by Zach Smith | Apr 19, 2020 | Care, Chinese Elm, Elms, Pruning, Styling, Water Elm, Wiring
Every tree has its own story, and this Cedar elm is no different. We collected it back in 2018. The bark and trunk character were the thing. As with trees of similar size, it got chopped to about 12″ and put in this pot. Unlike all but one of its fellow draft picks, it refused to bud anywhere but the trunk chop. Many elm species will bud at a trunk chop, and Cedar elm is no different. But it’s really unusual for them to fail to bud along the trunk. My solution, once the tree had grown out long enough for me to be sure if wasn’t going to cooperate, was to chop half the trunk off. I figured that even if it didn’t produce any buds low down, any new growth would allow me to build a tree with a first branch in a good spot. In keeping with its determination, the tree only produced two buds, and both of them were at the new chop point. Hurray (sarc). But okay, we work with what we have. Here’s the tree as it is now. Nice growth.
Here’s a closeup of my new leader. The transition point is thickening very well, and the leader has the added benefit of good tapering. All I need to do is continue to let it grow out.
The other thing that needs doing right now is to go ahead and do an angle cut where my new leader emerges. This is about what you should shoot for when you do these angle cuts. It’s best to go ahead and carve them smooth, especially the edges where callus is going to roll over. If you work with Cedar elm, you’ll learn quickly that they roll callus as well as any species out there, including Trident maple and Bald cypress.
I think this will make the best front, when all is said and done. What do you think?
First order of business: get rid of that low back branch. I thought I might need it, but now it’s clear I won’t. The original branch set was back-left-back-right. Nothing wrong with this. But there’s also nothing wrong with left-back-right. And considering the size and eventual height of this specimen, I don’t think that first back branch is going to look right. The other thing I’ve done here is to remove the sub-branches close to the trunk. This is a key to proper design. Now, there are cases where you may want to leave some branching near the base of the primary branch in order to create or improve taper of the branch; but that’s not necessary here, so I’ve simplified my life by going ahead and taking it off.
The last thing that needs doing today is to wire and reposition the left branch at the bottom and the corresponding right branch farther up (the back branch in between did not require repositioning). I need a lot more growth from this tree before it will begin to look like something worthwhile. I anticipate getting the new leader to a point this season where it’s about twice its current thickness. And that will put me in a good position for next year’s work.
This Water-elm is a 2018 recruit. I loved the trunk character when I first spotted it, and it’s just been a building chore ever since it first started throwing recovery shoots. The process is pretty simple once you’ve done it a few times. The chore of the day is to do the first trim for 2020. Also, notice how I have a couple of shoots emerging from that empty spot on the left side of the trunk between the lowest back branch and the left-hand branch farther up the trunk. I needed something in this spot, and the tree decided to cooperate. Love it when that happens.
Here I’ve wired and positioned that new left-hand branch. I’ll let it grow untrimmed for the next several weeks.
The remaining chore for today is to rough-prune (hedge) the crown and any lower branch that is thick enough. The branches that need more thickening are left alone for now. I was pleased with this result for today … until I wasn’t. I’ve commented before about the value you can get out of photographing your trees. As long as you understand and allow for any visual disagreement between the eye lens and the camera lens, photos can reveal flaws in your trees that you might not otherwise notice or take seriously enough. Now, you can usually work around or hide your trees’ flaws; in fact, much of the art of bonsai is doing just this. Rarely do we have perfect trees to work on, but rather imperfect trees that we can work to perfect or at least make better. In the case of this tree, I finally had to throw in the towel on its inescapable flaw. Nothing I’ve done so far has allowed me to get around it.
