Boxwood group

Rene_Voortwist

Hi,

Here's my first try on making a group from boxwoods.
Before :

Advertisement

Rene_Voortwist

And after.

Looking at it now I have made a few mistakes :
- Wrong pot color (ok, but it was cheap and available..)
- I mounted the soil above the edge of the pot and even used my own keto receipt to make little walls. (I didn't have enough room for the roots otherwise...)
- The trees are planted in a way that's to symetrical.

I'd still like your opinions..

rgds, René

Rene_Voortwist

That's right, there are more trees on the first picture then there are in the group. I was planning to make two seperate groups but found I didn't have enough room to do it.

TreeBay

You have a yeller tree in there. Is it a different variety, or maybe it's pining for the fjords?

__________________

Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today!

bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!

Rene_Voortwist

Matt,

Yer right, this is old yeller . No, it's a boxwood too, but it had a hard time in it's pot hence the yellow foliage. It's recovering now with fresh green leaves, and in a year or so you won't notice the difference.
What do you think, should I take the group apart next year and start over or is it salvageable ??

René

Jay

Hi Rene, just some thoughts of another novice. I was at a demo on group planting by Bill Valavanis this past March. If I remember correctly (always a problem) I notice a couple of things you might want to work on.
1-You have an even number of trees(6). This is something to avoid until the numbers get very large (over 10).
2- The largest tree is far to big for the rest of the group.
3- The outside trees are moving in two different directions, the ones on the left draw your eyes outward to the left and the ones on the right to the right!
4- It is a bit to symetrical.

Hey... what do I know,,, I have two group plantings started, I will try and take a pix or two and get them up...They are no great shakes.

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

Carl_Bergstrom

With respect to (2), I wholeheartedly disagree. Take a look at any of the advanced design books (Naka's Bonsai Techniques II, Adams' Successful Bonsai Shaping, etc.) or the gallary section of just about any issue of Bonsai Today and you'll see examples where the largest tree substantially outsizes the others, even more so than in the current group.

With respect to (3), this is a matter of taste. Some prefer groups with similar lines that draw the eye in a single direction; others prefer groups in which the outer trees reach out for the light as would a clump of trees in nature.

__________________
In love with trees

Jay

Rene and O.M.C. I agree totally with OMC with regard to 'a matter of taste'.I believe a good deal of the 'Rules' are difficult to pull off in all situations. As a novice I am standing on sold quick sand when I attempt to follow-up one of my points, but here goes. I am Familiar with Naka's work but not the Adams book. I am presently reading a book that is devoted to this topic "FOREST, ROCK PLANTING AND EZO SPRUCE BONSAI" by Saburo Kato. Yes, he shows larger main trees....they are not as large as the main tree is in this group to the 2nd and 3rd tree. He believes that all forests are obtained from the basic group of three. The placement of the 3 primary trees is key. Perhaps if this forest had the primary tree placed differently it would be more to my taste. Again, [i]MY TASTE./i] As for the angle of the trees on the outer side reaching for the sun, yes it does happen...in nature and in forest plantings. The degree of lean is what I was trying to point out. To me the degree of lean is not believable.

I appreciate the ability to express my view, and in no way do I think what I say is perfect. I applaud Rene for his effort. I do not think either of my first attempts at forest planting were up to his effort. We try, we learn, we seek opinions and we discuss them.... is this a great place or what?

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

Rene_Voortwist

Jay and mister crow,

The number of trees is uneven. There is one tree hidden behind the largest tree from this angle. I made sure I used an uneven number of trees.
I deliberatly used such a big tree in comparison with the others to make a grandfather-father-son relationship in which the largest tree is the first one that grew and the others sprouted from seeds from this one.
I agree that the angle the other trees make is a bit to big. I wanted to imitate the groups that I have observed in nature where a young tree sprouts underneath an older one and grows to the light, but I overdid it.
I also agree that the planting is to symetrical. I will do this different the next time.
All in all the making of this group has been very enjoyable and I have learned a lot from it. I will probably take the group apart next year and adjust it. Maybe I can find a more suitable container for it aswell.

THANK YOU both for the comments and info. This is what I hoped for when I posted the photos and what makes this newsgroup so great !

regards, René