WNC Bonsai
Masterpiece
Back in 2018 I picked up a Montogomery Colorade Blue Spruce from Bruce Appledorn at his nursery in Bostoc, NC. I repotted it in 2020 and have been allowing it plenty of time to adjust to the new pot and surroundings. Plus it has had a couple of bad years due to late freezes recently. However it has done well this summer so I decided it was time to put on some copper and indulge in a torture session.
Here’s a shot the year it was repotted.
I never have been quite sure of the best way to handle the lowest branch. In this shot I have done some initial pruning and wired the main branches.
I also wanted to try changing the angle to elevate the tree a bit and give me room to drop the branches down some. So I used a chunk of 4”x4” left over from monkey pole construction to experiment.
After a couple of days of wiring and setting the branches into position This is what I came up with. Note I used a couple of guy wires to pull some branches into a new position. This is especially true of the lowest branch which now is in a better position and hopefully will blend in once the tree begins to fill out a bit more. I also hope to get backbudding on the tension side of the branch bends next spring—at any rate that’s what Bjorn says should happen!
Here it is back on its monkey pole. I think I will winter it on the ground and then move it into the new greenhouse once its bud start to swell. These late spring freezes are beginning to create real issues with trees in pots around here.
Here’s a shot the year it was repotted.
I never have been quite sure of the best way to handle the lowest branch. In this shot I have done some initial pruning and wired the main branches.
I also wanted to try changing the angle to elevate the tree a bit and give me room to drop the branches down some. So I used a chunk of 4”x4” left over from monkey pole construction to experiment.
After a couple of days of wiring and setting the branches into position This is what I came up with. Note I used a couple of guy wires to pull some branches into a new position. This is especially true of the lowest branch which now is in a better position and hopefully will blend in once the tree begins to fill out a bit more. I also hope to get backbudding on the tension side of the branch bends next spring—at any rate that’s what Bjorn says should happen!
Here it is back on its monkey pole. I think I will winter it on the ground and then move it into the new greenhouse once its bud start to swell. These late spring freezes are beginning to create real issues with trees in pots around here.
