Literati or otherwise?

[johnbaz]

Hi all

I was given this Juniper back in 2013 and had no idea what to do with it style wise- Fast forwards to 2020, I was furloughed from work (Asthmatic with copd) and was a little bored so I decided to have a go at something with it!

This is what I came up with, I think it would be classed as a literati but am not sure as it's different to most i've seen that are literati having foliage at just one side

It's ready for a repot so here's a small selection that I considered for it, Have to say I prefer round pots ands it may end up in the dark brown textured one at the front!

Is it literati or another style?


Cheers, John

 

[jimib]

I think you could call that literati due to the sparse foliage and almost no taper. I agree to with the pot choice. I would definitely choose that one in the front. Of course I’m no pro but I thought I would chime in.

 

[johnbaz]

I think you could call that literati due to the sparse foliage and almost no taper. I agree to with the pot choice. I would definitely choose that one in the front. Of course I’m no pro but I thought I would chime in.

Many thanks for the reply Jim

I decided to start repotting my evergreens in autumn after hearing that folks trees have fared better being repotted in fall rather than spring


John

 

[AlainK]

Is it literati or another style?

Who cares ?

Are you more interested in what it can be "called" than what it looks like ?

To me, you've done a good job so far.
Call it whatever you like, it won't improve by a name, but by how you can care of it. "Nomenklatura" is no poetry, I like "poetic" trees.

 

[Shibui]

Literati is not just branches on one side even though that may be what you've seen.
To me literati is relatively tall and skinny trunk with the minimum of branches. Being able to show 'tree' with the minimum of branches = Literati whether it has branches on 1, 2 or 3 sides.
As the branches develop you may decide that 3 is too many. Only time will tell.

 

[sorce]

Is it literati or another style?

It's Bonzai! style.

Seems like the heaviest wire has removed more interest than it added.

Of course, I am a bit biased in that I believe it's easier to make excellent bonsai by selecting material that needs no heavy guage wire.
I guess the goal would be to allow nature as much evidence as possible in what already IS, then add to it. This would be why great Japanese Yamadori trees are quickly satisfying, by using perfectly prescribed methods to make simple, uniform "green helmets" that accentuate the beauty that IS.

For me, with this tree, that natural excellence, though young, runs all the way to that first fork, then "shrubly" evidence begins, so only that needs the wire.

I would've like to see you use just them 2 bits to accentuate what IS. Maybe use or later eliminate the far, overly dominant part.


We should want to play God less(not that you are but we do), and subtly compliment God more, not only does this save us time (and money on the most expensive wire) but it will just make better trees in the long run.

At the end of a 20 year bonsai sentence, he realized he could have purchased the tree he always saught with the money he wasted on large wire.

#naturemytrunk
#6gaugeisashotgunnotbonsaiwire
#bendersareforalcoholicsnottrunks


Sorce