Here’s The Kind Of Progression I Like To See

by | May 28, 2018 | Care, Collecting, Elms, Styling, Wiring

In the ideal bonsai world we’d collect a tree, watch it bud out and then push nice shoots for us to work with, we’d wire and pot the tree, and it would have developed its complete structure by the end of the first growing season. Ah, if only….
Well, this looks like one of those ideal situations. I collected this nice smaller Cedar elm, Ulmus crassifolia, on February 24th of this year. It had buds in a week and shoots in three. This photo of the tree was taken on May 4th, almost a month ago. I felt it had enough roots to not only get wired but also potted.
Nice result. This is more or less a common way to move a deciduous tree along quickly, provided of course it cooperates. Cedar elms tend to be cooperative.
This photo is from today, a mere 24 days later. Not only did the tree take to being potted without objecting, it seems to really like its new home. Isn’t the growth just amazing? And the leader is thickening so quickly at the base, I’ll most likely be able to carve the transition point in another month or so.

All I needed to do today was to wire some of the branches in the crown, which if you look closely you’ll see I did. I’ll be trimming these branches within a couple of weeks, to keep them from getting too thick (they’ll do their best to try). At that point I’ll also consider pruning the new leader. I expect additional growth through the remainder of the growing season, which should allow me to complete the basic structure of this tree. Starting next year, it’s just pinching and developing ramification.

Let me know what you think of this progression. Have you ever seen one quite so fast?

Want to take over finishing up this bonsai? It’s on sale at our Shop page.

Another Cedar Elm Gets Styled

by | May 19, 2018 | Care, Elms, Pruning, Styling, Wiring
This Cedar elm, Ulmus crassifolia, is now strong enough for an initial styling. I know this because it has undergone its second round of growth following the initial recovery period. Notice in this photo the growing tips of the shoots. There’s roots below ground!
Here’s the step by step process I used to take this tree from interesting raw material to a good working design for a tree. As I point out in the video, you don’t always need the perfect set of branches to make something really interesting – in fact, bonsai would be relatively boring if all the trees looked alike.

Here’s what I ended up with. Can you see this tree once it fills out? I love that low branch. I think it’s going to make for a truly unique Cedar elm bonsai.

My plan is to slip-pot this tree in another month or so, depending on how well it recovers from today’s work. Stay tuned.

I’d also love to know what you think about this specimen, even if it’s not your cup of tea.

The Initial Styling Of A Very Cool Cedar Elm

by | May 13, 2018 | Care, Elms, Pruning, Styling, Wiring

I collected this Cedar elm, Ulmus crassifolia, in April of 2017. As you can see from this photo, taken in October of 2017, its post-collecting recovery was weak. You will likely encounter this sort of situation from time to time. The key is to recognize it and treat the specimen accordingly. In the case of this tree, I just left it alone.

Fast-forward to May 6, 2018. The tree has obviously recovered a lot of strength, so much so that the initial styling can be done. In only 15 minutes, we now have a direction for this specimen.

What In The World Do I Do With That?

by | May 7, 2018 | Care, Elms, Styling, Wiring

It has to be the most difficult challenge every developing bonsai artist faces: namely, staring at a piece of material that’s all full of growth but which has no clear design in sight. When I teach workshops the basic issue with every tree we work on is, “What in the world do I do with that?”

For those of you who have moved past this most basic of issues, kudos. For those of you who still struggle with it, here are a few pointers that may help:

  • Find the best front you can as a your first priority. This usually involves careful study of the trunk line – look for movement, see where your low branches are and imagine them once you’ve wired and positioned them.
  • Visually establish a trunk line from soil level to apex. When you do this, you may end up adjusting your front slightly (and in some cases completely – in which case the design may have to change).
  • Find branch number one. On this tree, there’s absolutely no question which branch is the number one branch. It’s that valiant branch all by itself at the first bend in the trunk.
  • Find branch number two. Classically, branches are arranged either right-left-back-right-left-back or left-right-back-left-right-back, in the so-called “spiral staircase” arrangement. I can tell you two things about this: one, it almost never, ever happens; and two, it’s pretty boring because if you got this arrangement with every tree they’d all look alike.

That’s not all there is to it, of course, but you have to start somewhere or you won’t end up with a design.

Here’s what I got by applying the steps I listed above. I ended up turning the tree slightly, producing an acceptable front. The reason I did this is because there’s a nice transition in the apex from trunk to small branch and into a new shoot that’s growing out nicely. I think this looks pretty cool and dramatic, and you always want to strive for drama in the movement of your bonsai.

