Posted by Fish:
Quote:
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One thing puzzles me. You have bought a new pot for your juniper, before you have styled it, if I am reading your posts right. You seem to be saying that this is also an exhibition pot. How come? Don't you do your styling first, pot selection second? I can understand this way around if the tree was being refined and the main image already decided, or if this was just a grow pot, but with an initial styling?
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This is a wonderful question and needs a very well thoughout answer.
First some background. I do have some pots that I have bought over the years, and have bought them because I feel that they were beautiful. I have them in my collection and display them as such. I will plant in them. I just havn't found the "correct tree for the pot".
So this is the first way. Pot first and then find a tree.
Second way. Have tree and find suitable pot for the tree. The traditional way.
Now about my predicament. I have had the tree for about three years. I have come full circle on its future design. I went from informal upright to semi-cascade, and now back to informal upright. It will be that in the slanting style. The pot! well... I needed a big pot. A very big pot. Big pots are far and few between in these parts here in the central valley. I know that the tree will be masculine in nature, and that a dark pot will accentuate the foliage more. I had checked at the local nursery some time back, and found that he did have some large pots that would serve my purpose. I plan on repotting this plant in the spring, since it does not obviously need a larger trunk, and the foliage is ramifying fine. A show pot will just save a year for the future of my time line.
Next, The guy that owns the pots needed soil that I make. I was able to trade out the price of the pot. I needed the pot, he had the right pot, he needed the soil, I had the soil. I was able to take the pot home for a little comparison to the size of the root ball and its overall shape with the plant. Something not everyone is able to do. I live less than a mile from the nursery.
So.. this tree and its pot may be a gamble, but I see it as a very small gamble in the big picture. If its not right, which I doubt, I will exchange the pot for one more suitable if I ever find it. I think you will find that the pot I have will be perfect for the design I plan on taking this tree.
I drove over 500 miles and 10 hours yesterday for a pot for a maple of mine. I did not find it. I have been searching for three years. When I find it I will pot it up correctly. In the mean time the one its in will do just fine.
Maybe not the correct way according to tradition, but I feel that I have enough experiance to justify buying a pot before I have the tree designed. If its not right, I will be the first to say so, that you can take to the bank
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III Bonsai-al