When we found this Water-elm last August (2018), I knew it was going in my collection. I had lost a similar specimen back in 2014. There’s something about those two trunks!
Today (5/25/19) it was time to style and pot this tree. Most of the bonsai is there; I just had to “find” it.
That nice branch on the right-hand trunk came with the tree. I want to keep it, but it has to be brought down some and then chased back to get the foliage closer to the trunk.
Here I’ve trimmed the foliage back a good bit. The branch is still over long, but I’m hoping to get back-budding on it so I can cut it back even further. I’ll know in a couple of weeks.
Moving over to the left-hand trunk, I wired a low branch and positioned it. Then I removed some small branches on the inside of both trunks. In a twin-trunk bonsai, branches should not be left growing on the inside of the trunks. This is not horticulturally sound, and usually doesn’t make the tree look any better either.
More clearing out of unusable branches on the insides of the trunks.
While I have a complete crown on the right-hand trunk, I don’t on the left-hand trunk. So I’ll have to make one. I have two nice leaders at the top of the trunk, so here they’ve been wired and positioned.
The right-hand crown was way too bushy, so I removed a lot of the foliage and did some strategic pruning to open up the structure.
The final step was potting the tree. I think this gorgeous Lary Howard oval really goes well with it.
The tree is a little right-hand heavy in the apex, but allowing the left-hand crown to fill out is going to shift this to a more balanced condition. It will also help to chase back that low right-hand branch some more.
I’m very excited about this Water-elm. By next year, it should be just about show-ready.
Let me know what you think.
It’s unique! Waiting to see it’s progression over time.
Keep it up with this one, Zach. It will become one of your favorites.
Thanks, Pierre.
Really unique tree, it will look amazing as it fills out! I notice in your collection note a lot of your specimens are collected in late summer during some of the hottest months. How is the survival rate and why collect them during these months? Is this Summer dormancy in your area?
Thanks
Kyle
Kyle, the area where I collect Water-elms is under about 40 feet of water from January until July each year. That’s when the opportunity presents itself to collect. Fortunately, they don’t mind at all. I also collect Sweetgums this time of year, they do best post-collection when collected now.
Thanks for the insight, I live in an are full of sweet gum and bc as well as live oaks – will try my luck collecting a few specimens this month.
Very good Zach. I’m a big believer in David De Groot’s rule of the golden mean where the height of the pot is 1.6 times the diameter of the tree and the placing of the tree in the pot is 1 to 1.6 times or 1/3 to 2/3 distance from the end. I do wonder about the height being 1.6 times the width but it is damn close.. I imagine that a year from now you are going to have a great proportioned bonsai plant.
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Thank you Ray. It’s hard to go wrong Dave’s ratios.
I like it.
It’s a little strange but I think it is a nice tree to work with. If it were mine I’d attempt to thicken the left trunk up by letting it run but keep the right as is.
Thank you for the feedback, Eric.