Nybonsai12
Masterpiece
So far Im not all that crazy about Shimpaku to be honest. Most that I have seen are tiny little whips and so-so trees for exorbitant prices.
If you can, check out a kokufu book. The shimpakus in there are incredible.
So far Im not all that crazy about Shimpaku to be honest. Most that I have seen are tiny little whips and so-so trees for exorbitant prices.
I'm curious what the waiting during bending accomplishes? Why would you want the tissue to begin to heal just so you can tear it again? I have never seen or been told by a professional bonsai artist to bend this way. Its bent on the spot, perhaps over the course of an hour or 2 at most if its a crazy bend. I personally think this is an incorrect way to do bending. Prepare the bend properly and bend it. Waiting does nothing in my opinion.
It may not be the case with juniper or pine (softwood) but most broad leaf (hardwood) are not as flexible. I have a friend who basically taught me bending boxwood and he had one like the pictured in the OP but made out of boxwood. It was done over a few years...otherwise, it would have ended dead/kindling.
Sometimes, you have no choice but to let it adjust, heal, recover...then break again (rinse and repeat). Waiting (sometimes) does something and is the correct (maybe only) way.
Come on, guys. Procumbens aren't all bad.
NC Arboretum:
Juniperus chinensis 'Foemina' (Needle Juniper) S\M\-20ø?\B A traditional bonsai plant with very prickly gray blue foliage. These plants have been staked to form upright trunks. John Naka used 'Foemina' to create his masterpiece "Goshin". Please note: We formerly listed this plant incorrectly as Juniperus sabina 'Foemina'. This is the same plant we sold before, but this is the correct name.
Sorry I cannot give any scientific data. Just what I saw and experienced and I've bent boxwood most said I can't.There is a local artist here in so cal Marcus juniel that will bend boxwood identically to the techniques used on junipers, pines etc. raffia, wire, etc. you'll notice that he or anyone else that does these bends will kind of warm the tree up for the extreme bend by starting to flex the branch that is already wrapped with raffia. He'll carefully start to bend it, let go, give it a break, try again, he is feeling for the resistance and knows when not to push it. Often times he will move on to wiring other branches or something and come back and try bending some more. It all takes place over 30-60 minutes approx.
until I see scientific data or a bonsai artist that I respect show me different, it still makes zero sense to me to let the tree heal to then rebreak it.
I think we are thinking of human orthodontics or bone bending. But that is completely different for many reasons including the pain factor
Looking at his site...I have to ask. Why not use:
With needing to be staked...would that not make it easier to conform to what I am desiring? Just tossing that out there.
Foemina would work, though it is a bit on the stiff side too. The foliage is very sharp and not a lot of fun. Looking at the little twisted procumbens in your OP...do you want the trunk, the foliage, or actually both? I have a strong preference for the softer foliage of shimpaku, and the flexibility it offers. If you like the needle-like foliage of procumbens, foemina is close, but larger in scale.
This is Goshin, John Naka's signature creation, made with Foemina. The foliage looks soft because it is a fairly big composition.
Can you show me a close up of the shimaku's scale? I am trying to visualize it at the end of a twisted piece as shown in the photo.
Same concept of outgrowth and trimming of entire shoots about twice a year.