Cedar elms heal better than almost everything, so your thread graft should do fine. Nice treeCedar Elm that I got from Zach. Getting ready to do a thread graft on this one. The branch is ready, I just need to drill and thread it through. That will close up the hole on the left when it develops.
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I have always found your statement about a different pair of eyes to be soooo true. That is why I welcome all critique on my trees, even from non bonsai folk. They may have a feeling for something that can change your perspective. It looks good. I'm sure it won't even notice you did it!Got some good advice from @JudyB about the planting angle of this tree. I was able to slip pot without messing with the roots and tilt just slightly to the left. This tree was not repotted this spring so the root ball was nice and firm. This operation could certainly have waited until next year but I don't think the tree will skip a beat. I'll do a proper repot next year.
Anyway, I think the new angle is much better. The crown of the big tree looks more in balance. Now just need to let the little one run and gain some girth. Thanks for the suggestion Judy. Amazing what a different set of eyes will see.
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Great thread for inspiration on some different directions one can go with elms!
Do you still have the 3 'hokkaido' elms? Your 5-trunk clump-style one is actually pretty similar to a hokkaido that I just picked up this year.