Contorted Hazel

[BarkLeafTrees]

Hi everyone,

Picked up this contorted hazel today in the reduced section. I think it could make quite a spooky looking tree in the future. I will remove the growth above the red line but maybe by air layering at an interesting point so nothing goes to waste.
I’ve worked on some standard hazel before and they seem to be resilient to hard work being carried out on them with speedy recoveries.
I’m thinking maybe repot in spring and get the air layer on then wait until the air layer is ready to be removed.

What do you guys think?

Thanks

 

[leatherback]

It seems to have a great nebari.
The species.. Not mine, but that is me..

 

[62veedub]

I don’t know anything about that species, but I think it’s a really cool tree!

 

[HorseloverFat]

Woohoo! This is NICE!

Your plan seems like it will work well.... I would have, personally, followed a different “line”.. but what you detailed was close second..

Please keep this updated..

 

[Cadillactaste]

Don't rush to conform this into a specific style. This is one you embrace for its uniqueness.

One was on the cover of International Bonsai magazine... maybe search for it. My battery is dying. So that's all I can really say. I doubt it will hold up for a search.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Don't rush to conform this into a specific style. This is one you embrace for its uniqueness.

One was on the cover of International Bonsai magazine... maybe search for it. My battery is dying. So that's all I can really say. I doubt it will hold up for a search.

Is it this one?

 

[Cadillactaste]

Is it this one?

View attachment 350756

No, I may have a copy...now that I think about it. I'm already upstairs and will have to check tomorrow.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Here it is...

 

[Potawatomi13]

GREAT possibility for Literati using just main tall trunk. Airlayer off 3 other trunks. Be aware roots freeze easily. Lost 2 this way.

 

[BarkLeafTrees]

Woohoo! This is NICE!

Your plan seems like it will work well.... I would have, personally, followed a different “line”.. but what you detailed was close second..

Please keep this updated..

I will be keeping this updated definitely. What line would you have followed always curious to see how other people see.

 

[BarkLeafTrees]

Here it is...
View attachment 350768

That is very unique and very impressive. I’m a bit tight on space I’m trying to keep most of my trees on the smaller size

 

[BarkLeafTrees]

GREAT possibility for Literati using just main tall trunk. Airlayer off 3 other trunks. Be aware roots freeze easily. Lost 2 this way.

Thanks for that advice. Maybe just wrapping the pot in horticultural fleece would protect them? For £22.50 I’ve ended up with a few trees!

 

[Cadillactaste]

That is very unique and very impressive. I’m a bit tight on space I’m trying to keep most of my trees on the smaller size

What is so unique about this species is the movement found that just is crazy. I have one as landscape. I'm just saying...one should study a tree a good while. Because once a branch removed. Its gone. No going back. This tree deserves time reflected before you go chopping.

This was editing your virtual. Removing the other area.

 

[BarkLeafTrees]

What is so unique about this species us the movement found that just is crazy. I have one as landscape. I'm just saying...one should study a tree a good while. Because once a branch removed. Its gone. No going back. This tree deserves time reflected before you go chopping.

This was editing your virtual. Removing the other area.
View attachment 350800

It’s just got a quite a bit of swelling at the blue arrow so that’s where I was thinking of layering off, using the swelling to add to the size of the root spread of the eventual layered tree.

I was planning on reducing back quite hard and letting the new growth grow out all twisted creating a new dense canopy maybe something like the edit below.

 

[Cadillactaste]

It’s just got a quite a bit of swelling at the blue arrow so that’s where I was thinking of layering off, using the swelling to add to the size of the root spread of the eventual layered tree.

I was planning on reducing back quite hard and letting the new growth grow out all twisted creating a new dense canopy maybe something like the edit below.

Welcome to the species. It's a tree that breaks the rules. One can not conform it.

Owning one personally...not to be negative. They don't grow that way. Unless you intend to do grafts. It won't come to fruition. Study where the branches already come out. Just isn't going to happen. Its not it its makeup to toss branches where you want them.

A tree of this species is stronger on its own roots. Can fight diseases off more. Typically doesn't sucker straight pieces. A grafted one can be a nightmare in ones landscape. You chop it hard...you may find it suckers at the base as a mechanismof survival.

Your tree...end of the day...your bench.

Enjoy your journey.

 

[BarkLeafTrees]

Welcome to the species. It's a tree that breaks the rules. One can not conform it.

Owning one personally...not to be negative. They don't grow that way. Unless you intend to do grafts. It won't come to fruition. Study where the branches already come out. Just isn't going to happen. Its not it its makeup to toss branches where you want them.

A tree of this species is stronger on its own roots. Can fight diseases off more. Typically doesn't sucker straight pieces. A grafted one can be a nightmare in ones landscape. You chop it hard...you may find it suckers at the base as a mechanismof survival.

Your tree...end of the day...your bench.

Enjoy your journey.

I’ve still got plenty of time to decide but I like these two examples but just need to get the proportions correct. The only reason I’m looking to rebuild from quite low down is to try and lose some of those thicker branches and replace them with younger ones to make the tree seem bigger than it really is.

I’ll make a progression thread where I can post all the updates.

Thanks everyone!

This is just some inspiration below

 

[ConorDash]

They back bud fairly well. They will bud around a wound too, when you do major reductions, they will tend to bud around that wound. Don't need a node to bud from.
Apart from that, they act very much like a deciduous. Fairly hard wearing in my opinion. I have only one that's been styled properly and waiting for more growth this year, hoping it makes good strides, I think it'll flush out twice but will try for 3 times as I will heavily fert it.
I have a larger one in a big tub to work on + another slightly smaller, about the size of yours, to work on too. They were supposed to be the winter projects but I bought a house instead and been busy.

