AusBonsai

Repotted this tree into a Janet Selby piece that I snatched up at the recent AABC show in Fremantle. It was a breathe of fresh air, having some original, handmade pots on offer...something we lack over here in the West. Any comments/criticism,all appreciated.

Cheers!
Anthony

Hi there,

I think it is a nice composition. Congratulation on having successfully bought such nice pot. When Steven first introduced Ms. Selby, I did go to her web-site. Did not see this pot

The only concern I have is when the foliage filled out more, strong wind might knock it around. So securing it against strong wind

Is the tree a paper bark Anthony?

Best regards.

Very well done Anthony,
what a STUNNER!!
Can you please give some info on the trees' history?...grown from seed, cutting, collected? how long it has taken to get this result? growth characteristics etc?
Thanks Anthony, I look forward to reading/learning some more about this beautiful tree.
Cheers, Dario.

Very nice tree and Pot

I agree we need to know the trees history please

Ken

O.K...a bit of the trees history. Purchased in 2004 (I think ) as nursery stock for $25. It was one of many a guy purchased from a native nursery that was closing down and sold to me. I did a chop on it and as a result, many shoots became available for it's future branch structure. These things grow extremely quick (I've heard someone refer to them as the native chinese elm). I have since lost photos of the early stages of development due to a computer crash.
This guy has about 5 different growth stages throughout the year, so they can be developed into a plausible subject in a relatively short amount of time. I think I've used every technique known in respect to training/pruning , but the majority of work was achieved by clip and grow. I've used wire extensively as well, as this species lends itself to wiring no problem, except I have been told they don't like going past the paralell.
A few years ago I posted it in a thread title "too extreme a lean?" and received some great advice from members concerning the way it was going. A major branch was removed, potting angle was changed and into a grow box it went for a couple of years.
Now it resides in this Janet Selby pot which I instantly liked when I saw it. Next growth stage is fast approaching so it shouldn't be long before it fills out again....will post pics then.
Daiviet...it is a paperbark...Melaleuca rhaphiophylla. It's one of, if not the most popular native used over here in the West. The tree was propped up from underneath with a piece of shaped polystyrene for added support and seems to be very firm in it's position. Strong winds are something we contend with alot over here and I live right on the coast, so that is, for me, always a major factor to consider when repotting.
Pup has written a fair bit about this species and these can be seen in the Native species guide. He incidently has some that are absolutely out of this world and claims them to be one of his favourite if not his top species to grow. Not sure as to their availability on the East Coast (as they are a W.A native). Then again, Pup always has a few trees up for sale (Steven got one sent over some time ago, and a huge one went over after the convention just a couple of months back) PM him if your interested. I'm sure he'd be only to happy to help you out.

Cheers!
Anthony

this is a corker mate, very nice subject! even better being a native. I havent had to much luck with the old mel. gotta give them another try one day!

Love the tree Anthony. I am not too sure about the placement in the pot though as it looks like it has been dropped on top of the soil as opposed to growing out of the soil Having said that This tree would be very welcome in my collection.

lovely tree mate. you should be very proud to have it in your collection.

Hugh

Anthony ,very nice progress with your Rhaphiophylla , I do like it, however i'm not sure about the planting position, or the pot, sorry Anthony , keep us posted

Thanks everyone for your comments they are much appreciated. In regards to the criticism on planting placement I can see what your saying in how it might look a little awkward.However, I still think it works, and as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This tree has a rather large root underneath what we see on the surface. The bulk of the rootball radiates out from this root so therefore it is raised in such a way. If this troublesome appendage was exposed any, it would display inverse taper....something I think we'll all agree should not be apparent. I hope this explains my predicament.
Out of interest (as your opinions are important ) would anyone like to suggest what they would see as a suitable pot?. A virt would be unreal as I'm totally incapable of doing them.

Cheers!
Anthony

Firstly, its a very graceful and interesting trunk. I like the angle, and it leans well on the ground. It doesn't have a scale-model nebari, and I don't care.

Some of these ideas might refine what is already a very good tree: I understand that mel branches can be very difficult to shape, but the first and second left branches are not as elegant as the rest of the tree - the first is too rounded coming off the trunk, the second is quite straight. (NIT-PICK ALERT!) A possible solution might simply be to divert some of the foliage back over these branches, to soften their visual impact. I am also wondering about the length of the branches - the bottom two in particular are almost on the same level, and extend widely. Would the trunk have more impact if all/most of the branches were shorter? In the early images of the tree the foliage is more asymmetrical, and so the leaning of the tree "balances" better (I'm not sure how this works, but it does.)

As for the pot, its fine, but not for this tree. The pot is darkish, and a bit heavy, and the trunk is very pale and fluid. I think it will not be easy to find a better match, but well worth seeking. Maybe something in a mottled grey, with no great strength of shape, might suit it well, hopefully something that doesn't sit too heavily on the ground. Possibly paler, sandy-coloured topping soil? And a few weedy little things to break the flatness?

I admire this tree greatly, it takes native bonsai a bit further away from the "scale-model" approach. Good tree, thanks for posting.

Gavin

nicely put Gavin

GavinG wrote: The pot is darkish, and a bit heavy, and the trunk is very pale and fluid

Anthony, i also think the pot is a little too dark, again Gavin hit the nail right on the head,

In regards to planting; i'd like to say planted more to the right ,,,hard call from only 1 pic but i liked the original lean before repotting,

I love the angle of the trunk!!! and think its very appropriate for where you live. I'm not too sure about the pot - for that tree but I can't say why

Okey dokey!!...up for auction is one Janet Selby handmade pot .Only jokes. To be honest I think it was a case of being alittle taken by the pot and not considering the match...something I've been guilty of in the past. Oh well, guess it'll have to stay like this until next repot.

Anthony ,very nice progress with your Rhaphiophylla , I do like it, however i'm not sure about the planting position, or the pot, sorry Anthony , keep us posted

...don't be sorry mate....constructive criticism is what I wanted. If I didn't want opions/advice i wouldn't have posted it.
GavinG!. Thanks very much for such a concise and honest critique. All points made have been taken on board, and will be put into practice over time. This ones branches are still fairly flexible and bringing them into the trunk more could do the world of good. I'm alittle apprehensive on cutting too far back in, as the chance of back-budding is lessened greatly with this variety...although I could be wrong.
Again, thanks for all your feedback...a lesson has been learnt. I'm still curious as to what pot might suit this tree, so please any virts, or even pictures of pots would be great.

Cheers!
Anthony

I'm not too sure about the pot - for that tree but I can't say why [/quote]

I was trying to think why the pot just feels a little awkward to me and the only thing I could come up with is that it has quite angled sides, with the base much smaller than the lip and with this tree on such a slant it feels unstable with that pot, like it could topple over. So maybe a pot with straight sides, something very stable and solid feeling would better suit the tree. Thats the best i can come up with. Nice pot though, for a more upright tree maybe.

All the best...

neal.