[Shane] Crepe myrtle

[Shane]

Not sure I can get this crepe myrtle down to within 250mm, but I might as well enter it and give it a go.
Source: Bonsai Northwest auction. Original owner was Ian Barnes. I can't see any styling on it.
Cost: $16.67; I got three trees for $50.

[Shane]

This competition has been inspirational for actually sitting down and focusing upon my raw material. Tonight, I got a second chance to study this crepe myrtle, and found it's inner tree. (The last time I focused too much on the 250mm height and placing one trunk behind the other, a different front. It did not work).

Now, this will be a riverside, slanting and Weeping Twin Trunk. Riverside trees naturally have the heavier branches on the side of the lean. This will require a new potting angle. The upper trunk is heavier, and I love the dramatic curve of the trunk. Below, I will post my sketch for the tree. Each branch as sketched can bend to that angle. As the comp progresses I might remove the left hand side branches towards the trunk, but I'll decide after I wire them into shape. The problem I foresee is leaf size, which might be too large for the illusion I intend.

[Shane]

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[Shane]

P.S. I really love the natural sabamiki (hollow) on the lower trunk. One of the reasons I chose this front; that and there's a healing trunk chop behind thay first curve at soil level.

[Shane]

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On Monday 8th, at the BonsaiNorthwest workshop I got to start wiring this crepe myrtle. Took another week or so before I had time to finish wiring. And longer to take a photo and post! Good thing this is an 18 month comp. Comments and questions welcome.

[Shane]

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Bare branched by winter.

[Shane]

Spring flush for this crepe myrtle. Repotted a while back into this grow pot. Most of the branches have not set yet.

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[Shane]

Crepe myrtle has a very strong apical dominance as can be seen by the many shoots that keep growing up past the 25cm limit. I think I've added wire twice in the last three months and clearly need more; and some judicious pruning of all thos growth. Still growing tue back longer, and plan to trim the front.

[Shane]

Had the night to myself last night, so wired down the new growth in my weeping crepe myrtle, while watching an old Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movie. Was able to get the length I want at the back and start to shorten the front. Apparently, from reading other threads, flowering season is coming up. Will be interesting to see if this flowers, given I've trimmed so often and crepes only flower from the tips. I think a shallow round pot would suit this and I'm thinking about losing the backwards right hand side branch.

bonsai was meant to keep me away from the computer

[Shane]

Perhaps it's hard to tell from this photo, but both sides have filled out nicely, meaning I can shorten the front soon to get better perspective. Can't wait till I can repot this into a shallower different pot. Blue oval, I think.

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[Shane]

Well, my crepe myrtle didn't flower during the warmer months, but I like the look now after all the leaveshave dropped. Finally got time to work on my comp trees today, so I rewired the straggly growth. I have chosen a Lorraine Simpson pot for this tree and will repot when the weather warms up a bit.

[Shane]

I repotted my weeping crepe myrtle for the Bonsai Northwest Winter Bonsai show on 26-27 July, but choose this curved tray instead of the round Lorraine Simpson pot I mentioned above. Here's the tree at the show:

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(Thanks to Jeff Barry for letting go of the pot at the Vic Natives show, so I could snap it up. )

[Rory]

There is something eerily creepy about that tree, that I LOVE.

[Shane]

Thanks bonsaibuddyman, I like spooky trees.

Final photos for my crepe myrtle entry. Three day weekend preparing my trees, and spent the whole day today taking the photos.

After the heavy root prune for the Bonsai Northwest show in July, I thought I had killed this tree, because my other crepe myrtle has thrown out long shoots and this one had done nothing. But it started budding and then shooting just earlier this week. Just the right leaf size, I think.

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On a proper stand, with an Australian fern accent.

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With the ruler. It's hard to stand a ruler up and take a photo at the same time. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't!

My future plan for this tree is to just maintain a small leaf size and add to the ramification. Hope you like it.

[Boics]

Lovely display.
Good luck!