Formal Upright Juniper

rlist

A couple of season of growth (or maybe less down south there), this will be a nice tree.

I do wonder, did you protect the trunk in any way? I would think there is quite a bit of pressure on the wire and the wood block, and am curious if you feel there is the potential for damage.

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Vonsgardens

Hey Al,
Nice tree. Reminds me of a jade plant or something like that. Did you mean to leave those little branches sticking straight up or did you get tired, being older and all?


John
Tongue in Cheek on post #6

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lehket

Al,

I like it. One question, though: is there any rule of thumb about how much foliage one can remove from a juniper? (Silly question, perhaps; it probably depends on the species.) I ask because I had a needle juniper that I had greatly reduced and started training as a windswept. I had posted some photos of it around here somewhere. Coming out of last winter, it died. I think it was primarily because I didn't realize that it seriously needed repotting, and I should have done that rather than starting any work on it. But some folks here seemed to think that I had reduced it way too much.

Thanks!

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bonsaial1

When you say needle juniper do you actually mean Juniperus Chinenses "Rigida" or do you mean a needle type foliage rather than scale foliage? Foemina is concidered a true needle juniper. It has the twin white stripe underneath the needle just as Rigida does. The needles on a rigida are about 1/8 longer than foemina. The needles are as sharp and stiff though.

Foemina is considered a weed type juniper. It responds well to very hard pruning. I have shown a small branch from a foemina juniper as is before pruning. It should be taken back as in the second picture, about 1/3 inch from the lignified part of the stem. All brown needles must be removed for back budding. It will bud profusely in about 4 weeks. Year round here in Fresno.

Other junipers the will respond to this type of pruning are procumbens. They will do quite well taking them down hard. If you wish to see mature foliage on a procumbens than this type of pruning will assure you won't. It needs to be pinched very lightly more often and not abused to much and then you wll get the mature scale foliage like Thomas J. gets on his older procumbens. This is something to shoot for once the style is established. The foeminas will never go to scale like foliage. It remains needle like its entire life.

I have included a close up of the twin stripe on the back of the needle indicateing it is a true needle juniper.

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lehket

I'm not sure what it was. I just meant needle-type foliage. Given your description I'm guessing it was a Rigida, but as it's now dead and a pretty uniform brown I'm not sure. I have another tree that I was told was a Foemina when I acquired it. The dead tree was clearly not the same species as that. (But see below for a major "Huh??" )

Okay, thanks. Should I assume, then, that aside from Foemina and procumbens, most junipers would not respond well to hard pruning? (I know, I know, never assume...)

Now for the "Huh??" Oddly enough, sometime in the past few months the "Foemina" I have grew scale-like foliage at the ends of two branchlets. I was rather surprised to see it. So do I have to get it reclassified now, or when you say "never" do you mean "hardly ever"?

Thanks! I greatly appreciate the help.

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--Dale
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Co-author of Spiritual Telemetry,
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Alvaro

Certainly upright, but formal I guess it depends on how you characterize each style. I always thought the "formal" bit reffers to an abstract, ritualized shape which departs from the kind of realism this tree displays. Lovely tree though!

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hackberry

Hope your fingers are healing well!!

agraham

Excellent job Al.If you'll forgive me for not offering anything constructive,let me just say I really like this tree.Definitely a tree I'd be proud of.

andy

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ekillians

Al, as you encouraged me to I'm reliving your old threads - working current to the past and learning lots already.


Are there any updates or current pics of this tree. Thanks.

-EK

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