Shimpaku Juniper #1

[MSU JBoots]

I really like that virt! I've found that as a beginner, it takes me a long while looking at a tree daily to figure out how to style it. Then when it hits me, I can't unsee it. Looks like something similar has happened with this tree for you

Haha my wife thinks I’m nuts when she sees me just out looking at my bonsai benches. The other day I was out there so long she asked me what I was doing. I said “just looking”. She responded with weren’t you supposed to be working out in the basement? Indeed I was but in between sets got distracted by the bonsai.

 

[pandacular]

I think the magic of bonsai is that you are FORCED to just look at your trees a good amount. Success requires attentiveness. There have been a number of mistakes corrected or near disasters averted by just looking closely at my trees.

 

[MSU JBoots]

I had to stay home from work with my son who is sick today but that gave me his nap time to reconsider and work this tree. I took the advice of people here and bent the trunk more then wired the apex back over the base. I also dropped branch down to create another cascading pad. I not sure this is a definitive end design but I like it’s promise much better.

Here’s the virt I quickly created of the end vision.

 

[Deleted member 47471]

I had to stay home from work with my son who is sick today but that gave me his nap time to reconsider and work this tree. I took the advice of people here and bent the trunk more then wired the apex back over the base. I also dropped branch down to create another cascading pad. I not sure this is a definitive end design but I like it’s promise much better.
View attachment 508624
Here’s the virt I quickly created of the end vision.
View attachment 508625

Nice Great idea and am happy for you and your tree

 

[MSU JBoots]

Got inspired to do some work on my trees I have been neglecting. Spare time is limited with a 4 year and 9 month old. This tree needed to be thinned out particularly removing the weak growth. In the process I cut off more than planned and wired out a few more branches. Overall I’m quite pleased where this tree has come from its humble beginnings. Here’s the tree before I started work tonight.

Here’s the updated pic with better defined pads and crown.

This is the current back which I think might ultimately become the front.

The thing I think it’s really missing is some shari. I’m just not ready to go there yet because I don’t want to mess it up and ruin the lifeline up to a primary branch. Also I don’t want it to look forced.

 

[dmwphoto]

tree is coming along very nicely!