by Zach Smith | Dec 10, 2016 | Care, Flowering, Hawthorn, Sweetgum
Fall in the Deep South is an iffy affair. When we do get fall, it typically comes and goes in short order. This year we actually got perfect conditions for a nice season of color, a lengthy drought that ended around Thanksgiving. In the past couple of weeks we’ve seen our trees in the landscape produce nice yellows, reds and purples. Then the rains came, and those colorful leaves have been falling quickly. The gray, somber winter is just about upon us.
For the bonsai artist who loves deciduous trees, winter is actually a good time of year. The well-ramified trees get to show off their development. Those trees still in development get to show off where they are in the process, plus what they still lack. All in all, I love deciduous bonsai in winter. Here are a couple of nice examples.
This is my Riverflat hawthorn, Crataegus opaca, that I’ve been working on for five years now. You can see the state of ramification this tree has achieved. The final step in developing this bonsai is going to occur in the crown, which has come along very well over the past couple of years. I’m confident that by the end of the 2017 growing season, this tree will be “finished.”
This Sweetgum forest, Liquidambar styraciflua, was put together in 2015. In just two growing seasons, it’s reached a pretty nice stage of development. With the leaves just about off all of the trees, it’s much easier to see the state of development of the individual trees. This is important to any forest composition. While it might seem easiest to grow a forest as simply a mass of foliage, this will never fly with deciduous species. Winter will always rat you out. So today I was able to get “inside” the forest and do some strategic pruning. Each of the trees in this forest has its own structure, which I’m developing over time. It’s only going to take one more growing season to get this forest to the point where constant pinching will finish the development.
I’d love to hear of any experiences you might want to share with regard to your deciduous bonsai in winter. Just leave a comment below.
by Zach Smith | Dec 4, 2016 | Blackgum, Care, Collecting, Dogwood, Potting
We’re “enjoying” our second rainy day in a row. As bad as this might sound, there is some positive to it. If I had to pick the ideal conditions for collecting trees during late fall/winter it would be cool but not cold temperatures and a light drizzle. With these conditions, I know any tree I collect is not going to be moving sap. This almost guarantees I won’t lose the tree from drying out through a chop point. I also know the root zone is going to be moist if not outright wet. The soil is easier to penetrate, and once the tree is lifted the roots are not going to dry out before I can water them. So the bottom line is, though I may not be as comfortable as I’d like the trees will be much more so during their transition from the ground to my benches.
Blackgum, aka Tupelo, aka Black Tupelo, aka Pepperidge (Nyssa sylvatica) is a primary tree that can reach heights up to 100 feet. It has a very broad range, from the Deep South all the way to Ontario, Canada. It features furrowed bark similar to Sweetgum, elliptical or oblong leaves that turn a fiery red even way down here, and blue-black berries. Blackgum belongs to the Dogwood family, Cornaceae.
I’ve been wanting to grow Blackgum for bonsai for many years. Though we do have the cousin Swamp Tupelo down here, they aren’t easy to collect. About four years ago I got hold of a handful of seedlings so I could try my hand at the species. I potted up one, which didn’t survive its first winter, and planted out the others in order to thicken them up. At this point in time, I have two left. So the challenge is pretty obvious.
Today I decided to push the envelope again, and lift one of these specimens. Why not? We learn by doing.
Here’s the tree after it was lifted and the roots washed. The growth has been excellent. The trunk base is 2.5″ just above the root crown, and I chopped it at 20″.
Now, there was no way to keep all that root base – the tree wouldn’t fit right in a bonsai pot – so I sawed away most of it.
And the final two steps: the tree is direct-potted into this unglazed Chuck Iker round; and I chopped the trunk back to make the tree about 16″ tall. I envision a final height of about 26″ or so, and the tree may actually end up being a formal upright specimen. Formal upright is possibly the most difficult style of bonsai to get right – so keep your fingers crossed for me.
Finally, I have no idea how well this is going to work. I haven’t worked with Blackgum before, though I’ve wanted to for years. I don’t know how well they take to pot culture. But I figure it’s worth a try, given the positive qualities of the species.
How about you? Have you ever grown Blackgum? I’d love to hear of any experiences out there.
by Zach Smith | Dec 3, 2016 | Boxwood, Care, Potting, Styling, Wiring
The winter rains are terrible and wonderful. We have to have them. But they seem to follow right on the heels of the nice fall colors – which we don’t get much of here but we do cherish what we get – putting a big damper on the landscape. Still, we always look for something to brighten the mood.
