hibiscus syriacus

[sorce]

Keep playing the waiting game !

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

This tree has recovered nicely. I think over the winter you could start carving, your chops to help them either disappear or turn them into holes and hollows as attractive features. I would wait until the pot is frozen solid. That way the vibration of power tools won't break roots, because the root ball will be a solid block of ice.

 

[defra]

This tree has recovered nicely. I think over the winter you could start carving, your chops to help them either disappear or turn them into holes and hollows as attractive features. I would wait until the pot is frozen solid. That way the vibration of power tools won't break roots, because the root ball will be a solid block of ice.

Thats smart never tought about it that way !

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Thats smart never tought about it that way !

It was suggested by Colin Lewis to me, after I lost a tree I carved during the late summer. Vibrations will break fine roots.

 

[defra]

@Leo in N E Illinois
What are your toughts on future styling of this tree?

On page one i sugested chopping the trunk to create a hollow trunk type of tree but id like to go over all the options

I wonder what @Walter Pall would do to this tree

 

[sorce]

What are your toughts on future styling of this tree?

I had to look back.

This is one of those effed up trees that seem worse than @Beanwagon elm....
But has this saving grace of carving it ugly to display pretty flowers.
At which point I feel like the "what to do" Question disappears.

And you just keep hedging it!

Hedging!

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Leo in N E Illinois
What are your toughts on future styling of this tree?

On page one i sugested chopping the trunk to create a hollow trunk type of tree but id like to go over all the options

I wonder what @Walter Pall would do to this tree

I need to think about it. I'm pretty good on horticulture, I make no claims to be a bonsai ARTIST. My trees look no better than the average dude with 5 or so years of experience. Never mind some I have been growing for a couple decades. I started bonsai in 1971, while in high school. Obviously I'm slow to learn the principals of art. The horticulture I can do blindfolded. But hey, I love the horticulture of bonsai, and enjoy trying to make art, even if at best right now my trees look pretty amateurish. (actually had a couple set backs, where majority of collection was lost, one 9 years ago and one about 25 years ago. I'm really rebuilding a collection for the third time).

So I'll get back to you on what to do with the hibiscus. Need to think. In the mean time, let it grow out. Or hedge prune. At some point a design will suddenly grab you as a good idea. Draw, then start.

 

[defra]

Im still waiting @Leo in N E Illinois

Joke!
I did a pruning round trough the garden today!
Before:

After:


I selected branches to build taper and some movement these species tend to grow fat bulges we dont like!



They heal wounds poorly to none

Rechopped a part left two runners to see if that helps also aplied cutpaste this time....




Count the rings and this is only the top part:



Gonna let it stay in this box for another year and let it run free again

 

[defra]

I count about 20 rings from center downwards
Previous home owners planted the thing they lived there over 30 years at least house is about 50/60 years old

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I counted roughly 25, give or take. Nice fat trunk. I like what you have done so far. See, a design is slowly developing. This year you were able to choose some branches to eliminate. It is coming along. Top branches either side of the fresh cut let run, you need them to grow to heal the wound and the top most to create the next segment of taper. Be sure to put cut paste on the smaller diagonal cut you made.

If it were mine, right now, I would go back and trim all the lower branches that you might possibly keep for the design of the future tree and trim them to no more than 2 internodes. Reason is, if look close, you notice that coming out from the trunk, there tends to be one or two nice short internodes, then a series of long internodes. You want your keeper branches to be all short internodes. You should also wire them, to get an attractive angle of exit from the trunk. You want to set the pattern, think about what you want. If some branches come off the trunk at a 90 degree - basically horizontal angle, then suddenly one points down, another is angled up - this is a jarring pattern, and likely you will be having to change these some years down the road if you don't correct them now while still small enough to bend easy. You could start with horizontal, then as you move up the tree the angle would become more vertical, maybe 45 degrees half way to the top and almost vertical toward the apex. A completely symmetrical pattern would be considered youthful, but your trunk is gnarly enough that it would never be thought of as youthful. It also has an irregular shape that it will never look symmetrical to the point of being boring.

You could have the branches start out with an upward angle, then have them arch out and downward to eventually finish below horizontal. There are many possibilities, but I think now is the time to pick the unifying pattern that will make the whole tree seem coherent.

I do realize if you cut the keeper branches short, you will just be wiring out the initial angle, the subsequent years you will add the further segments that will complete the pattern.

Each year from now on the keeper branches will grow, usually one or two of the initial internodes will be short. Each year you should trim back to a short internode. This way your tree will have character. If you keep any long straight internodes, years down the road, these long straight segments will stand out as defects in the bonsai. So getting them now will be easy. Years down the road you won't want to cut off 5 or more year old branches back to short internodes.

So that is what I would do, you should consider this, and use my thoughts if they make sense to you, or not if you have a better idea. It is a cool trunk. The shortening of a stump you did looks great. Keep up the good work.