Remember to work it for their winter image. Their leaves are very large and can look nice in certain ways but not for the traditional "bonsai" artform. Winter image is where they shine, with catkins and without. So just think of that, is my advice.

Also my favorite example of this species is a UK one:

Tree 3: Contorted Hazel

Tree Species: Contorted Hazel (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) Owner: Josh Reynolds Founding member of NIBS Potter if Known: Wallsall Ceramics History: This unusual variety …

www.nibonsai.co.uk

 

[BarkLeafTrees]

They back bud fairly well. They will bud around a wound too, when you do major reductions, they will tend to bud around that wound. Don't need a node to bud from.
Apart from that, they act very much like a deciduous. Fairly hard wearing in my opinion. I have only one that's been styled properly and waiting for more growth this year, hoping it makes good strides, I think it'll flush out twice but will try for 3 times as I will heavily fert it.
I have a larger one in a big tub to work on + another slightly smaller, about the size of yours, to work on too. They were supposed to be the winter projects but I bought a house instead and been busy.

Remember to work it for their winter image. Their leaves are very large and can look nice in certain ways but not for the traditional "bonsai" artform. Winter image is where they shine, with catkins and without. So just think of that, is my advice.

Also my favorite example of this species is a UK one:

Tree 3: Contorted Hazel

Tree Species: Contorted Hazel (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) Owner: Josh Reynolds Founding member of NIBS Potter if Known: Wallsall Ceramics History: This unusual variety …

www.nibonsai.co.uk

View attachment 352569

From my experience with standard hazel’s no matter what you do they just grow back so glad to know this is also a warrior tree.

Have you got any pictures of your one that’s been styled? Would be nice to see more examples in different stages of development.

That tree is amazing I’d like to go for that but smaller.

Have you ever tried air layering a contorted hazel?

 

[ConorDash]

I have tried yes, it failed.

Large one which I want to work on, basically done nothing to it and I've had it 3 years.

Corylus avellana 'Contorta'

I would love to post a picture but for some reason my computer is not storing the photos. Hope my wife can figure out why this weekend. Would love to see a photo! Do you know if there's a way to make a rough guess of their age? I'm just curious!

www.bonsainut.com

Most of the trunks died off for some reason after its first year. Potentially weevils in the soil, it was not looked at when I bought it. Still in that same tub and soil now. It was treated a while ago now but when i first got it, i didnt know to do that. Earlier on in my experience.

This is my styled one:

Corylus "Contorta" Avellana #2

"cishepard" has convinced me one can make a decent bonsai with this crappy species :rolleyes: 😄 Lol, there are plenty of posts out there that started with a good old mallsai chinese elm, turned in to great things. Who is cishepard, any links I can check out?

www.bonsainut.com

Went through some radical style which proved to be silly, then on to windswept, like it is now. Not an impressive tree at all but cool little project. Ill repot this Spring and sort the roots, maybe in future get a bit of radial nebari. Will put in to a bigger pot for 2 years to get some growth then it will have a structure to ramify and so will go in to a smaller pot. Your hazel has a much better nebari than mine, make sure you take advantage of it and help it a long.
There's another contorta but nothing going on with it yet. You can also see in that second thread, the response that the tree had, to the pruning.

I wouldn't have imagined this variety to be as strong as the normal Hazel, so I would say, don't think its as bullet proof. Get some experience with it first, as I am with mine. I'm far from an expert, very far!

 

[BarkLeafTrees]

I have tried yes, it failed.

Large one which I want to work on, basically done nothing to it and I've had it 3 years.

Corylus avellana 'Contorta'

I would love to post a picture but for some reason my computer is not storing the photos. Hope my wife can figure out why this weekend. Would love to see a photo! Do you know if there's a way to make a rough guess of their age? I'm just curious!

www.bonsainut.com

Most of the trunks died off for some reason after its first year. Potentially weevils in the soil, it was not looked at when I bought it. Still in that same tub and soil now. It was treated a while ago now but when i first got it, i didnt know to do that. Earlier on in my experience.

This is my styled one:

Corylus "Contorta" Avellana #2

"cishepard" has convinced me one can make a decent bonsai with this crappy species :rolleyes: 😄 Lol, there are plenty of posts out there that started with a good old mallsai chinese elm, turned in to great things. Who is cishepard, any links I can check out?

www.bonsainut.com

Went through some radical style which proved to be silly, then on to windswept, like it is now. Not an impressive tree at all but cool little project. Ill repot this Spring and sort the roots, maybe in future get a bit of radial nebari. Will put in to a bigger pot for 2 years to get some growth then it will have a structure to ramify and so will go in to a smaller pot. Your hazel has a much better nebari than mine, make sure you take advantage of it and help it a long.
There's another contorta but nothing going on with it yet. You can also see in that second thread, the response that the tree had, to the pruning.

I wouldn't have imagined this variety to be as strong as the normal Hazel, so I would say, don't think its as bullet proof. Get some experience with it first, as I am with mine. I'm far from an expert, very far!

Yeah I’m just gonna get it into some better soil see what roots there are hidden away. Yeah the garden centre had lots to choose from was searching through in the snow checking the nebari . I’ll stick with the repotting and go from there.