Sweetgum Progression

by | May 3, 2020 | Progression, Sweetgum

 

 

sweetgum

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Sweetgum

 

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progression

sweetgum

Updates are in date order beginning with the first date Zach began documenting the progression.

07/07/2018

This Sweetgum had been field-grown for roughly five years when I lifted it. The field-growing process included multiple occasions when the tree was chopped to build movement and taper.

11/23/2018

(1 of 2)

By the fall, the tree had produced lots of shoots that I could select for branches. Fall is a good time to do initial styling on deciduous trees.

11/23/2018

(2 of 2)

Here’s the tree after its initial styling. I’ve got a long way to go, obviously, but this is how every bonsai gets its start.

05/21/2019

I think I like this view best for the front. Both trunks are the same thickness, so there’s no rule to follow in regard to having the smaller trunk subordinate to the larger trunk, meaning behind it. In situations like these, you find the best configuration of equal trunks.

05/19/2019

The tree has grown well this year, and it’s ready for a bonsai pot. But where’s the front?

07/06/2019

The tree was potted in this lovely Lary Howard oval in late May. Notice how I adjusted the planting angle; this adds drama and makes a huge difference in the appearance of the tree.

Following a short pause, the growth has resumed and is very healthy. I’ll make additional headway this year in the tree’s development. It’s still a few years away from taking on the maturity of a show-ready bonsai.

11/30/2019

(1 of 2)

The leaves are just about off the tree. The branches have done what they wanted to do since I removed the wire some weeks ago.

Maybe this is actually the front? I like this front, so we’ll see.

11/30/2019

(2 of 2)

This is a good time to wire deciduous trees. It’s very easy to see all of the branch structure, and you don’t have to work your way through a tangle of foliage.

I’ve left the branches long on purpose. Each has a terminal bud at its end, and I’ve found that removing them in winter often leads to dieback of the branch. Probably due to auxin withdrawal.

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Huckleberry #5 Progression

by | May 3, 2020 | Blueberry, Progression

Zach’s Personal Collection

huckleberry #5

Zach’s Personal Collection

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Huckleberry #5

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

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progression

huckleberry

Updates are in date order beginning with the first date Zach began documenting the progression.

12/23/2017

Now here’s the way to start a great bonsai – a great trunk.

09/08/2018

Here’s the first photo of an exciting Huckleberry, Vaccinium species, collected earlier in the year. It’s one of those trees that give you an immediate “bonsai” impression, even if it only has a few thin branches here and there. That, of course, is just a hint of things to come.

03/02/2019

(1 of 2)

I’ve done some work on the leaders, including shortening the one on the left-hand trunk and carving the one on the right-hand trunk. You can also see that I’ve done some carving on two of the thicker forks on the left-hand trunk.

03/02/2019

(2 of 2)

Wiring and positioning branches is essential. Fortunately, I have plenty to work with. In about a half-hour, I have a nice basic structure to work from.

On the right-hand trunk, I’m not sure at this stage which leader I’ll ultimately use, so I’ve given myself two choices. This is true of a lot of bonsai we work on; we don’t always know which branch or leader will work down the road, so whenever possible it’s best to leave ourselves choices.

07/21/2019

(1 of 2)

This is just what I wanted to see this tree do – the growth is lush! That also tells me I’m getting root growth, and that’s what will ultimately power this bonsai to be.

07/21/2019

(2 of 2)

After a good pruning, it’s easy to see the structure that’s developing.

11/29/2019

Here’s the end of season shot. I’ve done some more work on the right-hand leader, which includes carving the transition down and treating it with PC Petrifier to preserve the wood. This tree is getting close to ready for a bonsai pot, so the potting angle has been established which also prompts me to bring the right-hand leader closer to a final decision. You can see I’ve wired up my likely candidate, and put some movement into it in preparation.

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Willow Oak Progression

by | May 3, 2020 | Oaks, Progression, Willow, ZPC

Zach’s Personal Collection

willow oak

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Willow Oak

 

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history

Updates are in date order beginning with the first date Zach began documenting the progression.