Yes, it was that long untapering stretch of trunk. My rule of thumb when I work on trees is that, whether trunk or branch, if you have an untapering section it can run for either two or three basal diameters before a reduction has to occur. In the case of this tree, I had a section that ran about six diameters without any taper. And there wasn’t anything I could do about it except to cut most of it off. The tree looks a bit odd now, but rest assured that the branch emerging from the chop point is going to backbud some more. And because I’m going to let it grow out untrimmed for several weeks, I should have a much better crown in the making by late summer. Stay tuned. (It’s worth noting that in an earlier post on this tree a reader pointed out the flaw in the trunk to me. I managed to ignore the obvious until today. You’ll probably have the same experience many times on your bonsai journey.) Leave me a comment below. I’d love to know what you think.
by Zach Smith | Mar 7, 2020 | Care, Elms, Flowering, Hawthorn, Maples, Potting, Styling, Water Elm, Wiring
Spring is gathering speed now, and most everything on my benches (beech and most oaks are usually last) is coming into leaf. Water-elms also lag, so I took the opportunity today to pot up a couple of small ones. This is another of the trees that came home last summer. Nice smaller specimen, 1″ trunk and destined to finish at 12″. As with small bonsai in general (and you should take this as a hard and fast rule), your tree will consist of fewer than a dozen primary branches in total. This includes the branches in the crown. So here you see I’ve made a design with only four branches (so far). There will be two to four max in the crown. And that’s it!
I think this Chuck Iker round is going to go perfectly with this tree. The root system was very good, considering the tree has only been on the bench for a few months’ worth of growth (last summer/fall).
And another small Water-elm, trunk base slightly larger than 1″ and again it’ll finish at 12″. Here I’ve got five primary branches along with the leader, so again a simple structure. (If you crowd your branching too much in a small tree, there’s no way to avoid the “shrub” effect. That’s not bonsai. Less is more.)
Another nice Chuck Iker round helps to make this tree.
Fun with Swamp maples continues. I collected a handful of nice ones this year, my goal being to see how well they hold up over the next few years. I’ve been encouraged by the last two I brought home. By keeping an intact root mass and avoiding completely cleaning the roots, it appears they don’t become susceptible to trunk rot. If this does prove to be the key to success, then you’ll see more specimens over the next few years. They really do have some nice characteristics, so I’m excited. Today I wired a single branch on this very tall specimen (18″ trunk with a 1.5″ base; I had one I blogged about the past couple of years that went on to a client; I’m trying to duplicate that design). Why wire one branch? It should help redirect energy elsewhere, especially to the many trunk buds you can’t yet see. I’ll need this branch in my design, and I don’t want it getting too thick too fast. I’ll also be pruning it later in the season, to activate the buds that appear at the nodes on the branch.
Finally, this Parsley hawthorn came out of my ground growing area earlier in the year. It’s exploding with growth, as you can see. That includes some shoots on the recumbent trunk that will make upright trunks to go along with the four I currently have. So I’ll let them grow without restraint for some time, possibly even all season. I do want variety in the trunk thicknesses, but I can control that as this tree develops. You’ve probably noticed that one of the two largest trunks leans a bit too much, making the design less harmonious than it can be. I’ll notch this trunk a little later in spring, bringing it more upright.
by Zach Smith | Mar 1, 2020 | Care, Elms, Pruning, Styling, Water Elm
We collected this very large Water-elm in 2018. The trunk base is 4″, and the upper trunk chop is at 29″. Last year it grew out strong, and I was able to wire the basic branch design. By the end of the growing season, the tapering transition at the upper trunk chop had thickened to roughly a third of the thickness of the trunk at the chop. I was able to achieve this despite directionally pruning the leader twice, in order to ensure continuity of the tapering.
Today’s goal is to carve down both the upper and lower trunk chops. If you grow very large bonsai, you will inevitably have to perform this task. It may seem a bit daunting the first time you do it, but you’ll be surprised at how quickly and how well it goes.
Here’s a closer look at the upper chop. You can see how well the leader thickened. I’ll continue this process during the growing season. My goal will be to double the thickness of the base of the leader.
My first task was to directionally prune the leader. As you’re building the apex of your tree, you’ll perform this task multiple times. The goal is to achieve movement and taper. Can you see three directional changes in my leader?
