MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Hello,
I wanted to share a 16 yr. old progression of a Juniper. I purchased this tree at the annual Summer auction sponsored by the club I belonged to at the time. I got the tree for $45. I actually liked how tall and slender it was, although it needed to develop and fill out. The variety is unknown and the tree exhibited almost 100% needle-type juvenile foliage at the time. I suspect it is an urban yamadori and not likely a wild collected tree.
It was left to grow unchecked for the next few years in the same training box it originally came with.
The photos below show two different angles of the tree when it was purchased back in July 1996.
The tree grew quite well and it was styled for the first time in 2000. For the next few years, its basic shape was maintained without doing much else to it. However, as time passed, I became increasingly more and more dissatisfied with its design. I felt that the foliage looked too lush in relation to the relatively thin trunk. The tree lacked character and eventually I became completely bored with it. The photo below shows the tree as it appeared circa 2005.
Since loosing interest, the tree was neglected for a few years afterwards. I still did some occasional pruning and fertilized it but that was it. Because of this neglect, lower branches eventually weakened and died while the top areas continued to grow well. By now the tree had almost 100% mature scale-like foliage. Below is a photo of the tree in 2010. It was a mess!!!
Finally, this past Spring, I decided it was time to take action. I had a clear idea of what this tree wanted to be. In preparation for its new restyling, I repotted it to a smaller round training pot and did some heavy pruning to edit the crown and eliminate all dead branches. I rotated it a few degrees to the left to find a better angle with a little more movement in the trunk. I also angled it significantly forwards since it was originally leaning too much towards the back and away from the viewer. Below is a photo taken a few weeks after it was pruned and repotted.
A couple of weeks ago, the tree was finally all wired and styled. The tree is lighter and the foliage pads are now more in proportion with its overall feel. I gave the tree more character and created better and more interesting negative spaces within the composition. I am also thinking about the addition of a small dead trunk at the base. It was temporarily set in place with a bit of wire to give me some time to think about it. I do like it! I am calling it "Mother without son" style
Its current height is over 40" tall. The tree needs further refinement, and quite possibly further editing as it develops. But for now, I am happy with the path I have set for this tree moving forward. I hope you guys like it!
BTW I should make a quick mention here that this tree is up for sale. For the past couple of years, I have been simplifying my collection to smaller and more manageable trees. If by chance anyone is interested please PM. Sorry, but this tree is too big to ship. Thank you for looking!!
I wanted to share a 16 yr. old progression of a Juniper. I purchased this tree at the annual Summer auction sponsored by the club I belonged to at the time. I got the tree for $45. I actually liked how tall and slender it was, although it needed to develop and fill out. The variety is unknown and the tree exhibited almost 100% needle-type juvenile foliage at the time. I suspect it is an urban yamadori and not likely a wild collected tree.
It was left to grow unchecked for the next few years in the same training box it originally came with.
The photos below show two different angles of the tree when it was purchased back in July 1996.
The tree grew quite well and it was styled for the first time in 2000. For the next few years, its basic shape was maintained without doing much else to it. However, as time passed, I became increasingly more and more dissatisfied with its design. I felt that the foliage looked too lush in relation to the relatively thin trunk. The tree lacked character and eventually I became completely bored with it. The photo below shows the tree as it appeared circa 2005.
Since loosing interest, the tree was neglected for a few years afterwards. I still did some occasional pruning and fertilized it but that was it. Because of this neglect, lower branches eventually weakened and died while the top areas continued to grow well. By now the tree had almost 100% mature scale-like foliage. Below is a photo of the tree in 2010. It was a mess!!!
Finally, this past Spring, I decided it was time to take action. I had a clear idea of what this tree wanted to be. In preparation for its new restyling, I repotted it to a smaller round training pot and did some heavy pruning to edit the crown and eliminate all dead branches. I rotated it a few degrees to the left to find a better angle with a little more movement in the trunk. I also angled it significantly forwards since it was originally leaning too much towards the back and away from the viewer. Below is a photo taken a few weeks after it was pruned and repotted.
A couple of weeks ago, the tree was finally all wired and styled. The tree is lighter and the foliage pads are now more in proportion with its overall feel. I gave the tree more character and created better and more interesting negative spaces within the composition. I am also thinking about the addition of a small dead trunk at the base. It was temporarily set in place with a bit of wire to give me some time to think about it. I do like it! I am calling it "Mother without son" style
Its current height is over 40" tall. The tree needs further refinement, and quite possibly further editing as it develops. But for now, I am happy with the path I have set for this tree moving forward. I hope you guys like it!
BTW I should make a quick mention here that this tree is up for sale. For the past couple of years, I have been simplifying my collection to smaller and more manageable trees. If by chance anyone is interested please PM. Sorry, but this tree is too big to ship. Thank you for looking!!
