Maple Forest

Mel Lewis

I recently aquired a Japanese palmatum forest consisting of six trees. Next Spring I would like to add to the planting to make the total trees come out to an odd number, namely, in this instance, seven total trees. The planting is pretty well established and the roots are well intertwined. I was wondering if any one has advice on how best to proceed to add a tree to an already existing arrangement.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Mel Lewis

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Will_Heath

Set the forest up at eye level. Look at it, observe the grouping of the trees, are all the spaces different between the trunks? Does it have a blank area that is obvious? Does it need a thick trunk in front to help the perspective, a thin trunk in the back? Is one side empty?

Take a chopstick and push it in where you think a tree may look good at and look at it for a couple days, then move it to another possible location, etc....


Good Luck,


Will

rockm

The problem with adding an additional tree is that the new addition will probably be quite noticeable for years. Since it won't have been subject to the same environment as its companiions, It's bark and other things may not be the same as its companions. Depending upon how you work it into the existing planting, it may appear more loosely rooted and not "part" of the composition. It may not even be the same cultivar of Acer p.--make sure it's a match, or at least close.

Best not to simply plunk it on the periphery, but work the root mass interior to get the new tree inside the composition. That means carving out a place for it from the existing rootball, which, depending on the roots may be easy, or it may be a real problem. You won't really know until you start poking around to see what the root ball looks like.

For what it's worth, if you're adding the new tree just to get to an odd number, it may not be worth it. The Japanese "rule" that plantings have an odd number of trees is a rule that can be easily broken. Even numbered plantings can be just as effective if done well.

Will_Heath

.....and you can always remove one tree to get that odd number, as well.




Will

Arnie

Anyone know the history of the thinking behind odd numbers for group plantings? always seemed a bit odd to me.....excuse the pun.

I mean, whats more imortant, the number of trees or the energy, composition and impression of perspective that the viewer feels.

cbobgo

you could root some cuttings from the trees, to make sure that your new tree has the same characteristics as the rest of the forrest. Obviously, you would not be able to add it in for a few years.

- bob

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RonMartin(deceased)

From the FWIW department here is part of an article that I am writing. May not answer your question but it gives my thoughts on the subject.

The numbers game. How many trees? Does it always have to be an odd number

All to often it seems like there is a tendency to see how many trees can be put into the pot. A better approach would be how many trees would look good in that pot.

Most forest plantings have between five and nine trees. Less than five and it looks too much like a clump style bonsai. For the most part these remind me more of a tropical island with cocoanut trees on it than a forest.

More than nine trees must be done with great care. After nine trees it is awfully easy to overwhelm the viewer with a confusion of trunks and branches. The eyes can get lost in the complexity of it all. It can be done but it does get a bit harder to do after the ninth tree goes into that pot.

Conventional wisdom is to always use an odd number of trees in your forest. One hears all the time that nature very seldom does anything in even numbers. This might be true but I think that it is just easier to compose odd numbers into a believable composition. Even numbers almost always seem to give you a boxy affair.

Less than nine trees in a forest and the eyes can still see individual trees. But once the tenth tree is put into the composition the eyes get somewhat confused and stop looking at individual trees and start taking them in as a group. For this reason the numbers are less important when more than nine trees are used. Odd and even are just about the same, to the eyes anyway.

Problem is that someone will always count the number of trees in your forest. Good, bad or indifferent it will always be judged on odd vs. even. A pity that few can see beyond the numbers and take in the total impact of the composition.

For a little over a year I have been working on a group planting of bald cypress. Quite a large thing. The pot is a little over 4 foot wide. I was going to put 57 trees in it. A bit of vanity as I was 57 when I started on it. As I was working there came a point where it was just getting too busy and I stopped well short of that fifty seven. I have gotten a lot of nice comments on that forest. Most everyone likes it.

Didn’t take too long before the counting started though. Now I hear “Nice forest but it only has twenty eight trees in it“.

If it looks good who cares how many trees are in it. Sometimes those bonsai “rules” do get in the way of making good bonsai. ;o)

I may get a lot of criticism over this but here is my best advise on the number of trees to put in that pot. Put them in as long as it makes for an aesthetically pleasing composition. Stop before it goes past that point. Simple isn't it.

Let the bean counters count while you make a pleasing composition. The numbers will take care of themselves when you have ten or more trees. Nine or less trees makes the odd numbers more important but not everything. Ascetics is really the only real consideration

Emperor Fish

I couldn't agree more with your entire thread here Ron. You have presented a great summary for group/forest planting design considerations and "the numbers game."

Well, except perhaps the finale:




Regards,

Fish.

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Will_Heath

But....are not odd numbers more aesthetically pleasing to the human eye?


Even Models seem to grasp this concept.

Hairstylist do too.

Wedding Planners?

Planting palms?

Will