Juniperus virginiana, The long and winding road to bonsai

[Orion_metalhead]

Vance, i think he was talking about Dupre's tree. Your tree is perfectly perfect. Lol

 

[Silentrunning]

I had this one in our club show this weekend.
View attachment 270814

I totally like this tree just the way it is. The unusual lower branches evoke the feeling of welcoming arms. The only thing I would change is maybe a smaller pot. The tree is fantastic!

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Vance, i think he was talking about Dupre's tree. Your tree is perfectly perfect. Lol

Yes!! haha I was talking about the tree that posted joe dupre! the vance tree its perfect in my eye!!

 

[Crazy Diamond]

I have toyed with that idea for years. Jinning and thinning the left one (which according to the Naka principle is too low anyhow....
Good thoughts and confirmation.
Thanks

Thats interesting thougt, it will emprove the tree removing that branch? maybe yes or maybe no, one way or another its a very personal opinion. If that jewel of tree were mine maybe I try reducing the overal height of the tree (its pretty tall more than 1 meter) and keeping the first branch

 

[Joe Dupre']

Arnold, I appreciate the suggestion. I tilted the tree so the left branch emerges just a tad higher than the right branch. For my taste, jinning the left branch would completely alter the personality of the tree. I LOVE the personality of the tree as it is. Is that not the point of this art? No disrespect to John Naka or any other bonsai masters, but their "rules" are just suggestions and opinions. In my opinion ( and it IS just an opinion) if any art has too many rules, it is no longer an art , but a craft.

 

[William N. Valavanis]

Indeed, the Eastern Red Cedar, or Pencil Cedar, Juniperus Virginians, is not often seen as a well trained bonsai. They are easy to find, grow and train, but dynamic specimens are rare. There are two masterpieces trained by Peter Michienzi from New Jersey he displayed in past US National Bonsai Exhibitions. He collected the trees and has been training them for over 25 years. This is the quality of bonsai displayed in the exhibition. The 2020 8th US National Bonsai Exhibition will be held on September 12-13, 2020 in Rochester, New York.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Some excellent examplea in this thread of how ERC may get a bad rap for nothing. Just requires patience, a vision, and persistence.

 

[LanceMac10]

Just requires patience, a vision, and persistence.

.....and some thirty years.....

 

[Joe Dupre']

Like with most yamadori "type" trees, you basically have to find the right ERC rather than style it from an average piece of stock. I get mine from the roadside where the road crews mangle them up pretty bad over a period of years. My show tree is 3 years from collection. When found, it had been mowed over from 2 directions, with roots forming above the lower branches from each encounter. A real mess! I put it up on the turntable 5 times and backed out of styling it until the current design emerged. I like native trees, and I consider this one a find of a lifetime in MY area. Like I've stated before, ERC is the only evergreen conifer in my area and am proud to have this example.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

Hello from the Canary islands, here we have two species of native junipers: the J. phoenicea var canariensis and the J. cedrus who is similar to J. rigida. Both of them make very good bonsai, but a few weeks ago in my local nursery they were pruning some garden junipers so I ask to take a few cuttings, they were Juniperus virginiana a.k.a Eastern red cedars. I didnt know much about the species so I dive in the internet and forums searching information, and yes I was a bit dissapointed about what I found, but althoug many people hate them for many good reasons (they are invasive, make crappy bonsai, juvenile foliage, rust, etc) I will give the species a try: they look pretty much indestructible and fast growers and I dont mind the juvenile foliage, I would like all of you share your Eastern red cedars bonsais or prebonsais and tricks for keeping them as bonsai. I think its possitive to work with this tricky species with filosophy and patience instead of frustrating and going against their natural behavior.

Sorry if something its not redacted well english its not my mother language

My ERC seedlings just sprouted. Whats wrong with ERC as bonsai? The trees posted are stunningly beautiful!

 

[Forsoothe!]

@vancehanna tree

 

[TN_Jim]

 

[Crazy Diamond]

View attachment 329574

I like it, got nice movement, Its a yamadori I guess?

 

[Joe Dupre']

Here is another roadside collection. I've been working on it for a year or so. Still a bit rough but I like the movement.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Superior find!

 

[Joe Dupre']

Thanks. It surely didn't look like this when I found it! It had 3 trunks coming out at the same point. I kept the other two a while to strengthen the tree. Soil level was a bit above where the front root emerges from the trunk. It was also a LOT leggier than it is now.

 

[leatherback]

Gotta cut those legs, else it runs away from you!

Good progress

 

[Joe Dupre']

I'm getting to really like ERC. Like I've said before, it is the ONLY evergreen conifer native to my area. No pines, no other junipers, no spruce and no fir. In fact, to find them easily, I go driving in winter and the green of the ERC stands out against all the drab grays and browns. But, you really have to find a good specimen. To collect a straight trunked decent sized ERC with only a decent base and craft it into a bonsai is a thankless task. I get them mowed and mangled by the road crews.

 

[Joe Dupre']

Oh, and despite being demonized by some, I get them to fill out primarily by pinching. Pinching the most vigorous tips allows sparser branches to catch up.

 

[leatherback]

You do WHAT!????