alpineartbonsai

The last post

2010-11-12T04:59:00.000-08:00

Hi to all , this will be my last post on this site .While one door closes another opens .For the last couple of years i have joined numerous forums and have decided to concentrate my efforts to 1 site and 1 blog .The site i'm referring to is www.ausbonsai.com.au and the blog is at www.ausbonsai.com/blog/alpineart/ .This has been a pleasure to commit my time to however Ausbonsai is where i believe the future Knowledge and Information will come from reguarding the Aussie know how and ingenuity especially with reguards to our Native Flora .Kind Reguards Ian Alpineart

Inspiration from nature pt 2

2010-10-19T03:29:00.000-07:00

With the tube stock trimmed and the rocks finished the tray was on the agenda , this was knocked up in 6 hours with a curing time of 2 days . now its full steam ahead

Inspiration from Nature

2010-10-19T02:39:00.000-07:00

These are the start of a project that was inspired by the Bungle Bungles in the Kimberley region of Western Australia . With the natives sorted i moulded some bee hive rocks out of cement render , hollowing the inner sections out to produce a very unorthodox bonsai pot .Numerous colours were added to produce the desired effect .

The prodution time for the rocks was about 20hours over a week allowing for drying and curing time

Yamadrori Monterey Pine

2010-09-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

This was collected after rediscovering it had survived a weed spray a couple of years ago .It was growing in a cascade over a roadside terrace , originally on a deer run or wallaby track. Since the new road was cut in the run was unused and the tree has flourished .It is around 2 m in length with a base about 150mm x 200mm and a 100mm trunk .A natural wildlife shari exists from the base to the mid section . I have applied wire tornaque's to the upper sections and removed the apex to conserve energy and pre style the tree

Mugo with a twist

2010-09-08T03:12:00.000-07:00

This was purchased in July 08 along with a ute load of other reject trees .I had no idea what to do with it as i don't particularly like literati and as a Mop Top i was basically Literati .Trimmed and repotted it lay idol for 12 months, then i attached an Alpine Truss to assist in placing movement into the lower section .With spare time on my hands and a constant effort to keep this upright and potted i chose to screw it around 360 degree's and train it into a Yamadori type Mugo .. Using some shade cloth slings and hook and hold wires the rotation was done .Another 360 degree twirl would finish it off however it may not be possible .The tree can settle for another season and i will give it some more attention .

New Japanese Black Pine

2010-08-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

This was a recent purchased from a Nursery.It was ground grown and pre trained in trunk movement and Narebri .With the tree repotted and settled i gave it a severe trim to encourage back budding .I know these are a little difficult when it comes to back budding , hence the trimming now should stimulate growth further back alond the branches .Wiring has been done and it will now be grown on for next season.

Carved old Desert Ash "The Phantom"

2010-08-15T01:56:00.000-07:00

This was collected a couple of years back , when a bulldozer pushed a fire break in a plantation covered in Desert Ash .Basically a split trunk with little or no root ball to speak ofInspired by this Mangrove growing on Long Island QLD i decided to carve The Phantoms Cave . Whithout thinking ahead i carved the basics and then removed the bark . This was to prove a mistake as it didn't allow for the thickness of the bark and the final finish was less than impressive , however i'm still quite happy with the end result. I trimmed the apex back down to the 2 lower branches for an intermediate style , this will alter as the new growth appears . A quick repot and added moss and rocks for a finished look .Now to wait for the new spring growth as this will determine the final outlook .Cheers

Creating Clump-style Trident Maples

2010-07-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

This was a good use for some unwanted Trident Maple seedlings .Using a piece of Villa Board i drilled a series of hole combinations to thread the whips into.Where the trunks were loose i added extra seedlings to ensure a snug fit . These were then planted into the ground and should fuse nicely .

Big Plum Update

2010-07-24T02:28:00.000-07:00

This was the collected plum that was potted up last season into a training box .I needed to do a root prune job so i set up a tripod with some 4x4 posts i had laced together with tie-downs and i used the same to suspend the trunk so the roots could be worked on .After trimming the roots not a great deal of feeder roots were left so i used a toothpick method i was shown from a forum i have joined to stimulate new roots . After completing the root work the trunk was placed back into a terracotta bowl that i had laying around .It was only just big enough at 600mm in diameter . It will reside in this tub until i can locate a bonsai pot big enough or make a custom tray for it .

Progression of the Nigra

2010-07-22T04:15:00.000-07:00

This was quite simple as removal of foliage takes place on collection to lighten the load on the roots I basically took it a step further and wired and styled the tree into a trainer .More movement in the vertical appearance will take place over time .While i was at it a needle trim was also done .Enough torture for now, it can rest and recover until i find the time to revisit and finish the styling

Collected Pinus Nigra-Austrian Pine

2010-07-22T03:46:00.000-07:00

This was discovered a couple of years ago , it was a chop top after the Plantation corp workers left a shoot behind during roadside clearing .All it takes is a shoot or bud to start the regrowth process .I collect many chop tops as the trunks are formed and aged ,the only drawback is reverse taper which is not always an issue .This specimen has little or no taper .It was vertical when discovered however a Bulldozer used for clearing a fire break ran over the trunk and fractured the branch Over time it has healed and when collected it was almost parrellel to the ground .It lent itself to a cascade and hence the design was set .The severed top is healing quite well, a sacrafice branch was purposely left to aid the healing process .A close look at the chopped section still shows the chainsaw cut in the older wood .Because of the trimming that has taken place in the bush i semi styled this tree into a cascade starter 2 days after collecting . The dozer had obviously severed the tap root as removal was incredibly easy and a root-mass that you could only achieve in a training situation .

Elms transformed

2010-07-22T03:05:00.000-07:00

These are the trunks that were collected from a winery in 2009. They were allowed to grow on uncontrolled to build a root-mass capable of sustaining themselves .With a quick cleanup with the garden hose i could get down to trimming the roots .These had responded well to the trim when collected . No real care was taken during trimming , the chainsaw would make short work of the butts then its into the planter bags for another season .I carved these trunks down from 1 metre high prior to removing them from the ground .Detail work is yet to be carried out .Cheers

Trident Maple root over rock wrap and strap

2010-05-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is a similar method to a Pheonix Graft without a trunk or base to start with . I first carve grooves into a nice piece of volcanic rock . These will accomodate the roots for the feature required. Using about 30 whips i gather half of them a place into a reasonable order having the roots in the desired areas necessary for the arrangement over the rock then tie off with string .Placing the trunk over the rock i then place the roots into the grooves as desired and then secure to the rock with more string .Adding more whips into the gaps until all is full spreading the finer roots of the first lot of seedlings i place the remainder of the larger roots into the grooves .Then with string attach securely to the rock . Remove the first string that held the whips together and with another wind around the gathered seedlings to form the shape of the desired curve/profile you are seeking .If the curves are pre set they tend to take the stress off the whips rather than trying to bend later .Continue his all the way up to the apex , placing a fork or devision into the trunks .Wrap with heavy wire and style the tree prior tto potting .I used a pupose made split pot for surrounding the roots and rock and added a shade cloth sleeve to ensure there was enough soil to completely cover the roots

Atlas Cedar - Cedrus Atlantica

2010-05-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

These were collected tree with no real character at the time of collection , my thoughts at the time were Why Bother. I did and now i'm impressed with the resulting progression of the 2 trees . Originally potted into a 350 mm planter bag the repotted into this pot as a trainer . The mix in which these 2 resided in was 60% soft red scoria and 40 % old aged pine bark both sieved from 8 mm minus and washed to remove the dust and fines ..The resulting root growth is testament to this potting mix for pines and Cedars . The roots were all but non existant and i doubted these would survive . I applied the wire prior to repotting and position the branches using a hook and hold method that has countless advantages over conventional wiring . Shade cloth slings are placed over the branches to prevent any damage and the hooks are attached to these .While they don't look fantastic , i'm not into making "pretty boy trainers" if it work and works well i use it .With the trees repoted i attached a trunk block and prop to aid in the trunk bending .These will now rest for a few weeks before a trim and style takes place

Trident Maple Pheonix Graft

2010-05-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

This has been in the pipe line for some time . I decided to make a Sumo out of a stump and seedlings . I have carved the stump to produce a tree that appears to be hit by lightning . Carving numerous grooves into the base in a spiral fashion will aid holding the whips in line . I simply stapled the base of the 6-8mm plants with a staple gun to the stump then added smaller ones in between the gaps of the first layer A quick wrap around the roots with soft wire to hold it firm.Then i removed the leaves before i spiraled the whips around the stump and up to the apex securing again with soft wire . With all the seedlings in place i began to wrap the entire trunk from the bottom using grafting tape to form a solid jacket from which the fushion of the stems should take place .

