Juniperis Danurica Variegata ... did I waste my money?

[MJL]

I enjoyed a morning in the Dandenong ranges today. I visited Jeff at Chojo, his nursery/outdoor gallery, is progressing well. While I am not in the market to spend into four figures for some of Jeff's finer specimens, I did enjoy wandering around. I am lucky to have Bonsai Art close by, Bonsai Sensation, Bonsai Farm and Chojo not too far away too.

Conifer Gardens(CG) nursery - a beautiful tree nursery (not Bonsai) - is on the way home so I stopped by there too. It's a lovely place to wander around on a cool morning ... and I spent some cash ... but did I waste my money (See pictures below but some background first.)

I've been to CG numerous times but I don't buy much at CG (for bonsai) because much of the juniper and pine stock is grafted. Perhaps this creates healthier trees but It's not so good for a nice trunk taper, rather it usually produces and ugly lump.

While walking around, I spotted a range of Juniper Danurica Variegata and was interested. They were 'leggy' but I was taken by the excellent curves on reasonably thick lower trunks; trunks of about 1-1.5" in diameter. CG label their plants well and these trees started their lives in 2011. So ... 7 year old Junipers. They were listed at $35 a pot and they were healthy, not pot bound. Another positive. Hmmmm... but... my mobile phone ran out of batteries - so I could not look them up. I had to decide whether to take a chance.

I spent about 40 minutes arranging them. While they might stand alone as singular bonsai, I was taken by the opportunity of an eventual group planting. (I was somewhat inspired by some of the group plantings that I recently saw at the Arboretum - National Bonsai and Penjing Collection.

Whatever the future design - single or group - I decided to purchase the lot - all five!

Since I have arrived back home, I have looked them up and my thoughts are mixed. I am happy but maybe I have wasted my money. I have noted that some historical threads in this forum say stay away from Variegated junipers, they are fickle and can die! Oh no!

And there are not many examples online but there are a few. Like this one:

Juniperus Davurica Variegata Bonsai .jpg

And expensive stuff like this https://wigertsbonsai.com/product/varie ... er-bonsai/ from a nursery in America.

Anyway - I took the chance because of the movement in lower trunk and I think a strong propensity to bud back.
Here is a photo of the trunks

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Any the root ball

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Here's the leggy group

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and another angle

IMG_4151.jpg

Thoughts? Wishful and wasted or opportunistic and hopeful?

[TimS]

It’s a bit of a love it or hate it variety, i’ve seen one or two over the last year at Tien’s nursery Bonsai Sensation so they do bonsai. Not sure how well they go at budding on bare wood though as I heartily dislike junipers and don’t grow them though I did try at one stage.

Give it a go and see what happens!

[tgward]

with the foliage way out there on the ends ,compact by using raffia and guy wires and bend, bend and bend some more.

[MJL]

Thanks TmS and TG - yep, you've confirmed my concerns; it's not a glowing endorsement of the species but I will give it a crack and learn along the way.

I am probably a goose with this one because I am running with a rampant (and probably unrealistic) imagination.

On the plus side, I am fairly confident about budding back, so along with bends to pull it all back in, I'll be pruning pretty hard over time too. I think it it will require a fair dose of patience. If it does not bud back - I am stuffed. (That's a technical term!)

It is hard to describe but I chose the 5 trunks after playing with them on the ground for 30+ minutes. One trunk is slightly taller, one mid-sized and one quiet low - one bends hard left, the other hard right. I reckon I can get a nice tiered balance when I smash them all together in spring/summer.

Here is my inspiration. Yeah - I know - I am a mile away from that but hey...one can dream.

IMG_3976.jpg

Also - the foliage is closer to that of Shimpaku rather than spiky, which I like better.

Anyway ... we'll see over time I guess!

[SueBee]

Good luck on a brave decision. Will be waiting for the progressions.

[rodm]

MJL,
If you don’t want em send em this way No seriously if they are likely to back bud you will have the chance to cut back the length over time. The thing is to keep them healthy at all times, but hey have a look at the literati style. Some look as though that might be the way to go. I like the look of them, for me it would be a nice challenge
Cheers RodM

[loyskirineba]

So long as you like it and you've got a plan that's good enough Just keep it healthy and i'm sure you'll have a nice bonsai there once styled...believe me sometimes you'll surprise yourself with style ideas

[MJL]

Thanks SueBee, RodM and Loys,

Yep, I am accepting the challenge. I'll re-pot in late spring. This morning I scraped the top inch or so of soil and was happy with what I saw. I also cut back some growth that I know would not be needed.

RodM, you mentioned literati and that is a style I really admire when done well; your point is well made and I will consider that style.

Along with the image from the National Bonsai collection I posted earlier, I remember a specimen a BSV show a year or two back that stayed in my mind - something similar to below. I know below is not a juniper - but ideas like this give me inspiration too.

2012ShowPhoto.jpg

Cheers for the encouragement.

[Mbunro]

i have had one of these in a colander for the last 18 months or so.,
seems to grow very naturally leggy, especially the foliage itself. and the foliage seems very hard to refine as when i cutback the growing tips it just sprouts from the crotches rather than ramify at the branch tips.

[MJL]

i have had one of these in a colander for the last 18 months or so.,
seems to grow very naturally leggy, especially the foliage itself. and the foliage seems very hard to refine as when i cutback the growing tips it just sprouts from the crotches rather than ramify at the branch tips.

Thanks for the heads up Mbunro.... the challenge gets larger! Whatever the outcome, I'll learn along the way and hopefully some people can learn from my stumbles and falls.

I am thinking windswept group - perhaps even a windswept literati group - if there is such a thing ... semi-cascading from a rocky outcrop...

To borrow a line from a Rolling Stones song... "It's just my imagination runnin' away from me."

[Mbunro]

It's all about the challenge! I like the idea of the cascade literati group!

Thought I'd show a pic of my one... It's got the bones to be a nice little semi cascade shohin, but I just can't seem to get the foliage right

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[MJL]

Remember these .... I continue to think.

I’ve now cut back all five to one main trunk each. They are starting to bud back on old wood. I still like the idea of a group of leggy Literati with various jins on each - you can see I have left some rather thick ends where I have cut limbs off.... future jin’s.

I may take one or two of these trees back to about 4-6” from the base - like Bmunro’s example - and just create some interesting trees with nice thick, short trunks.

Thinking, thinking ... no rush.

IMG_5218.JPG

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[MJL]

Hi All,

Remember these .... check this out. Pity they are not Shimpaku!

I still don’t know whether I wasted my money but I think not; I am really enjoying progressing a vision. Still progressing ... so cheap fun really.

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This was a big job - I wish I had a helper today - wiring in place was not easy ... If I had my time I would probably swap the two lowest end trees - they may be better in each other’s place - more compact - I think the last tree is cantilevered too far out of the pot. Oh, well - when things have settled down I can make some more bends or swap them in the next repot.

Cheers,

M


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[Beano]

I see all these lovely mounds of dirt in bonsai pots and mine always just washes away. Is there a way you keep it in place, or do you just meticulously replace it after each watering?

[TimS]

Great work with the progression of these, nice to see something different to the norm for sure and the grouping has a very nice feel to it. Well done!