design feed back on my english yew

GraemeK

Hi, i started work on this english yew i bought as garden nursery stock last year...i started training it last year also and repotted this year into a bonsai pot as seen in the pic below...

if anyone has any design feed back or visuals on it i'd be most grateful as well as general comments.

I plan to train it in formal upright?

Thanks

Graeme...

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Earl

If I were doing this tree in a formal upright I would immediately cut all the branches way back to form the classical inverted V and also eliminate all the unnecessary branches. Maybe cut the top off a little further down, also, to empasize the great taper on the trunk. I think it has great prospects!

A question for you or other experts: most of the top branches look like they go way out without any secondary branching. Can you trim this type of branch back and get back budding?

GraemeK

Hi earl

Yeah i agree with ya comment about the inverted V but as ya can see from the lowest branch on the left its very thin...so i'm leaving it to grow for a while to thicken up and yeah yews back bub very well! they are always budding back even on normal wood without cuts! this year i'll do some work on the top of the tree also sort of the primaries and wire em...

thanks

Graeme.

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Jay

Hi Graeme, thoughts of this novice. I like the tree! I feel it needs some filling out. The lower left branch (#1) is too thin. It should be allowed to grow without any intervention. If it as the first, and oldest branch does not fill out enough in a couple of years you could at that time redesign the tree using the current #2 branch as the first branch. Doing this would not cost you any time, the current #1 branch would be a sacrafice branch in this plan. Jay

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Rene_Voortwist

Hi Graeme,

This is how I see a possible future for your tree. It probably needs some more foliage but I guess you get the "picture". I have tilted it to the left and bent down the branches. Also I have made some movement in the trunk. I think it is thin enough to wire and bend it. I shortened it too.

regards, René

GraemeK

Hi Rene!

Thanks for your comments....so you think i should lose the lowest left hand branch? I think Jay suggested using it as a sacrafice branch? but as you might have seen from my picture theres a little swelling around that area and i'm worried that leaving the branch to thicken may enlarge the swelling in this area? What you think?!

Thanks

Graeme...

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www.tdi-tuning.co.uk - Increasing Diesel Performance

Rene_Voortwist

Graeme,

I'm a newbie at this too, but I think the swelling could be there because of this branch. Anyway, the trunk is thick enough in that spot, so if it was mine I would remove it. This is just a personal opinion ofcourse. Maybe some of the experts can comment on this ?

René

MushaMan

I agree with Rene, cut off the lowest branch, and use the better developed as #1. If the branches are trained 'down' more and the trunk is bent, like in her picture, i think it will help to fill the space created by the removal of that branch. Also, I would begin cutting back the top now, so the tree can focus it's growth somewhere more productive.