Ishitsuki composed

2010-04-27T05:09:00.000-07:00

This is the result of a comp i decided to enter .A native Aussie vertical landscape , i used an older trainer and the cuttings taken from the previous year off the trainer to combine into this finished item .All up it took 9 hours to complete the landscape

Arbutus unedo

2010-04-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

This was a good find while out seeking a hawthorn from the clear felled area behind my house . I managed to remove 2 large root layers from either side of a monster 500mm base . I will collect the main tree before the dozers move in to flatten the lot. The small turtle back has a base of around 100mm while the larger 1 has a 150mm base .Should sprout quite well considering the large amount of roots attached to the bases .

Sequoia Sempervirens-Coast Redwood

2010-04-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

I purchased these 2 trees from a wholesaler prior to the Beechworth fires , unfortunately his business was burnt out , luckily his family and house were saved . I used 2 method for training the new shoots 1 was to leave the old branches and tie down with fishing line .

The second method was to remove all the branches and when the shoot emerged used the spring pegs the direct the new shoot into the desired position . Much safer , less damage and very simple to adjust .

The trees were monitored over the next 2 seasons and trimmed sparingly . I decided to do the first initial styling using conventional spiral wrap wiring , something i don't particularly enjoy except for the result . With 50% of the foliage removed these have come up a treat I will allow the foliage to grow on to increase the width by about 30% over the next few months and trim to suit . All in all i am happy with the result

Redwood from the Ashes

2010-04-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

This is a trunk that i collected after the 98 Beechworth fires . I estimate the tree would have been about 4 metres in height prior to the bush fire. Left unchecked fora couple of seasons i styled it as a twin trunk with the original stump retained for carving .I will allow it to settle then carve and pot it up into a Bonsai pot .

Unorthadox trunk bending

2010-04-06T04:49:00.000-07:00

This is a method i have began to use to bend and shape larger trunks that have failed to hold with normal wiring procedures . With 25 years experience with wearing back and body braces for spinal correction i came to the conclusion if it works on the human spine it should brace and hold a tree trunk long enough for the tree to maintain the movement required for good Bonsai. Using hard drawn cooper tubing i loosely spiral wrap the trunk and the tube as one . Then i simply bend the copper tube to the desired shape and with the strength of the hardened copper the shape is maintained without constant adjustment.This means less stress on the trunks and the fibres/cells within .After 2 weeks i have noticed a relaxing of the trunks so an adjustment of the wire is simply done by unraveling the bottom half , tensioning then rewinding .Then repeat for the top half . . This Literati pine is spiral wrapped in the conventional method taking 4 times longer to apply and no where near as effective as the implimentation of the copper tube . It requires constant adjusting so there is always stress on the cells inside.I will remove this wire and replace with the copper brace method .

Ishitsuki - vertical landscapes- landscape trays

2010-04-06T04:30:00.000-07:00

This was a result of a plan to construct some trays and landscape mediums .After toying with several possible methods and materials with no real direction i finally got my act together and began to pump a few items out for testing .Made from modern building materials and a method that i will keep under my hat util such time that i'm sure they are stable enough to disclose the full process involved. With all the hard work done time to plant a few trainers and kick back while the materials are tested under Bonsai conditions

JBP LAYERED

2010-03-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is a JBP that i purchased in December 09 and set a layer on the trunk just to see if it would take in 3 months as certain literiture has stated .I used the typical ring bark method commonly used on deciduous trees . Yes it worked and not only did it work i was so impressed with the result i set some Autumn layers as well .I'm informed these could take 6 months due to the dormant period over winter . A draw back to look out for is they tend to grow over the ring bark so i will watch the tree closely .

Layered off

2010-03-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

These are the result of the layers that i set on the Big Maple .They unfortunately were taken prematurely as a result of a fungus attack on the sun-burnt sections of the layers . Out of the 12 layers only 2 had roots so the rest are basically huge cuttings with calloused bases ready to strike roots . Using Willow Water i will endevour to stimulate the roots by soaking the trunks in the solution and reapplying it again in a couple of weeks and placing them into a hot house . If it doesn't work then a good lesson has been learned , the same principal was used on Crab-apples and Chinese Elms last season and with a 95%strike rate i am confident in a good outcome.After the failed layers were potted i trimmed all the foliage back to the first set of leaves/buds to conserve energy and prevent loss of moisture through the canopy .Now it up to mother nature to turn this misfortune into something spectacular.Cheers

More Olive

2010-01-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

These are some of the other olive collected, potted into various containers and allowed to grow on .I slip potted them into bonsai pots trimmed the new growth and will allow the to settle before wiring and styling

SUMO AND SON OLIVE

2010-01-26T10:53:00.000-08:00

This is one of the numerous olives collected in July 09 . Originally well over 1200mm high i planted it into a 350mm planter bag and allowed it to sucker up before removing the main leaders With the suckers and shoot powering ahead i slip potted the tree, trimmed the foliage and transformed it into a Sumo . The tuberous base measures 250 mm x220 mm, the tree is 550mm wide 350mm deep and stands 300mm high, it is too big in the base to actually rotate another 30 degrees to position correctly , the pot is for training purposes and measures 380 mm x 280 mm x 120 mm

More Pheonix Grafts

2010-01-24T11:32:00.000-08:00

These are some of the numerous Pheonix grafts that i have been working on creating older looking stock from very young plants . Basically i select a nice piece of driftwood or a knarly hardwood trunk and carve grooves into it for the trainer plant to sit into, then strap with cable ties or secure with stainless steel or solid brass screws through the trunk and into the host wood .In time the plant will heal the scars and adhere itself to the hardwood .

Cotoneaster Horizontals

2010-01-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

This is one of the many plants dug from my garden several years ago and placed into large pots for development . Originally an ugly twin trunk plant i removed the ugly side and allowed the growth to run riot over the last 3 years .The results are excellent , i wired the branches prior to placing it into a bonsai pot . This will now be trimmed and nurtured to improved the overall appearance .The height is around 400mm with a base of 80mm x 110mm , i will carve a little off the bottom to lower the trunk below soil level with the intention of placing it into a shallow bonsai pot.

Cedar with a twist

2010-01-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

This is my latest project, an unknown species of Cedar that i collected from a disused farm house .It is actually a self- layered branch of an old tree planted in the 1950's .I managed to get 2 good layers from the 1 branch and both have survived . This particular one was rather void of foliage on the lower part of the trunk so i decided to split the trunk , twist and contort it into a more compact shrub and allow it to grow on . Using the foliage growth and dead-wood to its best advantage i will free-style it at a later date .

First of all i drilled a series of pilot holes up the trunk along the natural jin , then with a jig-saw simply sliced through the trunk all the way to the apex . Excess wood was removed using branch cutters then trimming with a dremel to a smoother finish. I then wired the 2 trunks and basically twisted and shaped into a contorted shrub .This will now grow on until i find the time to style this trainer into something different

Maple progression

2009-12-28T13:08:00.000-08:00

This is where my $15.95 Japanese maple is beginning to pay dividends , i set the layers just after the first flush of new growth hardened off . Instead of trying to wrap plastic sheeting around the branches i used 1.25 litre soft drink bottles for the tubes . Simply remove the tapered top and neck , slice down the side and cut a circle out of the bottom to suit the branch thickness. Its much easier to fill a solid tube than attempt to wrap in plastic sheeting .

