Japanese Beech Forest
- Thread starter MACH5
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Paulpash
Masterpiece
They are pretty hardy Mach5 - I normally leave mine out in the UK unless it gets really cold for long periods (like below -5C, 23F)
discusmike
Omono
I believe thats one of the nicest jap. beech forest plantings ive seen.
Wee
Chumono
It was really cool to see the before and after pics of this forest.....Must have been a nice surprise for you MACH5.
Brian
Brian
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Spring work is slowly starting for me! A few weeks were spent here and there taking off leaves of this large forest. What can I say, it's been too cold and everything happens in slow motion! Most were still resistant to come off and so many had to be cut off right at their tiny petiole. Hundreds upon hundreds of leaves needed to be pulled off in order to get any work done on it. Getting the ones inside the forest was not particularly fun as I needed to be very careful that buds were not cut off or injured in the process. A real pain!!
I had mentioned earlier that I was planning to air-layer and eventually relocate one of the trees in the front center of the composition. But after a careful look, I decided against it and will keep all trees as is. It will be repotted this spring and rotate the whole thing about 10 degrees counterclockwise. At that time I will also remove the black screen material and replace it with moss in combination with perhaps a few plants like dwarf azaleas for some added visual interest.
Below are a few pics from today. During the last couple of days I wired it, pruned it and cleaned off many old stubs that were left on from past years. It is difficult to do it justice since the photo tends to flatten out the image. In person it has quite a bit of depth.
In my opinion, one of the best features of this forest is its depth. It is almost as deep as it is wide. Below is a pic taken from the right side.
I had mentioned earlier that I was planning to air-layer and eventually relocate one of the trees in the front center of the composition. But after a careful look, I decided against it and will keep all trees as is. It will be repotted this spring and rotate the whole thing about 10 degrees counterclockwise. At that time I will also remove the black screen material and replace it with moss in combination with perhaps a few plants like dwarf azaleas for some added visual interest.
Below are a few pics from today. During the last couple of days I wired it, pruned it and cleaned off many old stubs that were left on from past years. It is difficult to do it justice since the photo tends to flatten out the image. In person it has quite a bit of depth.
In my opinion, one of the best features of this forest is its depth. It is almost as deep as it is wide. Below is a pic taken from the right side.
JoeR
Masterpiece
Very nice and naturalistic.
Not sure if you know since it was an import, but how old are the trees?
Sure would love to make one of these.
Not sure if you know since it was an import, but how old are the trees?
Sure would love to make one of these.
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Thanks Joe. I will guess over 30 years old and a couple of them look closer to 40.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
It's stunning! Is the second photo with the slight rotation? Can't wait to see the buds unfurling on this one. Have you ever had beech before? It's the best part of the year the beech unfurling because they are so late, and you think it's never going to happen, then it does!
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Thanks Juds!
I got this bonsai last March. So I did get to see the new spring foliage. It was a beautiful sight! But as you said it made me nervous because it was so late and the trees all came out at different times. Now I know what to expect.
The two pics were taken with the slight rotation so you are seeing both with the new intended front. I should have done an A&B.
I got this bonsai last March. So I did get to see the new spring foliage. It was a beautiful sight! But as you said it made me nervous because it was so late and the trees all came out at different times. Now I know what to expect.
The two pics were taken with the slight rotation so you are seeing both with the new intended front. I should have done an A&B.
thumblessprimate1
Masterpiece
Cool. I sort of like the irregular outer silhouette of the last angle more.
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Sure! There are many interesting sides to this one. I guess just depends what one is after. I usually like to straddle somewhere between refinement and stylization and natural character. Looking ahead a few years, below is a virt of what I may chase after.
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thumblessprimate1
Masterpiece
Thank you for sharing. I'm with you on that. I think I'm in a phase with the deciduous trees where I like natural character, but with some stylized refinement. Perhaps my little experience in bonsai is limiting me, making me short sighted, but there's a dense area at the top where the two apparently largest trees cross that get my attention. Do you see this as a problem? Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my question.
Vin
Imperial Masterpiece
What a wonderful composition! With leaves it's gorgeous and without leaves it's awesome! I'm glad you shared it.
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Sure of course! In reality the area you are referring to there is quite a bit of space between the trees so it's a pretty different story when you're in front of it. The camera always flattens things out unfortunately. The trees do not actually cross just some of the branches. If one notices, there are however some crossing trunks specially those in the front with one bigger tree behind. Traditionally as we all know this is a no no. In this case I think it adds a naturalistic flare to the image. I always have an internal struggle between having a refined looking image and one that's overworked. The two are not at all too far from each other.
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
I think you have mastered that struggle and found that balance in your bonsai. This one is gorgeous and should definitely be shown at the USNBE next year.
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Thanks Brian... it means a lot to me!
tmmason10
Omono
I agree, this is quite the stunning composition already and I can't wait to see how it does in your hands. I consider it among the top trees here on bnut if not the top.
JoeR
Masterpiece
I think this could be one of my favorite forest plantings- specifically because it is such a great mix of naturalistic styling and refined training.
Another thing that sets this one so high is the difference in trunk calipers; the 'main' tree isn't disproportionally huge while the rest are twigs (I see this often and am not a fan) yet all the trees still have varying calipers. I also like that the trees all have movement in different directions than each other (again I often see forest plantings with all of the trees bean pole straight).
The only thing that would set this composition over the top is some major leave reduction.
With your virt I think making the silhouette so perfectly round detracts from the natural look that the previous owner was trying to achieve. I like the sort of 'jagged' silhouette although it's not particularly appreciated in bonsai. It may just be my newb opinion but eh I thought I'd bring it up.
I hope to make a forest with some wild blueberries on my property as well this spring. Nice small leaves and naturally fine branching. Getting antsy waiting for spring...
Another thing that sets this one so high is the difference in trunk calipers; the 'main' tree isn't disproportionally huge while the rest are twigs (I see this often and am not a fan) yet all the trees still have varying calipers. I also like that the trees all have movement in different directions than each other (again I often see forest plantings with all of the trees bean pole straight).
The only thing that would set this composition over the top is some major leave reduction.
With your virt I think making the silhouette so perfectly round detracts from the natural look that the previous owner was trying to achieve. I like the sort of 'jagged' silhouette although it's not particularly appreciated in bonsai. It may just be my newb opinion but eh I thought I'd bring it up.
I hope to make a forest with some wild blueberries on my property as well this spring. Nice small leaves and naturally fine branching. Getting antsy waiting for spring...
fredtruck
Omono
One thing to keep in mind is time. It's almost 2 years til the next National Exhibition. In preparing a bonsai for a show, that's not a lot of time. Go for it by all means, but have other options in the mix.
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