Box Store juniper#8

[A Random User]

Purging...Thanks!

 

[RickMartin]

Out of all your Junipers i like this one the best. Why??. Because it has flow that i look and strive for in my trees. The pads are developed well, nice open spaces, just overall nice appearance. Please keep in mind this is my personal opinion. Im new here but i do have eyes..lol

Rick

 

[Nybonsai12]

I certainly do like the way you create pads and their appearance. what is the aftermath for the foliage that the wire extends onto? does it die off? shoot out from around the wire?

 

[Cadillactaste]

Love the movement...for some reason I couldn't find any of these the other night after you posted the first one. I seen you had posted more...may have been just tired. But I'm alert now. When I get home I'll look them up.

 

[RickMartin]

Thanks for explaining why. There are 2 ways of working pads, this tree has what Is more commonly
Referred to as flat pads, which is a more traditional way of styling trees and actually has it's roots in
The begins of bonsai in China, where trees were originally styled to imitate the trees that naturally grow
High up in the mountains there. This style here in the states and elsewhere is now largely falling out of
Fashion in favor of more individual fine branch padding as the other trees that I have done are. The main
Reason being that the majority of our trees here, have naturally grown more with individual padding verses
The flat padding as they have done in the mountains of China.

Sadly, because of this, styling pads flat is largely here looked down upon as being rather amateurish... and
Often referred to as being contrived, or un-natural... which in all actuality could not be further from the truth.
Which in my own personal opinion just shows a lack of understanding both of bonsai as well as a knowledge
Of nature.

Advantages and disadvantages of the two... Flat padding will always long term be more beneficial to maintaining
the health and style of the tree, the reason being that by wiring the fine branching flat, you
Are allowing for more light to reach further into the tree helping to promote much more back budding,
Than will happen with individual padding. Often with individual padding, one will find that the foliage will
Actually shade out the branch further back especially if on retains a fuller canopy, and all new growth will
Really be centralized at the tips seeing they receive the most light. This is true with all plants, not just junipers,
But seeing that with junipers you cannot just cut back beyond the foliage to bare branches and expect something to
grow, this should be something to consider.

Because of this what often happens is that if the ends are not periodically maintained, they will become heavier
At the ends as well as the branch will become legger and will find that much more frequent wiring will be needed,
And one will end up using an approach more of removing branches in favor of branches with foliage
Closer in. Where as with flat padding one will be able to maintain the style more easier through simple removal
Of the exterior foliage in favor of growth further back that one has already let establish through the process of
Actually creating the pad.

Now from experience in doing both, I can most certainly say that in all actuality the flat padding is really the harder
of the two to do. My justification for saying this is that with flat padding it is much harder to construct
The padding, for one is actually bringing together multiple branches and wiring them in place to try and form
One unique grouping. So, all of these must be placed where they work together and don't look weird being brought
down into the location that they are place in. All of the foliage must be trimmed both top and bottom,
To also work within this grouping. Much more time consuming of a process... and alot more planning and thought
Must go into where and how one can pull branches, move branches to make the pads.

Another problem with this way of padding is that inheritantly humans like and have a thought process
Of thinking in symmetry... we like uniformity... which can pose a problem because in nature one will find
This to be anything but what actually happens. So, one often finds that one ends up styling the tree with too
Perfect of a stair stepping pattern. This is the hardest part of styling a tree with flat pads, and far to often one
Gets it wrong... To be honest and looking back at the way I styled this tree. I would have to say that I don't believe
That I even got it right. By this I mean that the placement of the pads looks to perfect, and to symmetric.

Having said all this... I prefer both techniques and like both equally, just two ways of doing them. Both have their
Advantages and disadvantages, and do require totally different ways of styling and maintenance.
Often I have also seen especially in trees from Japan the use of both, which complicates the issue further.
One will find that the top of the tree will be styled with individual pads, and the bottom branches will be more
Flat pad styled. Also, I forgot to mention that when styling individual pads one is styling more for the overall shape
Of the tree. So, I could then see why for them this might be a more natural way of doing a tree. For if one
Examines an old tree that has grown in not so hostile of a region of the mountains of China ours here in our mountains,
one will often find that the trees will have a nicer rounded apex, due to the fact that the engery of the
Tree is directed here and the lower branches due to their age and the trees energy flow, will of suffered and would resemble
more flat padding.

Very well put to the point i actually understood it. thanks for the explanation. it was very helpful, as i have alot of junipers.

Rick

 

[Cadillactaste]

Since I worked with a juniper without gloves...and, had issues with it bothering my skin. I have a deep appreciation for ones who can work so many of these trees. Kudos to you...I went and found the rest of your practice trees. All nice...but this one by far intrigues me...I keep coming back to appreciate the movement and the way you created the top. Well done Stacy!

 

[ghues]

Hey Stacy,
I don't have any experience with Juni's but can appreciate the discussion on pad development....in general terms that is.... many other species require different approaches.
I can really relate to your thoughts here.......; "inherently humans like and have a thought process of thinking in symmetry... we like uniformity ... which can pose a problem because in nature one will find, this to be anything but what actually happens"...
May I go a little further perhaps……many of us that is.......we seek a need for routine…. our eyes seek balance, within the lines, ….a need to fit into or within the general “rules”….guidelines,.. that branch is out of place....... that pad is too shaggy, that bend/branch doesn't fit the overall design, and it needs a back branch ...etc. I find myself doing it all the time…..then the next time I’m in the forest (most working days), I note that any tree is full of so called faults ….I wonder... how can one show the various stages of age; both young/ old, decay/ new growth and each stage in between, all within the same tree….and then contemplate just how can I capture that and transpose that into my native species.
Trees change dramatically over time and go through many phases of growth and maturity, .....age and decades of environmental abuses takes its toll and I think that to capture a tree at a specific stage in its maturity/life....should be considered normal……….including all of its flaws, dead branches, which maybe are just dead, maybe it’s got bark still, instead of jin's or lime sulphur….maybe its foliage pads reveal the branch arrangement of the tree in the wild….which might be contrary to classic teachings.
Perhaps this reflects the real Bonsai journey for all of us.
Cheer Graham