With the layers set i simply wrap with duct tape then trimmed the foliage into a desired shape or style , to water i use a large plastic syringe all up there is around 11 layers , twin trunk , slanting , formal and informal upright . On average the trunk thickness of the layers is around 50mm , once removed i will set another dozen or so next season with trunks up to 80mm . A simple hook and hold wiring method has been used to roughly shape the branchlets

Japanese Black Pine Project

2009-10-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

These were a cheap purchase from Jackie who saves unwanted trees from destruction .They cost me 10 bucks a throw and a have some plans for these .I have inarching {side grafted} the lower branches back down onto the lower part of the trunks and plan to do the rest of the whorls the same way.This will produce about 12 new trunks to play with . The apexes were clasped together with twist ties then support wires were added using he ties . I then wrapped the apexes together with nylon sash cord to firmly hold the trunks and to aid in the aged look to the trunks .Prior to addingthe webbing i removed the cable ties and strapped together to form a larger than usual tree for a quickfire aged trunk I will set some aerial layers at each whorl to create new trunks for removal later after the tops have fused .Nothing ventured nothing gained so to speak.Cheers

Collected Montereys

2009-09-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

These once again were from a good deed for a friend Chop top MONTY'S .John attempted to eradicate his pine wildling problem and missed by That Much . He chopped off the top and left a shoot or branch on the trunk .The end result was the continued growth and a nice little collection of pines for me . We spent 4 hours eradicating trees however there were around50 that i purposefully cut to regrow and told John i would dig them out for him NEXT YEAR

Yamadori Shore Pines

2009-09-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

These area few of the collected Shore pines i inherited after offering my services to a local shire to assist in the removal of noxious weeds . Beautiful weeds

More Collecting

2009-09-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

These 2 Yamadori were collected recently on an outing with the family .The big Hawthorn is a monster and a half , the original tree had rotted off and the 2 lower branches have become the twin trunks that will be used for a convincing 2 tree style Bonsai . There is ample material to carve including the original over large side root .

The Pinus Monterey was an original chop top that has grown a new leader from 1 of the remaining branches missed during an attempt to eradicate these noxious weeds . It will make a very nice informal at the least . The trunk itself is 100mm at the base and about 1200mm overall height.It gives good scope for shaping and carving

Prunus versus Stihl part 3

2009-09-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hi back to the final carving of this huge trunk . I spent another full morning on the saw and dremel to complete this project .Now all that remains is a simple sand of the hardwood after a little drying time and a few shoot grafts to set it on it way .There is a couple of shoots present so grafting will speed up the recovery process

Prunus versus Stihl part 2

2009-08-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

This is the end result of the first part of the carving .I will attempt to finish the trunk over the next few days then sit back and relax The apex of the tree will sit directly above the base to maintain the informal upright stance . The final smoothing of the carved wood is complete for now .

Prunus versus Stihl

2009-08-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

This is a quick re style for my huge Plum .With a paint brush in hand i marked out the design for cutting and carving so i didn't go overboard and ruin the trunk . The design concept is for an informal upright although the trunk is potted it will of course be altered when placed into a bonsai pot .This will take place when a new root mass or Narebri is obtained . Armed with the chainsaw i used the tip to carve the curved cuts required to removed the unwanted branch stubs . With that complete the carving was quite simple , again the tip of the saw was used to scallop out the heartwood to a happy medium were a dremel could be used to smooth out the wood .

It took 2 tanks of fuel and 2 hours on the saw to remove the unwanted material and a further1 hour armed with the dremel to smooth things out . This excercise removed around 25 kg of wood and whilst it looks the part this is only the first stage of the major carving .I estimate another 20 kg of wood will come out to improve the taper shari and hollow the trunk to the desired finish

Instant bonsai Hawthorn

2009-08-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is my latest find on my ramblings through the bush .I noticed the outlook of a group of Hawthorns and thought this would make a nice group . On closer inspection i revealed the group was actually a raft and a very impressive one at that .I whipped out the pick and excavated around the roots , severed and into the car in 10 minutes flat . This tree was potted and washed with a high pressure hose to remove the mud and decay to reveal the very impressive naturally sculptured trunk .I will have to build another custom made training box long enough to enable me to stimulate a raft root network

Urban yamadori Prunus Cerasifera "Atropurpurea"

2009-08-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

This was a blessing from the Big fella upstairs . After a storm in town several trees were damaged and the cleanup resulted in yours truly with a massive purple plum .The lovely bride spotted the devastation on her way home from work and commented on the big flowering plum that had been blown down , so i whipped out for a bit of a looky- see and sure enough the tree was down but the trunk was gone .I shot off to chat with the caretakers hoping to gain the info on the trunk .

They were very helpful , using the crane truck they slipped it into my trailer and i was off like a "brides nightie" to pot the tree . With a quick trim of the roots i slipped the trunk off the trailer and into a custom made training box and filled with 150lts of potting mix .This monster will carve up a treat with the trust Stihl mini boss . The overall measurements are 370mm x 470mm at the base 260mm trunk and stands around 1100mm high

Urban Yamadori Maple Part 2

2009-08-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

With the tree safely home i set about making a large wooden box to cater for the root-ball .Using untreated pine i knocked up a box 750 x750 x300mm with large drain holes .I attached wheels to the back of the box for ease of moving when required .With the assistance of a couple of people we slid the tree out of the ute down a wet plank and into the box and potted up as per normal bonsai .The tree was then trimmed of all the access foliage and the terminals styled into future trainers where they will be layered off into starters with a view to the future.All up 16 layeres will be removed ranging from upright , windswept , slanting , twin trunk and raft .This is by far the best collected tree and the most rewarding one i have done .Cheers and Happy Bonsai

Urban Yamadori Maple

2009-08-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

This is the latest edition to my collection , it will be a stock tree for a couple of years for layering purposes . I purchased the tree for $15.95 basically for the trunk ,but as i arrived to dig the mother out it was so ramified on the terminals i immediately had second thoughts and decided to remove the tree complete .An excavator on site was the ruling factor as the owner offered it to lift and load the tree .We hand dug it out as the services to the house were in front and behind the trunk ..Starting at around 1.5m around the base i worked my way int to root-mass to find that it was only around 900mm x 350mm and no tap root to speak of . With a drag chain placed around the roots ,the machine simple dragged the tree into a position where he could simply sling the base and lift it into the ute . With the tree loaded i slipped extra large plastic bags over the foliage and then wrapped the canopy with shade-cloth to prevent damage from wind burn for the 4 hour trip home . The tree in all its glory measured 2800mm high 2100mm wide and has a 165mm trunk

Yamadori Black pines

2009-08-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

Out and about after a long spell from collecting .Whilst i have gathered a few different species i have not uploaded for a while .These are a few of the trainer trees i have in the wild that have been trimmed for a couple of years , so i thought i had better get my act together and bring them home . The wild life have had a party with the trunks but they now look old and weathered .The larger pots are 250mm diameter so the trees are good quality and size . All up 8 Nigra's and a Ponderosa were retrieved in a matter of 2 hours .It has paid big dividends trimming the trees in the wild as the ramification is good to very good for the time frame apart from the Wallabies have a chew on the trunks . This is part of a large discovery of self sown Pinus Nigra Austriaca that i discovered several years ago .Some of the trees trimmed are far to big to safely remove so i will leave them to mother nature for another year to improve the root mass, they will be regularly trimmed by the wildlife in the area The Ponderosa is a nice little specimen as far as Pondarosa's go .

Urban Yamadori Elms

2009-06-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

My wife was returning home from work and noticed a local winery had ripped out a line of trees . Big Bonsai was the first thing that entered my thoughts , so i shot off down the road to have a sneak peek at what was happening to these trees .On investigation i notices that the elms in the front of the winery had been destroyed .So with no hesitation i located the office and asked if they would mind if i could have some of the trunks . The head gardener said they were all smashed up by the excavator but i could help myself to as many as i wanted . Like a big kid in a lolly shop i took a good look and noticed that although the tops were snapped off the trunks were usable . I immediately began loading trunks after removing most of the soil. Elm after Elm went into the trailer, then i spotted Japanese Maples they too went on board . Continuing down the row i came across a Golden Atlas Cedar , yes I'll have that too . Very content with my quick work , 7 Elms , 4 Maples and a Cedar i headed home . Out of the corner of my eye i noticed at the rear of the winery more trees had been removed . The next morning i returned to gather more big Elms ,2 hours later i had collected 2 Dozen trunks . These were the easiest trunks i have ever collected , no need to dig these out just remove the excess soil and load aboard .Now all i had to do was to plant them into the ground .Root trimming was required and into the ground they went. At the end of the day 31 Elms , 4 Maples and a Golden atlas cedar were collected in 3 hours . A new chainsaw will be next on the list of "must haves" to carve these big trunks into something resembling big Bonsai trainers.

