A step in the right direction
Posted: August 17th, 2015, 10:30 am
Well, following the (excellent) advice from a friend, I thought I would spend the same amount of money on one tree as I would probably usually spend on two.
Bought this:

More branches than anyone could ever want, and robustly healthy. Just what a beginner like me needs.
Thinned it out and waited for a week until Kez was free to coach me. Took everything I had not to hoe into it, though the fear of screwing it up kept me from doing so.
The result I feel, is a great set of bones for a tree that I now need to help fill out and ramify:

There's actually a short jin on the trunk there that this particular front doesn't show off very well (points straight down the front), so I might choose another angle when I repot it next year. Thankfully, we styled it so the tree looks pretty good all the way around (even commitment and placement of foliage and branches in almost all directions). We shall see what the tree wants to do when it grows!
Cheers,
Owen
Bought this:

More branches than anyone could ever want, and robustly healthy. Just what a beginner like me needs.
Thinned it out and waited for a week until Kez was free to coach me. Took everything I had not to hoe into it, though the fear of screwing it up kept me from doing so.
The result I feel, is a great set of bones for a tree that I now need to help fill out and ramify:

There's actually a short jin on the trunk there that this particular front doesn't show off very well (points straight down the front), so I might choose another angle when I repot it next year. Thankfully, we styled it so the tree looks pretty good all the way around (even commitment and placement of foliage and branches in almost all directions). We shall see what the tree wants to do when it grows!
Cheers,
Owen