AusBonsai

Hi all
thought i would show what i tried today, i found this rock in my garden a year or 2 ago and liked the shape as i had seen a spruce planting that Martin Treasure had done in his book bonsai life histories that appealed to me . anyhow i hollowed the top of the rock out and wanted to plant all three spruces on top but found that i didn't have enough space so only used 2. I don't know how they will do as i had to cut a fair amount of root away but we shall see, if they don't make it i have taken some chinese juniper cuttings which i'll grow for a year or 2 and try them .
regards
peterb

Hi All
just wondering if somebody could critique this project for me whether good or bad , whether i used the right kind of tree or if someone would suggest something different etc. the spruces seem to be going ok as there is new growth on both, don't know how they will do in the adelaide summer will have to see

regards
peterb

Personally I think the trees are too uniform. The rock has a lot of character but the trees are not very central. I think if would look better with something in it that was off centre and slanting/informal upright. You could even go a semi cascade with this rock. To me the trees don't do the rock justice.
Just my

Josh.

I agree with Josh, and I think cascade would look the best in this pot since it's so tall. The pot is very cool, but it has a very large visual presence. You need a tree that can match that. These little guys seem a bit overwhelmed.

Cool project. Keep us updated.

Its a good looking pot.
To offer creative criticism I would say the top of the pot looks flat and the edges of the lip are the sharpest part of the pot. Maybe you could roughen the edges of lip up.

I think the tall pot would look good with a very flat broad style of tree or a semi cascade.

If you want the spruce to develop quickly they would be better in a grow box or in the ground. Then they could come back to the pot

Hi All

Thanks for the advice guys , thought it didn't look right after it had been in the pot for awhile . could you's suggest what species of tree to use , i'll leave the spruces in it till repotting time and use them as a small group in something else. would a larger juniper perhaps work in a semi cascade . Also do you think i would have to make it deeper += 35 - 40 mm deep at the moment

regards
peterb

With the pot, you can't tell how deep it is once you have soil in it. So visually it doesn't matter. The deeper the soil the easier it will be to keep moist and hold fertilizers. But part of having a potted bonsai is managing the tree in a small pot, so I would say its up to you what you want.

As for the tree... a green one. Its up to you what you want. I would suggest that you search for some pictures of trees you would like to see in the pot. Trust your own design judgements and then find a tree(s) that fit into the design.

Its not the most helpful advice but I think you can figure out where you want to go, that is part of the journey.

Hi Time8

thanks mate, think i will try a juni or perhaps a mugo pine something that can handle it a bit drier , think i am going to try to deepen the carve out and at the same time will try to soften the edges as well , grown rather atached to this rock so hopefully i can do something stylish with it

regards
peterb