Ultimate Mugo's first styling

2009-06-18T01:02:00.000-07:00

This is the first styling of the Ultimate Mugo that has settled in my care since digging .I decided that a style was in order due to the fact that a feeding regime had been carried out whilst still in the ground . The root mass was as if trained in a large pot measuring approx' 400 x 250 and a mere 60mm thick . With no trimming of the roots or foliage the tree was potted and is as ready as it will ever be .
My original plan was to make a low lean slanting style , however i chose to set the pot on wedges and considered a semi-cascade . With the trunk secured with straps and blocked i then anchored the dead lower branch to the pot for added security . I began wiring using heavy gauge aluminium wire for the main branches and annealed copper for the branchlets . After 6 1/2 hours of very cautious wiring the task was complete . I had an issue with the top branch which required a brace . I used a 16mm hardwood dowel to rotate the rear facing branch 180 degrees and anchor into position to form the new apex . A combination of spiral wrap , hook and hold and a brace was implemented in the process of wiring .After studying the tree i had several good reasons not to pursue the semi-cascade .
1/loss of movement and flow of the trunk .

2/the top smaller branch would required removal to produce a true cascade leaving only2 main branches to work with .

3/the bottom lower dead branches left for the jins would also have to go .

4/the rear of the tree was as bear as a babies bum .

5/i don't particularly like cascade pines .

With all these negatives a decision was made to revert back to the original plan . So onward and upward with the final styling .With the apex set i began gently manoeuvring and adjusting the main branches and then moving onto the lesser branchlets slowly adjusting and fine tuning as i worked my way around and up to the apex . The new Bonsai is finally complete 2 1/2 hours after the fine tuning and bending into shape began. Whilst this is still a trainer it looks very impressive as if trained for several growing seasons . Below is a pic of the very impressive trunk . An 11 mm stub slice was taken from the lower dead branch and to my astonishment 23 growth rings were counted using a magnifying glass .
The apex of the trunk has a scar from the original tree top it measures 35mm long and 8-9mm wide almost completely healed , armed with this info i conservatively estimate the tree at 65-75 yo and if it is one of the originally planted trees it could be 90+ years old .
The base is a handsome 110mm aged trunk at soil level with a nice taper to 45mm at the main trunk . The finished Bonsai measures 800mm wide x 500mm deep and stands 350mm from the soil . .Pot used is for training only ,i will at a later date repot and elevate the apex about 10-15 degrees . For now this beauty will sit amongst some of my better older trees .
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Juniper Sabina - Savin Juniper transformed

2009-06-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

This was a nursery plant i purchased 6-7 months ago for $10 at a throw out sale. It was old and rough but i liked the shape for a cascade or semi cascade . I removed the plant and sliced the root ball 6-8 times vertically to a depth of about 30mm with a sharp clean knife . Then with a Bonsai root rack i teased the top of the root mass and over potted it into a planter bag . The exercise on the roots relieves the pressure on the pot bound roots/ tree immediately.

It was placed in the garden for about 6 months while i pondered other tasks . With a healthy looking plant at my disposal i have decided to transform this ordinary plant into something that will grace my collection. I have considered may styles for this particular plant settling on a informal upright /slanting style .Pics here show the plant from the front , back and side view after removing from the training bag and root trimmed . I then potted the trainer into a larger than normal pot to assist wiring and styling . I removed the lowest branch with roots attached for a future trainer and potted it up .

With the plant wired to the pot at the base i then began wiring the main trunk with heavy gauge aluminium wire , 2 wires for the lower trunk and a single full length wire from the bottom to the top . Instantly the shape of a Bonsai trainer begins to emerge as the main trunk is straightened into the upright position. Using the same wire i wired the main lower branches , choosing to remove another small lower branch and a side shoot leaving long stubs . These will add character to the finished Bonsai as a jin . With the larger branches wired the shape is progressing , the top smaller branches and branchlets are then wired . This now has the look of a quality Bonsai starter .After5 hours of wiring and trimming of the foliage daylight had run out . I used this time to study the trainer under different light and decided to remove the lower 2 branches back to long stubs to improve the base and enhance the jin effect that i was looking for .Using a guide wire attached to the pot base and spiralled around the mid-upper portion of the trunk i then grasp the wire with a pair of pliers and twist which in turn pulls the trunk down and increases the movement and flowing lines of the lower part of the tree. The top is simply bent and twisted with the aid of the full length wire it will hold its position . The Bonsai starter is now finished and will be allowed to rest for a week or two then the Jins will be carved and the trainer will be potted into a smaller pot and allowed to grow on . The void on the left lower section of the trunk is where the final movement will end up . A further 10-15 degrees of bend will be placed on the lower trunk to enhance the design of the Informal Upright / Slanting Style that i have planned on .All up a very pleasing design and another good quality Bonsai Starter .

Update on broom style Trident Maple

2009-06-03T01:06:00.000-07:00

This is a re pot and restyle of the central leader i air layered off the huge Trident Maple shown in a previous topic . The trunk was blunt at the centre of the branches so i carved and scalloped a taper into the center to improve the overall appearance . With the carving complete i set the tree into a small off-white rectangle pot spreading the nice root mass radially around the base . The trunk base is 60mm in diameter and it has a nice taper . I then wired the branches and shaped the tree into a pleasing informal broom style .Whilst the branches are quite leggy i will reduce them before winters end . The canopy when in leaf will be open and airy with the flowing trunk and branches partially exposed . All in all a good result from a layer taken a few months ago . The original huge bonsai was in training for well over 6 years giving this Trident an age of approximately 12+years old .

The Ultimate Mugo

2009-06-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

This Swiss Mountain Pine "Mugo" were discovered on a Bush walking outing with my wife and the Kids . They chose to take the easy trail and a i navigated my way around the Deer and Wallaby tracks . After 4 hours of trekking through the bush ,"I'm sure they thought i was lost" i had found several very impressive Yamadori Mugo's . My unpaid apprentices "Bamby and Skippy" had been randomly trimming for decades to produce this once in a life time find . Over the coarse of several months i have fertilized and watered these pines and now they have been safely removed and are in my shade house . This Bonsai will need only minor trimming and wiring to improve on the wild- life styling . This find is a result of numerous Softwood test plots here in the N.E dating back to the 1920's when Cedars , Redwoods and various pines were being trialed

Monster Mugo

2009-05-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is the latest edition to my collection collected after pre-trimming several months ago . Originally it was 1800mm long x1600mm wide x 500mm high and has been reduced to 1200 x 800mm x 500 . The pot is 700mm x 500mm x 90mm and yes it is far too big for the tree , but for training purposes it will do nicely . Note this tree is basically how i found it minus 1/3 of the outer leggy branches . Yes even in Aus we can find some extraordinary Yamadori if you know where to look . This now takes pride and place in my Training collection . I have several huge Mugo's to collect over the coming weeks all of which have been pre trimmed awaiting pickup .

Greenhouse/Windshelter

2009-05-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

These little projects are required to protect the trees from the elements , as a cant afford a loss on the scale from the previous seasons . For too long i have battled heat and wind which requires to much time moving trees and plants around for their protection . This should make life a little easier and less time wasting in the shuffle . I will need a barrier around the front terrace as my unhired apprentices {Kangaroos} will eventually find the pines to their liking . With over 120 Bonsai at various stages and 400 plus Yamadori and trainers i wont be bored for the want of variety . I hope to add another 300-400 plants to the collection over the next 3 months . With over 5000 seeds to be planted my work in future bonsai is all but guaranteed . My wife thinks i've lost the plot but to me its a healthy obsession bordering on insanity . She loves bush walking so it works in well , while she admires Mother Nature i scan the surrounding areas for good looking trees .

