Water-Elm Collecting Trip 5

by | Aug 19, 2018 | Care, Collecting, Elms, Potting, Water Elm

The Water-elm collecting season is winding down. Here are a few specimens from yesterday’s trip.

Here’s a nice single-trunk specimen with great movement, character and taper. There are two natural uros from this front view. I’m looking forward to styling this tree.

And another single-trunk specimen. This one is just a bit taller to the chop (14″ vs 13″ for the one above). Once again, very nice character, movement and taper.

There’s a lot to be said for this specimen. The trunk base is a lot broader than those above, and the twisting movement really makes a statement. Another one I can’t wait to work on.

This is the special tree we found yesterday. Why is it special? Well, it’s reminiscent to me of a tree I collected some years ago but unfortunately lost in the ice storm of 2014. The gallery photo is below. Definitely some similarities in structure.

If I can end up with something like this, it’ll just be awesome. Assuming the specimen above recovers, I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

Let me know what you think of our latest finds!

Water-Elm Collecting Trip 4

by | Aug 11, 2018 | Care, Collecting, Elms, Water Elm

Here are some more wonderful specimens I’ll be working on in the future.

Here’s a terrific clump style with a 3″ base. I was simplifying it (it was a real thick bush), and pretty much stopped when I got to this point. Are all of the trunks suited to the final design? Time will tell.

Here’s a single-trunk specimen. It’s a little different that what you usually see, but that’s what nature will often do for you. This another specimen with a 3″ base, and it’s currently 21″ tall. I can see it ending up at that height.

Either this specimen or the next one win the prize for the best tree of the day. Isn’t the shari on this one fantastic! The trunk base is 2.5″, and it’s 15″ tall. I literally can’t wait to see how it turns out.

So is it the one above or this one? I’m torn at this point, but I suspect as they develop a favorite will emerge. The base on this tree is 3″, and it’s 21″ to the tip of the tallest trunk.

I’d love to hear what you think about today’s haul. Leave me a comment below.

Water-Elm Collecting Trip 3

by | Aug 4, 2018 | Bald Cypress, Care, Collecting, Elms, Water Elm

Today we got an earlier start so we could beat the heat. We also benefited from cloud cover during most of the lifting. The results would have been just as good, but it’s always nice when you don’t have to suffer so much.

Let’s start off with this clump-style specimen. Notice anything unusual about it? For you Japan-o-philes, you know the number four is considered bad luck there and so you won’t see any four-tree forests or four-trunk multi-trunk style bonsai in the Japanese shows (at least as far as I know).

Well, I pondered how to comply with this “rule,” but no matter which of these trunks I thought of eliminating, I lost more than I gained. I had to conclude that this tree needs its four trunks to look right.

It’s going to make a fine bonsai for someone who isn’t superstitious.

Trunk base 2.5″, height 20″ to the tip of the tallest trunk.

Here’s a specimen Cathy found. Isn’t that trunk movement awesome! The rootage is likewise awesome, but it’s buried to keep it from drying out.

My plan for this one is to slip-pot it into a beautiful Lary Howard pot I got in yesterday, this coming spring.

Trunk base 2.5″, 22″ to the tip of the apex.

Here’s a tree destined for the Bonsai South collection. It’s a truly lovely twin-trunk. The base is great, the taper perfect, and the trunk has really nice movement.

The trunk on this one is 2″ across at the soil, and it’s 18″ to the tip of the taller trunk.

And finally, the big “Hoss” of the day. The trunk on this one is 5″ across, and it’s 27″ to the chop. I’m thinking it’ll finish up around 36-40″ tall. Wonderful rootage, taper and movement. And the secondary leader will make for a different design than your normal informal upright.

Let me know what you think of these trees. Leave us a comment below.

Big Bonsai Are Impressive – Check Out These Water-Elms

by | Jul 28, 2018 | Care, Collecting, Elms, Water Elm

Say what you want, there’s just no denying that big bonsai are very impressive – provided, of course, that you start with great material and train it right. Recently the old longing has returned. A few decades ago, I set out collecting what Cathy calls “giant bonsai.” This is a misnomer, of course, when you consider that bonsai can range about up to 48″ in height, and that usually implies a stout trunk to go with it. Regardless, over the past few years I’ve neglected size for volume and suddenly I have a lot of small trees and not so many big ones. There’s certainly nothing wrong with small bonsai. But let’s face it: small material for bonsai is easy to come by. Big trees, not so much. So … you’ll start seeing more large specimens here at Bonsai South as I build my collection. Today I got a few Water-elms that look mighty promising.
Here’s the process I go through when the trees come home. Believe me, it’s usually easier lifting trees than cleaning them up and potting them. Of course, when the heat index is 110 it adds another dimension to the fun.
And this is the final result, before the tree gets potted. Impressive, eh?

A Quick Dragon Update

by | Jul 22, 2018 | Collecting, Elms, Pruning, Styling, Water Elm

This photo shows where we left off with my water-elm “Dragon” last fall. It had grown out very strong following the initial styling, unwiring and then trimming judiciously. Since this photo was taken in October, the tree didn’t grow much more prior to dormancy.

Yesterday I gave Dragon its summer pruning. I perform this operation pretty quickly. Prune to shape, remove crossing branches, remove branches pointing downward, remove some branches pointing upward and shorten others that have a part in the design. Isn’t it looking great, after only two and a half years?

With water-elm, you generally only need to do a couple of rounds of wiring before you can begin the grow-and-clip phase of development. They really respond well to this technique, among the best in fact of any species I work with.

Stay tuned for more on water-elm in the coming weeks. We’ll be out again soon, collecting material for next year.

I’d love to know what you think of this specimen. Leave me a comment below.

The Heat Was Miserable; The Water-Elms Were Great

by | Jul 15, 2018 | Collecting, Elms, Water Elm

As many of you know, I collect Water-elms (Planera aquatica) in the heat of summer. I’ve collected some in late winter, but the trees seem to respond better to summer collecting. The big problem with summer collecting, of course, is the heat. Yesterday the heat index was probably around 110. Folks, that’s hot! But Cathy and I powered through, and we managed to bring home some really nice specimens. Below are a few examples.

This may be my favorite find of the day. It’s a triple-trunk on a nice base measuring 2.75″ across. The individual trunks are slender, with nice movement, taper and character. I envision a tall-tree group with these, and the nice thing is I can develop the group in about two years to showable condition.

This one’s a twin-trunk, with the best feature being a nice hollow at the base (most of it’s buried, in order to protect the radial roots). Also nice character in the trunks. The base is 2.25″ above the root crown, and it’s 14″ to the top chop.

And finally, the big hunky trunk of the day. Really super masculine tree, with a base of 3.5″ and chopped at 18″. The featured hollow from the base about a third of the way up the trunk is all rolled over and healed; adds great character to this specimen. I’ll let a new leader run once the tree comes back out, and the transition should start looking good in a couple of years with proper management.

Water-elm has a lot of great features, including small, glossy leaves that reduce with no effort on your part necessary. Just prune the tree to shape, and the leaves will reduce on their own. The species also loves heat and water, so they grow well in summer.
They train up fast!