How About Sparkleberry?

JoeR

JoeR

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Of the many bonsai-suitable species to be found in my area, the one that appeals to me most is the Sparkleberry bush. It has very round, small leaves that have a great fall color of bright red and sometimes yellow. They are very dense and twiggy so ramification comes naturally. Also have very tiny white flowers and berries, although I haven't seen the berries yet.

They grow to about 10 feet tall (at least in my area) then at that point they begin to rapidly thicken at the base and cascade from the very top until the foliage touches the ground. Super cool.

I was wondering if anybody works with these?

If so:
-Do they air layer well?
-How do they handle a major chop?
-Do you collect in spring like most deciduous species or later like sweetgum (collected in May)?

Pictures of some would be awesome.

Oh and they can sometimes be evergreen in the warmer states, but here some drop leaves and some don't.

Joe
 
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My buddy and I have given up on sparkle berry...although I agree that it has some characteristics that make it appealing. Doesn't seem to be collectable?? Tried and failed at least a dozen times.

Give it a shot...but don't start with the best trees...
 
Yes, especially with their glossy red bark. However, it doesn't dig worth a damn. It propagates by runners, and you will find clumps of them up to 20-30 feet in diameter, all of which are actually one plant. I've never tried to layer them since I've always lacked the patience to monitor the state of the layer out in the woods somewhere.

You MIGHT find a small on at some nursery that deals with native plants, but again, since they don't dig well, they'll be seedlings and pretty small.
 
I recall talking to you about it john but I couldn't remember what you said.

If it is unsuited for container life like birch maybe we could try collecting a seedling and starting from there and making a shohin.

Do you know what time of the year you tried collecting them in? Did you chop it back like an azalea or did you leave lots of roots and foliage like a pine?
 
jkl said:
Yes, especially with their glossy red bark. However, it doesn't dig worth a damn. It propagates by runners, and you will find clumps of them up to 20-30 feet in diameter, all of which are actually one plant. I've never tried to layer them since I've always lacked the patience to monitor the state of the layer out in the woods somewhere.

You MIGHT find a small on at some nursery that deals with native plants, but again, since they don't dig well, they'll be seedlings and pretty small.
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I somehow skipped over this post.

I guess I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. It sends runners out like 30 or so feet away from the original tree/bush? That would explain why they don't dig well I suppose.


According to Dave's Garden, they air layer ,take cuttings, and 'simple layer' for propagation.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31655/#b
 
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I found one for sale on ebay:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/371235493741?nav=SEARCH

The description says he was taught by a long time veteran how and where to collect them. I doubt he will share his knowledge.


I dug a few tiny ones out of the ground and yes they are all runners. I defoliated some and put them in a pot, who knows maybe something will happen.
 
JoeR said:
Of the many bonsai-suitable species to be found in my area, the one that appeals to me most is the Sparkleberry bush. It has very round, small leaves that have a great fall color of bright red and sometimes yellow. They are very dense and twiggy so ramification comes naturally. Also have very tiny white flowers and berries, although I haven't seen the berries yet.

They grow to about 10 feet tall (at least in my area) then at that point they begin to rapidly thicken at the base and cascade from the very top until the foliage touches the ground. Super cool.

I was wondering if anybody works with these?

If so:
-Do they air layer well?
-How do they handle a major chop?
-Do you collect in spring like most deciduous species or later like sweetgum (collected in May)?

Pictures of some would be awesome.

Oh and they can sometimes be evergreen in the warmer states, but here some drop leaves and some don't.

Joe
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I have successfully dug the species and maintained them for a few years; however, I lost my last specimen in Winter 2014 during an ice/snowstorm and follow-up hard freeze. I can't vouch for the long-term viability of the species as bonsai. It may be they only hang on for a few years at best. I did notice that they have a tendency to drop branches, but with limited experience could not determine if it was them or me.

Zach
 
Zach Smith said:
I have successfully dug the species and maintained them for a few years; however, I lost my last specimen in Winter 2014 during an ice/snowstorm and follow-up hard freeze. I can't vouch for the long-term viability of the species as bonsai. It may be they only hang on for a few years at best. I did notice that they have a tendency to drop branches, but with limited experience could not determine if it was them or me.

Zach
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When did you dig them?


Thanks for the insight
 
N
JoeR said:
Thanks!

Aww I missed the boat!


I have enough projects going on right now so it is probably for the better :p
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Not saying they couldn't be lifted now if new growth hasn't started (or even if they're budding). Most things prefer being collected in winter, so I assume that's best not having more experience with them.

Zach
 
Opening this discussion back up as I've just discovered this plant in the woods out back.

I have so far dug up a small, 1inch runner. it has some feeder roots of its own so I'm hoping it can support itself and survive.

Eventually I will be attempting to air layer one with a larger trunk.
 
Vaccinium arboreum, Sparkleberry. It is a member of the genus that blueberry, bilberry and cranberry belong to. I have no experience with sparkleberry, I have some experience with highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, the long lived part of the Vaccinium is the root system. Roots can keep going for 100 or more years. Depending on the species, the "trunks" or branches of the shrub have a cycle, and are replaced regularly by new shoots from the roots. With highbush blueberry the "trunks" can last 20 to 40 years, at some point the roots will send up a new shoot or two and replace the old trunk with new growth. This is a trait that one can work with.

Vaccinium do root from cuttings. They do back bud from hard pruning. They probably air layer reasonably well. They tend to have a shallow root system, and are fairly easy to dig up. Even old bushes dig easily.

Vaccinium in general tend to be calcifuge plants, they dislike excess calcium in their water and their potting media. Most talk of this trait as "acid loving", though in reality it is "Calcium hating". For blueberries I use a bark, peat, pumice blend. And try to water with rain water as much as possible.
 
I've been playing around with Sparkleberry for about 7 years now. They have awesome bark and in my area they're readily available. If you can ever get one to thrive in a pot they would make great bonsai. My experience has been they are prone to branch die-off and don't transplant easily. There's a formula out there somewhere for keeping them thriving but I have yet to find it.
 
Vin said:
I've been playing around with Sparkleberry for about 7 years now. They have awesome bark and in my area they're readily available. If you can ever get one to thrive in a pot they would make great bonsai. My experience has been they are prone to branch die-off and don't transplant easily. There's a formula out there somewhere for keeping them thriving but I have yet to find it.
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Awesome bark? Ours is similar to a crepe myrtle for instance... is that what your bark looks like?
 
JoeR said:
Awesome bark? Ours is similar to a crepe myrtle for instance... is that what your bark looks like?
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Crepe Myrtle just before it's shedding its bark. An earthy color with a velvety appearance. Older trees have a flaky gray bark. That's what ours look like.
 
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