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Bonsai Trees

Started by WDH, March 17, 2007, 09:06:56 PM

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WDH

It is spring again, and my bonsai trees are starting to leaf out and grow.  I re-potted three of them a few weeks ago.  I have 5 trees, but two of them are special.  They are like my children.  If you take good care of them and let them grow up in the right environment, they, like children, will make you proud.

My oldest tree I have had in the pot for 24 years.  That amazes me to look back over all those years and still have this little darling.  She (I got the tree the same year my oldest daughter was born, therefore, the tree is a "she" to me) is a california juniper and is evergreen.  The leaves are due for a trimming in a few more weeks.



The other tree that has been with me a long time is a bald cypress.  He has been in this very same pot for 20 years.  The leaves are just beginning to break from the bud.  In a few weeks, this cypress will be in full foliage and will be quite handsome.



For many years, they were on an old treated pine table in the backyard, so last fall, I decided to build them a table more suitable for their stature in the family.  Fittingly, the table is made from bald cypress and finished with marine spar varnish to withstand the elements.



The top is made with slatted opening so that the water can drain through the table top.  To give the table a little class befitting its job of holding the little trees, I used a thru-tenon to attached the stretcher, and I pegged the tenon with a walnut peg.



Some comments about the trees:

They never come inside unless the temperature drops below 25 degrees F.  They are trees and they will die you you keep them inside.  Contrary to what most people believe, bonsai are not indoor plants except for a few tropical varieties that can stand the heat. 

They love the natural rain.  They have to be kept moist.  So, in the summer they have to be watered once a day.  Just like a pet has to have water daily.  In the winter, they can go for many days without supplemental watering because natural rainfall does the job. 

Well, there is a lot more that I would like to say about them, but as you can probably tell, I am like a doting parent that will talk all day about his children.

Just wanted to share them with you.  We live so far back in the woods, they don't get much company ;D
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Jeff

I want to see the other 3! Post a picture of the cypress when it leaves out eh? :)
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

SPIKER

I've potted a few myself, and had well lets not discus those that have passed before their time :(



ANYWAY I like the looks of that cypress a lot!  Here in Ohio it gets pretty cold outside and that is where I lost mine during a cold spell that came on wile I was away.   they were tropical ones which were indoor in winter trees.   one fast cold rain did them all in.  I babied them but they died anyhow...   Ice & Rain & bad mojo...

mark M
I'm looking for help all the shrinks have given up on me :o

WDH

Sorry to hear you lost them, Spiker.  There is sure lot that can go wrong. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Paul_H

WDH,

I hope you don't mind me posting these pics of a couple Douglas Fir growing on bald rock with a SW exposure but when I saw them last month,they made me think of a Bonzai tree.
Less than a hundred feet from these trees there are other Douglas Fir growing with good soil and water and they are large,tall and straight.







Your trees look great,you have good reason to be proud of them.
Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

Furby

How would one, if he was so inclined, go about obtaining one of those little bald cypress ???

Jeff

First ya need a razor...
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Furby

Like I would have one of them! :D :D :D

Jeff

Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

WDH

Paul_H,  those natural bonsai are spectacular and are what motivated me to try my own hand 30 years ago at what nature does best.  I saw stunted but beautiful natural specimens on the rock outcrops in the north GA mountains.  That inspired me.  Thanks for sharing those smiley happysmiley.

Furby, my bald cypress started as a nursery plant in a round plastic nursery pot.  It was 2 years old as a nursery plant.  It was a very normal and unpretentious nursery plant, so you do not usually start with a plant from the wild that is already formed.  You have to severly prune then shape the plant over the next few years to train the limbs you select by purposely bending them into the desired shape using annealled copper wire.  There are very established style rules that govern how the stem, roots (exposed portion to show a "grasping the soil" aspect), and branches should look. 

