And my last collected tree for the year.... a Eastern White Cedar

[mattspinniken]

This is a crazy one and could turn out pretty interesting. It took me awhile just to pick how to put it in its training box. I know a lot of people don't like EWC but I love them and think they are a great example of a wild American species for bonsai.

 

[Giga]

Looks like it has potential

 

[petegreg]

If I found something like your tree it would be my last one too.

 

[Wilson]

Good work Matt! I do hope you master taming these wild beauties! I will mess around with cheap cedars, until I am confident of my results. I would love to see a white cedar training thread started. Hopefully get the boys from Minnesota and the gentleman named Mark I believe, he shared his award winning cedar. Have everyone share techniques and experience would be great. I like all your larch, and cedar!

 

[discusmike]

Nice one!

 

[mattspinniken]

I do hope you master taming these wild beauties!

Me too! I am lucky enough to get to work with a couple really good local White Cedar "experts".

I will mess around with cheap cedars, until I am confident of my results

Learn them quick and start with some interesting ones, you live in a good area! If you are interested in White Cedar read The Last Stand, I love this book about ancient EWC in the Niagara Escarpment.

 

[herzausstahl]

@mattspiniken i love these trees too. I've thought I've heard long internodes & the fan shaped foliage are the drawbacks to these. In your experience do they back bud well? How do the local guys get ramification & deal with the foliage? There aren't many like that where I am, mostly mature or growing on side of rock faces of Niagra Escarpment. But I can get seedlings fairly cheap from a nursery each spring.

 

[mattspinniken]

Hi @herzausstahl

I still have a lot to learn but here is some food for thought about White Cedar. One important point is to encourage interior growth, if left to go like most trees, interior branches will die out and it will be nearly impossible to get the interior foliage back. I find the foliage really nice but a big tree is needed to scale in the foliage. Alot of wiring is required. They will back bud from the crotches which can be trained. Shohin WC would be really hard to make look believable. Deadwood helps, they carve well and even straight ones can be interesting with a carved dead top or if it has taper. These trees are really strong and can handle a lot of root work, they grow roots faster than any other species I have.

White Cedar would not be a good choice with a seedling. I would buy something more mature or just play with different species if you wanted to go with seedlings. Just my opinion.

 

[herzausstahl]

Hi @herzausstahl

I still have a lot to learn but here is some food for thought about White Cedar. One important point is to encourage interior growth, if left to go like most trees, interior branches will die out and it will be nearly impossible to get the interior foliage back. I find the foliage really nice but a big tree is needed to scale in the foliage. Alot of wiring is required. They will back bud from the crotches which can be trained. Shohin WC would be really hard to make look believable. Deadwood helps, they carve well and even straight ones can be interesting with a carved dead top or if it has taper. These trees are really strong and can handle a lot of root work, they grow roots faster than any other species I have.

White Cedar would not be a good choice with a seedling. I would buy something more mature or just play with different species if you wanted to go with seedlings. Just my opinion.

I'll have to get pics of some that are a couple years old from seedling. Planted in clay they got to be 3-4' tall with 2-3" trunks. I just tossed one that I tried to transplant kind of late into crappy soil and probably spent the summer underwatering. It had a 3-4" trunk. The seedlings I get if I can are transplants and 18-24" tall when they have them so they have a decent headstart. I might get some next spring and toss a couple in a grow bed with decent soil for fun and be on the look out for something better somewhere in the wild if I can find it. Thanks for the info! Any little bit helps!

 

[mattspinniken]

Ive been studying this tree lately. It is going to be a challenge and an interesting tree I think. Here is an idea, let me know your thoughts. Obviously not ready for any styling for awhile just playing around.