03/17/2012

Willow oak, Quercus phellos, is one of the best oak species to grow as bonsai. It features willow-shaped leaves that reduce well in bonsai culture, to 1″ or less in length, it ramifies well and is very easy to maintain horticulturally.

This specimen was collected in the winter of 2012. This is the earliest photo I have, which was taken 3/17/12. The trunk is 4″ in diameter at the base, and it’s about 12″ to the chop.

What you can’t see in this photo is that the trunk base has been buried to protect the surface roots of the tree while they recover. But all in all, this is a tremendous specimen.

03/31/2012

Two weeks later, it’s clear this tree is going to make it.

Look at the strong growth of the new shoots.

06/02/2013

Here’s what a Willow oak can do in just over a year from lifting.

An amazing amount of growth, right?

06/08/2014

I’m not sure of the exact date of this photograph, but 2014 was the year of bitter cold and a lot of my trees came out late. This specimen always comes out late each spring, but always makes up for it as the growing season progresses.

04/03/2015

(1 of 3)

This is the beginning of year three for this specimen, and it’s time for the initial potting. Compare this photo with the first one above. We’ve come a long way!

04/03/2015

(2 of 3)

Now you can see what I meant by burying the surface roots.

Here the tree has been removed from its nursery container, the roots combed out and trimmed for the bonsai pot. This is just what you can expect from a Willow oak, in terms of root growth. What began as simply large roots chopped back is now a dense fibrous root system, exactly what is needed to ensure the health of a fine bonsai.

04/03/2015

(3 of 3)

And here’s the tree in its bonsai pot, a fine custom oval by Bryon Myrick.

The new leader needs to be reduced, and the branches need much further development. This can all be accomplished in a bonsai pot.

09/05/2015

 

Later in the season, the apex was reduced and regrown and there’s been more development in the lower branches.

06/25/2016

 

In spring of 2016 I decided to regrow the lowest right branch because I didn’t like the way it was designed. Sometimes you just have to start over. So I have two new branches emerging from the stump of the branch, which I think will make for a better design as it develops. Otherwise, this tree is coming along beautifully.

11/25/2016

Showing some fall color. I gave this tree a trimming while leaving the leaders long on the lowest right branch. They will be allowed to grow untrimmed throughout spring of next year, after which time I’ll cut them back hard to continue redevelopment of the branch. But isn’t this tree looking fantastic?

Next year the ramification should move to the next level over most of the tree.

04/06/2018

After repotting.

My plan is to continue developing the lower right-hand branch, plus improve ramification.

10/05/2019

The tree had different plans from mine. It dropped the low right-hand branch, and the spring growing season saw the tree struggle quite a bit. I failed to recognize the growth of shade where this tree was sited, due to some willows that have been getting bigger for the past few years. So I moved this oak into more direct sun. That did the trick. You can see how nice the foliage looks by the end of the season. Now to deal with the missing branch.

12/06/2019

Who’d’ve thought. The tree actually looks a lot better without that branch. It doesn’t comply with the standard bonsai “rules,” but frankly if the right-hand branch had survived in preference to the one across from it on the left, I’d have had a “compliant” bonsai that would have been much less dramatic. Notice how the additional carving has also added to the appearance of this specimen.

10/29/2020

The growth has ended for 2020, and now I’m just waiting for (hopefully) some fall color before leaf drop. The tree has done well this year, despite a few lengthy droughts which are always hard on bonsai. It powered on through, and produced a lot more ramification.

Next spring will be repotting time once again. I’m considering a change of pots, but we’ll see.

 

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Riverflat Hawthorn Progression

by | May 3, 2020 | Hawthorn, Progression, Riverflat

Zach’s Personal Collection

riverflat hawthorn

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Riverflat Hawthorn

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

The image has an arrow on both the right and left side.

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progression

history

Updates are in date order beginning with the first date Zach began documenting the progression.

05/04/2012

The tree was collected as a bare trunk – which is most common for collected material. Buds form directly on the trunk, then extend forming shoots, and these shoots are then wired into position to create the branch structure of the bonsai-to-be. A shoot near the chop is wired into position as the new leader. This is the first stage of developing a bonsai from collected material.

