AusBonsai

Hi All,

I bought this juniper from a nursery in January 2016, hacked it right back, then chucked some wire on it. The tree was really healthy and well established in a deep container so I figured I could loose a lot of foliage in one hit without killing the poor dear.

When I bought it I couldn't really see the trunk to well due to the abundance of foliage. After a haircut I was a little disappointed to see the reverse taper in the trunk but I still thought it had potential. I tried angling the tree to each side to see what options there was for a slanting style but settled for the upright position it's currently sitting in. It just didn't look great on the angle. (Maybe someone has some alternative ideas on new directions?)

After wiring I just let the tree go and was surprised how quickly it threw out new foliage. By December 2016 it was growing strongly so I thought why not take a shot at styling this thing. I cut it back again, removed some of the lower branches and re-wired. As you can see my deadwood skills need a lot of work.

Obviously I need to refine the branch structure and foliage but in the meantime I was thinking of creating a shari running down from mid-tree to the lower right jin (see last photo). I figure this may disguise the reverse trunk taper???

I think it's looking pretty good for one years work. Any ideas on how to progress the tree or change the plan of attack would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers All

Shari is frequently used to take the yes off reverse taper so I think that is a good plan but consider spiralling the shari down the trunk and take in both the jin. Also maybe go past the lower jin as there is still reverse taper there.

Nice styling.

My thoughts are that a shari not running down the entirety of the trunk might actually draw your eye to the inverse taper.

Have you tried leaning the tree forward more?

Hm, sometimes when we look at a tree we focus on the negatives and it may be better to have a look at the good points you have.
For a juniper you are very fortunate to have a reasonable nabari (much better than most you see) and the trunk movement is quite good too. A little reverse taper on junipers is something you see a lot of and in time that will become less obvious with the use of some shari and clever carving and strategic branch placements you will have a good bonsai where the focal point will still be the good nabari.
I think it has a good future.

Thanks for tips guys.

I read somewhere that if you're going to create a 'lightning strike' shari it should run all the way to the base of the tree. My theory to end the shari at the bottom right jin was because I didn't want to make the lower trunk appear any thinner than it already is. I'll definitely look into the spiral option you've recommended shibui.

Daluke, I think your right, I need to look a bit harder to find an angle to compliment the trunkline. Leaning the tree might be the answer.

So true Watto. All I see are the trees flaws and my styling mistakes.

Cheers

Mate, you got a good tree.

What tree in nature isn't flawed.