 

[Lynn E]

Ive been studying this tree lately. It is going to be a challenge and an interesting tree I think. Here is an idea, let me know your thoughts. Obviously not ready for any styling for awhile just playing around.View attachment 150407

A great design... and, is that a Tom Benda pot? Nice.
Lynn

 

[herzausstahl]

Hi @herzausstahl

I still have a lot to learn but here is some food for thought about White Cedar. One important point is to encourage interior growth, if left to go like most trees, interior branches will die out and it will be nearly impossible to get the interior foliage back. I find the foliage really nice but a big tree is needed to scale in the foliage. Alot of wiring is required. They will back bud from the crotches which can be trained. Shohin WC would be really hard to make look believable. Deadwood helps, they carve well and even straight ones can be interesting with a carved dead top or if it has taper. These trees are really strong and can handle a lot of root work, they grow roots faster than any other species I have.

White Cedar would not be a good choice with a seedling. I would buy something more mature or just play with different species if you wanted to go with seedlings. Just my opinion.

Rereading my comment I should've said transplants as they were 18-24" tall giving them a few years start when I got them. Is there any trick to getting these to back bud?

 

[mattspinniken]

A great design... and, is that a Tom Benda pot? Nice.
Lynn

Yes it is, nice eye. Tom makes some sweet pots!

Rereading my comment I should've said transplants as they were 18-24" tall giving them a few years start when I got them. Is there any trick to getting these to back bud?

Make them really healthy and cut back the branch forming part of the frond (if you look and feel closely you will find them).

 

[BE.REAL]

Any update!
im a fan of EWC! I like the wild side, haha.
Your idea, is great, and I almost wanted you to keep and jin the end of the long branch, but I also understand pruning it.
I also thought of a total angle change, and that long branch go vertical, only cause the work ability of their roots, and again, I tend to go and like the abstract.

But I am VERY curious, if you have begun styling, and if so, which way you went!!!
im jealous!!
Also, I cant believe the difference in the 2 original pics. Literally, I might have walked by that, thinking it was a small bush or sapling, goes to show, always get down and under the skirt!!!
My brother was moving and I got a larger landscape one, its got a ton of vertical trunks, dead straight, haha, thats good for Bonsai right!! LOL. I cut some down and in G.box for long while, not sure of its variety, but was thinking it will be good carving experience.
The Degroots Spire, from landscape trees, have a good tendency to create smaller and more controllable fronds. time will tell.
and lastly, I assume you have seen @MACH5 's which for me, was a push to look at EWC more seriously.

 

[bonsaiDerek]

Ive been studying this tree lately. It is going to be a challenge and an interesting tree I think. Here is an idea, let me know your thoughts. Obviously not ready for any styling for awhile just playing around.View attachment 150407

great tree.... one question, what soil do you pot it in after collection? i hear different opinions some say native soil, some pure pumice
thanks

 

[mattspinniken]

Any update!
im a fan of EWC! I like the wild side, haha.
Your idea, is great, and I almost wanted you to keep and jin the end of the long branch, but I also understand pruning it.
I also thought of a total angle change, and that long branch go vertical, only cause the work ability of their roots, and again, I tend to go and like the abstract.

But I am VERY curious, if you have begun styling, and if so, which way you went!!!
im jealous!!
Also, I cant believe the difference in the 2 original pics. Literally, I might have walked by that, thinking it was a small bush or sapling, goes to show, always get down and under the skirt!!!
My brother was moving and I got a larger landscape one, its got a ton of vertical trunks, dead straight, haha, thats good for Bonsai right!! LOL. I cut some down and in G.box for long while, not sure of its variety, but was thinking it will be good carving experience.
The Degroots Spire, from landscape trees, have a good tendency to create smaller and more controllable fronds. time will tell.
and lastly, I assume you have seen @MACH5 's which for me, was a push to look at EWC more seriously.

Hi, this one was sold awhile back but thanks for your thoughts! I am with you, I like the wild side! I would have enjoyed styling this one. Also, alot of my best collected trees I have walked past multiple times before I realized what was there. Sergio's (Mach5) EWC is incredible, I hope to see it in person one day.