Juniper styling help - beginner

[JarrenP]

Hey,

I'm just starting my bonsai journey and still find it difficult at times to make design decisions, even with examples and tutorials all over the web.

I bought this juniper from a nursery here in Sydney (about 3 months ago) because I loved the strange look of that second, thicker branch. Since then I've been learning a lot and now I've started wiring the tree and not so sure this was a great decision. Below are a few points I'm thinking about.

- Is the trunk too straight, should juniper's rather be curved?
- (I do like an informal upright, can it be done with a juniper?
- Do I bend that thick branch down and curve it to become a cascade branch in the future?
- Do I curve that branch around the front of the tree and turn it into a jin?
- Do I remove the branch completely and look to tilt the tree and start styling away from an upright?

Any advice on my thinking and/ or styling tips on this tree would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jarren

Juniper3.jpg

Juniper2.jpg

[pureheart]

Hey,

I'm just starting my bonsai journey and still find it difficult at times to make design decisions, even with examples and tutorials all over the web.

I bought this juniper from a nursery here in Sydney (about 3 months ago) because I loved the strange look of that second, thicker branch. Since then I've been learning a lot and now I've started wiring the tree and not so sure this was a great decision. Below are a few points I'm thinking about.

- Is the trunk too straight, should juniper's rather be curved?
- (I do like an informal upright, can it be done with a juniper?
- Do I bend that thick branch down and curve it to become a cascade branch in the future?
- Do I curve that branch around the front of the tree and turn it into a jin?
- Do I remove the branch completely and look to tilt the tree and start styling away from an upright?

Any advice on my thinking and/ or styling tips on this tree would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jarren

Can’t see any photos? As a beginner I can tell you that things do improve and one day it just clicks... but I would strongly recommend to join a club ( after this s**t-Storm is passed ) that’s what helped me to click!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JarrenP]

Thanks pureheart, photos now uploaded.

There are no clubs near me unfortunately but when this all comes to an end I'll see what I can find.

[shibui]

Hi Jarren,
You are not alone in having trouble making decisions about what to do with trees. The most important thing to remember is there are no wrong decisions. Each decision takes you a little further toward a final design. Many of the decisions we make will reduce the number of possibilities left but a bonsai can only be one tree so reducing extra possibilities is a good thing.

Junipers can be styled in any style or shape so you could conceivably do any of the things you have asked about.
Traditional Japanese styling of junipers includes some dead parts. They see junipers from very high mountains that grow in harsh conditions so nearly all wild junipers have been broken and have dead parts from regular snow load, blizzards and storms so they tend to include those in their juniper bonsai. Junipers also tend to be quite twisted and contorted because the environment where the wild ones live forces them to make frequent changes of direction as they are bent and broken by the climate.

We don't need to follow those things here. If you prefer a more sedate tree shape then go for that. It may be a little late to put real severe bends into that trunk anyway - really need to start a bit younger when the wood is still a bit flexible.

Taper is another important aspect of a bonsai. Older trees tend to have a thick base but gradually get thinner up the trunk. Young trees are more of a column - similar thickness from bottom to top and that's what yours is now. To make it look older and more impressive we induce taper into the trunk. Easiest way is to prune and use a side branch which is normally thinner to replace the old trunk. Instant taper. For instance you could cut off the main trunk just above the thick side branch and use that as the new trunk (maybe also keep some of the old trunk as dead wood - known by the Japanese term 'jin'

Your tree is still very young so has almost all possibilities open. At the moment there are no real obvious styles jumping out so if you work out what shape tree you fancy we can help move toward that.

[JarrenP]

Thanks Neil, as always so helpful.

I love that every time I speak to someone about bonsai I learn something new. I actually think your suggestion about cutting the main trunk down and moving towards that other branch is a great option. It will thicken the trunk as you say, add a more interesting angle for the tree and that branch is much thinner so I could wire it into a more twisted shape.
The hard part is chopping off big pieces of a tree but as you say, there is no right or wrong and it's all a journey.

I'll re-post photos soon.

[Jarad]

Hey Jarrenn

Neil always has a wealth of knowledge that he's always willing to share. One thing I might add is that you can keep the long straight part of the tree to use as a sacrifice branch (chop it off/jinn it later). This way your tree won't lose any vigour while you restyle and the base will continue to thicken.

[shibui]

sacrifice branches are a great way to thicken juniper trunks. Low sacrifice branches thicken the lower parts of the trunk while high sacrifice branches usually thicken the entire length of the trunk.
A lot depend on how patient you feel. I've had junipers with long sacrifice branches here for 5-10 years trying to get sufficient trunk thickness. That may be a bit long for someone who is new to bonsai and wants something instant.

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[Jarad]

Good point, thanks Neil!