AusBonsai

Lillypillys are lovely this year and many on my dog walking routes are in full fruit - so I put aside my prejudices against this plant and visited Flower Power. I have worked with 5 Lillypillys over the years and turned them into nice bonsai but have never been rapt in the tree and sold them all. You can't love everything. Flower Power was having a sale - $18.99 reduced to $10 so I walked out with two lillypillys. In both cases I knew I would reduce to skeletons and grow on from there.

Lillypilly Pathfinder had the best trunk by far of anything in the sale section. It appears to flower/fruit earlier and not as prolifically but the trunk swayed me. And hopefully with good bonsai care it will produce far more flowers in coming years.
Before I started decimating Austral I decided to do an article on the pruning. I chose this tree for the trunk movement and the number of low branches, knowing that I would be creating a small bonsai and the leaf size is ideal for this. It will take a number of years to develop nicely, I find LPs slow the first year or so and then they start pushing out the options, increasing foliage and in 3 years start to look like something. I bare root most of my plants because I don't use the same type of soil mix nurseries use. Some plants can object to this and success can depend on the amount of aftercare and the amount of foliage you remove. If you are uncomfortable doing it... don't. Especially with pines. The LPs will now be left until they start growing and then gentle wiring will be done to position the branches. Other than checking to be sure wire is not cutting in, the plants will be left to recover and reshoot until next spring when another basic styling will be done and then more growth.

nice thread mel

i have always had problems with LP no matter what i would do, especially when i worked the roots, just like what you have done with the bare root but mine would cark it, do you have any after care tips for this? as it is common with all trees after care is always crucial.


jamie

Put the little devil in a water tray and let it luxuriate in splendour - as well as keeping the heat off it for the next couple of weeks - semi shade and no wind. But with such a severe foliage reduction there isn't a lot to feed and the remaining roots should not be stressed doing their job.

And a note regarding the LP branches. They are very brittle and snap so very easily. There were two branches on one tree that had been badly broken, one almost going back on itself, and each had healed in the new position and was growing well. So it appears LPs do the same thing as pyracanthas. As long as the branch is not completely broken but only half cracked it can mend itself in its new position. Which makes getting sharper angles easier. I might just try it on that arching branch on the Austral, crack it nearer the trunk to give it a kink. But I will still wait until the tree starts shooting well so I know the roots have recovered.

Two days down the track and they are soldiering on as one would hope. Today, with the heat expected to be close to 35, I will bring them in the house. Otherwise... grow on my little darlings.