AusBonsai

Hi all,

Last week we visited Tasmanian Bonsai Centre and my better half gave me an imported Japanese Kaneshin bonsai stand (I gave hints, I do admit).

Here it is displayed with one of my Ficus microcarpa var. fuyuensis root over rock, better known as the 'long-leaf' form of the Green Island Fig. This Fig was planted onto this piece of locally collected Toomba Basalt in 1979 by Mary Brisbane. Taking into account the natural form of this variety she trained it with cascading branches that closely hug the rock. Over time they covered all of the rock and its movement was hidden, so in recent years I have tried to open up the foliage into tiers (some are still a little overlapping but I am working on it) so that you can see more of the rock and the roots. I like little peeps through the green to see it.

The reason I like this stand tree combination is because the stand is dark like the rock and because it is low in profile and does not overpower the shallow tray-pot or the thickness of the trunk.
Any thoughts on what other factors people use to match stands with pots and trees? For tall root-over rock I have a preference for shallow trays and low stands. I don't really know why, that just appeals to me.

cheers

Ash

Hi Ash , Mate that one heck of a Green island fig .I have a small one Bougy fan gave to me as a part trade on some other material , but not really knowing the growth form of these figs i haven't done anything with it , It actually has small figs on it , does that sound like the same fig you have here , i actually got a couple of different ones from Bougy but can't recall which one is which .

Cheers Alpine

Great Fig mate and I agree with you, the stand was made with this setting in mind I reckon. The style of your Green Island is what I had done with the one I used to own, although the present owner of it has changed it to suit his tastes, which is fine. I like the way you have opened the tree up to expose more of the inner parts of the tree, which is of course the aim of a ROR style Bonsai. Without seeing the rock or the roots spreading out over the rock it is just a large tree.

Once again, a beautiful tree. Makes me want to get out and find some decent rock to stick a couple of my G.I. figs onto again.

Hi Alpine and Graeme,

Alpine, both Green Island Fig forms get figs regularly but under my conditions they are most commonly seen on the round leaf form. The form in the photos above is a longer leaf form whose leaves are more or less elliptical, the tip is slightly more pointed than the common variant. Attached is another picture of this form below. The name Ficus microcarpa var. fuyuensis applies to both of them. In understand they come from an island of that name in a tropical or subtropical part of Japan. Their natural habitat is a lowish spreading shrub, sometimes they climb into trees and they are good at scrambling over rocks.
Their low habit lends itself to trees like raft style. The following tree is a raft style from 1981 in a hand-made pot by Mary Brisbane. It was long one of my favourite trees in her collection as it reminds my of a vegetated coral cay, it has always been well maintained and a picture of health. She gave it to me a few years ago and the only adjustment I will probably make is to rewire the little pointy apex to be at peace with the horizontal profile of the rest of the branches and better emulate the flat profile of the cays as in the virt below.
Graeme would love to see your GIF's, they are among my favourite varieties.

cheers

Ash

A great Setting Ash !!! Everything works so well !!! A really wonderful tree Mary had begun years ago and credit to you for taking over and progressing this theme to higher levels !!! It is such a credible story and yes the peeps are so sensual and seductive... Cant wait one day to maybe see this in the bark !!!

What a difference a stylish setting makes. I am always amazed when you view a tree with a bunch of others they dont glow but when you separate them and present it in a gorgeous pot and stand .. Wow.

Here is one of my Green Island Figs sitting on display inside for the evening. Too rainy to go to sailing to Green Island (the one off Cairns) this weekend so have to look at a Green Island bonsai instead.
As this tree is so low I would really like a taller and lighter stand such as a Japanese Sangi style stand to lift it high enough to view properly. If any one just so happened to have one spare...well I am just a PM away!

Ash

I didn't even know stands had different names. I take my metaphorical hat off to you. Teach me please about the names of different stands!

Hi Ash
What a great couple ( or more ) of figs. I dips me lid to you
Steve
And great stand as well

Here is an update of my root-over-rock Green island fig, Ficus microcarpa var. fuyuensis, displayed in a Tokoname pot and on a sangi stand supplied by Kinbon, Kyoto. I have recently defoliated this tree to see and select branchlets and induce back-budding. The tree is 50 cm high from the rim of the pot.

Ash

'front' view 'back' view

Very very dramatic setting.
I'd certainly spend some time studying this tree if I were lucky enough to see it in real life.
Good to see you posting again Ash - it's been a while?