Boreal Forrest Idea

[Shogun610]

Ok so I have not created this yet , I plan on doing so next spring, but wanted to see if anyone has tried this idea. Luckily I have probably one of the best native plant nurseries in the east coast. So I want to recreate a bog style Forrest. Meaning the flora found in a cranberry bog. I’d get a fairly large Forrest ceramic , anchor some rocks inside of it , use a section in the middle to cover with impervious plastic for the bog plants. I’d use larch and black spruce in the middle near the bog, then red maple , alder and finally white oak on the outer border. It’s going to be 21 trees in total. I’d also fill in with a deciduous mix on the remaining plants and cover with moss / liverwort. The bog will be impervious in the center for those conditions bordered with grasses , cranberry and finally in center still water with carnivorous plants. So my question is, has anyone ever dwarfed carnivore plants? I have them as accents but not sure how you can reduce the foliage (pitchers) to scale. Everything else seems pretty manageable, just have to find trees at different heights

 

[Shogun610]

Also since spruce and larch have different aggregate compared to white oak and maple (even those have slightly differentsoil needs, has anyone ever used different substrates in different areas with multiple species Forrest compositions?

 

[ShadyStump]

I'm not certain it's possible to dwarf vegetative plants using bonsai techniques. The biology is as different as a horse and an aligator. Same basic systems, but the details are entirely dissimilar. Maybe leaving little spots where you could set young ones in mame pots would be best.

That said, I love he idea. You very well may need very different substrates for the different tree species. Research the heck out of it, and experiment with each different species individually first. See what each tree can adapt to.
The general idea may work better as a garden water feature of sorts, where you can control the growing environment of each species individually. But then that might defeat the purpose of the exercise.

I wouldn't put the bog right in the center, surrounded by trees. You'd only be able to see it from above, which ruins the perspective. Off center toward the front would be best.

 

[Shogun610]

I'm not certain it's possible to dwarf vegetative plants using bonsai techniques. The biology is as different as a horse and an aligator. Same basic systems, but the details are entirely dissimilar. Maybe leaving little spots where you could set young ones in mame pots would be best.

That said, I love he idea. You very well may need very different substrates for the different tree species. Research the heck out of it, and experiment with each different species individually first. See what each tree can adapt to.
The general idea may work better as a garden water feature of sorts, where you can control the growing environment of each species individually. But then that might defeat the purpose of the exercise.

I wouldn't put the bog right in the center, surrounded by trees. You'd only be able to see it from above, which ruins the perspective. Off center toward the front would be best.

Thanks , yeah I’m going to draw it out and design it. But hmm yeah not in center. Oh I know it can be done as a garden idea with the same composition. I’ve seen it personally done and successfully maintained. I do have accents of bog species already , I just closed off the drainage holes. But yes it’s going to take a lot of research. It’s gonna be my big design for next spring besides some collecting etc.

 

[TinyArt]

Bet you could work out a custom ceramic or concrete container with divisions that allow for separate drainage & soil needs... In fact, I've wondered about making multiple interlocking containers, so that big projects could be moved and even repotted more easily.

Looking forward to seeing your forest in progress!

 

[Shogun610]

Bet you could work out a custom ceramic or concrete container with divisions that allow for separate drainage & soil needs... In fact, I've wondered about making multiple interlocking containers, so that big projects could be moved and even repotted more easily.

Looking forward to seeing your forest in progress!

I was planning just separating with muck-o or planting elevation so the larch and spruce would be closest to the bog area on rocks and level on normal soil, and beyond that , alders since they can handle more water on the border , then Acer rubrum and oaks on the rocks would be red maple. I’m working on a sketch to add.

 

[ShadyStump]

Bet you could work out a custom ceramic or concrete container with divisions that allow for separate drainage & soil needs... In fact, I've wondered about making multiple interlocking containers, so that big projects could be moved and even repotted more easily.

Looking forward to seeing your forest in progress!

This makes me wonder if it'd be practicle to make hexagonal pots that could be rearranged, rotated or elivated at will, like honeycomb. Thin walled mica or something. But then you'd have to find a way to cover all the meeting edges for display.

I do think @Shogun610 is on the right track for what he wants, though. This'll be fascinating to watch happen.

 

[Shogun610]

So this is just a rough sketch w what I can do in short amt of time. This is not total composition of all trees I want to have , not this is accurate for leaf patterns etc etch. Just a rough sketch for the layout I’m thinking of. Left side is stone, I tried to draw it out. I’m aware it’s a crappy sketch just want to make that clear so nooone points out the different leaf/ foliage layouts. This is the idea I have. As I research more for optimal substrate needs and separation I will add. Going to get the initial plants this weekend. The larch and a spruce will be mother trees , I have to make a cascade Acer rubrum and a semi cascade oak. Or atleast set it up one it’s in composition on the rock.

 

[Shogun610]

The rocks I envision in terms of height /type would look like this. Btw My phone automatically turns Forest into Forrest wish I could edit my stuff .. oh well.

 

[ShadyStump]

@TinyArt might have a point a point about making it so your rock plantings can be moved separately from the rest of it. I bet it would make the whole thing more manageable. But I'm liking it so far.

On a semi-related note, I bought a benjamina to have a tree at work. As soon as I said something my work partner starts running the idea of building a whole bonsai terarium with animals and everything. I'm having issues finding the flaw in this idea.

 

[TinyArt]

@Shogun610 looks like it will be great -- and big! -- I like the thought of watching the seasonal changes in it.

phone automatically turns Forest into Forrest

Some devices will change it back if you backspace once (menacingly...)

 

[Forsoothe!]

Your capital F is operative. The reverse will happen if you type... forrest... will be changed to forest.

 

[Shogun610]

Ok regrouping toward talking about this forest idea

 

[hinmo24t]

This makes me wonder if it'd be practicle to make hexagonal pots that could be rearranged, rotated or elivated at will, like honeycomb. Thin walled mica or something. But then you'd have to find a way to cover all the meeting edges for display.

I do think @Shogun610 is on the right track for what he wants, though. This'll be fascinating to watch happen.

modular if you will

 

[Shogun610]

A lace rock such as this would anchored and insulated on the left side to give more separation with the oaks and native maples to allow them to be planted in pockets of their needed soil requirements

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Take a look at Nigel’s spruce and larch forest on his YouTube channel—it is possible to do and seems to work well for him. He actually has 3 videos on it so I’ll just give you a link to the one where he put it together.

 

[Shogun610]

I have these as accents on their own which I posted but these would be in the bog portion. Sedum on the rock portion.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Be careful what you include in among the trees. Nigel planted in some small accent plants which rapidly turned itno weeds and ended up as tall as some of his trees! You want to keep them in scale.

 

[Shogun610]

Be careful what you include in among the trees. Nigel planted in some small accent plants which rapidly turned itno weeds and ended up as tall as some of his trees! You want to keep them in scale.

Yes, In my initial post I posed that remark

 

[Bnana]

Sarracenia flava can get really big but if you cut the leaves regularly you can keep them smaller. Keeping them in the right scale to your trees will be impossible but keeping them smaller so it doesn't look ridiculous is possible.