by Zach Smith | Jul 23, 2017 | American Elm, Care, Elms, Ficus, Styling, Yaupon
Just because a there’s not much to a bonsai, doesn’t mean there’s not a lot to that bonsai. Take the case of the shohin specimen – a bonsai that is less than 12″ from the soil surface to the tip of the apex. In terms of mass, there’s just not a lot to a shohin bonsai. But in terms of what the bonsai is intended to be – that is, a representation of a large, mature tree in nature – it’s amazing what a shohin bonsai packs into those 12″. Even more amazing is how this is accomplished with no more than a handful of branches.
Today was a rainy day almost from start to finish, so I puzzled around for what I could do outside in the rain. I settled on lifting a Dwarf yaupon – more on that in the near future – and taking a couple of photographs of shohins I’ve been working on in recent days. I think they’ll end up being awesome bonsai. And packing that awesomeness into a very small space.
I’ve been growing this American elm, Ulmus americana, in the ground for the past few years to increase trunk size.
I’ve cut it back a couple of times, planning on a standard grow-and-chop development of the tree into a nice size pre-bonsai or bonsai. Well that’s the normal route you’d take, and so would I.
But recently I decided to see if I could make a smaller bonsai out of this one for a change of pace.
On June 24th I lifted, trimmed, carved, and potted this little guy. The leaves on it are the ones it came out of the ground with. For those of you familiar with American elm, at least from my writings, I have declared the species “King of Leaf-size Reduction.” In the wild, left alone to grow rampantly, they will produce leaves that are easily 5″ long. If you happen to take note of this while scouting for specimens to lift, you might consider the species unsuited to bonsai. Well, that’s certainly not the case. Once you get to the fine development stage of an American elm bonsai, you can expect to get the leaves down to under 1/2″ and even as small as 1/4″ in length. It’s truly amazing.
Which in this case means these leaves would be removed from the tree, with the expectation that I’d get a shoot in every leaf axil with smaller and of course more numerous leaves.
And here we are today, with a lot of new foliage (smaller, of course).
With a trunk base of 1.5″ and a height of less than 12″, I see a broom-form shohin American elm bonsai that will have a terrific structure before the end of this growing season. That’s how fast they grow.
Here’s a Green island ficus, Ficus microcarpa, that I potted up on June 23rd. I’ve grown very fond of the species, and as a result have introduced it to my offerings this year.
This little guy, with a trunk base of 1.25″ and a height of 7″, is another example of a shohin bonsai. It has exactly four branches, not including the apex.
To make this specimen into something believable, I have to get the design spot-on. I mean, when you think about it there’s a whole 7″ in which to make a tree-form emerge. Every branch has to do its part.
A month later, this shohin bonsai-to-be has put on a lot of new growth.
I removed a low branch that was coming straight toward the viewer, opening up the trunk better. I got a bud on the left side of the trunk above the low left branch, and it’s now growing out (that’s my fifth branch). The branch nearest the apex has extended, and I’ve wired and positioned it.
There’s more work to do, obviously, but by the end of summer I expect to have this design mostly done.
And finally, here’s the champion of the blog post, a Dwarf yaupon, Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana.’ I won’t relate the whole story of this specimen just yet – there’s another blog post to be written on it – but consider that the trunk base on this tiny specimen measures 1.5″ and it’s a mere 3″ to the tip of the leader at the left side of the tree. I can tell you this guy is destined for a semi-cascade style. It doesn’t look like much yet, but if you strain a little you can see where it’s going.
Shohin bonsai are ideal for those who have limited space for their pastime. They do present unique challenges, the most obvious perhaps being that they exist in a very limited quantity of soil. You’ll need to make provision for this if you decide to get into shohin. But I can tell you, it’s well worth the effort.
Do you grow shohin bonsai? If so, I’d love it if you’d share some of your experiences with us.
by Zach Smith | Feb 7, 2017 | Care, Potting, Pruning, Yaupon
When we last checked in on this Yaupon bonsai, Ilex vomitoria, it was coming along well with the final stage being development of the crown. It’s been in its bonsai container for a couple of years now, and I’d been waiting for a good time to repot the tree. There have been a couple of issues with it from the beginning: one, it sat a bit high in the pot due to a large and hard root that I did not feel I could cut away in the beginning of this tree’s life in a small container; and two, that large root over on the right-hand side of the tree was a bit visually awkward as a result.