I started on my own from just reading about it, but I got it mostly wrong.  I lost the first 3 attempts.  Then, in 1988, I had a back operation that laid me up for 6 weeks.  While I was convalescing, I saw an article in the local paper about a minister that was giving a one day bonsai lesson for $50.  The monks at the monastery in Covington, GA had trained him.  I jumped at the chance, and since that time, I have lost nary a one.  A little training from a master in any endeavor sometimes is much better than years of learning by the school of hard knocks.  There are only a few essential principles that must be followed to the letter, but if you are not familiar with them, you may not succeed.  Also, there are some pretty rigid shape rules you need to know.  I took my little juniper to the training session, and at the end of the session, I showed it to the minister proudly.  He looked at it, smiled wryly at me, and said' "Everything about this is all wrong".  (Probably what Tom would have said to me when I made my first sawmilling attempts if he had beenthere, I mean been there.... :)).  He proceeded to cut it apart and whack it back in the most grievious manner.  Taught me right off that you can't mollycoddle when it come to the basic shaping process.

I know my life is richer for it and I would be proud to pass on any little bit of learning to others.  I hope to one day pass on these trees to my children.  Hopefully, they will long out-live me (both children and trees  :D)..

Long answer to a short question.  The short answer is a nursery, but the minister taught me what to look for. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WDH

Whatever you do, don't shave the cypress ;D.  The Boss has been fishing too much and getting too much sun  8).
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

fat olde elf

Great Bonsai and a neat table....A close friend and colleague of mine was Truman Fossum, now deceased.....Tuman was the first American to intern at Kew Gardens in England....He was called as an expert witness for the Senate Reparations Committe for Japanese-Americans who were placed in US concentration camps for the duration of WWII. They literally lost everything they owned.  Many were deeply involved in Horticulture in California.... Truman was asked by the Committee to verity the value of lots of Bonsai specimens that were lost due to neglect... A belicose and obnoxious senator examined photos taken of various trees and asked "How can these itsy-bitsy little trees be worth 100"s of dollars apiece ?"   Truman's response was perfect.  "Senator, Would you have watered these trees EVERY DAY for 40, 50 or more  YEARS for that kind of money ?"  The senator had no more to say and later joined his fellow senators in approving the full amount... God bless America....
Cook's MP-32 saw, MF-35, Several Husky Saws, Too Many Woodworking Tools, 4 PU's, Kind Wife.

WDH

What a perfect response, and one so true.  Thanks for sharing.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

redpowerd

those are some beautiful little trees!

when i was in college for landscaping at SUNY cobleskill there was a short course over the winter for growing and shaping bonsai trees, and sadly enough i couldnt go. ive been kicking myself for it ever since, thinking of the trees i could have had established since '94.
we also took a school trip to longwood gardens in penn., they had dozens of some very nice specimens, and if i remember right they had a few decidious, when we were there was in fall and their leaves were starting to change. i almost want to say there were oak, but i cant be positive. twas 13 years ago......

anyway, beautiful trees and thanks for sparking my memory.

here, i found a linky to bonsai trees at longwood, just a single pic at the mid-bottom of the page.
http://www.longwoodgardens.org/Orangery_1_3_2_4_1_1.html


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northern adirondak yankee farmer

Patty

Way cool WDH!  8)   I love the look of Bonsai. Can any species of tree be used? Since we live in the great white north, and the little guys need to stay outdoors, could trees native to Iowa work, such as white oak or walnut?

Nice table too, worthy of any little tree you put on it!
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

SwampDonkey

Thanks for sharing your story of your bonsai trees and pictures of the trees and the table. I think it's real cool.  :) The first time I ever heard of a bonsai tree was on 'The Karate Kid' movie. Probably the first time for a lot of people. But, I could remember when working in northern BC when we used to fly in by chopper to a forest site. We usually landed on a swamp in the mountains. All around the real wet areas were bonsai cypress trees, sometimes cedar. Who knows how old they were. They were only about 3 feet high and growing in thickets. Always thought of bringing one home and potting it, but never got around to it. They would die where I live now on the east coast and would likely require an arboretum of some kind to keep the moister high indoors because wood heat is real dry as you know.

