Gulf Coast Live Oaks

[Brian Van Fleet]

We have a family connection to Pass Christian, MS, but hadn't been back since Katrina. We had an opportunity to visit for the weekend, and here are a few of my favorite live oaks on the coast along Scenic Drive. Bay St. Louis, PC and Long Beach suffered a direct hit by Katrina. It is coming back, but still very clearly recent in memory.

Starting with my favorite:

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Some others:

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Few more...

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Some more...good inspiration for boxwood styling; one I did back in 2006 with a buddy.

 

[Nomiyama]

Wow thanks Brian, I love all of those old oak tree pictures. Very inspiring and helpful when it comes to creating a oak bonsai. Thanks for taking the time to post all of these.

Chris

 

[edprocoat]

Brian, you would love the Oak trees in Florida. The state is full of ones that look as if they were tortured by Bonsai entusiasts for decades, twisted trees with a presence as if nature tried to tear them down but they survived, which is what happened.

ed

 

[Dav4]

I love seeing old, weather beaten trees and what they represent...the balance between life and death and the struggle for survival against time and mother nature. Be it images of ancient bald cypresses that have lived through one hundred hurricanes, English oaks that were being pollarded 1000 years ago, bristle cone pines whose main trunk died 500 years ago, or live oaks that were planted along a beach road sometime in the middle of the last century, they always make me pause for a moment. Interestingly enough, the same thing happens when I see a great bonsai. Those are awesome trees, thanks for the picture, Brian.