 

[defra]

I counted roughly 25, give or take. Nice fat trunk. I like what you have done so far. See, a design is slowly developing. This year you were able to choose some branches to eliminate. It is coming along. Top branches either side of the fresh cut let run, you need them to grow to heal the wound and the top most to create the next segment of taper. Be sure to put cut paste on the smaller diagonal cut you made.

If it were mine, right now, I would go back and trim all the lower branches that you might possibly keep for the design of the future tree and trim them to no more than 2 internodes. Reason is, if look close, you notice that coming out from the trunk, there tends to be one or two nice short internodes, then a series of long internodes. You want your keeper branches to be all short internodes. You should also wire them, to get an attractive angle of exit from the trunk. You want to set the pattern, think about what you want. If some branches come off the trunk at a 90 degree - basically horizontal angle, then suddenly one points down, another is angled up - this is a jarring pattern, and likely you will be having to change these some years down the road if you don't correct them now while still small enough to bend easy. You could start with horizontal, then as you move up the tree the angle would become more vertical, maybe 45 degrees half way to the top and almost vertical toward the apex. A completely symmetrical pattern would be considered youthful, but your trunk is gnarly enough that it would never be thought of as youthful. It also has an irregular shape that it will never look symmetrical to the point of being boring.

You could have the branches start out with an upward angle, then have them arch out and downward to eventually finish below horizontal. There are many possibilities, but I think now is the time to pick the unifying pattern that will make the whole tree seem coherent.

I do realize if you cut the keeper branches short, you will just be wiring out the initial angle, the subsequent years you will add the further segments that will complete the pattern.

Each year from now on the keeper branches will grow, usually one or two of the initial internodes will be short. Each year you should trim back to a short internode. This way your tree will have character. If you keep any long straight internodes, years down the road, these long straight segments will stand out as defects in the bonsai. So getting them now will be easy. Years down the road you won't want to cut off 5 or more year old branches back to short internodes.

So that is what I would do, you should consider this, and use my thoughts if they make sense to you, or not if you have a better idea. It is a cool trunk. The shortening of a stump you did looks great. Keep up the good work.

I do understand what you mean about the first couple internodes being short and have considered cutting the branches back but i noticed it pops buds open all over the branches so it isnt needed



Grow grow grow yeah love this project!

 

[just.wing.it]

Nice work buddy!
Patience pays off!

 

[ihaveaspaceship]

I do understand what you mean about the first couple internodes being short and have considered cutting the branches back but i noticed it pops buds open all over the branches so it isnt needed

Grow grow grow yeah love this project!

Hows this tree doing?

It's my first time with a hibiscus this year. collected about 5 weeks ago. They definitely bud out from everywhere. I still don't know what species I have or what color the flowers are. I just wired out a few well placed branches to get some movement. They tend to grow straight up.

Collection day:


Currently - my ghetto ass grow box:

I plan on carving out a gnarly sleepy hallow vibe to it. Removing that front horn branch in the process.

 

[defra]

Hows this tree doing?

It's my first time with a hibiscus this year. collected about 5 weeks ago. They definitely bud out from everywhere. I still don't know what species I have or what color the flowers are. I just wired out a few well placed branches to get some movement. They tend to grow straight up.

Collection day:
View attachment 194604

Currently - my ghetto ass grow box:
View attachment 194605
I plan on carving out a gnarly sleepy hallow vibe to it. Removing that front horn branch in the process.

Its doing great!
Growing like a weed
Different variety than i have shape of the leaves is different! But cool stump you got Nice to see annother hibiscus out there!

 

[defra]

@ihaveaspaceship
Nice roots btw
Maybe you could ad a extra layer of soil so that the roots are burried
It might help small roots form to cut back to at the next repot as it sits now that aint gonna happen and all the roots will form at the point where they wont fit a nice pot down the road

 

[ihaveaspaceship]

Good call! Did the deed this morning. They will definitely need some cutting back next spring.

 

[defra]

Good call! Did the deed this morning. They will definitely need some cutting back next spring.

If you collected it this year i would keep it in there for at least two years, this one is in this box fot the third year
let it get healthy
I was impacient to but followed the advice @Leo in N E Illinois provided troughout this thread and this thing is realy healthy and growing strong i advice you to read his comments and do the same !
The wait will be rewarded!

 

[defra]

Night shot with a 0.5 liter can for size reference
The other trees still have most of their leaves or are still growing this one however is almost fully naked nice yellow fall color


This was third season in this box and i want to get a look at the roots next year and pot it back up in something else

Now the leaves are gone i can go look at my branching options designwise maybe ill be able to fit it in my car and take it to class to discus a long term plan

 

[defra]

Found out the gif option on my phone
8 sides of this naked tree
Coming winter another round of primary branch sellection and wireing to do as well as carving out all the cuts and create some deadwood features !

 

[Starfox]

Ha, way cool.
Wish my phone could do that.