Here’s a closer look at my carving challenge. Notice here a key to my ultimate success in carving down this chop and making the whole thing both look right and work horticurturally: the branch growing below the leader on the opposite side of the tree.
Every trunk chop you ever make is going to create dead wood; it’s just unavoidable. But that’s all right, because the tree will produce callus tissue to heal the wound and, to one degree or another, seal off the live wood from the dead wood. With that said, it sometimes happens that the entire side of a tree will die due to a chop that is not followed by buds around the perimeter of the trunk. In this case, I have a branch perfectly positioned for what I’m about to do.
I used a root/trunk splitter to begin this work, followed by my knob cutter to bite away the bulk of the wood. You can easily see here both the living wood and the dead wood I’ll have to manage in the years to come. But that low branch will make all the difference, and sooner rather than later.
The treatment of choice for this chop, later on this season, will be lime sulfur followed by PC Petrifier. But that’s not for now. I need the living sapwood you see to actually dry out before hitting it with lime sulfur. In the meantime, I’ll just seal up the chop to protect it.
The chop is sealed with Kiyonal, my preferred product. Some of you may prefer the putty type, or another product altogether. As long as it works for you, that’s what you should use.
Here’s a shot of where we are at this point. Compare this photo with the first one, and you can see how much progress I’ve made in creating trunk taper at the apex of this Water-elm. Carving works wonders!
Here’ s my next carving chore. Notice in this case, just as with the first, I have a branch growing at the base of the chop. Once again, I couldn’t have asked for a better response from the tree.
Same technique as before, knob cutters to bite away the wood I didn’t need, then I used hand carving tools to smooth everything out. And lastly Kiyonal to seal it.
I did a little more strategic pruning, and that’s it for today! Doesn’t the trunk look much better now? It tapers nicely from base to apex, and the trunk movement is outstanding. Also, with the trunk chops carved down I can expect to create a very natural appearance as this tree develops.
I’ll post an update later in the season. This tree will be ready for a bonsai pot in Spring 2021.
Let me know if you found this helpful.
by Zach Smith | Feb 29, 2020 | Care, Elms, Potting, Styling, Water Elm, Wiring
I’ve had the bonsai forest bug for a while now. I’ve always loved good forests, but only made a limited number. In the past year, I’ve really ramped up the assembly line. During this past summer’s Water-elm collecting season I intentionally set about to harvest some smaller trees with great character, so I could make a few unique forest bonsai from them. This trio was among them. Previously I wired and shaped the individual trees, and now that they’re starting to come out it’s the perfect time to bring them together. In any forest planting, the whole needs to exceed the sum of the parts. Let’s see if I can make this happen.
Because I had potted the two larger trees together with the intention of their roots growing together (that’s what you want in a forest), they were placed in this fine Byron Myrick tray in more or less the same position they started out. I think this is going to work well.
Though it’s sometimes hard to look beyond the focal tree or trees, at the end of every forest plan it’s the smallest tree(s) that makes the composition work. Why? Because part of the illusion of bonsai is a sense of depth in the planting. With individual trees, this is achieved by making sure there are open spaces in the tree’s structure that allow you to see from front to back. With group plantings, small trees placed toward the rear create this illusion due to the forced perspective it accomplishes. Now, with that said you have to ask yourself this question about this specific placement of the smallest tree – does it work, and is it harmonious? The answer is a very obvious no. Why is that? The two focal trees are growing in a pattern that suggests what you’d see in nature – that is, they have grown somewhat apart from one another to ensure they get the sunshine they need. That makes sense, and with the two focal trees there’s balance and harmony in their trunk lines taken together visually. But that small tree in the back? It’s growing right toward the middle tree, and that’s a disruption of the harmony achieved with the main trees.
Doesn’t this make all the difference in the world! All I had to do was turn the smallest tree so its trunk movement became harmonious with that of the two larger trees. So simple; so game-changing.