Yamadori Mugo's

2009-05-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

These are just a few small Mugo Pines "Swiss Mountain Pine" that i found growing wild from a test plot planted way back in 1920 . After searching the entire plantation i discovered around 160 self grown trees from Mame to 2 man trees . Having sought permission from the landholders over 10 years ago i have regularly combed the vast plantations discovering well over 20 different Pine and softwood test plots started in the early 1920's . Cedars {Atlas-Deodora}, Redwoods {Coastal}, Austrian pine {Nigra}, Red pine {Resinosa}, Yellow pine {Ponderosa} numerous White pine varieties and some unknown species . Most of these test plots were abandoned due to the slow growth of the trees for productive timber , however some still survive and the ones that have been detroyed by fire or clear felled and burnt have wildling spread around . A collectors paradise if your into Bonsai and are willing to put the hard yards in treking through mountain goat country . With the onset of Winter there is plenty of digging to be done if i'm to replace the trees that were lost over Summer due to the extreme heat . I hope to collect around 30 different species of pre Bonsai yamadori that i have been trimming and training in the wild over the last 5 years . Some will never be collected as they are physically to big or would not survive a transplant.

Collected Yamadori

2009-05-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Out and about beginning to dig new discoveries from my travels . These Trident Maples found by the roadside were chop topped by numerous slashings by contracters . With permission i removed them after leaf drop prior to the roadside maintainance taking place . Safe at home , these Tridents will be good starters for future styling , all up there is over 30 Maples plus 50 cuttings taken from the trimming process . I have discoverd another 30 plus self grown seedlings , awaiting approval to remove as they are in an area of streetscape undergoing works and a safety issue is the concern .

Way too Busy

2009-05-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy over the last couple of months "climate change" proofing my Bonsai areas in the Garden and trimming Yamadori trees in preparation for digging over the Winter months . With the Cold frame finished and the Greenhouse completed . I have moved onto a sheltered area to protect the Bonsai from extreme heat in summer , and the damaging winds and hail that we seem to have quite frequently at any given time . A mans work is never done . I haven't had time to post on a regular basis with all things good i will turn my slack efforts around . I have collected 1000's of seeds in anticipation to a long drawn out recovery from surgery to take place soon . So while i recover the seed growing beds and and training stock will come to life after Winter . I recycled materials that i have stored for years around the yard for future use into a good large cold frame , now all i need is another 2 or 3 frames just to hold all the Layers and Seed trays that i have potted up .

Port Jackson Fig

2009-04-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

This is a quick transformation of 2 bonsai that i gave my Nieces 7 years ago . They weren't really interested in looking after them , there sole use was a set of cricket wickets so the were constantly damaged or should i say trimmed via tennis balls . Mind you when the first used them as wickets their gear was made from soft foam . With continual damage they were stunted . I re potted them 4 years ago in 350mm Terra pots placing a rock in the pot to stabilise the wicket not to actually grow the fig on . Returned to sender on removal from the pot 1 had clasped the rock the other did not . This was a good start for the finish i have now . With an extremely poor fibrous roots were present i covered the bases with moss after planting , however i have since learnt that figs don't like moss around their trunks . So i once again attacked the restyling and the end result is a good outcome . With numerous 10-15mm stub branches removed they should re shoot into very desirable Bonsai.

With a lack of fibrous roots below the soil i will place the figs into a water tray to maintain moisture and humidity to promote new roots .They will be wintered inside as the heavy frosts up here in the Alps will kill figs in one night .

Trident transformation

2009-04-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

This is an update on the Trident Maple i decided to layer the top off . With some ideas from my brother i aerial layered the top for a Raft and a Broom style with the trunk turned into a Sumo Trident.I set the air layer in mid December 2008 and i mid January i decided to improve the radial roots at the base , so i carved the base , painted with hormone gel and raised the soil level in the tray .

In mid April i chose to remove the top layer as the root mass was huge , "the size of a foot ball" . With the top remove i then removed the center trunk for the Broom style and repotted all 3 plants into new containers. Minor root pruning too place on the Sumo trunk to downsize the container and a small trim to the tips of the other trees. Then using the hook and hold wiring roughly shaped the Raft. I will allow them to settle in and severely prune the canopies into shape in winter .

Atlas Cedar twin trunk/mother son

2009-01-28T19:31:00.000-08:00

This was a simple transformation of 2 seedlings into a very good Bonsai starter in a matter of 1 hour . Firstly i removed a small sliver of bark all the way down to the hardwood on both plants . Then i wrapped the 2 trunk bases together with duct tape or electrical tape to hold the veneers together . I then applied cable ties to the join in the trunks and secured to prevent movement and to allow the trunks to fuse together .

Repotting into a larger pot than normal and securing the plant so i could wire without damaging the roots . Then i set about applying the wire and styling the trees , the end result is 1 very nice Bonsai starter which will be allowed to grow on unchecked or trimmed for a couple of seasons .

This method of joining the trunks has many uses in Bonsai for producing thicker trunks as well as multi trunks and improving branch structure . The age of the seedlings used is 2and 4 years in training for 5 minutes

Himalayan Cedar Cedrus Deodora

2009-01-27T22:23:00.000-08:00

This was a simple transformation of 2 young Cedars of different ages into a very good Bonsai starter . I simply removed a sliver of bark at the base of each trunk to allow a veneer graft of the trunks to occur . I placed duct tape over the veneer then using cable ties i secured the bases together to produce a Twin trunk style tree .

With the base secure i then simply wired each individual trunk into the desired shape to represent a Mother / Son style Bonsai . I then trimmed the branches to a more uniform length to suit the design intended . Whilst Deodora's are probably not the best tree to use for this type of Bonsai , i am very happy to step outside the boundaries of the normal rules . Rules are only guidelines and i like to break the rules , if i had to obey them i wouldn't do Bonsai .

Raft Style Juniper

2009-01-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

This was a pleasure to do as it was inspired by a newcomer to Bonsai .I mounted the Juniper onto the Raft slab i made previously.

With the Juniper still in its container i wired the branches in preparation for the new style . Then i proceeded to the slab and using a muck mix i built a perimeter wall around both base and slab . This will add depth to the slabs a per a Bonsai tray or shallow pot . Potting the tree in the normal fashion in the base, then sliding the raft slab into position over the trunk of the Juniper . I then prepared the raft for planting ,with a small amount of soil spread over the bottom , placing a small amount of Sphagnum Moss over the soil would assist root development on the trunk .

With a sharp knife i removed numerous small squares of bark from the underside along the trunk and painted them with Hormone jel to aid root development . I immediately bent the trunk down onto the moss and wired into position using a rubber pad to prevent damage to the tree .With the Juniper secured to the slab i placed more moss in and around the trunk to ensure contact and to retain moisture for the new roots .

I topped up the slab with soil and placed moss around the trunk to improve the landscape and increase the impression of age . I then gently maneuvered the branches into the upright position as per trees in nature . The Juniper will be allowed to settle then some fine tuning of the foliage will take place to represent small trees in a grove . This entire exercise took only 5 1/2 hours to complete , 30minutes to make the Cantilever Slab/Base , 1 hour to wire and 4 hours to complete the landscape . All in all i am very happy with the end result . Cheers

DRIFTWOOD STYLE INSTANT BONSAI

2009-01-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

This was a simple driftwood style project . Using a collected stump from a dead Tea-tree i simply grooved the area where the Juniper would be placed . Firstly i drilled a series of holes in the trunk and removed the excess material with a chisel until i reach the desired depth . Placing the stump up against the tree i then work out how much material would be required to be remove to accommodate the trunk of the Juniper .

Splitting the trunk of the driftwood made it easier to remove the hardwood to insert the plant . With the grooving and channeling complete i inserted the juniper into the groove and with the use of wire and rubber pads i tied the tree into position . As the juniper trunk was too thin to use screws the wire alternative was used . At a later date i will screw the whole project together using Stainless Steel or Solid Brass Screws .

