My First Attempt At A Forest Planting

gilbycantu

This is my first attempt at a forest planting. It is Parsley Aralia (that's what they told me at the nursery). I have been wanting to try a forest for a while now so I finally put this together yesterday. I even got out of work early. I guess I was so excited that it didn't even occur to me to take pictures as I go. I think the spacing between the trees is too uniform. I also think I should of used a longer pot but hey, I'm learning as I go.

Any thoughts?

Gilbert

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forest1.jpg (30.1 KB, 195 views)

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gilbycantu

A better view of the trunks.

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forest2.jpg (26.1 KB, 180 views)

Carl_Bergstrom

Nice moss!!!

And good job on your first forest.

I agree with you about the spacing of the trees - could be more uneven, but personally, I made this mistake on both my first and second forests. Also some variation in trunk diameter might be nice, but again this is often hard given the material at hand.

As for other advice, what concerns me the most about this planting is that it feels too tall to me. It seems almost unstable. Again, I made this mistake with my second forest, and I've had to cut back quite dramatically to correct this.

I put together a virtual showing what think are slightly better proportions. (Things aren't centered properly, etc; forgive me for that.)

Cheers,
Old Mister Crow

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gcforest.jpg (14.0 KB, 175 views)

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In love with trees

salix

I would agree that you may need a larger pot. The spacing is nice, but without enough room at the base, all your taller trees are leaning outward, as if they are on an unstable hillside. It makes the forest effect less convincing, as if the trees don't really want to be together. It disrupts the illusion that these trees grew up together in close proximity.

I think it's possible for this planting to work in this pot, if the outward slant is reduced, especially in trees #1, 2, and 5 from the left in the second picture. Close up the apex of the group a bit, if you see what I mean... I'm not saying go for straight up and down, jut lean 'em in a little...

I like the moss a lot, BTW. It lends a very convincing hillside impression that makes the group image more believable. Nice work.

gilbycantu

So how would you suggest I make those corrections like you showed on your virtual OMC? The only thing I can think of would be to airlayer the trees or to transplant them into a larger pot.

Gilbert

Carl_Bergstrom

I've never worked with this species, so I don't know whether you'll be able to progressively cut them back as I was with the larch forest that I planted too high. If they bud back well, this might be the best approach. A larger pot is probably a decent idea as well for your next repotting - you could even put in some smaller trees around the edges for a nice perspective effect. You'll see this done in many finished forests.

Layering seems like an awful lot of work to do on young material, so I probably wouldn't bother to go that route if they were mine.

Best regards,
Carl (OMC)

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In love with trees

Martin S

Hello!

Just a few comments from my(!!! this is not the opinion from everybody!) side:

all in all not bad for your first forest.
But:
the trees are too large (at the moment). You should cut them back to different height. The thinner the tree the lower its height should be.
The pot is ok for the first time cause it gives space to the roots. The moss should be not on the whole surface. Give the roots more oxygen! That is important for the development of the roots.
The arrangement should be subdivided into more tree groups. Start with the first (main) tree and arrange first the second then the third tree. Then start to plant the next group ...
By changing the angle of the trees a little bit you can bring more movement to the forest (you feel the wind that is blowing through it :-) )

Like I said at the beginning of this posting it is just that what I(!) see, feel or propose.

Find enclosed a picture of an forest from my own. This forest of acer camp. was plant tree years ago from material that I have developed over five years. The picture is not great (sorry) but should give you an idea about that what I try to say.
Reg.
Martin

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austellungweb1.jpg (36.1 KB, 143 views)

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treenut

You have gone to a lot of trouble to create your little forest and yes there is a lot of things you could do to improve it but if I were you I would just put it somewhere and enjoy it for a while instead of pulling it to pieces.Take all the above advice and put it into your next forest project.

bnsaijim

All in all a very good effort.

I think the trunk heights can be used as is... If they bud back, great... You are in a very tall forest.

If there are height to trunk diameter correction, by all mean s make them!

The trees to the left that lean are disconcerting- they make my eye "Fall out of the pot" to follow the lean. The "nice" conditions that created this picture would have these grow straight up, especially in an uncrowded setting like you've shown. All the Japanese forest show them leaning out but I wonder if that's not so they can ram a few more seedlings in; it makes no sense to me in a formal upright forest...

Once the trees have recovered from initial transplanting you should start organizing the canopies a little.

Perhaps add some smaller plants ins at the bases to add additional interest and distract some from the trunk height.

It reminds me a bit of the trees you might see in a Turner or Constable painting. Or more recent, a painter by the name of Steven Doherty.

Jim
TX