03/24/2013

Nearly a year later, the shoots have gained thickness in their first year. You can see that the apical shoot, the new leader, grew the strongest (along with other shoots in the upper part of the tree – this is caused by apical dominance, which most species exhibit).

03/30/2013

What a difference a week has made.

Next, I will pot this tree.

06/16/2013

The tree is placed in its bonsai pot, a fine piece by the late Paul Katich, just over a year after it was collected. All of the development of this tree as a bonsai can be done with the tree in a bonsai pot.

06/22/2013

A couple of months later, and the tree continues to develop.

05/02/2015

The tree has filled out very nicely. There’s more to do, but the tree is just about showable.

12/05/2015

The Fall 2015 appearance.

The apex, along with further ramification, is all that remains in completing this bonsai.

04/12/2016

In the beginning of the fifth year since collection. A fine Riverflat hawthorn specimen.

02/06/2017

(1 of 5)

It’s time to repot this hawthorn. While some species do not root vigorously, the same can’t be said for Riverflat hawthorn.

I’ve got a pot full of roots here. In addition, I have a large root in the front of this tree that’s visually just a bit too large. So I need to do something about that during this repotting.

02/06/2017

(2 of 5)

In this case, some judicious carving is going to help make this root less obtrusive while allowing me to keep it as part of the nebari.

02/06/2017

(3 of 5)

The tree out of its pot.

Ignoring the root zone for a moment, isn’t the structure of this tree just superb?

I’ve gotten very nice ramification all throughout the tree in the course of the five years I’ve been training it. As a bonsai, this specimen is reaching maturity.

Now take a look at the root mass. If you strain you can see that the tree did indeed fill the pot with roots in just a few years.

02/06/2017

(4 of 5)

It usually surprises people when I show them how much root you can cut off on a tree like this one.

It’s common to be timid when you’re new to bonsai and just learning how to repot your trees.

Eventually you get bolder.

I know from experience that this tree is not going to mind having over half of its root mass removed.

In fact, the result should be more vigor.

02/06/2017

(5 of 5)

Back in its home, and waiting for spring.

It may be a bit hard to see, but doing bit of carving on the large root in front has really helped changed its appearance.

As the raw wood fades in color and the root begins to heal, it’ll blend in much better.

05/06/2017

(1 of 2)

I haven’t touched the tree all spring. After a root-pruning and repotting, you should allow your tree to grow without any restraint until well into spring. This allows it to recover from the drastic root-pruning you’ve done (when you’re experienced enough to be so bold).

05/06/2017

(2 of 2)

I gave the tree a light trimming, removing branches that were crossing others and those running back into the tree.

I also trimmed to bring the silhouette back in.

07/16/2017

Today I gave the tree another light trim to bring the silhouette back in, and removed some minor crossing branches and a few unhappy leaves. Other than that, I think it’s really stunning at present.

I may show the tree this fall if it finishes out the summer in good shape, otherwise I don’t have any work planned until next spring. At that time, I’ll do a harder pruning to encourage renewal growth and further increase ramification.

11/12/2017

Today I gave the trunk of this tree a good cleaning.

A lot of the foliage has dropped, so it won’t be long till we’re back to winter bareness. The crown of this tree has really filled in well this year.

I’m at the point where all I need to do is work on increasing ramification. But there’s no denying this bonsai has turned into a stunning specimen.

03/11/2018

(1 of 3)

Here’s the tree in March. After much study I came to the conclusion that this pot, though a fine one, was just too small for the size of the tree. I ordered a custom oval from Byron Myrick.

03/11/2018

(2 of 3)

I’ve removed the tree from the old pot, and you can see here the extra space I’m giving the tree. I’m convinced this will make the composition much better.

03/11/2018

(3 of 3)

Soil added and the tree is all wired and tucked in. Compare this photo with the first one, and I think you’ll agree I made the right decision.

12/01/2018

What better way to end the year than with some really nice fall color? This is the best show this tree has put on since I started working on it. As I noted in a blog post about it, this is a portrait of what we all work toward with our trees.

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