|
|
|||||||
| Register | FAQ | Members List | Calendar | Mark Forums Read |
| Forum | Gallery | Weather | Journals | Links | Webring | Wiki | NEW:Shop |
| Articles | Opinion | T.O.D. | NEW:Radio | Contests | Humor | NEW: Auctions! | Donate |
 |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes | ||
|
| ||||
3-Oct-2004
|
#1 |
|
bonsaiTALK Artisan
|
Crape Myrtle advice
This is a Dwarf crape myrtle i've been working on since the spring. I liked the shape of it at the nursery but the awesome nebari was an added bonus. The blooms are bright pink/lavender. The first pic was taken back in july ..... the second one was taken yesterday.
I'm curious to see what some of you would do as far as pot shape and color, and also styling ideas that might differ from where it's headed now. Maybe a virtual or two  regards, Ian
__________________
ihill18@aim.com Shooting the breeze:  "you know how to make a hormone dont you? ... Dont pay her"  .... Ron Martin .... |
|
|
|
Sponsor Message
|
Crape Myrtle advice |
|
Forum Sponsor
|
|
|
3-Oct-2004
|
#2 |
|
Old Mister Crow
 
|
Hi Ian,
Nice tree - I think you've got the right style for this one. I'd think about a shallow cream oval for the pot. As for styling, I'd try to work the foliage back to make the whole image tighter and to bring the canopy into better proportion with the trunk. See the rough virtual attached. Best regards, Carl
__________________
In love with trees |
|
|
|
|
4-Oct-2004
|
#3 |
|
bonsaiTALK Artisan
|
thanks for the suggestions... I plan to bring the foliage down and start filling in some of the voids when spring rolls around again. It'll probably be another year or two before i get it into a nice shallow pot. Might be worth showing off then.
__________________
ihill18@aim.com Shooting the breeze: "you know how to make a hormone dont you? ... Dont pay her" .... Ron Martin .... |
|
|
|
|
5-Oct-2004
|
#4 |
|
bonsaiTALK Journeyman
|
Crape Myrtle
I quite like this tree, it seems very natural to me. I also like its wideness which gives it the illusion of age , although its trunk is relatively thin. I usually try not to advocate the creation of instant bonsai from home improvemnet stores, but I recently found a beautiful crape myrtle, with great potential for a pretty low price. Not having much experience with this species, I was just wondering, how well do these trees heal wounds? Mine has a lot of good branches, so shouold I prune off the larger ones and start almost from scratch, or keep the thicker branches and wire them into position?
__________________
-Conor |
|
|
|
|
6-Oct-2004
|
#5 | |
|
bonsaiTALK Artisan
|
Quote:
Well i'll give you the best answer i know of but i'm a bit confused about your growing zone (canada/zone-  ?? I don't know how crape myrtles do elsewhere.The crape myrtles here are pretty good at recovering from pruning. as an example the tree in the pic was pruned in the middle of july (first pic) and in the weeks after pruning it was back budding from all over the plant. The cuts are also healing nicely as you may be able to see from the second pic. I've had neighbors who cut there's back to the trunk and main branches and even to the ground and they still come back. keep in mind tho i'm not an expert so you may want some other opinions too.
__________________
ihill18@aim.com Shooting the breeze: "you know how to make a hormone dont you? ... Dont pay her" .... Ron Martin .... |
|
|
|
|
|
6-Oct-2004
|
#6 |
|
Archbonsaist in training
 
|
I am new bonsai, but not to crape myrtle. I have several in my yard and they grow like weeds. They also recover very quickly from even severe damage. For example, my wife accidentally mowed one of my little crapes down this summer, right about the 4th of July. This little stump, (from an original height of about 18" mowed to a 1 1/2 inch stub) which I was sure would die, has rebounded to a new height of about 12" and is actually doing quite well. I am in zone 7b, which has somewhat warm winters and hot humid summers, so I am not sure how it will react where you are, but here they are almost impossible to kill.
__________________
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement. QUI ME AMAT, AMAT ET CANEM MEAM |
|
|
|
|
6-Oct-2004
|
#8 | |
|
Propagation Idiot Savant
 
|
Quote:
I wonder if anyone has done a trunk and root chop like this http://www.dugzbonsai.com/olivehead1.htm I want to do this to a crepe myrtle that I've had in my yard for about 9 years. It was a shrub crepe and not the typical 12 to 20 footers you see along parkways. Its trunk is about 5 to 6 inches across and I think it would make an awesome tree. I know these things can withstand almost anything but I'm aprehensive about root chopping. Any ideas?
__________________
Steve |
|
|
|
|
|
6-Oct-2004
|
#9 |
|
Archbonsaist in training
|
Steez,
I have never tried it with bonsai, but just so that you are aware...when my little yard crape came back, it did so with MANY new trunks. Chopping like that turned it into a bush instead of the single trunk tree that it had been. Of course, I don't mind that it has turned bushy because it is one of my "property line plants." But, I am sure that I will be able to select a single trunk next year and return it to tree form. I will just have to keep the lower suckers cut back. I do not know if this type of behavior would be acceptable or desireable as a bonsai. Then again, it just might. You get a whole bunch of new trunks to choose from, from a single chop. Of course, they will be skinny little things for a few years, though.
__________________
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement. QUI ME AMAT, AMAT ET CANEM MEAM |
|
|
|
|
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads
|
||||
| Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
| New Crape Myrtle | mr_burninator | General | 6 | 21-Jul-2004 06:59 PM |
| Crape Myrtle Propagation | Felicia | Propagation | 6 | 16-Nov-2003 03:45 PM |
| The Gentle Art Of Bonsai Criticsm | FredL | Opinion | 23 | 12-Feb-2003 01:06 PM |
| Crape Myrtle | weirdowl | Species Specific | 6 | 25-Jan-2003 09:27 PM |
| How about a Crape Myrtle? | Thomas_J. | Show & Tell | 5 | 20-Apr-2002 08:56 PM |
Linear Mode
