bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - Alternative Lifestyle, California Juniper

California Junipers while covered in driftwood are not hanging on to dear life. They are mostly wind battered, and will show many signs of the constant battle with the wind. The wind will scour the dead wood white and the branches will yield to the centuries of constant tugging, but the foliage will continue to live and thrive. It is not uncommon to find a juniper nearly dead on all but about 10% of its original size, but the foliage on the living part will be vibrant and green and look as though it has been pinched for the last two decades. Part of the charm of this plant is the ability to achieve good foliage clouds on a plant with fairly coarse foliage. Some of these plants will reach sizes on par with a large bus or van. The age can be quite high and can be estimated at about 80 years per inch of growth. A trunk 4 inches across would be approx. 320 years old. I have seen junipers reaching the size of a small house and have a trunk nearly 2 feet across. Surly a Patriarch, and worthy of preservation.

The Hunt

Looking for junipers is easy. Finding junipers is easy. Finding a juniper with the characteristics acceptable for bonsai is hard. Ever wonder when hiking through a nice green pasture or field of trees, the small trees are never around. One can never find the small trees growing up that will be the trees for the next couple of centuries. So it is with these junipers. Most of the junipers growing on the sides of the hills are about the size of a Volkswagen. Finding a juniper small enough for potting, with good branching, nice taper in the trunk, and foliage to style is nearly impossible. It requires a keen eye, and good stamina for the 5 miles one will walk while searching out a tree. It’s also a good idea to have a third eye to keep a look out for rattlesnakes. A rattle snake bite out here could mean death due to the drive distance to a good hospital, and the lack of any friend willing to suck the venom out!

I started by working the bottom of this steep gorge. I figured I might find smaller plants near the bottom closer to a water source. I was right, and managed two plants from this gorge. I later found out that the more twisted stock comes from the upper sides of unprotected hills. I'll try that next year!