Crepe-myrtle - Lagerstroemia indica

[Dorian Fourie]

good job!

Thanks Giga

Dorian, great progression. I love the pot-tree combo.

Thanks Leo. It is definitely one of the benefits of having our bonsai club meeting at a bonsai nursery. I specially took the tree with to choose a pot. I first took a shallow oval pot but then with some help of the nursery owner and his wife, we agreed on this pot and it really does work well.

Excellent fall coloration!!!

Well done. Especially with "nothing to something" type material.
Has a bright future.
About as bright as those TWO huge monitors staring you down!!

Appreciate it LanceMac. Agree on the fall colour. Really beautiful. Now to work on thickening up some of the branches and ramification.
I was thinking of getting a 3rd monitor above those 2 but to upgrade the graphics card was to much of a mission. Easy enough to watch sport on and work at the same time.

Amazing and inspiring!
Thanks for sharing this!

My pleasure

 

[jeremy_norbury]

Thanks so much Jeremy.
Let me know the link.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/53hk0l/nice_crepecrape_myrtle_progression/

 

[Dorian Fourie]

Thanks Jerry

 

[Dorian Fourie]

A quick update on the Crepe Myrtle.
I have left the tree to grow uninterrupted on the branches that grow in the front. The reason for this is that I would like it to thicken up considerably to add a better depth perception when it looses its leaves. The lower branch on the left is bothering me and I want it to be lower.


I wired the lower branch and brought it downwards. I think I need to do some more wiring and position more branches as I know they become very brittle as they get older.

 

[Wilson]

Amazing progression! I think if you open up the branching like you plan to, it will look great! Similar to a big old country tree, with big branches that kids would be climbing all over. Keep us posted.

 

[petegreg]

Cool little tree, I think the leaves are already small enough. We usually see single fat trunks for shohin, but so many branches in the crown, wow. Agree with Wilson, looks very natural.

 

[Dorian Fourie]

Amazing progression! I think if you open up the branching like you plan to, it will look great! Similar to a big old country tree, with big branches that kids would be climbing all over. Keep us posted.

Cool little tree, I think the leaves are already small enough. We usually see single fat trunks for shohin, but so many branches in the crown, wow. Agree with Wilson, looks very natural.

Thanks Guys. Appreciate the feedback.

I had someone tell me that they believe that the circled branches are disturbing. Your thoughts?

 

[ConorDash]

That pot suits it really well .
In terms of the criticism, maybe its because I have heard that branches growing in towards the center, are always trimmed. Because they give off the wrong direction, and perhaps there are too many criss crossing branches, making it look "disturbing"?
Just a guess.

 

[petegreg]

Just a dirty details...
The blue circle - maybe shorter branch.
The black one - one top would be probably enough, making the right branch shorter and add some ramification but these things really don't disturb me. Maybe some more foliage hiding the upper half of trunk from the viewer. It's really fast growing, just try and if not happy cut it off.
Sometimes I wire branches nobody would wire, training and if wired I can play with positioning them here and there for imagination, better than drawing...

 

[Dorian Fourie]

That pot suits it really well .
In terms of the criticism, maybe its because I have heard that branches growing in towards the center, are always trimmed. Because they give off the wrong direction, and perhaps there are too many criss crossing branches, making it look "disturbing"?
Just a guess.

I have to agree on the pot. I specially took the tree with me to a bonsai nursery and picked out the pot specially to suit the tree. I love it.

This is what the tree looks like without its leaves


Maybe if I remove the thick centre branch and try to bring the other branch more to the right?

 

[Dorian Fourie]

Just a dirty details...
The blue circle - maybe shorter branch.
The black one - one top would be probably enough, making the right branch shorter and add some ramification but these things really don't disturb me. Maybe some more foliage hiding the upper half of trunk from the viewer. It's really fast growing, just try and if not happy cut it off.
Sometimes I wire branches nobody would wire, training and if wired I can play with positioning them here and there for imagination, better than drawing...

Very good points. Those could definitely work.

 

[petegreg]

From the latest naked pictures...
I like the branches on the right, climbing, then hz then slightly descending and finally going up.
The branches on the left are arranged similarly but with steeper turns. The trees grow this way. Maybe their front-rear movement could improve it, but as I said, details. And the branch taper will come with time. I like this tree.

 

[petegreg]

...and the last "beer thing".
The main trunk leans to the left, so I think the lowest left two branches brought lower could support and underline it.

 

[Dorian Fourie]

...and the last "beer thing".
The main trunk leans to the left, so I think the lowest left two branches brought lower could support and underline it.

Very true. I will look at that too. I never thought of that.

 

[ConorDash]

What substrate are you using? It looks... Really cool lol. Like shiny smaller bits of coal as a substrate!

 

[Dorian Fourie]

What substrate are you using? It looks... Really cool lol. Like shiny smaller bits of coal as a substrate!

It is a bonsai mix that I get at the local bonsai nursery. It is actually small stones that shine like that.

 

[sorce]

I had someone tell me that they believe that the circled branches are disturbing. Your thoughts?

Aren't you gonna eventually Cut back lower than that anyway?

I think you should...

This is a nice little piece...it deserves taper!

Sorce

 

[Dorian Fourie]

Aren't you gonna eventually Cut back lower than that anyway?

I think you should...

This is a nice little piece...it deserves taper!

Sorce

Very good point Sorce

It grows so quickly that cutting it back will make new growth shoot which will create the taper.

 

[cockroach]

I didn't like it at the start. Thought another wasted time project. But damn....prove me wrong.

Loving the tree and agree with Sorce about the chop.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

So lets hear your thoughts and any suggestions on this?

Anybody have good advice on how to reduce the leaves?

I think you've advanced the tree, Dorian. I'd like to see more distinct trunks. After the chops, the trunks and primary branches are of similar thickness and hardly any taper. BTW, the image of the Chinese Quince on your desktop in one of the photos, was that something you were aiming for? That's actually an image I have too. One of my favorite clump bonsai.