8/4/17
This Cedar elm was slip-potted in August of 2017, when I placed it into this nice handmade Byron Myrick rectangle. The tree had thrown enough buds to allow a nice branch set and leader for training.
8/26/17
A few weeks later, and the tree continued its rampant growth. This is most apparent in the length and strength of the leader. When you’re building a tree from a bare trunk, making the apex and especially the apical transition is vital to making a believable bonsai.
9/10/17
A few weeks later, it’s time to prune back the leader. I could have continued to let it run, but that would have hampered my ability to build taper into the leader itself. This is a balancing act you’ll have to perform over and over again.
Pay particular attention to the new leader I’ve wired up.
11/12/17
Compare this photo to the previous one. That very small shoot has now taken over as the dominant leader. This is that next round of thickening vital to the apex-building process.
11/12/18
Fast-forward a year. In this growing season, I’ve done mostly light trimming and a little wiring to continue directing the development of the branches. The tree is a bit disorganized-looking in this photo … but there’s a plan in there.
11/17/18
The first right branch was allowed to grow upward earlier in the season. Why? This induces faster growth, therefore more thickening. I want this branch to ultimately be about one-fourth to one-third the thickness of the trunk at the point where it emerges. This will produce the appropriate representation of a mature tree in nature.
11/17/18
I went ahead and wired the first right branch, in order to make the tree more aesthetically pleasing. While I was working on it, I noticed that a slight turn of the tree seems to produce a better appearance. I’ll very likely turn the tree slightly in 2019.
12/9/18
A few weeks later, and this tree is just about in hibernation for the winter. Only a few leaves now remain. I did a little strategic light pruning, and a little wiring in the apex. All in all, not a bad show for 18 months’ of effort.
Let me know what you think of this tree. I anticipate offering it for sale next year.
Trunk base 1.75″
Height 18″
Age about 15-20 years
Nicely done, Zach. pk
Thanks, Pierre.
Zach, I was very glad to see that you remove the rock and replaced with moss much better looking tree now .
Like what you did with the first rate branch will make a great moving forward on the truck keep letting us know how your progress is were all very interested
Thanks, Bob. The “rock” was actually just a piece of broken pottery I have lying around (possibly Indian pottery, my daughter and I found it in a creek bed 25 years ago) that I used to keep the tree wedged more upright in the pot until the roots got established. Then it was no longer needed. I’ll have updates on this one next year.