Here’s the tree today. You may notice that it doesn’t have any foliage, which for an evergreen isn’t normal. Well, I had to defoliate because those couple of nights of 22° weather were a tad rough on the leaves. Dead black leaves do not look good on a yaupon, so all of the leaves had to go.
The roots were very healthy and combed out easily. I went ahead and reduced the large root, which allowed me to place the tree lower in the pot. If you compare this photo with the one above, I think you’ll agree that the base of the tree looks much better without so much exposed big root on the right-hand side.
And finally, after a good trimming and washing/watering the tree. The second key step I took today toward making this a better bonsai was to cut it back fairly hard. Many of the bonsai I see are allowed to get overgrown, due to the reluctance of the artist to do the hard pruning every tree needs from time to time. If I had to name one step everyone could take to make their bonsai better, this would probably be it.
This tree should resume growth in about two weeks. By stimulating the roots by cutting them back, the tree will respond by waking up (given our warm winter) and getting its foliage re-established.
by Zach Smith | Sep 12, 2016 | Care, Potting, Styling, Yaupon
Let’s face it, sometimes we’ll style and pot a tree and then decide the pot isn’t quite right. It happens, despite our best efforts. The good news is, you can always change pots. What’s critical, of course, is to get it right the second time if you misfire the first time. Let’s take a look at a specific example, and I’ll explain the thought process and some design principles to show how I decided what needed to change and why.
You’ve been following the saga of this yaupon holly, Ilex vomitoria, since this past winter when I collected and direct-potted the tree into this nice Byron Myrick oval. The tree is terrific, and so is the pot. And the pot is acceptable … but, it’s just not quite right. I’ve been looking at the tree now for several months, and I finally reached a point where I had to take action.
You may want to study this photo for a couple of minutes before reading on and viewing the next shot. What strikes you about the composition? This is a triple-trunk specimen, with nice graceful movement in the trunks. It’s potted in the right position in the pot – slightly off-center thereby producing the proper balance (you can envision the scalene triangle formed by the earth, the outer tips of the branches of the left-hand trunk and the tips of the three trunks moving toward the earth). But despite all of this, there’s just something not quite right. Can you name some flaws associated with the pot?
Here’s an analysis of the problem with this composition, which lies completely with the choice of pot. While the pot depth is fine, it’s too long and the sides are too straight; taken together, the pot looks “heavy” with respect to the tree and draws the attention away from the overall composition. This has to be corrected.
Here’s the tree in its new Chuck Iker home. I think the composition has improved dramatically. This pot has curved sides, which complement the graceful movement of the trunks. The size is much more in keeping with the tree itself. The pot isn’t “heavy.” When you view the tree, your eye isn’t attracted to the pot itself to the exclusion of the tree. Rather, the eye moves throughout the composition as it should, never coming to rest in one spot.
This pot is a round, by the way, so the rule is you put the tree in the center.
Let me know your thoughts on this transformation. Do you think the bonsai has been improved?
by Zach Smith | Sep 9, 2016 | Care, Collecting, Styling, Yaupon
We’ve been following the development of this native yaupon holly bonsai, Ilex vomitoria, since I collected the specimen in 2014. At left is a photo of the tree taken on August 24th of that year. You can seen it’s had some rudimentary shaping done to the branches and the new leader I selected. This specimen was clearly destined for the informal upright style – with the nice curve in the trunk and the generally upright attitude, I wasn’t going to try to force it anywhere else.
If you study this photo you can get a feel not only for my design plan, but also for the amount of development work I had in front of me. Notice the number one branch emerging from the right side of the tree. We know from Bonsai By The Numbers (click on the link to read the blog) that this branch should emerge roughly one-third to forty percent of the way up the trunk. Given the fact that the trunk chop is only about four inches up from this point, I’ve clearly got to grow a good third of the tree above the chop. This is not a daunting task, per se – but it certainly requires having a plan and sticking with it. All too often the bonsai artist tries to shortcut this process – they don’t work the design plan, in other words. So patience and perseverance are in order.
