Does anybody have pictures of burl style bonsai they can share?

[electraus]

Hello everyone,

A friend and I challenged each other to design a tree in a style we have never worked with before. I chose a (very normal and common) cascade style juniper or pine for him meanwhile he chose a burl style for me Before this, I didn’t even know what a burl style was and in all honesty I still don’t have the best understanding. I reached out to Bob shimon asking if he had anything like this available and he showed me this coast live oak.

I have no idea how to proceed with this monstrosity and I can’t find inspiration pics online. I wired the “trunk” of the tree to better position it in relation to the Burl but quickly realized I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. What is next step of the process with this tree? Do I need to let the trunk thicken to become more proportional to the Burl? I have no clue what this tree is even supposed to look like when finished. Any help/inspiration pics would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[badatusernames]

Never heard of that, either…. My first instinct would be to thicken it as you mention, though…. Looks like a cool project.

 

[hemmy]

Redwood burl bonsai, but the upright form is an entirely different growth habit from a live oak.

Olive clump bonsai will include pictures of olives with chunky bases or a burl-type growth. Usually styled with a main trunk and then branches coming off the clump more of a flatter triangle.

I’d grow this one strong and vigorous (it might take a larger container and a couple years), then a hard chop on the growing trunk for movement and to see if you can get any sucker growth to pop on the burl. Then you can style those as individual live oak trees in a forest clump or as branches of smaller clump bonsai framed around the base. Very cool material!

 

[hemmy]

Here is an olive with a fat base in more of forest style.

Post in thread 'The Legacy and Culture of Bonsai Provenance: Exploring the Roots and Significance of Iconic Trees'
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/t...gnificance-of-iconic-trees.61251/post-1063289

 

[Empty Mountain]

Here's a Dan Robinson Redwood grown from a burl.

 

[rockm]

Redwood burl bonsai, but the upright form is an entirely different growth habit from a live oak.

Olive clump bonsai will include pictures of olives with chunky bases or a burl-type growth. Usually styled with a main trunk and then branches coming off the clump more of a flatter triangle.

I’d grow this one strong and vigorous (it might take a larger container and a couple years), then a hard chop on the growing trunk for movement and to see if you can get any sucker growth to pop on the burl. Then you can style those as individual live oak trees in a forest clump or as branches of smaller clump bonsai framed around the base. Very cool material!

Live oaks can grow in mottes (motts)--individual trees sprouting from common roots. It's pretty common with some species of live oak. I regularly have to pinch suckers off the base and surface roots of my Texas live oak to discourage that habit. Might work with this burl, if you can get more sprouts on the burl. As you get those, bury the burl a bit deeper in the pot.

 

[Maiden69]

Burl is just a deformation of growth on a tree... not a style. It is often found at the base, but it could also form in crotches and places where buds form but don't get to extend.

Burls are not easy to come by, as most nurseries discard them as they are not pleasant to look at. But in the wood working industry they demand a hefty price.

 

[Ruddigger]

 

[ABCarve]

Hornbeam

 

[FreshAirSunshine]

I’d almost consider it a root-over-rock design-wise and effectively build a tree on the burl. I think it’d be highly optional how much of the burl was even left alive - if you can identify the vein feeding your “tree” design you could turn the rest into deadwood to prevent sucker growth/swelling etc.

 

[gfreak]

I hope i'm remembering the right person... but i think @Cadillactaste had some along this line

 

[electraus]

Redwood burl bonsai, but the upright form is an entirely different growth habit from a live oak.

Olive clump bonsai will include pictures of olives with chunky bases or a burl-type growth. Usually styled with a main trunk and then branches coming off the clump more of a flatter triangle.

I’d grow this one strong and vigorous (it might take a larger container and a couple years), then a hard chop on the growing trunk for movement and to see if you can get any sucker growth to pop on the burl. Then you can style those as individual live oak trees in a forest clump or as branches of smaller clump bonsai framed around the base. Very cool material!

Wait do you mean to tell me that the burl itself is alive/partially alive and can sprout suckers? Or are you saying that suckers will sprout from the base of the live branch that sprouted up behind the burl when the oak was cut down?

I’ve just been assuming that the burl itself was deadwood, especially because at least some parts of it are so brittle (namely the two little pieces of wood jutting out from the upper left, which I broke a little while wiring the main branch). I was about to paint the whole thing with minwax

Also, am I correct in assuming that most of the time, these trees are most commonly styled in a clump or forest style instead of a single trunk style?

 

[electraus]

Live oaks can grow in mottes (motts)--individual trees sprouting from common roots. It's pretty common with some species of live oak. I regularly have to pinch suckers off the base and surface roots of my Texas live oak to discourage that habit. Might work with this burl, if you can get more sprouts on the burl. As you get those, bury the burl a bit deeper in the pot.

I’m just learning that the burl itself may actually be alive/partially alive and I had no idea. I thought it was all deadwood attached to the live vein behind it. What would be the purpose of burying the burl? Is it just for aesthetic reasons or does it also serve a functional purpose?

 

[electraus]

Burl is just a deformation of growth on a tree... not a style. It is often found at the base, but it could also form in crotches and places where buds form but don't get to extend.

Burls are not easy to come by, as most nurseries discard them as they are not pleasant to look at. But in the wood working industry they demand a hefty price.

It now makes sense why I kept getting images of display slabs when I tried to Google “Burl style bonsai.”

 

[electraus]

View attachment 509805

This is a stunning tree, thank you for sharing this picture. It’s not a live oak but it gives me an idea of where I need to head with mine. Is this your tree? Do you happen to have any pics of when you first acquired it?

 

[electraus]

Hornbeam

View attachment 509822

Thanks! This is extremely helpful. As I’ve already mentioned to others, I thought the burl itself was all deadwood. Had absolutely no idea that it could sprout new suckers. Thank you for sharing this pic. Do you have any pics of when you first acquired it?

 

[electraus]

I’d almost consider it a root-over-rock design-wise and effectively build a tree on the burl. I think it’d be highly optional how much of the burl was even left alive - if you can identify the vein feeding your “tree” design you could turn the rest into deadwood to prevent sucker growth/swelling etc.

I’m mostly seeing burls styled in a multi trunk or forest style. Just out of curiosity: if this tree was yours, would you style it as a single trunk informal upright or a clump/multi trunk? Also, how would I go about finding the live vein on the burl? It’s not quite as easy to discern as that of a collected juniper

 

[rockm]

I’m just learning that the burl itself may actually be alive/partially alive and I had no idea. I thought it was all deadwood attached to the live vein behind it. What would be the purpose of burying the burl? Is it just for aesthetic reasons or does it also serve a functional purpose?

Aesthetic reasons. A group of trees will be a bit more convincing without emphasizing the hump of a burl. Halfway under the soil will minimize it a bit. Burls are indeed alive, at least most of the time. They arise from injury or infection, ect. They are a center of cambium/xylem overproduction-cambium is the living tissue just underneath the bark which is the living portion of the trunk.

The Mystery of Tree Burls

The exact mechanism that causes burl formation is not fully understood.

extension.unh.edu

 

[Ruddigger]

This is a stunning tree, thank you for sharing this picture. It’s not a live oak but it gives me an idea of where I need to head with mine. Is this your tree? Do you happen to have any pics of when you first acquired it?

It’s a redwood. I do have a picture of it when I purchased it last fall.

 

[rockm]

My live oak has a significant burl at ground level. It is living and sometimes pushes shoots. The burl is in the front right of the base