I made this Japanese boxwood, Buxus Japonica, from a slew of cuttings I rooted a couple of years ago. It’s nothing significant, just a starter bonsai, but they all have to start somewhere. Boxwood species have a lot going for them. They’re evergreen, which means you’ll have something green through the winter besides your junipers and pines. Sometimes they get a bronzy color when it gets really cold. This particular species of boxwood is hardy to Zone 6, which means unless you’re in the northern plains states they do just fine outdoors all winter long.
Boxwoods have other great qualities. They always seem to produce great nebari, plus they’ll bloom in a bonsai pot, though the flowers are pretty inconspicuous. Wiring is easy, and they take shaping well – though once the wood gets really stiff you won’t be bending it ever again!
This photo is from mid-October. While this isn’t the time you normally think of potting up anything, boxwoods don’t mind. And they’ll even put on some new growth at this time of year.
Here’s proof. As you can see, every branch I wired, plus the apex, has new buds opening. Not only does this mean the bonsai has come through its potting experience, next year I’ll get tremendous growth and the development will be rapid.
If you’re looking for a nice starter bonsai for Christmas, you can’t go wrong with a boxwood. This one is available at our Miscellaneous Bonsai page, with more to come next year. The pot is a great piece by Chuck Iker.
by Zach Smith | Nov 20, 2016 | Care, Hornbeam, Pruning, Styling
American hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana, is one of my favorite species for bonsai and a great choice for beginners. This particular specimen has been with me through six growing seasons now. This past year I repotted the tree, which gave me a good opportunity to do some work on the roots, and of course the tree responded as hornbeams always do. Here’s where it ended the growing season:
I let the tree grow out because it continues to need thickening of the branches, plus following the root-pruning I didn’t want to begin the pinching and refining process in the same year. This can be done starting next year.
This operation took me about 15 minutes. I removed all of the downward pointing branches and the crossing branches, and brought the profile of the tree inward. I also shortened the very long leader, which was allowed to grow unchecked to continue thickening the transition point as I build taper in the apex of the tree. I left this cut long, just to protect buds that are already apparent lower down on this leader. I’ll recut in the spring, and begin the process of finishing the very top of the tree.
Stay tuned for updates on this specimen in 2017. Also watch for new hornbeam stock, which should start appearing around March or April.
Comments are welcome, as always.
by Zach Smith | Nov 19, 2016 | Bald Cypress, Care, Pruning, Styling, Wiring, ZPC
It’s been a while since I updated the development of my big Bald cypress, Taxodium distichum. This is year two following collection in Winter 2015.
Here’s a photo of the tree in February of last year, just when it was pushing its first buds.
Here’s the tree after its first round of wiring and shaping for 2016, then defoliation and trimming this past July. I was thinking at the time that it might be best to turn the tree slightly.
Here’s the tree as of today, after growing out since the July defoliation. I haven’t done any pinching or pruning, rather I’ve just left the tree alone.
For all of you BC lovers out there who have requested my development guide, I’ve included this photo to show you how the callus is rolling over. Take special note of the “shelf” of wood I left at the top of the chop, where the angled cut was made early this year. The callus has to “climb” over this shelf, which slows its progress and prevents a nasty reverse taper at the point where the new leader emerges from the chop area. As early as next year I’ll carve down the shelf, and that will allow the callus to close over the chopped and carved area and eventually the wound will be completely healed.
Another thing worth noting for today is this vegetative shoot emerging from the new leader. I let it grow wild in order to thicken the base of the leader, which will ensure a smooth tapering transition.
Following removal. I’ll allow the wired leader to grow out in 2017, which will continue the process of thickening the base of the leader.
And finally, after a hard pruning. I really like the design that’s taking shape on this bald cypress. By the end of the 2017 growing season, it should be well on its way to becoming an outstanding specimen bonsai.
The trunk on this tree is 7″ across about 7″ above the soil surface. The root spread is about 16″, and it will finish at about 36″ tall.
Don’t you just love the deep fluting on this tree’s buttressing roots? When you think of the classic bald cypress form, this is what comes to mind.
I’d love to hear any comments you may have on this tree.