Wiring is easier before the tree is mounted however care should be taken so the wire can easily be removed without damaging the finished Bonsai

CANTILEVER SLAB PROJECT

2009-01-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

This was a simple Cantilever Slab Project that a member from http://www.gardenexpress.com.au/ Bonsai Forum challenged and inspired me to make . I used 2 slabs of Ironstone to construct the setting . I set about working on a suitable angle for the Raft ,when the angle looked pleasing i began with an angle grinder and marked the base slab at the point of intersection . Grinding the rock at the anticipated angle and to the desired depth , removing the access as i made a series of cuts .

With the base complete i began on the Raft to fit the groove in the base . Very little effort was required as i used a Diamond tipped Masonry wheel . With the Raft and Base fitting snug together in the groove i removed a small piece of material in order to accommodate a trunk into which i will mount a tree .For added depth i removed material around the base to make a depression for the root ball of the desired bonsai . Cross hatching the Slab and Base to assist drainage and the root system took place after fitting together of the slabs.

This project took 20-30 minutes to complete and at the end i have a fantastic new Landscape base to work with

Yamadori Pine No 2

2009-01-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

This was the result of some inspiration and design by my Brother . Chris has done many courses with some great talented Bonsai-ist . I had in mind to keep them as informal upright or slanting styles , Chris had a more challenging approach to the overall design .

In the finish the results of Chris's years of classes and discussion groups has paid off , i chose to challenge myself to create from a simple drawing to this finished trainer . In future i will endeavour to study the tree to be trained from several different outlooks .

With drawing in hand i set about removing the lower branches , working up the trunk to the stub i cut a taper from the top to the trunk . Then using the saw i cut a vertical slit down below the intersection of the trunk and stub . Using a wooden wedge i then spread the stub to enable wire to be inserted to assist bending and flaring the stub to represent jinned branches .

With the jins wired , i set about trimming unwanted branches to the drawings . Undercutting of the leader was required {removing a small wedge from underneath the branch} to assist bending of the thick trunk at a severe angle and with the wires ready i set the wires and bent the trunk into the desired shape . With such pressure on the undercut branches i have had to over wire the trunk {very untidy} but affective as any movement at the cuts will affect the healing process of the wounds . My NEW trainer is something special, thanks to Chris .

Chinese Elm slab planting

2009-01-10T23:05:00.000-08:00

This was a simple transfer from shallow pot to slab for a Chinese Elm .With the chosen slab i made a mix of clay , sand , moss and composted cedar needles {muck} to build a small barrier around the perimeter of the slab . The mix should be moist and sticky enough to adhere to the rock . Build the wall up to produce a saucer effect to hold the potting mix and to assist in water retention and to give the finished landscape some depth . If the slab has a concave base a drill hole may be required for drainage , simply drill a hole with a masonary drill {dont use rotary hammer} and simply place a piece of mess over the hole .

With the slab prepared sprinkle a small amount of bonsai mix into the base and around the perimeter, place the tree in the desired position and pot up as per normal tray . When back filling press the mix into the clay muck wall to blend into the finished landscape , and prevent water from washing away the wall . Using a small stick push a channel through the wall to breach the barrier to aid drainage .

Depending on the size of the tree wire may be required to hold it in position . Loop a wire up through the drain hole and secure . If the slab doesn't have a drain hole place 2 wires over the root-ball , prior to back filling and secure by folding over the edge of the slab and crimping with pliers . Another method is to wind hemp string several times around the slab , over the roots and secure, this will rot in a matter of months.

With the tree secure and soil in place , simply place rocks and moss to achieve desired effect .

Acer Palmatum Windswept/Slanting style

2009-01-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

I have here a Mountain Maple {Acer Palmatum} that i picked up at a market for $3.00 it has been broken many times at the ends of the branches , but it does have an interesting upper trunk due mainly to the damage it has endured . Possibly a 4-5 year old neglected seedling .

I removed it from the pot to discover the trunk has a severe 90 degree bend with a poor quality forked root ball that has obviously dried out and recovered numerous times . I trimmed the old hard roots x 3 without damaging the fibre roots as it is the wrong time to root prune , and placed it into a deeper the usual pot to assist in improving the root mass . I will at a later date place a wire tourniquet around the base to stimulate and grow a new root ball . With the tree potted , i simply removed the downward facing branches and removed the unwanted shoots to produce the desired Slanting Style .

Minimal wiring will be required to stimulate the design as the branching is random along the trunk and with the zig-zag already in the upper trunk , i think i will just semi defoliate and see what happens over the next few weeks . I sure this simple trainer will make a quality Bonsai .

Yamadori Pine Transformed

2009-01-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

This has been a dream to transform from a ordinary roadside chop-top pine to a very good informal upright in training. Ifirst removed the unwanted stub which was the original leader until the council attempted to kill a few self sown wildlings , they miss by that much . With pines if you dont cut below the bottom branch they will re-shoot quite aggressively as in this case . The 3rd branch from the top had become the new leader so less work for me . Removing the stub and the upper branches except for the one on the original trunk which i will use to balance the tree . Using a coping saw i removed a large ' V" from between the new leader and the upper branch on the main trunk , making sure the " V" would match both sides to ensure a good graft . I then contoured 2 10x3mm aluminium splints to suit the trunk and gently clasped them with vice grips to hold firm while i set about fastening cable ties round the splints and trunk . Removing the pliers i then applied the wire x3 to the trunk , inserting 2 solid brass screws into the trunk to secure the graft together for extra security as the cable ties will be remove in a year or two , the screws will remain hence only" solid brass" or" stainless "screws should be used . Coated screws leech and kill most host trees . With the trunk graft secure i set about bending the trunk into the desired shape and "hey presto" one excellent quality bonsai trainer,i will allow it to grow on until winter when i will look at fine tuning the branch stucture

Atlas Cedar Slab Planting

2009-01-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is a group of Atlas Cedars grown from seed over 15 years ago and placed into a Bonsai tray as a group 10 years back . The older trees are 15 year old and the younger ones are 6- 8 year olds . It has changed many times over the years having lost several trees and removed a couple for single tree Bonsai . Originally there was 19 in the group until my "Dingo" got a bit rough with the tennis ball and knocked it flying .

Currently there is 9 trees in the group , with more than 200 bonsai and trainers on the go plus hundreds of collected seedlings and yamadori i have had no time to trim or shape these cedars this season . To my surprise when taking the pics of the group i have found my first little cone on 1 tree,and it is perfect to scale at this point in time

I am looking forward to seeing more cones in the future, this is a first for me in all the years i have be into Bonsai i have never seen a cone on a cedar . More to come on this one

Coastal Redwood Landscape

2008-12-31T21:54:00.000-08:00

I have decided to use some of the 300+redwood seedlings i have for a forest planting . The tray is not a Bonsai dish , but a 600mm saucer from an extremely large urn . I drilled 6 x 15mm holes in the outer edge for drainage , and placed mess over the holes before spreading 20mm of coarse bonsai mix around to improve drainage . Because the Redwoods like moist conditions i then added a covering af Spagnum moss to retain moisture around the roots ,covering with Bonsai mix before placing the 2 landscape volcanic rocks into position . With a choice of trees i set a feature in pots to give a guideline to the finished design .

Originally starting with 9 trees i have chosen to add a few extra to give the forest setting more depth , currently 21 trees are in position and still counting . For now i will trim and add seedlings to define the landscape . All in all i am very happy with the outcome and have decided to do another group landscape on a slab of Granite .

Air Layering a Japanese Maple

2008-12-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

This is a simple air layer to remove and improve a maple that failed to impress with good branch development as a chop-top . I have decided to layer the top off to form a raft style maple group, using the top shoot/branch as the main tree and a side branch as the raft as it has 4 strong shoots which will be wired vertical to produce the smaller trees on the raft . I first removed a section of bark around the trunk and underneath the main branch , then painting with hormone gel . Using bubble wrap i made a small cone securing it at the base around the trunk with duct tape , keeping the flat side of the bubble wrap to the outer for ease of sealing . Then i simply draw the wrap down and place damp spagnum moss into the base until a suitable pad is form , then drawing back up the trunk filling the bag as i close the wrap around the trunk and branches . Using a sharp knife i slit the plastic around each individual branch/shoot and sealed again with tape . To keep miost all i need to do is pierce the wrap with a small syringe and inject a small amount of water to maintain the humidity . As recomended by my brother i will leave these layers on until late winter when they will be severed over a 2 week period {to reduce shock / stress} and potted up ready for the spring growth to appear .

