tree was tilted to the right to balance the trunk and the wiring began to obtain the shape.
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I absolutely loved working on this tree. The foliage will need a couple of years, and it may take 2 or 3 years to reduce the root system into its final Bonsai pot as it has been in the cascade pot so long and not repotted for a while, but it will be worth the wait. I think the stumps will be better removed instead of jinning as the trunk is substantial and will not need visual support, and Mark agrees, but jins are certainly possible. Sorry my mug is so many shots, but they are photos of the demo in progress, so just mentally block me out. :D
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Last edited by Tony Bebb on March 7th, 2011, 10:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Craig »

Fantastic transformation Tony, not too many people whould of been keen to remove all of that growth, but Congratulations to both you and the owner Mark, as it now on its journey to becoming a magnificent Bonsai :clap: Regards Craig, thanks for posting
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Pup »

That's the Tony I know, wont say and love cos people might get the wrong idea.

It is amazing how many people look at trees, and never see the truth in the tree. We all have them because we are with them all the time.

I have a smaller version of this type of thing here, in what can be achieved short time. Mine only took 2 years, though because it was mine from the start.

You have taken Morten Albecks saying literally with this Tony, less is more. I like it very much, and look forward to its development.

Thank you Tony. Pup
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by bodhidharma »

I like it very much to, Tony. Yes the stubs are not doing much for it at the moment but you can jin them and if it doesnt work you can then remove them. It must have been FUN to work on :clap:
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Magzy »

I think it looks great and also good for all us beginners to see how a restyle is done by someone who knows how to find a tree inside a tree. Being a beginner myself i would never of taken that much off but i think i'm slowly learning the how a tree looks now and how it will look in the future.Having options is always a good thing. Great lesson, thanks.
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by jozaeh »

Wow, i think that i can manage a big percentage of a cut off on a tree, and then you go and courageously lop off that huuuuuge part! nice! I know too well that almost 'am i actually gonna go through with this?!' almost exhilarating feeling a split second before you make a big chop. And gosh, that trunk swiping back and forth is great, and thanks to that huge cascading branch (may it rest in peace) the trunk is superbly thick. I agree, the trunk doesn't need any more interest, it's holding it's own damn well.

thanks so much for the photos and story Tony,
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Bretts »

What a bugger you missed the sale of this one Tony but glad you got to work on it. Working on older pre-loved trees is a buzz :)
Looking forward to this one developing.
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Andrew E »

Nice tree, great new design. Its always very rewarding to find a new and better design in an already designed tree. I think you have improved the tree greatly, the movement found, originally hidden by the cascade, is a far better feature to promote. Lesson here is to look beyond what is front of you and discover what could be.
Well done, I look forward to seeing it develop
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Tony Bebb »

Thanks for all the comments.

Definitely heaps of fun and a real inspiration. Can't wait to see the development. Better stay friends with the owner. ;)

Must apologise for the size of the photos. They were huge before and have been resized, but need to go further next time.

Cheers

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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by anttal63 »

Great work Tony!!! :worship: :clap: Nice to see you... :wave: Well done to the owners for great bonsai decision's. Theres alot of cascade tails out there like this that need to come off... long leggy skinny baggage... :whistle: unless you're sacrafricing :lol:
Last edited by anttal63 on March 9th, 2011, 6:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Tony Bebb »

Thanks Ant :wave:

Definitely too many cascades where the crown is thicker than the tail. This one served a purpose by creating that beautiful thick trunk. :)
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Graeme »

Nice effort young man :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Must have had a dry night the night before that one Tony (Sydney :whistle: :whistle: :lol: )
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Tony Bebb
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Tony Bebb »

Graeme wrote:Nice effort young man :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Must have had a dry night the night before that one Tony (Sydney :whistle: :whistle: :lol: )
Ahh the memories. Not dry, just normal. :whistle:

'95 was extraordinary. ;) 8-) :shake:

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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Scott Roxburgh »

anttal63 wrote:Great work Tony!!! :worship: :clap: Nice to see you... :wave: Well done to the owners for great bonsai decision's. Theres alot of cascade tails out there like this that need to come off... long leggy skinny baggage... :whistle: unless you're sacrafricing :lol:
Nice!

Great work tony, as for size, is it around 2 inches at the base?
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Tony Bebb
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Re: And it only took 8 years

Post by Tony Bebb »

Thanks Scott

A bit over 2 inches on the trunk mate. Probably closer to 3.

Should have measured it. Just looked huge. If Dutchie Boy is reading perhaps he could measure it. :?: :?: :?:

Tony
Last edited by Tony Bebb on March 12th, 2011, 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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