Designing A Bald Cypress Pairing – Next Step

In early March I created this bald cypress pairing. On the 31st here’s what it looked like. Not so impressive. But from humble beginnings….
A month later, the trees had responded like bald cypress responds, and I was able to get the initial styling mostly done. Looking much better!

Here’s the first video segment on today’s work. The new shoots, most of which are in the apex of the tree, are still quite tender but most are able to be wired and positioned.

And here’s the remainder of today’s work. The initial styling of any bonsai is perhaps the most critical part of making the ultimate design. You may not end up in the same spot you envisioned when starting out, but most of the time you end up pretty close. With this BC pair, I have no trouble at all seeing the end-result.

Unique Water-Elm Initial Styling 5-30-16

Water-elm4-10-16-3I collected this unique water-elm, Planera aquatica, last August. Well, it’s just a phenomenal tree! It pushed a few buds in the fall, but then the season caught up with it and it stopped growing. I had spotted some nice roots extending across one of the pot’s drain holes, so I was very confident the tree was going to make it. Here’s a shot from April of this year, and you can see the new shoots just getting started.

Well, a month works wonders for a strong tree. This past weekend it was time to do the initial styling, before the new shoots got too stiff to bend. In order to memorialize the work, I shot a video (I’m not the best videographer in the world, mind you). It’s only 25 minutes in length, but I think you might find it instructive. If you’ve worked much with deciduous material, especially collected trees, the styling path you take tends to be the same from bare trunk to finished bonsai. Here’s the first step of the process for this tree.

Just click on the play button below. I hope you enjoy the show.