This photo illustrates another way you can add to the challenge of pulling off your bonsai design – pot the tree too soon. I’m guilty as charged, but I’m also prepared to work my design plan and that means taking the time and applying the techniques necessary to get there. It will be a slower process but will finish up reliably.
Compare this photo, taken today, with the one above which was taken in April of last year. You can clearly see the advancing design plan. Not only are the branches thicker, but the leader is also much thicker as a result of allowing it to run and then cutting it back periodically.
At this point it’s worth pausing for a bit and taking a little time to explain another principle of design. Study the lowest part of the trunk of this bonsai, from the soil surface to where it makes its first turn. Take a measure of this distance in your mind. Then from the point where it makes its turn, to the point (at the chop) where it makes its next turn, measure this distance in your mind. Notice how it’s roughly half the length of the first section of trunk. Now look at the third section of trunk, from the point of the original chop to where I wired in the next turn. Notice how that section is roughly half as long as the second one.
It’s visually pleasing, for both trunk and branching, to have changes of direction that resolve to shorter and shorter lengths of trunk or branch. It helps the tree look more natural. In this specimen, I think I’ve done a pretty good job of following this principle. Do you think it works?
You can’t help but notice that my crown is starting to take shape. Here’s a closeup to show a recent round of wiring and positioning primary branches, with the ultimate goal of developing them into the fine network of branches that once well-ramified will not only fill out the upper part of this bonsai but also complete the design plan. This tree is three years into its development. In two more I would predict to have a complete design, and a tree I can show.
Yaupon holly is a species native to the coastal regions of the U.S. from Texas up through Virginia, and it also is spotty in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The scientific species name, vomitoria (yum!), is due to the practice of native American tribes brewing a tea from the stems and leaves for purging. I’ve heard local lore that there were ritualistic pilgrimages to the Gulf Coast where this occurred.
For bonsai purposes, yaupon holly is an evergreen with small, glossy dark green leaves that reduce very well in bonsai culture. The male and female flowers appear on separate trees, with the bright red berries of the females persisting through winter and providing food for wildlife. Good quality collected specimens are not especially common, as their growth habit is untapering and arrow-straight. But I’ve had good luck in my efforts. There are a couple available at our Miscellaneous Bonsai page. The triple-trunk specimen is about to get a new pot – I think the current one is a bit large. Regardless, if you don’t have this species in your collection you’re missing out. Neither pests nor diseases seem to bother them, and they grow all season long and especially well in summer. You can find nice varieties in nurseries, and by all means work with them, but at heart I’m a purist so I’m biased toward the original species.
by Zach Smith | Aug 21, 2016 | Care, Pruning, Styling, Wiring, Yaupon
I think one of the best teaching tools we have in bonsai is the progression. Almost like time-lapse photography, it helps us to see the “life story,” as it were, of a bonsai. More often than not, we only see bonsai once they’ve reached a “finished” state – meaning their design is complete, they’re at a high state of ramification and their owner feels that the tree can be shown. Getting there is the rub, of course.
This native yaupon, Ilex vomitoria, was collected in February of this year and placed directly into this nice oval pot created by Byron Myrick. I knew exactly what needed to happen with this specimen as a triple-trunk future bonsai. The tree, of course, would have its say – you don’t ever know for sure where trunk buds will appear. But that’s okay. Part of the fun and challenge of bonsai is bringing your raw material to a good design state.
Yaupons are summer-loving species, so it took until May for this specimen to reach a point where I could apply some branch selection and wire. Here you can see the design beginning to take shape. The smallest trunk should have the lowest branches. Check. Working your way up the trunks, there should be branches filling the spaces appropriately, wired and shaped and positioned properly. Check. New leaders on chopped trunks should be wired and positioned. I’ve got two of the three trunks done. Check.
A week later, I’ve got my third and final leader wired and positioned. There’s more growth on the tree overall, but I need to leave it alone for a while to let it thicken and develop sub-branching on its own.
A month later, you can see what summer heat and sunshine does for yaupon. I have a lot of growth to work with, as expected. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the right time to trim, remove any wire that needs it and rewire to continue the development.