Take good care of your little green family members. :)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

Hey Jeff, all that cedar seed you collected will give you lots of choice bonsai material once you get some germinated.  ;) 8)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

WDH

Thanks Patty and SD.  Not any species is suitable.  The large leaved trees like oak and walnut, etc. don't miniaturize very well.  The leaves need to be small in relation to the smallness of the bonsai.  Otherwise there is this little tree with very large out-of-proportion leaves.  Proportion is very important to the visual quality of the tree. It needs to look just like a normal tree in its trunk taper, grasping roots, leaves, etc.  The junipers are good because of the awl-like leaves, and they would do fine in Iowa.  They would have to come in more often because it gets colder there than here.  Maybe you could find a place that was unheated and protected from the cold below 25 degrees F.  Otherwise, because the pot is small, the whole root mass would freeze and hurt the tree.  They dry out fast in a normally heated room, so only a few days in that environment could be tolerated. 

Cypress is good because the leaves are small and two-ranked, that is, the leaves have these small bi-pinnate like leaves that are feathery. 

Is there a native juniper in Iowa?  That would be perfect.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Norm

I've always admired the art of bonsai and yours are certainly a work of art. Thanks for showing us.

We do have ERC in Iowa wonder if it would work?

Patty

I think we have juniper up here. I will browse through the nurseries and look. We have a couple months up here that it doesn't get up to 25 degrees ! Perhaps if I bring them into the basement & set it in front of the back door, it would stay cool (at least above freezing), yet get some sunlight. I am trying that with my hibiscus trees this winter. I hope they lived and will bloom again this summer. I think I will be able to take them back outside in a month or so.
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

WDH

I have never seen ERC done before.  Not sure if there are enough epicormic buds (buds that sprout from the bark after you prune a tree back).  The native pines generally do not have epicormic buds, so they don't work.  That is why if you cut a pine down, it will not sprout from the stump like a hardwood will.  The junipers (not the cedars) are very hardy and look good too.  If you want to try it, you can get a california juniper at a good plant nursery. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

solodan

WDH, I sure wish I could go out and snap some pics of some native bonsai California Juniper, but still too much snow in the high country. I have seen species here that are estimated to be hundreds and some even thousands of years old and are only a few inches tall.  It is funny how these trees seem to be so delicate and easily lost in a controlled environment, but yet so strong when I see them in nature, and some of these trees seem to be barely clinging on to life. Some are covered by snow for nine or ten months a year, they withstand 100 mph winds year after year, and grow in the crack of a rock with almost no soil. 8) Those are real cool trees you have there. If you ever get out this way, you should check out the Sonora Pass area, lots of extremely old twisted up trees. :)

WDH

I will do that Solodan.  I would love to see those native real bonsai that nature created.  Tell me how to get to the Sonora Pass area.  And, be sure and snap some pics when the snow allows.  I would love to see them.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

solodan

Sonora Pass is the pass that Ca. SR 108 goes over, through the central Sierra Nevada. Sonora Pass is at the crest of the Sierra Nevada at 9600'. This elevation is wide open and wind swept. The higher peaks around this area are treeless, and the canyons that lead out of this area are filled with regular sized trees, but almost every tree right around the pass is dwarfed or at least severly distorted by the harsh elements. Some of them are only a few inches, while others may be 30 feet tall. About 15 miles to the west of the pass is the eagle meadows turn off, which leads you out the the Trail of the Ancient Dwarfs, natural bonsai garden of centuries-old dwarf trees. I have never actually been to this particular grove, but I will have to check it out this summer, it's only about 30 miles from my property. Also out eagle meadows road is the Bennit Juniper, not a bonsai, but an absolute must see for anyone into trees. I have seen this one before and it is almost unbelievable, even when you are standing right next to it. Just over the east side of the Pass and an hour and a 1/2 to the south are the White Mountains, where the ancient bristlecones are, which are estimated to be the oldest living trees. I think they are around 6000 years old. :o There are also nice groves of Giant Sequoia nearby, the Calaveras Big Trees groves to the north and the Yosemite groves to the south. This is a geographically diverse area wich has some really cool stuff to look at. I think the big plus, is that outside of Yosemite you will probably not see many people, if any. I would really love to travel more, but  there are so many things I still need to see right in my own backyard.  :)

I am also amazed at the disipline that some people have, or the lack of disipline that I have :-[ to take such care of a tree for so many years. You have done real well there with your little bonsai trees. 8) :)

WDH

I travel a lot on my job.  When I call home at night, I ask about the wife, then about the daughters, then about the trees ;D.  After that, I ask about my dogs.  So, you see where the little bonsai fall into the scheme of things. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

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