Multiple species forest?

[macdad]

A birch species maybe?

That would be my guess.

 

[GrimLore]

Very nice. If I remember correctly these are actually called Saike. I love them and it is good to see the mixture of species.

Saikei (栽景?) literally translates as "planted landscape" and applies to any Forest planting mixed or not. Just my 2 cents

Grimmy

 

[Vance Wood]

Saikei (栽景?) literally translates as "planted landscape" and applies to any Forest planting mixed or not. Just my 2 cents

Grimmy

That means between the two of us we have four cents.LOL

 

[Cypress]

So, this is more or less the idea that I was toying with when I posted this thread:

A conifer forest. I decided to sort of arrange them today to get a mental image of what I could do. Three spruce on the left, they're all Picea glauca as far as I know, the tallest one is in question but it was labeled as glauca. I'm just assuming it's a different cultivar with somewhat larger needles, for now. Then all the way to the right are two Hinoki Cypress, a Shimpaku Juni in the middle, then a little juni procumbens nana down front. I stacked some books under some of the pots to get the stratified look of a rock planting. This is by no means what the final arrangement would be, just a brainstorming excercise, and I may attempt it without a rock on a flatter plane. The trees themselves are nothing special right now, all I've done to each of them was a preliminary pruning when I first got them this past season, no wiring or anything yet.

Anyway, I'd like to get anyones input on this idea. Any reasons these species should not be planted together? It's definitely ambitious.

 

[Cypress]

Though I think maybe swap out the procumbens for another Hinoki. I just kinda stuck it in there to get an odd number and it's scale almost lends itself to the appearance of a shrub, which is interesting. But it's bright foliage color starkly contrasts most the other trees and I think draws your eye away from them to the nana, the least impressive plant of the design.

 

[CHUCHIN]

I'm just curious if anyone on here has ever tried to put together a forest planting with 2 or 3+ different species of trees? Or has anyone seen decent examples of this being done? As actual forests have mixed species it occurred to me this could be really interesting if done right. Species paired together would have to have similar aspects, especially in foliage size, to maintain the proportional image of a forest. And of course different care requirements for different species. When I first got into bonsai I picked up a couple alberta spruce 'conica' like so many of us newbies do. "Oh hey these already look like little trees, score!". Haha, but I can't see these going anywhere as individual bonsai, so may try for a forest planting. I have another spruce species larger than the little cones and was musing about incorporating all of them in a forest together. I'll have to check on what species that is, I have it written down at home but I'm on vacation right now.

But I'm interested in the concept of multiple species forest for any number of species if anyone knows of any decent examples. Thanks and happy new year!
-Mike

Great idea...I've seen this before and it's pretty functional mimics nature

 

[jkd2572]

I recently got 5 over grown kingsville boxwoods. I'm taking the cuttings as I style them and planting them around my 5 ft bald cypress. Also going to try this this summer when I trim my satsuki azalea.

 

[Cypress]

I recently got 5 over grown kingsville boxwoods. I'm taking the cuttings as I style them and planting them around my 5 ft bald cypress. Also going to try this this summer when I trim my satsuki azalea.

Very cool! Would love to see that. I was thinking about doing a boxwood forest as well.

 

[bonsaiBlake]

After im able to maintain a few trees for a few years i have a plan to sneak onto the property i grew up on, in the foothills of the casacades(east of vancouver,wa) and collect a bunch of cuttings of the trees i remember climbing as a kid. ( i know the new owners so there really wont be much sneaking) There's vine maple, western cedar, sitka spruce, western hemlock, douglas fir ect
And basically attemp to create a living photograph of my home woods. Since most of these species do well as individual bonsai and coexist in nature hopefully it will work. Does anyone know if raspberries or sword ferns can be ruduced foliage wise?

 

[bonsaiBlake]

So, this is more or less the idea that I was toying with when I posted this thread:
View attachment 47230
A conifer forest. I decided to sort of arrange them today to get a mental image of what I could do. Three spruce on the left, they're all Picea glauca as far as I know, the tallest one is in question but it was labeled as glauca. I'm just assuming it's a different cultivar with somewhat larger needles, for now. Then all the way to the right are two Hinoki Cypress, a Shimpaku Juni in the middle, then a little juni procumbens nana down front. I stacked some books under some of the pots to get the stratified look of a rock planting. This is by no means what the final arrangement would be, just a brainstorming excercise, and I may attempt it without a rock on a flatter plane. The trees themselves are nothing special right now, all I've done to each of them was a preliminary pruning when I first got them this past season, no wiring or anything yet.

Anyway, I'd like to get anyones input on this idea. Any reasons these species should not be planted together? It's definitely ambitious.

Any updates on this planting?

 

[Cypress]

After im able to maintain a few trees for a few years i have a plan to sneak onto the property i grew up on, in the foothills of the casacades(east of vancouver,wa) and collect a bunch of cuttings of the trees i remember climbing as a kid. ( i know the new owners so there really wont be much sneaking) There's vine maple, western cedar, sitka spruce, western hemlock, douglas fir ect
And basically attemp to create a living photograph of my home woods. Since most of these species do well as individual bonsai and coexist in nature hopefully it will work. Does anyone know if raspberries or sword ferns can be ruduced foliage wise?

Errrm, you're not going to get a fern to respond to bonsai culture like that... they simply do not behave like a woody shrub or tree. If you want a small fern you will have to find a small fern variety/species.

Also, on my planting, I'm not bother with it... it was more or less random trees that i had and was trying to figure out what to do with them. I think I should have a better reason than that to do an ambitious project. I would like to do something like it in the future, but put more thought into the species being used.

 

[Bunjeh]

Multiple Species

I have been contemplating this myself. I like to bring that which I see in nature into my works and, frankly, single trees are not my forte. This weekend I found a vacant lot about to be bulldozed to build a parking lot. The lot was covered with seedlings. The owners told me I could take what I wanted so I grabbed a "butt load" of Douglas Firs, Birch, Alder, Lodgepole Pine and a couple Witch Hazel. Planning on recreating a forest scene in a concrete pot I recently made. I'll post a picture.

 

[bonsaiBlake]

I have been contemplating this myself. I like to bring that which I see in nature into my works and, frankly, single trees are not my forte. This weekend I found a vacant lot about to be bulldozed to build a parking lot. The lot was covered with seedlings. The owners told me I could take what I wanted so I grabbed a "butt load" of Douglas Firs, Birch, Alder, Lodgepole Pine and a couple Witch Hazel. Planning on recreating a forest scene in a concrete pot I recently made. I'll post a picture.

Awesome I look foreward to seeing it. What part of the state are you in?

 

[Bunjeh]

OK,..so here it is.

I made this pot from concrete for the expressed purpose of attempting a multi-species. I have included some seedling douglas fir, birch, and hazel. Right now I think it just looks like a diorama. Meh,..let's give it a couple of years and see what develops.

 

[Bunjeh]

Awesome I look foreward to seeing it. What part of the state are you in?

Dupont. About a mile from Puget Sound in Pierce County.

 

[Bunjeh]

Errrm, you're not going to get a fern to respond to bonsai culture like that... they simply do not behave like a woody shrub or tree. If you want a small fern you will have to find a small fern variety/species.

Also, on my planting, I'm not bother with it... it was more or less random trees that i had and was trying to figure out what to do with them. I think I should have a better reason than that to do an ambitious project. I would like to do something like it in the future, but put more thought into the species being used.

See my post. Near the coast you can find holly ferns which never gets over 4-6" tall. See this link: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1709/#b