AusBonsai

Hey there
This juni has been through the mill! Think I bought it from the little bonsai table at a hardware store, felt sorry for it as most of the trees that end up on that table die...
Anyway, started off as a very wobbly informal upright (almost no roots, so improvised and tied it into this bottomless basket to establish itself). This was in 09, I am now ashamed to say I styled it like this


I eventually took it out of the basket. Under its own weight, it slowly tilted side-ways until it was lying horizontal to the ground! After maybe two years in the ground, I needed room in my grow-patch for other (more worthwhile) trees, so uprooted it and dumped it into an old pot where it stayed for another year. On the upside it was now much healthier


About four weeks ago I decided to see if there was any potential in it, and somehow came out with this:


Sorry about the blurry-ness, the my camera didnt want to focus on the whole thing today.
However, needless to say I'm quite pleased with it, and though its not fantastic, its a start and something I'm much happier with than that bush. Once it bulks out again might cut the branch in the fore-ground shorter, but we shall see.

Opinions, advice and future ideas are all more than welcome!

Good. You've indeed made something out of nothing. Keep going.

If you did put it back in the ground, and push the growth, chopping back hard as you have every year, the shape (which is good) will thicken and get more powerful. If you do this, watch the wire - the thickening branches will bite into the wire quite quickly.

It's a good vigorous species, and fairly forgiving (except for the needles) - have fun!

Gavin

Thanks for your comments Gavin! Yes I agree, putting it in the ground would be a good idea at this point, however I think I will wait for the tree to set in its style and take off the wire before I do put it in the ground. Thanks again! Do you think it would improve the tree to cut the first branch shorter, possibly to the new shoot emerging?

Yes, the wire will bite in quickly if you are thickening. At this stage the length of the first branch doesn't matter - get the trunk right, use that branch to thicken the trunk, and I think it may probably come off later, to make the bend at that point more dramatic. Good luck.

Gavin

They sometimes give up when you take off so much foliage. I would water sparingly until it shows signs of comeback.

GavinG wrote:Yes, the wire will bite in quickly if you are thickening. At this stage the length of the first branch doesn't matter - get the trunk right, use that branch to thicken the trunk, and I think it may probably come off later, to make the bend at that point more dramatic. Good luck.

Gavin

Yes good point about the branch thickening the trunk. And i guess i can always shorten it later, but if i take it off now it will be much harder to get back! Thanks again Gavin

bodhidharma wrote:They sometimes give up when you take off so much foliage. I would water sparingly until it shows signs of comeback.

Thanks bodhi, as this was done a few weeks back, it has already had a new profusion of buds, so looking all good

Hi Missy,
Off-topic question. (Sorry.) What's the tree in the background to the left? I've noticed this species around recently, and have been trying to ID.
Cheers, Mark.

Hi Mark
No problem at all, that tree is a chinese tallow; they have beautiful autumn colour. A quick google images search will show you the colours. I'm not sure how they will go as bonsai, as they hate having their roots worked on, and often die as a result. But nothing tried, nothing gained!

Thanks Missy, off-topic closed!
Mark