My first branch here is actually in the back of the tree. Horrors! Well, not really. Who says you can’t start with a back branch? I’ve done it before, and if it works it works. What’s more, once this branch fills out I’m going to have a foliage pad that fills the space it needs to fill, not just in back of the tree but also on the left-hand side. As long as the Bonsai Police don’t show up, it’ll be okay.

But alas, it gets worse. The second branch on this tree is also a back branch. It’s not easy to see in this photo, but it’s for real. However, the space it needs to fill is filled.

The rest of the branches do not break any rules. (Whew!)

Now, you may be asking “Why not just change the front of this tree?” Well, to do this would create a much bigger problem, namely, the apex of the tree would be moving toward the rear of the tree. This is one of those rules that you almost never, ever, ever, can break. There’s plenty of latitude in where the branches are, in how many there are, in whether they sweep downward or upward … and so on. But it’s really, really difficult to make a bonsai work when the apex of the tree moves away from the viewer.

So at the end of the day, here’s a nice Cedar elm pre-bonsai that’s going to make a nice bonsai once it gets paired up with the right pot. Every branch is going to grow and thicken, and the wire will come off and then more will get put on. There will be pruning and pinching and all of the refining work that will ultimately make this a fine bonsai. And it all started today.

 

Let’s See If I Can Add Video To My Blogs

by | May 5, 2018 | Care, Elms, Pruning, Styling, Wiring

So last year I slip-potted this Cedar elm, Ulmus crassifolia, in September. It’s a nice specimen that looks great with a bit of a slant in its planting angle. As I’ve noted before, I need to ground-layer some roots in front of the tree. This will be a simple task this year.

If you look more closely at this photo, you can see where I grew a new leader last year, then cut it to a smaller new leader. This is how you build the crown of your tree. Early this season, I cut back the leader you see here. In the videos below, you’ll be able to see how the tree responded.

Here’s the first part of today’s work. I’m focused on the two low branches of this tree, which are actually emerging from the same spot in back of the tree. This is obviously not the ideal situation, but as I mention in the video we get what the tree gives us and we make it work. In fact, solving problems is perhaps the key to bonsai success.

And the final video for today.

I’d love some feedback on these videos. Though it took a fair bit of effort to create and post them, I think it’s a good bit easier to convey useful information in short videos than in photos. If you agree, please let me know.

A Fun Friday With Cedar Elms

by | May 4, 2018 | Elms, Potting, Styling, Wiring

Here’s one of the Cedar elms, Ulmus crassifolia, that I collected in March. It’s a smaller specimen, with a trunk base of 1″ at the soil level, but it’s packed with character. I’ve been keeping an eye on it now since it first started showing buds a week after lifting. Notice how far the shoots have extended. I know from experience that this means the tree is producing feeder roots.

All good so far, but … is this the best front for the tree?

That was partly a trick question, but only partly. When I first started eyeing this tree as a soon-to-be bonsai, this angle caught my attention. Can you tell why? Notice, if you will, that first low branch in this photo. Every tree you make into a bonsai is going to have some distinctive characteristics that, when arranged properly, produce the artistic rendering of a tree in nature. The low branch on this tree must be my first branch. Why? Well, every tree has a first branch, right? And that first branch emerges from the trunk somewhere around a quarter to a third or (occasionally) half-way up the trunk. This branch is visually “anchoring,” meaning it’s the first spot your eye moves to when you view the tree from the ground up. It has to be where it needs to be, it’s that simple. Now, compare this photo to the one above. Where’s the first branch in that one? Not in the right spot, that’s where. So from this angle, I’ve got that first branch right where I need it.

Fast-forward a few steps, and you can see what that first branch means to this bonsai-to-be. I have only three branches total to work with in the main body of the tree. But that’s really all I need. Remember, in bonsai, as a general rule, less is more. You can express an entire tree in a half-dozen branches. Here I have three, and a new leader that will itself hold maybe a handful. That’s the entire bonsai. It’s going to be a Cedar elm that looks for all the world like a real tree.

The trunk base is 1″, and the finished height will be about 14″. It has lovely trunk movement and character, and it’s staring to bark up nicely.

(The pot is a Byron Myrick oval.)

Here’s how you pack a whole lot of fun into about 10 minutes’ worth of work. I lifted some smaller Cedar elms specifically so I could make forests out of them. Here’s three that had enough growth as of today to make me confident in potting them up. The largest of these trees has a trunk base just under 1″. The height of the planting is about 16″. This Chuck Iker round with cloud feet seems perfect. What do you think?

Both of these bonsai will be available in the coming weeks. I’ll send out an alert when they’re ready.