Here’s the forest after securing everything and filling the tray with soil.
Fed, mossed, watered. This is exactly what I was thinking last summer when we were searching for smaller Water-elms. I hope you like this forest as much as I do. The trees should continue to push new growth, and by the time another 4-6 weeks pass I should be doing the first trim on it. Just to give you an idea of size, the larger trees have trunks about 1″ thick; the overall height of the finished forest will be about 12″. I plan on posting this forest for sale in about a month, so stay tuned if you’re interested.
by Zach Smith | Feb 23, 2020 | Care, Elms, Flowering, Maples, Potting, Water Elm
I potted up this Water-elm last year. It’s a specimen from the 2018 collecting season, and since Water-elms develop so quickly I was able to move it along less than a year after it was first lifted. It’s a nice composition, but there’s one problem with it – the pot is just a bit too small. It’s starting to come into leaf, so today was the perfect time to repot into a more suitable container.
This was a pretty quick operation. The original pot and this one are both by Lary Howard; each is unique, but this one suits the tree better. I did have to do some light root-pruning to ensure the perfect fit, but the tree won’t care.
I was also able to lift the tree slightly in the pot, which shows the surface rootage better. Ramification is going to be the first order of business during this growing season. With Water-elms, I’ve found that grow and clip is the technique of choice once the original design is made by means of wiring and shaping. Occasionally you’ll need to do some wiring on a mature specimen, but it’s generally minimal.
This tree is available at our Water-Elm Bonsai page, if you’d like to take over the refinement work.
Sometime there’s more to the story. I started playing around with this Boxelder last year. I got a nice branch set in place, and carved down the trunk chop, and the tree went into dormancy like clockwork. Now the first signs of growth are on it, and since I really like the way it’s shaping up and since my expectations for it are firmly in check (it being a Boxelder and all), I thought I’d like to pot it up. Why not? The only problem was, I didn’t have a pot suited to it. Except … that pot the Water-elm was in looked like fitting this tree pretty well.
The tree had plenty of roots when I lifted it, so I’m confident it’s going to continue leafing out and not look back. I think the pot works very well with it. So I’ll give the tree some food and ignore it for awhile. Stay tuned for an update later in spring (assuming all goes well).
I got this Lantana from another collector last fall. It’s been in this homemade concrete training pot since I got it, but now it’s pushing new growth and today was the day it needed to go into a nice bonsai pot.
I think this Chuck Iker round just makes the tree. What do you think?
by Zach Smith | Feb 15, 2020 | Care, Elms, Potting, Pruning, Styling, Water Elm
I love raft-style bonsai. We often find Water-elms (Planera aquatica) growing naturally in this style, as their tendency is to grow naturally in a shrub-like form. We brought this one home last summer, and it recovered very nicely. I’ve been itching to work on it, and with buds starting to swell this is an ideal time.
As with any raw material you choose to work on, you’ll have to figure out what your optimal design is and how to achieve it. In total there are nine trunks possible with this specimen; however, both aesthetically and horticulturally, those two inner trunks just can’t stay. Why? For one, they are short trunks surrounded by tall trunks. Do trees grow naturally this way? No, the shorter inner ones get shaded out and die. So that’s an obvious reason to remove these two. Also, in a forest planting you can’t see shorter specimens in the interior even if they could be maintained. So there’s another reason to remove the two inner ones we have here.
That opens things up quite a bit, and really improves the appearance of the whole group. Amazing what simplifying your design can do.
I was left with two very small trunks in the group, and frankly they didn’t add anything to the composition. With them gone, I’m left with all I really need to make this raft-style bonsai to be an outstanding specimen.
In the prior photo you probably noticed the crossing trunks. One good piece of wire later, and that problem is solved.
I had this wonderful Lary Howard pot available, and for me this just makes the composition complete.
Watered, fed and mossed. I just love it when a bonsai design concept works out. Let me know what you think of this one. Do you love raft-style bonsai as much as I do?
