Vision for the azalea

I found some pictures of azalea bonsai that not only appeal to me, but could possibly serve as inspiration for my own potential bonsai I wrote about in my last post (this first picture is not one of them). Many Japanese azalea bonsai look more like giant towering flower arrangements than trees - case in point:

...but here are some that have character, and are apparently from the same show, photographed and viewed by Clinton Lewis/Sam Shio.  This first one is probably the closest to what I want to create, since it has multiple trunks and interesting nebari.

 This next two are by an artist I recently discovered, Wolfgang Putz, who appeals to me because of the variety of species he utilizes, and also because his work seems more do-able than someone like Walter Pall, who I find incredibly inspiring, but relies heavily on very old collected specimens from wilderness areas, that I probably will never have access to.  This azalea is more upright than mine will be, but I like it.

 This is also by Wolfgang Putz, and I've always admired this tree, although I just found out who made it.

And this one is just really cool because of the exposed roots.  Don't know if I'll attempt that, but I like it anyway.  Frequently azaleas have very little trunk or roots visible when in bloom, so this is an interesting way of achieving that.

Azalea Potensai

A few months ago I noticed an azalea growing at the back of my property, which I had transplanted there about 7 years ago.  It has a thick, gnarly looking trunk base, so I thought it might make a good bonsai.  I began viewing Youtube videos on bonsai training for azalea, and I am very excited about the prospect of a new potential bonsai right in my own back yard (literally)!

So yesterday afternoon when Mindy was at a meeting for the afternoon, I bundled up the kids and went out to get a closer look and take some pictures.  I told Isaac we were going on an adventure, which seemed to be motivation enough for him to want to go outside with me.

I remember relocating this tree from a crowded area in my herb garden, cutting it back very hard, and just plunking it down in a mucky spot at the back of the yard, not even amending the soil at all.  Since then it has grown fairly well, blooms profusely, and has started to callous over on the cut ends of branches, which I find very promising for future bonsai development since it will need to be cut back very hard again, and will hopefully be in more conducive conditions for growth.

It seems to have some interesting roots just barely visible above the mud.  I hope I discover more when I dig it up.

In late Spring after it finishes flowering, I will dig it up, prune it back hard, and pot it up.  I will need to make some selections on branches since it has multiple competing trunks, some of which are dead.

Here are the adventurers who accompanied me, some willingly, and others didn't even know where they were going!

Elm Threadgraft Redo

This is the first tree I began to train as a bonsai two years ago.  It was a volunteer Siberian Elm tree from my front yard.  The original post is here

My first thread graft on this tree failed.  The grafted branch had begun to swell on the exit side so I assumed it was receiving sap from the recipient tree, but when I cut it off about 10" beyond the entry side, it immediately began to wilt.  I now realize that the swelling was a result of the cambium beginning to thicken due to constriction of the trunk around the branch, but the branch hadn't yet fused with the trunk.  I started a new thread graft in mid summer this year and planted both trees in the ground for faster growth.  I plan on leaving them both in the ground through next year and probably digging them up in Spring of 2014.  Instead of cutting the donor plant off, I think I may slice it lengthwise, cut a groove into the trunk of the recipient tree, and bend the donor trunk flush with the trunk, binding it with tape to cause the two trunks to fuse.  This should guarantee the graft doesn't fail, and also thicken up the trunk of the bonsai. 

US National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

I recently learned that there is a National Bonsai collection in Washington DC. I had a trip planned for a professional workshop last week, so I had the privilege of seeing the collection on my way home. I tend to prefer deciduous bonsai, and the deciduous offerings are mostly Chinese Elm and Trident Maple, which are very traditional bonsai species. I would liked to have seen more Beech and Hornbeam, but I can't really complain as they have some amazing trees. The oldest one dates from 1625, I saw one from 1905, and the rest seemed to be mostly 1960's and '70's. Here are some of my favorites from the visit:

Chinese Elm, Slant style


Sweetgum, informal upright

California Juniper, 1964

Boxwood, 1975

Common Privet, multiple trunk, 1979

Sargent Juniper, 1905


Chinese Elm, age unknown, windswept style

Japanese Yew, 1966

Threadgrafting

Here is a small Siberian Elm tree (Ulmus pumila) that volunteered in our front yard. I let it grow for two years, then in February this year I pruned it back to this. I like the curve of the trunk, and the potential to form a small informal upright style bonsai.




















In spring when it started growing new branches there were none growing on the outside of the curve where the ideal first branch would be for a bonsai.













So I dug up a second volunteer elm tree and am attempting to add a branch by threadgrafting.
I drilled a hole through the trunk where I want the new branch, then snipped off all the leaves from the donor branch, called a scion, and threaded it through the hole. The idea is that as the branch grows and thickens it will eventually fuse with the new trunk. It is already starting to grow new leaves (not visible in this picture).

Next year's projects

One of my developing interests is in bonsai cultivation, which is a long-term venture in which trees or shrubs are either grown from seed, or to speed up the process, collected from "the wild" so as to find a specimen that already has the desired trunk thickness.

I have identified several plants with potential to become bonsai. A privet hedge I planted at my rental property about 10 years ago has been slowly dying because of its proximity to a black walnut tree (which is poisonous to many other plants) There were two left still alive, but suffering, so I dug them up and put them in pots. I've been watching them all summer and they seem to be rebounding, so by next Spring I'll probably choose just one to begin training by cutting off the tap root, and any branches that don't fit into the design I decide on.

In May I was working in a national cemetery where they happened to be digging out a row of Yew bushes, so (with permission) I salvaged one from the trash heap and brought it home. I'm afraid it might be dying, but I'll wait until Spring to see whether it grows any new leaves. You can see the Yew in the picture to the right of the glider. The two privets are in a pot and a bucket to the left of the glider.

The third possibility is an American Elm tree I noticed in my parents woods. It has a nice gnarly trunk base, so with permission, I cut back the height of the tree to about 1/3, and pruned the roots to about a 14" circle. Next Spring I'll dig it up and pot it. I don't have a good picture yet.

Isaac lending a hand

When I come home from work, Mindy is ready to be done with Isaac, so I have to be creative at how I get things done around the house and in the garden. I was spreading compost on several of the vegetable beds that are done for the season, so when the wheel barrow was empty, I put Isaac in it to take him with me on my trip to the back of the yard. Then once it was full of compost, I set him on top of the load sitting on these lawn bags. Too bad I didn't get any pictures of that, but here's Isaac trying his hand at the wheel barrow - as you can see, he loves it, but isn't getting very far!