This is the result a few weeks later. I’ve taken the tree way back, in order to make sure I don’t lose the tree’s proportions. I want the growth somewhat near the trunks (though not right up against it). I also need to encourage sub-branching.
And a month later, once again I have strong growth and the need to selectively cut the tree back. This time I have more sub-branching, and this process will continue until the tree is fully ramified.
This is the final trim this tree will get for 2016. I’ve removed some wire, re-positioned a couple of branches and removed those shoots growing straight up or straight down. I’ll end up with nice flat foliage pads this way.
Yaupon is a broadleaf evergreen, but in many ways it behaves like a deciduous species. You can collect it during winter, cut all of the foliage off and it’ll back-bud just like a deciduous tree will. One thing to keep in mind with the species is that the young shoots must be wired when they’re still flexible enough to be shaped. They get very stiff very quickly.
What do you think of this bonsai-in-the-making? Have you ever worked with yaupon before? Leave a comment and let me know.
by Zach Smith | May 8, 2016 | Care, Elms, Maples, Styling, Yaupon
Spring is in full force, meaning bonsai development is more or less a matter of moving from one tree to the next and doing pruning, pinching, wiring, unwiring, and on and on. Only repotting season is as intense.
Today, among others, I worked on the three trees below. Each represents a different stage of development, each indispensable to the ultimate goal. What’s important is to understand where your tree is along the way; it’s also vital to understand that not every part of your tree will develop at the same pace. This is where time and experience come in handy. You have to know what your tree needs at any given time, meaning what you can, should and shouldn’t do.
Here’s a neat yaupon, Ilex vomitoria, that I collected this past winter and direct-potted into this really nice Byron Myrick oval. This specimen has two trunks, so tightly together that one partly enfolds the other. I could see the whole design of this bonsai-in-the-making when I collected it.
So there are lots of new shoots now, and I can ask myself the three questions above:
- What can I do now? I can let the tree continue pushing its new shoots. I can also make a design decision on the right-hand trunk. There’s a well-placed shoot on the underside of the trunk. I can chop back the trunk to this shoot.
- What should I do now? I should continue letting the tree grow out to get stronger.
- What shouldn’t I do now? I shouldn’t do any wiring; the shoots are far too tender and will easy snap off.
So I did what I could do, chopping back the right-hand trunk. I like it better shortened; I can build a better crown on this trunk now.
In this photo I’ve neatened up the chop. All I need to do now is seal the chop. Then I wait for the shoots to grow out so I can wire them.
Here’s my “hopeless cause” swamp maple, Acer rubrum “Drummondii.” I wired some branches last year and then neglected the tree for the remainder of 2015. It grew into quite a bush. Time for some thinning, pruning, unwiring, rewiring, and shaping.
In a couple of minutes I pruned out all the excess branches. Now the trunk is visible again. A good start.
Here’s a good example of a “should do.” The leader I wired up last year and let run thickened well. Unfortunately, the thickness was pretty uniform and lacked interest. It wasn’t helping me to enhance taper in the upper part of the tree. So the obvious should-do was pruning the leader to enhance taper and continue the transitioning from the original chop.
But where to prune? In the closeup above you can see there are two options, one lower and one higher. Either would work, however, in order to limit the ultimate height of this tree and get the best tapering in the process I had to cut to the lower shoot.
Here the cut is made and the new leader wired up. I won’t trim the leader for a while, which will allow it to thicken at its base and enhance taper. This grow and clip process is useful both for building an apex and creating believable branches.
I have no idea how this tree will do in the coming years. If it behaves like the other large swamp maples I’ve collected in the past, next year it’ll start rotting out down the trunk beginning at the chop. I hope this doesn’t happen, and I’ll do what I can to prevent it, but the ultimate result is out of my hands.
This water-elm, Planera aquatica, was collected last fall. I wired a couple of the branches that were long enough to take wire last month. Those were “could-do’s.” Then I left it to continue pushing shoots.
Today I was lucky enough to have a lot more could-do’s. In fact, the whole tree got its initial wiring and shaping. I cut the right-hand trunk back, making it into a low thick branch, and went with a slanting style design. There’s no doubt in my mind this is what the tree wants to be.
If you’d like to continue the development of this nice water-elm pre-bonsai, the tree is available at our Elm Bonsai page.
