AusBonsai

This is a Chinese Elm I've been attempting to work on over the last 4 years. After overlooking it on the benches for so long, I think I finally found a new angle that may work.
As you see by the photos, it started off being too tall, having too many straight sections, and the movement was too angular. It spent about a year in the ground before the first photo, and suffered a little whipper snipper damage I did some novice carving and extended the man-made shari further up the trunk. By the end of winter '14 I cut it back, but not hard enough. I believe the following year I cut it back again, this time to the first left branch and removed everything else.
Fast forward to this season and I'm happy with the growth but never had a clear direction, just seemed like I was growing a strange helmet on a slanted trunk. After turning it around and on its side I think I found the angle the may work. Surprisingly after a bit of age the carving doesn't look like too much of an eye sore (to me, anyhow).
In the next 4-6 weeks I anticipate I will be repotting this at the new angle. Future plans are to thicken the leader of the apex, and to work out what I'm going to do with that low branch I think the main canopy needs to extend on the right to balance it, but I also wonder about growing the low branch into a sub trunk

Any thoughts welcome

I like it

Hi Jezz,
If you are not happy with the trunk at the bottom, this is one idea. You could do a ground layer.
Regards Ray

Quick update, still toying with the idea of growing a second trunk At least if I don't pursue with this idea, the branch has acted as a sacrifice and added more character to the base...

Hi Jezz ,Interesting Tree ,nice lean and cool kickback with the apex .The one thing that catches your eye is the straight section at the base beside the second trunk. Just a thought , maybe remove and continue the hollow section down. Would bulk up the base and I personally think a second trunk is the go. Just my thoughts. Cheers John.

I quite like the way it's going

Hey Jezz - nice tree!

I reckon either Ray M’s ground layer could be a go or John’s idea of hollowing out base more and having second trunk. Both could be good options - no need to rush ...
Keep looking and when you are clear in your vision - bang - have a crack.

And yes ... in providing two options I am sitting on the virtual fence and pulling splinters from my underside!


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boom64 wrote:The one thing that catches your eye is the straight section at the base beside the second trunk. Just a thought , maybe remove and continue the hollow section down. Cheers John.

Yes I'm with John here - That base area looks a little awkward. If it were mine, I also would make more damage.
(You've got some damage, so don't be afraid to make more.)
As long as this doesn't create inverse taper at the base, I personally would follow John's advice above, and remove that problem section.
If the base is not stable enough for complete removal, maybe just minimally carve along the outer edges only, just to break up the straight line?

I think you've done a great job so far - it has real potential & is becoming quite an interesting tree!
If all else fails - RayM's valid layer option becomes you're safety net.

Interesting nobody likes the lower trunk, I thought that was where the character began. I can see merit in making the deadwood more of a feature but I will have to wait until I repot next to inspect the roots and see if it will work. I suspect this tree began life as a root cutting, the straight section John pointed out was one of 2 or 3 thick vertical roots, I have since built a radial nebari from these roots just below the surface.
Would absolutely rule out an airlayer though, I don't feel the tree needs to be shorter than it is. Thanks for the thoughts

Hi Jeremy, I think another smaller tree coming out from the base ( father and son/mother and daughter) will greatly enhance what has pretty good bones at the present, it will give some more swank indeed...let me have fiddle here, get back to you soon if your keen mate...cheers

Any time you're willing to give is greatly appreciated, Anthony. Looking forward to your vision

Here we go, something maybe like this....firstly the under branch with the cross should go to me too crowded and need to make it more dynamic and as suggested by the other guys the scar/feature is to square, need to wittle/angle more and tidy the second trunk.

Two drawings...one we can shield more...two we can isolate a little more,... your call there.

Personally I like the extra tree it adds more interest, dynamics another dimension if you like...cheers Anthony

Also Jezz you can obviously bring him up bigger and push the big guys foilage more left too i might mention,

Here Is one I drew awhile back, they are hard to beat as a looker if you get it right in my opinion.

A pine

Thankyou for taking the time to do those sketches, Anthony
I like the look of the first sketch, elongating the right side creates a bit more balance for the twin trunk design. Will revisit the carving after this growing season and see what I can come up with.

Winter update, the tree grew well as usual and I've given it a tidy up removing some of the more cluttered branching. I let the tree run towards the end of summer which consequently allowed the apex to get away from me I feel the secondary 'trunk' is now ready to begin building branches, will see how I go and how it looks. If it fails in design I can chop it off and open up the carving as per everyone's suggestion