Bald Cypress Collecting Trip #2 For 2022

by | Jan 30, 2022 | Bald Cypress, Care, Collecting, Most Recent, Potting

bald cypress collecting trip #2 for 2022

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

More specimens from this week’s trip.

Bald Cypress Collecting Trip #2 for 2022

The weather has taken a cold turn recently. Though we do alternate with moderate days, it seems that every weekend it turns cold again. As far as collecting trees is concerned, cold weather (I don’t mean bitterly cold freezing weather with frozen solid ground) is actually good. Down here it’s not at all uncommon for us to see fairly warm weather in February. Based on what I see in the forecast, that won’t be happening this year. I’m okay with that, as long as we don’t get freaky cold weather in March or April (which has been known to happen).

Here’s a nice specimen we brought home today. The base is 3.5″, which makes for a nice “statement” tree. Height is one of the key natural features of Bald cypress, giving the species much of its character. When you have great taper and a nice flaring fluted base, you’re just a set of branches away from a great bonsai.

 

This one’s a bit larger than the one above, with a base of 4″ (these basal measurements, incidentally, are taken above the soil meaning in this case 4″ above the soil). So the root spread is bigger.

The character of this one is outstanding.

Here’s another 4″ specimen. The flaring base is a great feature and will give an instant look of age.

This one is the most unusual for the day. What I spotted about it from a distance was the subtle fluting. For a BC this small, in this case with a 2.25″ trunk base, you just don’t find the beginnings of fluting that often.

When I got up close and started clearing around the trunk, I noticed the neat root coming off the side. And on that root is a “knee-like” bump. Very unsual for a BC this small. So this one is very special.

Let me know what you think of these bonsai to be.

Bald Cypress Collecting Trip #1 For 2022

by | Jan 16, 2022 | Bald Cypress, Care, Collecting, Most Recent, Potting

bald cypress collecting trip #1 for 2022

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

This BC collecting season got off to a late start due to weather, but things are starting to look up.

Bald Cypress Collecting Trip #1 for 2022

I love this time of year – but only for the opportunity to collect new material. The weather is cold, often wet and just nasty. I hate winter!

But the new BC’s do come home, with some work of course. Here’s one of the new specimens, a nice 4″ trunk and destined to be a formal upright.

I wouldn’t call this one exactly a formal upright but it’s close. A little smaller in diameter than the one above, I’m thinking it could very well end up as a flat-top.

Sometimes, when the taper is right, we end up with a shorter specimen. Even though the trunk measures 4″ on this one, it’s chopped at only 22″.

This one speaks for itself. The taper and trunk movement are just outstanding. Will it work as an informal upright or flat-top? Either way!

It’s also a toss-up as to which front is the front. I haven’t made up my mind yet. What do you think?

And I’d love to hear what you think of this group of BC’s.

Season’s End – Apple & Oak

by | Dec 12, 2021 | Apple, Care, Most Recent, Oaks, Willow

season’s end – apple & oak

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

The 2021 season has come to an end. The year was a strange one out there in the world, but in the world of bonsai we continue on. Here are two late-season show-offs.

Season’s End – Apple & Oak

The 2021 season is now over, and we look forward to 2022. I think we can all agree that 2021 was a strange year. Over here found ourselves diverted to other priorities quite a bit. We’ve found the best thing to do when the future is totally uncertain is to pray, plan and work. The rest takes care of itself.

No one knows what the new year will bring, but the bonsai world goes on so look for posts after the first featuring newly collected material.

I wanted to show you this big apple I styled earlier in the season. It was late changing colors, but I love the reds which are typical of species of the apple and pear family (rosaceae).

Give the large trunk on this specimen, it’s obviously going to take a number of years to fully develop it. The key to early development is to let the leader and branches grow out – and that means just about as far as they want. Premature pruning stunts that growth and slows down the thickening process, which is crucial. So I’ll continue to let this one grow on out next year. I also need to do some pruning to the two large chops, before rot sets in and causes me to have to do more than I want.

Rip van Winkle here took a while to turn, and the next thing I knew it dropped most of its leaves. But I did catch it in a little color before full dormancy.

