AusBonsai

pasquale wrote:

Bretts wrote:Cute picture Pup but I get the feeling that is the wrong one?

Allow me to translate. Pup's statue is actually of a tanuki. He is a little badger/racoon type beast who has a reputation for being a cunning master of disguise. Apparently that is the origin of the term tanuki, as used for a bonsai that isn't what it seems to be.

Goodonya Pasquale!

Admittedly, the pics of Tanuki I have seen usually displayed much bigger - ahem - gonads than the ones Mr Pup is showing in his photo. Perhaps Mr Pup has strategically placed those blades of grass/bamboo so as not to shame us all...

Back to the tree in question: while I am generally quite happy with the theory of Tanuki/Phoenix Grafts, I have an aversion to trees threaded up through dead stumps like Bodhi's creation. More often than not, they come across as lazy attempts to give life to deadwood and poor stock (the same can also be said of many Tanuki/Phoenix Grafts).

However, in this case, I find myself coming back to look again. I like the planting as a whole, even if it is the postmodern, sci-fi me speaking: it is as though the inner tree is wearing a protective suit of ... ummm ... tree! It reminds me of an astronaut, I suppose.

I am a little concerned to think what the inner tree might look like in 20 years' time, once its branches have swelled outside of their holes, or the tree has broken the bounds of its host and shed bits of dead wood everywhere, but that is neither here nor there. Sometimes the 'eternal' nature of Bonsai should be allowed to give in to the 'what is now' nature of Nature.

Nice one Bodhi!

Fly.

Thanks for all the input guys. This is why i stay with this site and enjoy it, lots of great and honest feedback. No problems with the shortening of the name Pup. It is the great Australian way. Pasquale, thanks for that explanation. I did not have a clue as to where the esteemed Pup was coming from. I have a lot of study to do methinks.

bodhidharma wrote:Thanks for all the input guys. This is why i stay with this site and enjoy it, lots of great and honest feedback. No problems with the shortening of the name Pup. It is the great Australian way. Pasquale, thanks for that explanation. I did not have a clue as to where the esteemed Pup was coming from. I have a lot of study to do methinks.

with you there on the study stuff mate !

thanks for the input fly, nice descriptive. Hope i live long enough to see it trying to bust its way out.

Time to do an update on this tree as it has literally come into its own in the last year. The leaves have definitely responded to defoliation (twice since the first pictures) and the ramification is now starting to happen. I think it is now becoming a Bonsai in its own right

bodhidharma wrote:Time to do an update on this tree. I think it is now becoming a Bonsai in its own right

Mate it sure looks like a Bonsai to me. Well done

Hey Bodhi,

The tree reminds me of one of those 60 something old money groomed Swiss women wrapped up in a heavy mink coat and taking their daily constitutional next to Lake Geneva with their ever so dellicate little dog tiddling along next to them.

Nice one.

Andrew

Mate it sure looks like a Bonsai to me. Well done

Thanks Graeme, appreciate it. Gives me hope to keep working with it.

Andrew Legg wrote:

The tree reminds me of one of those 60 something old money groomed Swiss women wrapped up in a heavy mink coat and taking their daily constitutional next to Lake Geneva with their ever so dellicate little dog tiddling along next to them.

A very eloquent descriptive Andrew but i am not sure if that is a positive or negative view.

Nice Bodhi, I would love to see it Nekkid so we can see the structure underneath the foliage

the canopy and base sure look like a Bonsai to me

Ken

That is one nice looking little badger, bear( Tanuki ) with hidden gonads.

Pup

I worked on this Bonsai/not bonsai today and it is starting to take itself too seriously . I will now have to start serious wiring duties on it and start treating it like a real tree. I will give you a look before i start cutting back and wiring. The tree has been mainly clip and grow and the odd wiring of main branches

Definitely YES too me. Very inspirational too. I like the concept! Thanks for sharing.

kvan64 wrote:Definitely YES too me. Very inspirational too. I like the concept! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks kvan, it surprised me when i defoliated it. It is starting to become something. Not bad for a bit of fun.

Looks like something from sleepy hollow when defoliated, great job Bodhi.

Hummm....just thinking what will happen when the tree grows out of its outer trunk???