G,day guys there is a picture of a river red gum in my post way back.
It is called lost it shows a river red gum in the windswept.
It is along the banks of the Grenough River in Western Australia about 400klms(300 miles north from Perth.
Mind you not all river red gums grow like this I have some pics.I just have to find them. Pup

Thanks '

gramps and pup,

But what I am trying to achive is "Australian Bonsai ist" to try to recreate what they see in there enviroment. Many of the rules set by the asians are many centeries of observation are the basis of what we see but with a twist. Our country is unique and our trees grow differenly.

We are products of our enviroments and so sould our Bonsai's.By the APAB study group we are sourcing potential genis to use for this.

Back to the Basics.


Peter

As I have stated before Peter! all trees will grow to there enviroment. If a tree be it Eucalyptus, Pinus , Melaleuca or Banksia if the eviroment shape's that way is it not still a native of that country.Just a thought. Pup

...I'm one who rarely deals in absolutes, especially if breaking my own rules means I might get my hands on some really nice material.

Please find attached some photos of an unidentified Eucalyptus specimen that I have admired for a number of years. I would often pass by this fat little trunk while walking the dog, and it was my guess that the tree was continually cut back (effectively trunk-chopped) because of its proximity to the brick fence and the adjacent footpath. When I pointed it out to her, The Good Lady just rolled her eyes and told me that the owners of the property would never give me permission to dig this little tree up. My dog was also nonplussed. About 3 weeks ago, I plucked up the courage to write a note to the property owner, inquiring about the status of the tree:Less than a week later, the lady who owns the property in question called me on my mobile to say that she was happy to be rid of the tree/stump. The next Saturday, I took a handful of digging/pruning tools down to her house, introduced myself, and engaged in some banter. As I had suspected, her concern for the well-being of the brick fence was among the reasons she allowed me to dig - another was the fact that the local council had recently given her notice regarding trees/shrubs overhanging the footpath. As you might be able to see in the photos, the little stump was quite difficult to get to on her side, so I was effectively doing her a favour by removing the thing - no more hands-and-knees pruning for her.

Anyway, on to the pics (apologies for the quality, but you get the idea):

Pic 1: This is the view I had when I first noticed this little potential tree a couple of years ago. Note the proximity to the old brick fence.

Pics 2 & 3: A couple of shots from inside the yard - the nearby Oleander made framing almost impossible.

Pics 4 & 5: What I ended up with after an hour on my hands and knees: a brilliant trunk and no roots... Without digging machinery - and massive damage to the fence and yard - I could not have reasonably gotten much more in the way of roots. The red lines show the approximate original soil level. At this point, the biggest achievement of this dig is that I didn't loosen any of the brickwork - maybe the stump will be good for Tanuki? BTW - the thing is almost exactly 600mm (2') from top to taproot.

More to follow...

Attached Images

	Hursty_Euc_00.jpg (64.7 KB, 48 views)
	Hursty_Euc_01.jpg (57.8 KB, 51 views)
	Hursty_Euc_02.jpg (71.5 KB, 51 views)
	Hursty_Euc_03.jpg (69.9 KB, 38 views)
	Hursty_Euc_04.jpg (71.7 KB, 43 views)

So, in case you hadn't guessed by the final tone of the previous post, I do not expect the collected 'Mystery Euc' to survive. The Koreshoffs have demonstrated that Eucalypts may be successfully collected as just a lignotuber without roots - and I can attest to that success from experience. However, I would not claim to have collected a lignotuber with the 'Hursty Euc', although I am almost certain that there is lignotuberous material in that fat trunk, just above the original soil line.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sharing with you yet another potential dead tree. Far be it from me to hide my failings, I'd prefer to have them documented so that somebody may learn from them in the future - maybe even me. I sawed about 50mm off the tap root, bevelled the bark around the cut, and applied a generous amount of root hormone powder. The rootless stump was then placed into a mixture of a proprietary Bonsai mix, some gravel and some very coarse sand. Anyway, one week after digging/potting, the few remnant leaves on the tree are still healthy and green - perhaps there is a chance.

Following are 4 views of the stump as potted into a large nursery tub. The first photo is the closest thing I can find to a front, and the rest are 90 degree turns. The trunk is a challenge to say the least, but I'm obviously up for a challenge by the fact that I'm attempting to collect a tree which I would otherwise advise against collecting.

Thanks - updates as they come to hand.

Fly.

Attached Images

	Hursty_Euc_05.jpg (72.3 KB, 46 views)
	Hursty_Euc_06.jpg (73.0 KB, 30 views)
	Hursty_Euc_07.jpg (71.4 KB, 52 views)
	Hursty_Euc_08.jpg (72.0 KB, 45 views)

Nice find Brian! I'll bet a beer that it survives! Any front that you pick would look good to me however I like pics 3 & 4. This tree has survived some hackings and the battle scars should be shown proudly! Good luck. Bob.

Brian,

If it survives it looks like Eucalyptus polyanthemos ( Red Box).


Peter

Gday Peter!

Could well be E. polyanthemos - the roundness of the leaves would point to that species. Other local species here include E. meliodora (Yellow Box), E. camaldulensis (River Red Gum) and E. viminalis (Manna Gum), and I'd be really happy if it was any one of them - the big, round leaves of the Red Box make for difficult styling, methinks.

Thanks. Fingers crossed for survival.

Fly.

Fingers are well and truly crossed for this one Brian. Great potential with this stump and the leaf size looks good also. Think positive thoughts and will it to survive.


Ash

Thanks for the well wishes, Ash!

Well, it is with a pinch of surprise that I write today. The Hursty Euc appears to think it is still alive!!! Attached are 2 pics taken about 4 days apart, both showing the bright crimson buds that indicate that this tree is trying to grow. So far, the buds have only appeared at the so-called apex of the stump.

Sorry about the pic quality - still getting acquainted with the new camera.

Thanks.

Fly.

Attached Images

	Hursty_Euc_Buds_Aug_07.jpg (70.9 KB, 33 views)
	Hursty_Euc_Buds_Aug_07_2.jpg (69.6 KB, 30 views)