Japanese Maples in training

2008-12-29T21:32:00.001-08:00

Here is a couple of Maples i grew from seed and then placed in the ground as landscape trees . Due to a borer attack in several larger trees i decided to remove and Bonsai the numerous 5 year old trees . With no initial training as Bonsai material i decided to chop-top the seven trees unaffected by the borer . After careful removal from the garden beds , i chopped the tops down to 400mm and bare-root pruned to fit into 200-250mm pots . I then placed them into large pots completely bare of branches and foliage . This exercise took place in winter 2008 . During spring i carefully whatched the new shoots appear in selected the ones that were going to be used for each individual Bonsai . With a strong root growth over winter the shoots were a little to vigourous so i had to defolinate to slow the growth down . During this time as the new shoots set 2 pairs of leaves i placed spring clothes pegs onto each new branch to hold them at right angles to the main trunk , and adding another peg to increase the weight to hold the branches in position . After the branches were set i pinched the tip growth out to the desired length . I removed the pegs and defolinated again to increase ramafication on the branches . Allowing the growth to thicken as in the above pics i then femoved the unwanted shoots and branches and wired to the desired finished trainer . Iwill allow the trainer the grow on for another 2 months then remove the PVC coated wire {electrical cable} and during winter 2009 i will place them into Bonsai trays or pots of choice and they should be excellent quality large Bonsai 500-700mm high with 30-60mm trunks and they will all have good tapers

Hail Damaged transformation

2008-12-20T15:29:00.000-08:00

Here is an example of using an unfortunate incident to alter the design of a bonsai . These 2 Tridents suffered serious hail damage so i have decided to change the styles based on the damage and what was left to work with . By simply laying the trees over the original style of informal upright was transformed into slanting style . After carefull consideration i chose to change the second tree to a slanting style twin trunk as a mojority of the branches were smashed off with the hail . I have also lowered the tree and attempted to stimulate a new root-ball higher up the main trunk to change the appearance to twin trunks . Both of these maples are either root cuttings or hardwood cuttings taken from the big maple 9 years ago . They will need about 2 years to recover from the storm damage in the mean time i will no doubt graft and grow many more .

Mother Natures Fury

2008-12-20T02:26:00.000-08:00

While Mother Nature is a beautiful thing , unseasonal summer storms are very unpredictable and capable of unlashing their fury in the most unexpected times . A hail storm dumped 20mm hail on my place and in 10 minutes it done quite a bit of damage to most of the trees that were out in the open . Stipping foliage , new shoots and small branches off all but a few sheltered under shade sails . I do have a number of trees sculptured by nature and the wildlife in the area including Kangaroo's in my backyard , this sort of hammering by hail doesn't do justice to my hard work , i have decided to cover all the Bonsai garden with Sails and Shade Cloth mainly due to the fact the climate changes are quite severe and unpridictable . I recall a hail storm with golf-ball size hail completely stripping a Trident Maple and ripping branches and bark off , my car was in the driveway and it copped a beating on the top panels . Keeping busy fertilizing with a slow release fertilizer and repositioning some trees that have been damaged .

My Passion At Home

2008-12-17T13:41:00.001-08:00

This is a small part of my collection of Bonsai ,Semi Trained Trees and collected both nursery stock ,from my own garden and Yamadori collected over a decade and more . Bonsai is more than my passion its an obsession to produce the altimate tree . No not all Bonsaist are obsessed with their trees my hobby has far more appeal than motorcycles which i have had a long association with having owned 72 motorcycles which included several Triumph Flat tankers 1916-1927 To old to ride and carrying to many injuries form my youth , Bonsai is slow and steady with fantastic individual results .

7 Foot Tall Not BONSAI Proof

2008-12-16T11:50:00.000-08:00

This is a Pinus Nigra "Austrian Black Pine " collected from the wild 8 years ago . I spotted 2 of these Pines in a plantation of Monterey's , they were self sow from a nearby test plot . Seeking the land owners permission , i set about trimming and root cutting over a 2 year period . I eventually removed both trees , standing 2.1m high and potted them into Large timber training boxes . Sadly but not unexpected only one survived due to the poor rootball that failed to cope with the transplant . I kept the tree as a large informal upright for several years to promote growth and as a feature tree to the front of the house . I had many comment from locals about this tree . With more than 120 Bonsai scattered around the yard i chose to take a radical approach to the design and contort the trunk down to reduce the overall height . Using rachet tiedowns and good old truckies knots i began to bend and contort the trunk with no lenght reduction to the tree. The "Bonsai in traning" now sits in a extra large tray 800mm x 500mm and has a height of a mere 500mm with a width of 800mm . further reduction in height will continue and the Bonsai will be rotated 45 degree in both side and back directions to the present position and twisted / contorted sidways as it lacks 3 dimesions in the trunk

My First Big Bonsai

2008-12-15T22:11:00.000-08:00

This was my first big Bonsai at the start it was 550mm high with a 55mm trunk after 10 years of training and nurturing it is currently 850mm high with a a 120mm base , while it does look fantastic i have yet to stimulate good surface roots or "Nebari". I have began to work on the root system to improve the radial surface roots by removing and peeling back numerous small sections of the bark , painting these areas with hormone gel and using a cut off split plastic pot or a terracotta split pot to raise the course, sharp mixture around the base of the tree. A small open wooden box will do they same job , i use whatever i can lay my hands on . You could remove the Bonsai from its pot and place it in a deep plastic pot , either way will produce the desired result. Due to the fact the soil level has been raised the top section will dry out before the pot so keeping a close eye on the top section is a must. The lower branch on the tree is only 5 years old grown from a shoot during development of the canopy , numerous shoots appeared in that year and i chose the best one to balance the tree . I allow the branch to grow on moreso than the rest of the branches to thicken and improve ramafication , however it is always in proportion to the rest of the canopy . Originally this tree was part of my landscaped yard until a motorcyclist being pursued by the law took a shortcut through my yard and struck the top of the tree snapping it off. At the time i was rather angry , however the young chap done me a favour as the root system on the tree would have managed to foul the drainage system on the house.

Trident Maple transformation

2008-12-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

My old trident has been a pleasure to grow and style . Grown form a seed in 97' i placed it in the ground for 5 years and left it as a feature tree untrained in any respect towards a bonsai . Whilst tending the garden in 02' i noticed the masive radial root system and this was going to be a bloody big Bonsai . Well over 2.7m in height i decided to give it a shot at removing it . I recall taking about 4 hours to safely remove it , cutting most of the tree down to 600mm with full on agression and trimming the roots in the same fashion . I potted the tree and this was the start to a massive Trident . This pic was taken 2 monthes ago after defolinated and trimming the branches back to the first set of leaves on the new growth . It has been trimmed and trained for around 6 years , and after a visit from my Brother who inspired me to graft off the top and make a Raft Style , Formal Upright and of course my original plan a HUGE Sumo trident . The new flush of leaves complete i have decided to take Chris's approach and graft the entire top off , the 2 outer forks will be the raft with a main tree and utilize the branches of the raft to create lesser trees , the center trunk will be an upright as the original and the base will in turn be the Sumo . The height of the Bonsai is 850mm x 650mm wide , the base of the trunk is 100mm with massive radial roots out to 350mm,however after the chop-top has been done i will attempt to layer a new rootball above but including at least 50%of the large radial roots . The angle between the raft and main tree will about 85 degrees a 30mm trunk and raft with the main tree being 400mm high . The Sumo Trident will have a trunk height of 250mm with a new base somewhere around 150mm

Juniper Squamata

2008-12-13T22:16:00.000-08:00

I like working with nursury plants as they dont have a great deal of appeal when first looked at , but inside every pot lurks a potentual Bonsai . This was the case with this paticular Juniper , it had the makings of a cascade if turned over 90 degees to the growing position . However as i have 2 huge cascades {Squamata and Procumbens} i decided to try something different .

