Good & Bad Species for Beginners

JohnB

hi Brian

This "cutting" was taken from a tree that was downed and beaten by a storm. It's kind of inspired by that.
It's trunk was split and it's branches were all but torn off. From one of those branches is where I got the cutting.
the look of that tree was a huge trunk with rather short branches grwong from it to replace the ones torn off by the storm. you could almost climb inside it's split trunk.
I plan to depict the ancient and venerable look of that tree with this bonsai. To hell witht he conventions of "a willow looks like this", when they spend all of their time near large bodies of water the get beaten to all hell! Really old ones look like thisck stocky trunks inder a canopy of long tendrils.
I plan to encourage the left trunk to grow out and up, and later refine the trunk to look more like two of them, split trunked. I will let the branches grow long and downward after enough ramification is formed. I'll allow the branches to "weep" past the bottom of the pot and display it on a tall stand. The branches can be encouraged to "weep" by every now and then gently bending them into the weeping position when they are new and green.

BTW. I agree I never see any satisfying willow Bonsai. that's why I am going after this.

It'll depict the willow I saw, beaten to all hell but still alive and well and weeping over the river's edge, well below the ground it's sitting on.

forgive the crude virtual... I hope in like 2 years I'll be able to post it here in a more refined state.

Attached Images

willowtreeedit.jpg (43.4 KB, 281 views)

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JohnB

whoops it appears I "quoted the wrong one

sorry

JohnB

This is the quote I was er.. quoting...
Sorry Treenut

Good luck with your willow project... I hope mine turns out half as well as I expect

Ralph

I know this has been shown before. But when someone says you can't bonsai "that species", it's my favorite picture to show. Never say never, a great artist can do many things.

Weeping willow bonsai:
http://www.yasukunai.com/images/Willow250.jpg

Carp

one difinate for the hard list is Melaleuca - very hard to keep moist and drinks everything you can throw at it.
one for the easy list, Chinese Privet.
regards.

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"The aim of life's Journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body,
but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting WOW! WHAT A RIDE!!"

furble2142

What are good flowering species for a beginner in Atlantic Canada? Not very humid or hot here.

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shaun

I would start with growing something that grows naturally in your area. I feel there are lots of advantages to this. The first being you now this type of tree will like the whether condition etc. I would also either collect something or buy something that has been growing in your climate. Doing this you have over come a lot of issues to start with.

Then i would start to experiment with other trees.

Aaron_K

As you are in zone 5, I don't think you could go too wrong with a crab apple. These things are virtually all hardy down to zone 4 and up to zone 8 and both fruit and flower. Hawthorns are another hardy tree that would suit your zone.

See if there are varieties of these local to you, as these would be the best adapted.

All the best,

Aaron

Bonsaifreak

I would add bouganvillea and Brazilian rain tree to the easy list.

Jorge