This tree, along with quite a few others on my bench, really needs a repotting next year. I’m anxious to see the state of root development. I’ll definitely post a blog featuring this work when the time comes.

I hope your 2021 is ending well, and our best wishes for the holiday season. My next post will be early in 2022.

 

Bonsai Odds & Ends – Hawthorn, Cypress, Spekboom

by | Nov 14, 2021 | Bald Cypress, Care, Hawthorn, Jade, Most Recent, Pruning, Riverflat

bonsai odds & ends – hawthorn, cypress, spekboom

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

Fall brings a little color to our part of the Deep South. The growing season is over, but it’s still fun to work on tropicals.

Bonsai Odds & Ends – Hawthorn, Cypress, Spekboom

Here is the Deep South we pay for relatively mild winters with a general lack of fall color. That doesn’t mean we don’t get the occasional overachiever. My big Riverflat hawthorn just turned the other day, and I think it was all at once. Hard to miss on the benches full of green and bare trees.

The Bald cypresses that weren’t defoliated in July usually look pretty ratty this time of year. This big specimen is an exception. It’s the last BC I’ll be posting for sale this year. If you’re looking for a big one, check it out in the Shop.

 

The redesign of this Spekboom (Portulacaria afra) is progressing well. It got a hard pruning earlier in the season, and has responded with a ton of new growth. I don’t know if other enthusiasts work on tropicals as winter approaches, but I’ve always had good luck considering the fact that they’ll be moving into heated spaces soon anyway.

From the bottom up, time for this one to lose a good bit of foliage. It was a bit “bottom-heavy,” but that’s not a huge surprise given the characteristic growth habit for the species.

 

And the end-result. The crown of the tree needs a lot more development, but by the end of 2022 the new design should be complete.

Let me know what you think.

Bonsai Odds & Ends – American Elm, Lantana

by | Oct 16, 2021 | American Elm, Care, Elms, Flowering, Lantana, Most Recent, Potting, Pruning, Wiring

bonsai odds & ends – american elm, lantana

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

Here’s another American elm that’s coming along, and a Lantana in bad need of a haircut.

Bonsai Odds & Ends – American Elm, Lantana

I’ve written about American elm before. It’s sadly under-utilized for bonsai, most likely because folks are afraid of Dutch Elm Disease. I’ve never had a bonsai affected by DED in 30+ years of experience, nor have I heard of a case (though perhaps it’s happened out there somewhere).

This specimen is a perfect example of the bullet-proof nature of the species. I collected it in the dead of summer, along with two others, because I was cleaning up a former ground growing area. This tree and a couple of oaks were dug at the same time; all of the American elms made it, and one of the oaks is barely alive. Not only that, but all of the growth on this tree above the smaller cut-back leader coming off the main trunk is following the lift. So you see, it’s a tough species!

How tough? Well, I’m willing to slip-pot the tree at this time and bet on it surviving. I just got in this nice Lary Howard oval, and it’s a perfect complement to the tree.

Now it’s all about a few things: more leader and branch development, closing over the trunk chop and making ramification. You can see many of the leaves are already pretty small. This is very typical of American elm.

As for the trunk chop, you may be thinking it seems pretty straight across and somewhat jarring visually. Not to worry. American elm calluses vigorously, so expect the chop to look much more like a realistic transition in about a year or so.

It’s been a while since I wrote about Lantana. Although I just started working with the species last year, I have to say I’m very pleased. They have interesting bark, aren’t fussy about care, and bloom profusely in a pot (don’t be alarmed about the length of those flower stalks – with pinching and pruning you can keep the flowers in very tight and reduce the stalk length dramatically).

As I mentioned above, this one is badly in need of a haircut. I actually let it run this year for a couple of reasons: one, it helps to thicken the branches; and two, I’ll get a nice crop of cuttings to make more Lantanas with.

A nice improvement. I will cut back additionally before we start growing next year, but I wanted to leave the branches a little long for now in case I get some dieback (which is not likely).

 

Cuttings!

Let me know what you think of today’s work.