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I have a new update on an old project. This hornbeam has gone thru some real workovers. The top was lost to an unfortunate pruning mistake. After the loss of the top (apex) I started working on a new apex. This meant that the original fron would have to be sacrificed for a front that was originally the back. So much for 360 styled trees.

I had to remove many of the branches due to them being in the wrong position for a view of the back of the tree. (something that all trees will suffer from) These back branches obscured good views of the trunk and did not lend themselves towards a good view of the trunk.

Then the repot. I found the ugly tripod of roots. The roots from Mars. I did the ground layer and was able to remove the tripod from the plant and start over from scratch with the base of the tree. Now the plant is doing fine on the new roots , I can turn my attention back to refining the apex. During the scar cleanup and pruning, it was noticed that the apex was growing beter in a position better than the previous year. Now the apex was better on the old fron than the old back.

Last summer and this year...I have started to refine the branches and prune for ramification on what I now believe to be the final front. Without going back to the original article, I think this is the original position. The branching is still pretty small and thin and will need to fatten up this season. Hornbeams grow much like elms and this should be no problem. Due to these plants losing their shape so easy, I will continue to develop this tree while in the shohin container. The size of the branches will develop with time and I am in no hurry to make them fat.

I hope that the development of this tree to this point has been as rewarding to those that read it as it was for me to make it.

SPECIES:Korean Hornbeam
TRUNK: 2 inches at soil (5cm)
HEIGHT: 5 inches from pot (13cm)
POT: Japanese (Yozan)

EDIT: in going back and reading the original article, I see that indeed the new front is the old back of the tree. I have changed it so many times I must have lost count...lol