The image taken is after removing form the plastic pot and placed into an oversize Bonsai pot , i would rather have the pot too large so i dont have to root prune , merely tease the roots out and pot up . I removed the unwanted foliage to expose the trunk line , not amused with the straight trunks i wound the main around the stake in tied it securely . The horizontal base branch was also arrow straight so i used wire hooks to contort it into a multi "S " shaped form . The plant remained restrained for 4 months then the wires removed during this time i lost interest in its design . In early spring i had another look at what sort of Bonsai i could make out of this ugly-stick . A Twin Trunk was my first thought so i set about wiring the trunks in the traditional method and repotting the tree into a suitable pot . With some gentle persuasion i straightened the bottom branch turning it up to form the smaller trunk , it was looking good so i aligned the trunks with similar bends to form a mother-son or twin trunk style Bonsai . I will allow it to grow on for the next year and decide whether or not to reduce the height or to remodel it into a Literati style Twin Trunk . In the mean time i will pot up into a larger pot to allow good root run and to thicken the trunks as per placing the tree back into the ground .

Norway Spruce

2008-12-13T02:32:00.000-08:00

This is the latest find . A decade of hunting for the Bonsai specimen that has eluded me all this time . A locally grown Norway Spruce self sown amidst the destruction of old pines and spruces . Standing 2.1m high and 1.5m wide it was a task and a half to remove it safely , having to reduce the entire tree by 50% in order to transport it home . With a nice rootball attached i headed home and potted the tree up within 1 1/2 hours and placed inside a plastic igloo . Not having a great deal of patience i left it for 4 weeks and observed the new growth extend , during this period i constantly misted the foliage several times per day in order to give it the best chance of survival . The tree has endured extreme heat without any dire effect apart from some burning of the top through the plastic . During this time i have reduced the new growth by half as with my other Spruces . With the braches pointing downward due to the conditions it was grown in i decided to wire the tree into the desired shape . The result is fantastic and all i need to do is nurture and admire my new tree . The tree finished at 1000mm high 650mm wide and 550mm deep with a 90-100mm trunk and excellent radial roots . The top is going to be Jinned for 100-120mm as the branches a very condensed and thick at the apex .

Three months after collection this is the latest pic of the tree with all the branches wired independently and the jin and shari of the top has begun . Further refinements will take place over the coming months . Looking forward to placing it into a bonsai container over Winter and watching the new growth appear in spring , it will fill the canopy 2 fold and complete the transformation from tree to Bonsai . A fantastic result from an amateur Bonsai-ist

Picea Glauca -Alberta Globe transformed

2008-12-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

This is one of the plants that has been transformed into what i call a Triple Trunk or Clump Style Bonsai . My lovely Wife has claimed this one as her own . It was like the Norway Spruce , potted in recycled tip refuse , glass , plastic , tin and all sorts of shocking stuff . The plant had serious die-back , but would only work in its favour to open the canopy into a desirable Bonsai .

With no time to waste i removed the plant from its container , removed 50% of the rootball with a handsaw as it was like a solid brick , not possible to tease the roots out hence the drastic action was taken . I repotted it after salvaging a good root mass and placed it into a deep bonsai pot . With the tree secured i went about removing the dead crown and branches to expose the multi trunks {11} in all . They appeared to be very spindally and the drastic action to remove the lesser {6} was to its benefit . I now had something to focus on , either to leave the {5} remaining trunks as a Clump Style or to further reduce it to {3} trunks and create a triple trunk . Undecided i left it to recover for 2 months then took the drastic action to remove a futher 2 trunks and the end result is a very nice Triple Trunk style Bonsai . I have since repotted the bonsai into a shallow pot and with the traditional wiring method used transformed what was a sick potted plant into what i beleive to be a fantastic Rare Bonsai as Alberta Globes are rarely used for bonsai even buy the guru's of the art . Below is the Norway Spruce described previously in its present state with the wire removed and replaced once again with wire hooks to prevent damage to the new shoots that are appearing in the 3rd flush of new growth in the last 4-5 months . And yes i'm aware of the fact that you should only remove <20%>

Norway Spruce Transformed

2008-12-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

The Norway Spruce was part of a ute load of reject trees purchased from a little old lady who has a healthy obsesson with collecting rejected/damaged nursery trees from far and wide . I clapped my eyes on it and low and behold it was in the ute in a flash , along with the rest of the trees . Butchered and neglected this would transform into something resembling an aged Spruce battered by nature. I removed it from its pot to find it was growing in recycled garden mulch from the local council , treated pine , plastic even a shedded aluminium can was entangled in the rootball . With a quick trim of the branches to remove the unsightly foliage and a servere root prune it was placed into the bonsai pot . Further training would take place in 4 weeks . I used the hook and hold method to pull the branches down into their new position , carefully the tree has taken on a completely new image . On the thicker branches i use electrical cable coating to protect the bark from damage . With the new Spring growth bursting i allowed the tree to rest and recover for another 4 weeks during this time i carved a shari down the full length of the trunk,small but affective..After the new growth had extended i then removed another 30% of the canopy,stimulating a further burst of new buds and shoots . Continually trimming the new growth by pinching out the tips the canopy was beginning to thicken , so a further reduction of the branches was to take place . Once again another burst of new shoots has appeared and began to burst . This transformation from neglected tree to bonsai has taken less than 6 months . It is currently wired in the traditional method and is recovering very well . It has pride and place in my vast collection of Bonsai and trainers.

Coastal redwood transformation

2008-12-10T15:16:00.000-08:00

These are the original trees purchased from the nursery , dug up from the ground bare rooted and transported home in plastic garbage bags. The single trunk tree was 1500mm high and the multi trunk tree {9} suckers was 1850mm high , heavy root pruning , branch reduction including reducing the number of trunks to {5} took place within 1 hour of digging. The height was reduced to 1200mm and 1400mm , then potted up and allowed to recover for 4 weeks then a further reduction of branches and trunks to {3} would take place. Allowing another 4 weeks to pass before tying down the branches using fishing line to shape the single tree branches into something resembling the desired shape . The multi trunk was different because of the juvenile foliage {fern like} i used plastic spring-loaded clothes pegs to hold the foliage at right angles to the main trunks.This method works exceptionally well on Maples . See you can teach an old dog new tricks . I find the pegs eliminate bark damage and is far quicker and easily adjusted unlike wire . Left alone for a futher 6 weeks for the new shoots to appear , all the original branches except for a new leader for the single trunk were removed leaving only the current years growth to sprout . Pegs were then used to direct this growth out at rightangles to the trunks until the branchlets were hard enough to hold their position and then of course they were removed . A futher height reduction would take place reducing the triple trunks to 550mm , 650mm , and 800mm and the single trunk with its new leader to 850mm . Currently both bonsai are doing exceptionally well with the new growth being controlled by pinching out and rubbing off of unwanted shoots

Nursery stock transformation

2008-12-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

The Aussie bush is something i grew up with . Bonsai is something i grew to love and appreciate.Nature in miniture is my expression of myself in living art , although i have little or no horticultural experience i am a keen gardener.

You either like ones art or you dont , as a self taught Bonsaist i have been inspired moreso by nature than any particular Artist .However i am motivated by many into producing Athetically pleasing trees , even the occasional grotesque monstrosity that i take some serious flak for .

I dont care to much about criticism , constuctive or not , i have continued my passion with and without success. I hope to inspire all the new Bonsaist not to give up , if you dont like it leave it and try another.

I continue to make many mistakes , but i learn valueable lessons from them.

Here is a sample of a ute load of reject trees from a nursery turned in time into bonsai.

I will endevour to show the progression from potted plant to bonsai starter/trainer to finished tree in time.As stated i'm no expert in horticulture so some misunderstandings may occur in reguards to names and species but they dont hang a man trying to inspire newcomers to the art of Bonsai