Apex styling???

For many years we have heard the mantra that you cannot expect to find decent bonsai material in a Big Box store. I have always held with the what I know to be a fact; the results is not in the source it is in the quality of the vision and the strength of the effort. This is a very good example. This effort once again blows this prejudice out of the water, and confirms the concept that good material is where you can find it.
 
Vance Wood said:
For many years we have heard the mantra that you cannot expect to find decent bonsai material in a Big Box store. I have always held with the what I know to be a fact; the results is not in the source it is in the quality of the vision and the strength of the effort. This is a very good example. This effort once again blows this prejudice out of the water, and confirms the concept that good material is where you can find it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the kind words!
 
Vance Wood said:
For many years we have heard the mantra that you cannot expect to find decent bonsai material in a Big Box store. I have always held with the what I know to be a fact; the results is not in the source it is in the quality of the vision and the strength of the effort. This is a very good example. This effort once again blows this prejudice out of the water, and confirms the concept that good material is where you can find it.
Click to expand...
I concur 119%!
Bonhe
 
Looks great. I too vouche that material can be found in big box stores, just need to look. My only critique on this one is the small branches near the base of the tree could probably go. Old trees generally don't have very low branches but your tree does pull it off.
 
Giga said:
Looks great. I too vouche that material can be found in big box stores, just need to look. My only critique on this one is the small branches near the base of the tree could probably go. Old trees generally don't have very low branches but your tree does pull it off.
Click to expand...
You can always remove but you cannot easily add on to. There will be plenty at some point in the future time to reassess the tree as it ages. I tend to get a tree to a particular point where I can enjoy it, or contemplate it for a while. Knowing and believing in my heart and soul that sometime in the future I can make a master piece of the tree, or at least I tell my self that.

Many people get a tree to this point and give up on it. I have been known to totally redesign a tree after I have left it to sit for three or four years. It is not so much that tbe tree has gotten s significantly better as it is my vision which has significantly improved.

Many will insist in going out to buy a bunch of pre-bonsai and drop hundreds of dollars in the process, then they forget to look at the pile current rejects that may be un-cut diamonds.
 
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Vance Wood said:
the mantra that you cannot expect to find decent bonsai material in a Big Box store
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IMHO, it is really a question of whether one has the time and technique and artistic ability to make a shrub/tree into a bonsai - you've got it @just.wing.it ;)
 
jcrossett said:
@just.wing.it I must say I'm digging it. I have 3 in my yard I plan on digging up come spring :).
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Be advised; they are not so easy to dig up as you might think. They are often made up of two to three layers of very heavy and strong root systems and be quite a chore to pull from the ground. In short be careful you do not injure your self.
 
Vance Wood said:
Be advised; they are not so easy to dig up as you might think. They are often made up of two to three layers of very heavy and strong root systems and be quite a chore to pull from the ground. In short be careful you do not injure your self.
Click to expand...
So your saying dig wide and deep ?
 
jcrossett said:
So your saying dig wide and deep ?
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I am saying you may need friends and mechanical devices. One person I know who does this, or at least did it before he decided to fall of the radar screen of bonsai, used a block and tackle and a truck along with a variety of sawsalls and assorted other tools. You have no idea how hard the wood is on a Yew, it's toxic as well.
 
jcrossett said:
So your saying dig wide and deep ?
Click to expand...

Some notes....

The one I dug this year at my guys house, the tallest roundish one here leftish.20160508_160632.jpg

I dug it and chopped all the big roots May 8th...then left it there reburied till about a month ago.
It is doing ok.

It was more of an upright shape.

Those box shape ones....
When I went to fetch mine...
He was pulling those out..
Or trying...
Mad big roots.
Car and chain wouldn't budge it.

Anyway....

Just some notes.

Sorce
 
Sweet work @just.wing.it !

Would you mind posting a pic of the tree with a very slight tilt to the left? I think that would make the tree even better.
I feel moving the apex a bit to the left would make the two parts of the tree to a whole, what are your thoughts?
 
Tentakelaertje said:
Sweet work @just.wing.it !

Would you mind posting a pic of the tree with a very slight tilt to the left? I think that would make the tree even better.
I feel moving the apex a bit to the left would make the two parts of the tree to a whole, what are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
It may...
At this point I haven't unearthed the base of the tree yet....
Next year, I'll see that, and consider planting angles.
And thanks!
 
Update, after its first flush of growth since the styling.
The second flush will be coming soon, as 2 of my other yews are already starting their second flush.
IMAG3322.jpg IMAG3323.jpg
It may put on more growth later in the year too...my other yew was growing into November last year, I recall.
I plan to jin those two cut roots sticking out from the trunk and completely rewire the tree this winter...once it's good and cold out.
I'm not gonna change the style, just make it better.
I also plan to leave it in this large flower pot for another year, at least...since I did remove quite a lot of roots during its bare rooting session this spring.
It has plenty of room to grow in this pot, and it's all good mix...no more nursery muck at all... the trees love getting outta that crap.
I think 2 tiny branches died off after that initial styling last year, and I went hard on the roots this spring...
All of my taxus' are living up to my expectations.
I have 5 now, 2 collected yardmadori and 3 home depot buys.
They're just great trees to work with...tough as nails, they like shade or sun, they have small foliage, great foliage color contrast when new growth comes in, great bark color and strong dead wood that can match any juniper, IMHO.
Taxus 4 life!!!:cool:
 
just.wing.it said:
Update, after its first flush of growth since the styling.
The second flush will be coming soon, as 2 of my other yews are already starting their second flush.
View attachment 150369 View attachment 150370
It may put on more growth later in the year too...my other yew was growing into November last year, I recall.
I plan to jin those two cut roots sticking out from the trunk and completely rewire the tree this winter...once it's good and cold out.
I'm not gonna change the style, just make it better.
I also plan to leave it in this large flower pot for another year, at least...since I did remove quite a lot of roots during its bare rooting session this spring.
It has plenty of room to grow in this pot, and it's all good mix...no more nursery muck at all... the trees love getting outta that crap.
I think 2 tiny branches died off after that initial styling last year, and I went hard on the roots this spring...
All of my taxus' are living up to my expectations.
I have 5 now, 2 collected yardmadori and 3 home depot buys.
They're just great trees to work with...tough as nails, they like shade or sun, they have small foliage, great foliage color contrast when new growth comes in, great bark color and strong dead wood that can match any juniper, IMHO.
Taxus 4 life!!!:cool:
Click to expand...

Looking good !
totaly agree yew is also one of my favorite species to work with my experience with yew sounds about the same as you describe only thing i can think off whats bad about them is that they are toxic
 
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