Rocky Mountain Juniper Cascade; Which Front?

[Dav4]

the pot looks a bit small to me but working on the foliage and reducing it's overall mass would help with that. For some reason the angle of the pot makes the whole design unstable as if the tree is about to fall. Is this your front in which care why did you chose of the corner of the pot facing the viewer?

Manny

This is the front. Are you saying the pot corner as the front makes the design unstable, verses having a side face the front? Never really noticed it, let alone considered it. Something to think about. As far as the canopy goes, I'll be jinning some of the branches that widen the middle of the canopy and pull it to the right.

 

[Smoke]

the pot looks a bit small to me but working on the foliage and reducing it's overall mass would help with that. For some reason the angle of the pot makes the whole design unstable as if the tree is about to fall. Is this your front in which care why did you chose of the corner of the pot facing the viewer?

Manny

Showing a cascade in a square pot, the corner is a good way to add texture to the composition. It also adds some bulk to an otherwise narrow pot. When showing on a stand, the corner of the stand will also add some texture being shown from a corner.

I think the unbalanced nature of the tree/pot combo is just that the pot is way too small for this chunky long necked juniper. This pot is also a little plain and feminine looking compared to the tree. I would think something with a large out turned lip and more mass in the pot area with larger feet will enhance the look of this juniper.

The tree is a nice piece of material, can't wait to see how the canopy is handled.

 

[Dav4]

Thanks, Smoke. I guess I should let you all know that pot is hexagonal...might add some weight to the pot if it was rotated a bit, I suppose.

 

[DaveV]

How about a round pot like this. A more rugged looking pot would look nice with this tree.

 

[Smoke]

I'm also with Tom on showing the lifeline. Tree to the left.


A tree without a lifeline looks ...well....dead.

 

[Dav4]

I'm also with Tom on showing the lifeline. Tree to the left.


A tree without a lifeline looks ...well....dead.

The front that Tom preferred was also my favorite. However, that is not the side with the lifeline...hence, the redo. From the new front, the lifeline is visible in its entirety as it leaves the soil and runs down along the bottom of the trunk. It's quite thin, and I need to finish removing the bark covering it up.

 

[Smoke]

ah... so it's the pinkish part along the bottom. That needs some disambiguation....


did I spell that right?

 

[FourMileMarc]

Nice Juniper. I am thinking a wider hex pot would do it more justice, on a corner. To me it looks unstable in that pot as well.

 

[Dav4]

How about a round pot like this. A more rugged looking pot would look nice with this tree.

That's a Sara Rayner pot, right? I'd love that pot, but I'm wondering if a square pot with the same texture might be better with this tree. Thanks for the post/

 

[Dav4]

Nice Juniper. I am thinking a wider hex pot would do it more justice, on a corner. To me it looks unstable in that pot as well.

Thanks for the post. A wider pot is probably the way to go. The tree can stay in the current pot for a few years...lot's of room for more roots while I search for the right pot.

 

[Charles M]

I think it needs a squarish cascade pot with rounded corners. Feet or a lip may not be necessary if the pot has enough visual mass. I think the simpler the pot's lines, the more it sets off the deadwood. This tree's native environment would be a mountaintop, growing among granite boulders that have been rounded by the wind, and I think somehow the pot should echo that. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Dav4]

Thanks, Charles. I'm considering all my optins here. Thanks for the post.

 

[Dav4]

update

While working the canopy, I decided to change the front slightly, basically rotating the treejust a smidge to the left. I jinned some of the branches, and cleaned up the deadwood and life line a bit. A few weeks ago, Kathy Shaner critiqued the tree during our club meeting. She tweeked the wiring and apex slightly, and then suggested that the tree should actually go into a taller, narrower pot. For what it's worth, I can honestly say the canopy always looks heavier in the pics.

Dave

 

[Dav4]

This tree continues to grow well here in GA though it's foliage is finer and slower in growth then my bigger RMJs. I started wiring it out again in December...almost done. I'm planning to take this to a workshop with Suthin Sulkolvisit (Sp?) and see what he thinks......and yes, that is a 5 gal pickle jar.

 

[Dav4]

I did end up taking this one to Suthin's workshop last year. We chose a slightly different front and planting angle. It was wired out then and left to grow. I lost a few smaller branches on the back due to lack of light, I think (I need to build a taller monkey pole for it to maximize sun exposure for the cascade). It was repotted at a better angle this spring, unwired, and went back to Suthin yeasterday. Uggghhh....lots of wiring yesterday....but it's all good. We decided the deadwood on this side needs some work...I started yesterday but there's alot left to do. The tree isn't quite where I want it, but it get's a little better every year. I'll post pictures of the deadwood reworked when I get to it...next year?

 

[Dav4]

Well, I actually got to work on the deadwood earlier then I thought I would. The first picture is of the deadwood at the upper trunk just after the tree first bends and move downward. Here, using hand tools, I basically split and tore away bits of deadwood to add interest. I finished up with a blow torch to remove splinters and soften the newly created edges. The middle picture shows the work done at the bottom of the trunk where the canopy is. The deadwood was too heavy here and needed to be lightened considerably. This was done mostly with a dremel to remove the bulk of the wood, then followed up with some hand tooling to remove the rather obvious carving marks let by the dremel. I'm still got more work hand tool work here, and the wood hasn't been burnt yet.

 

[Dav4]

A larger Yixing ware cascade pot.....better?

 

[Cadillactaste]

Stacked as you had it back July...it didn't look as big as it does today with the taller pot! I was taken back. I feel it really adds to it's strength and overall appearance.

 

[Dav4]

Out of all the trees I've posted here, this is one that is very hard to photograph. It's also gotten the least amount of love here and I suspect it's mostly due to the crappy pictures. Anyway, I'm glad my neighbors really can't see into my backyard or they'd be wondering why I was draping clean bed sheets on the shrubs planted on the hill in the back...

 

[markyscott]

Out of all the trees I've posted here, this is one that is very hard to photograph. It's also gotten the least amount of love here and I suspect it's mostly due to the crappy pictures. Anyway, I'm glad my neighbors really can't see into my backyard or they'd be wondering why I was draping clean bed sheets on the shrubs planted on the hill in the back...

Changing the pot made a big difference - I think for the better.. It seems much more in proportion with the tree now and doesn't look so unbalanced.

Scott