The last post

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

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

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

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

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

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"

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

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

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

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

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

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