Craig Coussins Tree Critique last night

tree bender

My club at Dawes Arboretum has Craig Coussins working on their trees for the week and at last nights meeting you could bring a tree to get some direction from Craig. I didn't really have anything that needed any major changes so I went to my moms house and dug up a 20 year old Azalea to take. Nice Huh? Craig and I made some snips here and there. Here are the before and after pics.

Attached Images

	Copy of before.jpg (64.5 KB, 135 views)
	copy of after.jpg (66.3 KB, 150 views)

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Carl_Bergstrom

With all due respect, "tree bender", you're taking a big gamble by digging a tree out of the ground and styling it at the same time. Bonsai is all about patience, and all about maintaining optimal health through every stage of the growing process. Collecting and styling and dumping into a bonsai pot all in one day is hardly the recipe for certain success.

I've seen other people show up for a workshop with freshly dug material, and I've seen world-class artists refuse to touch it. Whether or not Craig chose to take that route is his business, and your tree may survive. I realize it's hard to turn someone away, but in general, I think Craig did you a disservice reinforcing this sort of instant-bonsai attitude.

Best regards,
Carl

Vance Wood

I agree Carl, this is the kind of thing we have talked about for years. I understand Craig's dilemma of not wanting to turn away an opportunity, but I also agree that the probability that this tree is headed for the fire is very high. Having said that I hope I am so far wrong that it is laughable. But I am afraid I am far from wrong.

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The only finished bonsai is a dead one; me 1992 MABA Des Moines Iowa

tree bender

Thanks for the encouraging words. I didn't actually dig style and pot it all in the same day. It went from the ground to a grow pot in cold storage then to a pot with better soil after styling. In Craig's defense he didn't know my dirty little secret. I'll post more pictures of it this spring when it's in bloom. It's recovering in a green house with an I.V.

Dale Cochoy

Bender, did you have Craig there for all this week so far?
Dale

__________________
________________________________
If you want to be Different....
You have to DO something Different!
__________________________________________

Some people NEVER take the time to do a job right the first time....
but, they always seem to make the time to do it over again...
____________________________________________
Dale Cochoy
Wild Things Bonsai Studio
Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery
Hartville, Ohio

HB Smith

...As for Craig, he is a class act and will tell you if he thinks you should not work on the tree for the tree's sake. He has no qualms doing so and has in fact done this quite recently. I'm not sure what is to gain by not being up front with him and letting him know if you just dug the tree.

Craig also does an excellent Sean Connery - the women in the audience were swooning. It was disgusting.

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Sincerely,
Howard

www.BonsaiSmiths.net

Carl_Bergstrom

Now I that I've learned that our original poster didn't reveal history of the tree, I certainly can't find fault with Craig for working on it. It's not his job to second-guess every step of the tree's history up to the point that a workshop participant brings it to him. Rather, it is the participant's responsibility to bring proper material, properly prepared.

Best regards,
Carl

FlyBri

Gday Tree Bender & Co.

I have chosen to re-open this thread after giving it a serious make-over. A number of posts have been deleted, and if you believe that I have removed anything of value to the ongoing conversation, please feel free to repost - only this time without the sniping, character assassination and general petty bickering. I've got better things to do than mop up after a couple of kids who have taken to slinging mud at one another.

Thanks.

FlyBri.

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Dale Cochoy

Fly

Dale

__________________
________________________________
If you want to be Different....
You have to DO something Different!
__________________________________________

Some people NEVER take the time to do a job right the first time....
but, they always seem to make the time to do it over again...
____________________________________________
Dale Cochoy
Wild Things Bonsai Studio
Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery
Hartville, Ohio