AusBonsai

Hi All,
I have a dug Kunzea which has a straight branch with foliage only at the end. They don't bud back easily so I have been toying with removing the branch but thought I would ask other's advice first just in case someone can justify keeping it. I have already bent it towards the main body a little but it does not move easily. If it went the tree would have only 3 sources of foliage. I would really appreciate everyone's thoughts.

When you ask for styling advice, its best to show the tree from a few different sides, and from the flat plain view of the top of the pot.

My vote is to keep it. Looks interesting and they can grow quite scraggly in the wild so will look unique.

Thanks Rory. Not what I expected but that's why I asked.

Agree 100 percent with Rory in regards to keeping the branch. The beauty of collected trees is that you have to use what the tree provides. It might seem wrong to us at the present moment but can be a real winner in the future. . Good luck with it Stu they are a Fantastic species to work with. Cheers John.

I'm also in the keep it camp.
There is a possibility that it will bud back following the next trimming , you just have to be lucky. Plenty of fertilizer and water also helps back budding in my experience so I think keep it if only for its unique appearance.

Have you got a basic design that you want to go with? I wouldn't suggest chopping until you at least had a direction that would encourage you to remove it.

If you thought you would have a great tree *if* you could bend the branch in a certain way, maybe you could post your design and ask around here about how you could go about moving the branch to meet your design. There are a few tricks to get some bend out of a branch.

And... if that isn't going to work, definitely agree with Watto about keeping it well fed and you may have to wait for next Spring's flush but if you keep it happy, give it a timely cut back before the Spring flush you may have more options available.

Maybe someone here from Melbourne can give you an indication if you still have time to get a chop and another flush of growth before winter? <- This also depends on how healthy and happy your tree is currently. I just dug an elm and cut it back one week ago and it's already put out new growth, but we've still got a couple more weeks of 30+ degree days in Sydney.

It's difficult to tell from photos, but photo2 seemed to have potential as an angle. If you lean the tree over a bit more to the left, and have a mass of foliage at the base of the trunk (right low), another at the top, then the long left extension, you may just be able to balance them harmoniously. If you have solid, tightly trimmed foliage pads, the long leafless branch will stand out. If you have lightly open, complex foliage areas that branch will not stand out as much. All the best. It's an interesting base to play with.

Gavin

Many thanks for all the responses. Seems the sentiment is keep and work with the branch. I like the idea of playing with planting angles.
I will post again when I hake some progress.

It is difficult to style a tree from photos at the best of times because 2d photos make it hard to see any depth in the movement. Photos that show limited angles or odd perspectives make it even harder to suggest style.
I note you are a member of Vic native which is a great resource. I'd be taking a tree like this to a meeting (or privately to members whose judgement you trust) for this kind of assessment.
I do agree with the others. Don't be too hasty to chop of a good lower branch on collected material. Doing so will leave you with a tall, mostly straight trunk and you may just regret the decision then.

Good luck with this for the future.

Everything said in the above post from shibui makes a lot of sense.
As Rory also says, photos need to be good quality and at an angle that helps to understand the perspective you are looking from in terms of “the front”, and other “sides” in relation to that.
From the ones provided, I see this straight section (in yellow), well before I look at the one you mention. Amazing what is evident/obvious to different people…
I probably wouldn’t cut either, not yet at any rate.