AusBonsai

Here are some shots of 2 Leptospermum petersonii that I have been playing around with.
Tree 1 has been in a box most of its life (4 years). It has a few options going for it wether I go for the upright and choose a direction from one of the branches or go with the stump. It is a fast grower so I will stick with the first option for now.
Tree 2 was in a 200mm squat pot for the first 3 years and underfed, (as I said it was neglected). I like the coiling nature of this one, its just a matter of whether to cascade it or make it a seriously informal upright/windswept.

I like working with this variety, although the branches are brittle as chalk, (this can have advantages too) it twists and turns as it is cut back.

Any advice or pointers are always welcome
Note that there has been NO WIRE on either of them (perhaps I should have wired tree #1s main trunk though ). They also smell good when you are working with them, the exact opposite to Serrisa

Here are some more photos of another Leptospermum petersonii and a Callistemon (possibly seiberi).
I am trying again for a windswept or a semicascade perhaps. This is its second haircut in 6 months, it has been in this pot for about a year. Yes I have used wire on this one
I thought I would try something a little different with this one, I am taking a certain Western Australians advice and let it grow wild a little to fatten up, there are some pics of it somewhere in the back-log of when it was a wee little seedling, it has been in that pot for about 18 months or so and I have to say that I am happy with the results so far.

Another Lily Pilly.
Any advice on getting some fat on the trunk would be great, it has been pretty slow. I recently tried scarring the bark at the base but I am not sure if this will give results or damage

My Fig.
It was a hand on from a client several years ago, I neglected it for some time and one side of the roots died back but since repotting it has bounced like one of those balls from a lolly machine. I since have removed most of the rot and filled the hole with coarse sand, I expect that the bark will close over the rot within a couple more years and create an interesting feature.
I am still learning with figs so some guidance would be, how shall we say .....

One of my Magnolias.

Hi Damian, i am also trying to fatten up some lilly pilly. The only suggestion i have is a grow box and feed, feed ,feed. I am not pruning it and i am also letting it flower at the moment. Besides sticking it in the ground i think this is the only other way. A bigger grow box than the one you have would be good. I have made the mistake of trying to develop and refine branching while trying to fatten it up and in my opinion it does not work. You have to let them do there thing and then when you are happy with trunk size, begin branching refinement.

Hmmm, ok. I tried that with a couple of others but now have the problem of reverse taper on the trunk due to over callousing. However, I do have some crayfish boxes out there that would be perfect and they are in need of a repot. I will post a pic this time next year or so.

Stay tuned, more to come.

Lily Pilly 2.

Hi Damian, I have a lilly pilly which I have reduced from approx 6 feet tall to about 40cm. This was chopped 2 years ago.
Great success. Now with wire on it and in a fruit box. It's becoming a beautiful tree. The new growth tips are orange/red.
Got to keep trimming it and feed.

This years development. The heat wave recently had torched alot of this Lily pillies leaves or it was the trees way of saying 'hey you, check me out down here'. Trimmed back for a new flush of growth, looking forward to rubbing off the endless procession of advantitious shoots that are growing in the wrong spots

Azalea Christmas Cheer, a rescue from a demolision. I almost lost it a couple of summers ago with a heat wave but it has stabilised well, with some interesting dead wood