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Bonsai Doer
Join Date: Aug-2001
Location: Fresno, CA
Country: USA
Posts: 5,607
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Land/Water Penjing: A New Beginning
Last year I tried my first land/water penjing. I throughly enjoyed the project and felt compelled to kick it up a notch this year.
During my search for suitable plant material the idea was brought up about a "triptic", a display made up of three parts but viewed as one composition. This was first seen in early printings of Yuji Yoshimura's book of bonsai early in the US. Subsequent printings of the book were missing the Penjing pieces and they have been forgotton and untried. Due to cost constraints, I have limited my foray into this world to a "diptic", a two tray composition that will encompass a mountain scene down to the ocean within two marble trays.
The marble tray is a duplicate of the one I purchased last year. It is 12" x 24". New rock will be used throughout the two tray composition to help keep it as cohesive as possible. I think alot of the charm of the piece will be the fact that the same rock will carry thru to each tray. the only deviation from the rock will be a subtle change of rock when it gets to the ocean. I want the ocean rock to look like ocean rock. I want the mountain rock to look like mountain rock. The mountain rock will be used throughout, but differences in texture as it gets lower will be seen.
Something new this time will be the addition of an extra species to the mix. the first penjing was done with elms throughout, but this diplay will incorporate two hackberries as well. The Hackberries will dominate the mountain area, while we get into the elms as the grade decreases and finish out with elms and grass at the ocean. The theme will incorporate a river/feature throughout the scene to make use of the "white" areas of the tray.
The hackberries are shown in their "as bought" form and after pruning. I tried to keep a windswept look to the one tree since it will help sell the "mountainside" while the taller upright tree will lend height to the mountain. The larger tree is about 12" tall and 1 1/4" thick. The windswept tree is much smaller at only 6" tall but wider and 1" thick at the base.
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