Larix Laricina - Tamarack

pdbbonsai

I am a huge fan of Larix laricina. Every left turn, I stumble into a forest of these fine trees.

Just yesterday, members of my club and I went on a collection trip and yielded around 40 trees. I will post pics of them in the next few days. If you do a search for Larix, or tamarack you will/should find some postings that I have put here over the years of the collected material from the past.

Paul

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Adam_MA

This wouldn't happen to be from a Nick Lenz class at Bonsai West would it?


Adam

Candy_J_Shirey

Adam - You are so right. I take any chance that I can to study with Nick Lenz. He is a wonderful artist and a willing teacher. He also has an exceptional skill and talent with larch.

Badbyte - You were looking for some ideas of using larch for bonsai material. Nick is THE master of the larch. Some find his art unconventional but you will not be dissappointed in the quality of the bonsai or the art.

demon larch

Alien egg

Penelope (I love this one.)

ghost

These examples are much better than my previously offered beginner attempts and are sure to inspire you. I should have thought to offer them in the first place.

Will_Heath

pdbbonsai,

I checked out your larch posts and was quite impressed, I enjoyed your posting on collecting and I see than you are in fact experianced. I will post a photo jornal on my next collecting trip. Thank you.

One note though, I have had great success collecting Tamarak here in October, only one lost tree in 3 years! It's a little late now but I will try spring collecting next year.

Will_Heath

Candy,

Thank you, Nick Lenz has a talent beyond words, a little twisted and dark, but I can see he knows his bonsai. I would not say that he makes you look like a beginner, you have talent and a great eye for nature. He uses some interesting pots that bring a different look to the whole.

Adam_MA

Nick actually has his own line of pottery called "Murkware"
Pretty cool stuff

Adam

jemmick

Like others here I too am a larch person. I was sure Nick's name would come up. I don't think you can mention larch and not mention the master. I would like to mention his book " Bonsai From The Wild" It was available from ABS. It covers larch extensively, including collection and aftercare. It also covers eastern white cedar,apple,hawthorne,pitchpine and other species that we use in the northeast.
Regards,

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Jonathan

Will_Heath

Well, after reading all these posts, seeing Candy's work and visiting Nicks Larches, I am more convinced than ever that Larches are my favorite.

My daughter stuck the remains of a couple trunk chops I did last fall into my growing field and said she was "saving" them. To my surprise they are budding out and looking very healthy now, in fact it looks like a couple will be pretty nice once they take off. Have any of you ever had this happen and are they really that easy and quick to take hold?

The area that I collect from is actually a cedar swamp and the saplings are growing right in the water and moss making extraction easy but a wet experiance.

Have you ever seen a jackpine bonsai?

Candy_J_Shirey

Badbyte:
I have several collected jack pine (pinus banksiana) in development but no finished bonsai to show to you.

You may want to take a look here for inspiration.