New junipers

[The other Ryan]

Just wanted to share what I picked up over the weekend from Bill Whitby of Ulladulla. Some of you may know him?

Had a good chat and walk around his garden and display. A great way to spend Sunday morning.

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The larger juni needs some styling and perhaps a tad more thinning out. Happy to get back into things

[KIRKY]

Its a good start to get you back in the swing of things. First thing you want to do is cover those roots.
Young roots exposed serve no purpose. They usually dry n die.
Cheers
Kirky

[shibui]

You have picked well
Great to see some others bending young stock and growing it on for better junipers. They both need some growing to thicken the trunks a bit but the basic structure is good.

[The other Ryan]

Its a good start to get you back in the swing of things. First thing you want to do is cover those roots.
Young roots exposed serve no purpose. They usually dry n die.
Cheers
Kirky

Thanks Kirky. Lost a bit of the top soil on the journey home

[The other Ryan]

You have picked well
Great to see some others bending young stock and growing it on for better junipers. They both need some growing to thicken the trunks a bit but the basic structure is good.

There was quite the selection to choose from. Bill and his wife have a nice setup with lots of great material. If I had access to a yard I’d plonk them into the ground. Perhaps a slightly bigger wooden box or styrene box would help them thicken up a bit?

[shibui]

Those pots look about right for now. Pots too large can be worse than too small.

I use plenty of sacrifice branches to thicken juniper trunks After the branches have done the job they can be converted to jins to add even more character.

[The other Ryan]

Those pots look about right for now. Pots too large can be worse than too small.

I use plenty of sacrifice branches to thicken juniper trunks After the branches have done the job they can be converted to jins to add even more character.

Thanks shibui. At the moment I’ve only removed the weak and dead stuff. Still unsure of the overall design of the larger juniper. The leading branch twists back around and down but is young enough to be wired in a more upright position. Either that or it could be shortened later on. No rush to decide yet

[shibui]

I assume the 'large one' is the procumbens? (2nd photos posted above)

I would consider removing much of the thick trunk in the apex. Bonsai look best with some taper in the trunk and these junipers typically do not have taper.
I think there may be a large branch at the front of the highest point. From down here that would be my pick for the new apex. I know that seems like a lot of tree to chop and it will certainly look like the tree has been decimated initially but the new leader will soon start growing fast and so will all the lower branches when the strong competing trunk is removed.
wiring and bending that thinner branch will give you the opportunity to continue with the theme of real curves and should allow you to make a good canopy. The thick trunk could be difficult to bend (at least in bends that look good) so you may have problems using it for the apex.

Whatever you do with it it should make a good bonsai.

PS. put something in photos for scale (AA batteries or beer bottles are common scale items. Even a finger gives a reasonably good scale)
It is easy for you who can see it close but it is hard for the rest of us to decide if the trunk is 1cm or 5cm thick when there is nothing to compare with.

[The other Ryan]

I assume the 'large one' is the procumbens? (2nd photos posted above)

I would consider removing much of the thick trunk in the apex. Bonsai look best with some taper in the trunk and these junipers typically do not have taper.
I think there may be a large branch at the front of the highest point. From down here that would be my pick for the new apex. I know that seems like a lot of tree to chop and it will certainly look like the tree has been decimated initially but the new leader will soon start growing fast and so will all the lower branches when the strong competing trunk is removed.
wiring and bending that thinner branch will give you the opportunity to continue with the theme of real curves and should allow you to make a good canopy. The thick trunk could be difficult to bend (at least in bends that look good) so you may have problems using it for the apex.

Whatever you do with it it should make a good bonsai.

PS. put something in photos for scale (AA batteries or beer bottles are common scale items. Even a finger gives a reasonably good scale)
It is easy for you who can see it close but it is hard for the rest of us to decide if the trunk is 1cm or 5cm thick when there is nothing to compare with.

Yes you would be correct the procumbens is the larger one.

That gives me something else to consider, thanks mate. I’ll need to take some better photos as well to show more of the movement and other branches. Still being a relatively new to it, I’m still weary of just removing branches and too much foliage at one time though I may need to thin it out a touch more to get a better view of everything come wiring.

[The other Ryan]

This might help with the scale and give a better view

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[shibui]

I can understand your reluctance to take large parts off. There is a lot written about how that can be detrimental to Junipers. There is no problem removing foliage from a healthy juniper.
Some newbies have a problem taking 1/2 of a $60 tree and reducing it to $30. In bonsai, removing half of a $60 tree can increase the value to over $100 instead of reducing it.

Your new photos confirm that it is possible to bend the existing trunk. The question then becomes whether taper in a bonsai trunk is valuable. I would still consider that front branch as a replacement for the thicker rear trunk. Better placed, better taper, easier to wire and bend.

[The other Ryan]

I can understand your reluctance to take large parts off. There is a lot written about how that can be detrimental to Junipers. There is no problem removing foliage from a healthy juniper.
Some newbies have a problem taking 1/2 of a $60 tree and reducing it to $30. In bonsai, removing half of a $60 tree can increase the value to over $100 instead of reducing it.

Your new photos confirm that it is possible to bend the existing trunk. The question then becomes whether taper in a bonsai trunk is valuable. I would still consider that front branch as a replacement for the thicker rear trunk. Better placed, better taper, easier to wire and bend.

If I had more space for more trees to play with, I think I would be much less reluctant to chop branches

I’ve marked where I think you mean where to cut. Is this correct? Again, thank you for your comments mate. It’s appreciated

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[shibui]

Your proposed cut is one option. It will give you a leaning or semi cascade tree I think.
My proposal was a bit higher, partly to save your nerves.

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First option is the red line. It does leave a rather straight section but that should be balanced by the radical curves below and maybe even some more above.

Second option is the blue line. The new leader reduces the straight section but is smaller so will take a few years to develop a decent apex from that one.

Always remember there is no one correct solution to bonsai style. You always have a number of possible options with differing degrees of 'better' depending on subjective point of view and how long you are prepared to take to make a bonsai.

[The other Ryan]

Your proposed cut is one option. It will give you a leaning or semi cascade tree I think.
My proposal was a bit higher, partly to save your nerves.
juniper ryan.JPG

First option is the red line. It does leave a rather straight section but that should be balanced by the radical curves below and maybe even some more above.

Second option is the blue line. The new leader reduces the straight section but is smaller so will take a few years to develop a decent apex from that one.

Always remember there is no one correct solution to bonsai style. You always have a number of possible options with differing degrees of 'better' depending on subjective point of view and how long you are prepared to take to make a bonsai.

I guess I could wire it up to see what it looks like and then make a decision about where to cut it back if I choose to go down that path. It’s quite flexible that leader branch but it might look more like an awkward corkscrew with how it naturally twists.

If I cut back at either of the higher locations it could be an interesting semi cascade

[The other Ryan]

Small update
Wired the trunk and applied some shape. Still have to wire down the other branches for placement but at least it looks less like a shrub.
A couple different angles to give an idea and I’ve left plenty of foliage for the moment as I don’t want to rush anything. I may jin the apex leader and twist it up to create some of interest. Thoughts and comments welcome

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