Problems with a branch. Juniperus Virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar)

[Dav4]

If I had an Eastern red Cedar with a good trunk, I wouldn’t hesitate to work with it… But I would absolutely graft better foliage on it as I hate ratty looking foliage And I hate ratty looking foliage with great big orange globs of cedar apple rust even more.

 

[Shogun610]

...and yet, they do exist. Not my tree or photo but this one is at the North Carolina National Arboretum:

View attachment 388683

I have one I've been working on for ten years. Soon, it will be for sale and probably bring a pittance because of what it is.

“No stop ” “ERC doesn’t work as a bonsai okay!!??, stop it’s supposed to have negative characteristics”

 

[Paradox]

Wow I completely missed this entire thread until some one dredged it out of the gutter...lol

 

[August44]

This Artao guy...on the count of three, let's everybody put this guy on ignore!

Excuse...I didn't realize this was a 100 year old post

 

[Forsoothe!]

...and yet, they do exist. Not my tree or photo but this one is at the North Carolina National Arboretum:

View attachment 388683

I have one I've been working on for ten years. Soon, it will be for sale and probably bring a pittance because of what it is.

So, show us this critter, ten years in the making...

 

[Vin]

So, show us this critter, ten years in the making...

It's not worthy. I've just about given up taking progression photos. I'll see if I can get a current photo this weekend if you're really that interested.

 

[Vin]

If I had an Eastern red Cedar with a good trunk, I wouldn’t hesitate to work with it… But I would absolutely graft better foliage on it as I hate ratty looking foliage And I hate ratty looking foliage with great big orange globs of cedar apple rust even more.

I've thought about grafting but I kind of like the sparse ratty foliage though I wish it was a bit tighter.

 

[augustine]

R2,

just show us how it progresses. Maybe you know more than the collective 1000 +years of experience of members of Bonsainut. Money talks…

 

[Silentrunning]

I have a couple of old bonsai book from the 1970s when bonsai was in its infancy in the U.S. Both books have examples of ERC bonsai. It would seem at one point they didn’t have the negative reputation they have today.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I have a couple of old bonsai book from the 1970s when bonsai was in its infancy in the U.S. Both books have examples of ERC bonsai. It would seem at one point they didn’t have the negative reputation they have today.

The proof is always in the pudding. There are pictures, and there are pictures that show enough detail to draw conclusions. ERC are not regarded poorly for nothing, they are very uncooperative and we all try to work with them anyway. Any that do make it to some semblance of show-worthiness are admired a little extra because of that. Want some extra respect? You know what to do.

 

[Vance Wood]

The only grower that I know of who has worked with one successfully is Vance Hanna, he used one collected from the fields of Iowa. It seems that there are regional differences in the species and the god ones seem to come from Iowa. It's a lot loke the Shimpaku Juniper and the Sargents Juniper. The Sargents Juniper makes terribel bonsai and the Simpakus make excelet bonsai even though they are the same species.

 

[TN_Jim]

some primary wiring

lanky foliage is tighter than some bald cypress about..

 

[TN_Jim]

…

 

[TN_Jim]

make it witchy

 

[Forsoothe!]

I rest my case.

 

[Shogun610]

Duhh. Totally forgot I had an example of ERC I worked on. It was originally designed with Taiga Urushibata. January I brushed the wood,peeled away some flaky bark and did some trimming. In March it was potted in a bonsai container. It’s doing well this summer , foliage pad is condensing ,I’ll have to snag a pic when I’m at the studio later this week.

 

[rockm]

I have a couple of old bonsai book from the 1970s when bonsai was in its infancy in the U.S. Both books have examples of ERC bonsai. It would seem at one point they didn’t have the negative reputation they have today.

HAhahahahahaha. I have those books too. Have had them since the 1980's...Sorry, but yeah, the negative reputation wasn't in them because it was BEING EARNED at the time. Those growers DISCOVERED ERC aren't worth the trouble for the most part. If they were, wouldn't there be a lot of older examples of ERC bonsai, besides the middling handful of examples that crop up in posts on ERC? There were also alot of Sheep Laurel and other species named as "good material" in some of those books. They're not used much either.

In contrast, species such as sugarberry, cedar elm, hornbeam that also crop up in early books are pretty common now as bonsai material. Don't have to look very far to find SPECTACULAR specimens of all of those...there's a reason for that...they work. Collectable ERC is a bitch to find and a chore to work on, with usually less than stellar results...

 

[Forsoothe!]

Duhh. Totally forgot I had an example of ERC I worked on. It was originally designed with Taiga Urushibata. January I brushed the wood,peeled away some flaky bark and did some trimming. In March it was potted in a bonsai container. It’s doing well this summer , foliage pad is condensing ,I’ll have to snag a pic when I’m at the studio later this week.

Is there something wrong with my monitor? That tree looks a little bit off-color. That is, unless it's been dead a long time.

 

[Shogun610]

Is there something wrong with my monitor? That tree looks a little bit off-color. That is, unless it's been dead a long time.

Why would I be working on a dead tree dude.The foliage was in winter color , it changes to green during growing season. You do know juniper foliage color changes during dormancy right?

 

[Forsoothe!]

Why would I be working on a dead tree dude.The foliage was in winter color , it changes to green during growing season. You do know juniper foliage color changes during dormancy right?

Mine go towards purple/blue in winter. I had some dead ones go to straw brown!