The Literati/Bunjin Thread

[Dragon60]

A while back my plant app told me that this is a Black Sea Holly but now the same app tells me that it is an American holly. I checked with a different plant app and it also says American holly so I guess this is now an American holly.

 

[Dragon60]

My Chinese privet. I collected this a few years ago. 46 in tall.

 

[jandslegate]

Spartan Juniper. Still a lot to dial in and I would like to be able to push the branches more down and inward but it's a start. I'll also update the progression thread for it with more info.

 

[Dragon60]

Red Maple 17 inches tall from an air layered branch a few years ago.

 

[jandslegate]

Really nice when something cool is done with a maple. Gives me hope for the droves of them I have collected, . Also, that pot is pretty rad.

 

[baron]

A kaki diospyros I got at the last Trophy from some german vendor. I couldn't resist.
Still need quite some work and a better pot, but I have faith (and time)

 

[Abhishek Dasgupta]

Amur maple Been trained in ground for 5 years now . May be next year will see a bonsai pot if I can find an original nanban .

Thanks to a higher power aka deer for defoliation once a year or twice , leaf sizes are as small as tridents or even smaller .

Standing 3.5-4 feet tall with a 2 inch base and a glaring nibari under soil .

 

[Underdog]

TX cedar elm got a trim.

 

[TN_Jim]

this here thread has merit

 

[Dragon60]

Collected this red oak about 2 1/2 years ago. Wasn't sure if it would make it but it's still hanging around. 14 inches tall.

 

[john blanch]

This is a chamaecyparis I dug and potted a while back and now trying the literati style. I'm not sure how to handle the deadwood. I'm thinking of carving it down leaving what will seem to be the ragged remnants of some catastrophe in its early life. Or should I remove it all and disguise it so it becomes unnoticeable?



I've spent a lot of time with chamaecyparis boulevard so I expect to develop the foliage pads quite well on this so I'm leaving them for now. Any idea what the cultivar is?
All help and comments welcome.

 

[Vincent Tanner]

I just styled this nursery stock Elephant Tree, Operculicarya decaryi.

Is this on track for literati?

 

[john blanch]

Looks on track to me.a nice little round pot would set it off really well.

Now, can anyone help me?

 

[john blanch]

Maybe the dead piece can reflect the curve of the extending 2nd part of the trunk?

 

[Potawatomi13]

What dead part? What 2nd part of trunk?

 

[RJG2]

Looks on track to me.a nice little round pot would set it off really well.

Now, can anyone help me?

Maybe the dead piece can reflect the curve of the extending 2nd part of the trunk?

This is a photo-per-post thread. Please start a separate thread for your tree and questions.

I don't have any literati (yet), but here's a sparse rhododendron I'm working on...

 

[Esolin]

Maybe the dead piece can reflect the curve of the extending 2nd part of the trunk?

I see the pic you're refering to. Nice tree. In my humble opinion, the dead wood should be reduced some. A lot of the lower jins are straight and spikey, while the upper trunk is very curvy. Doesn't quite jive to me, but it's your tree. Have you tried sketching it with the changes you're thinking about making? I find this is often helpful. It lets you 'try things' before you actually make changes and find the look you really want. If you're bad at drawing, you can also take a picture and edit it with a drawing program to erase branches or dead wood and see how it will look.

 

[chicago1980]

Collected this red oak about 2 1/2 years ago. View attachment 499737View attachment 499738View attachment 499739Wasn't sure if it would make it but it's still hanging around. 14 inches tall.

I truly enjoy this bonsai

 

[Bonsai Forest]

Mission Accomplished! Thanks Brian.

Englemann spruce. Collected last year and healthy as a horse. It’ll receive its first treatment next spring. The trick will be removing just enough foliage to strike the right balance. It’s tall. Like 40” tall.
The surface root on this tree is so cool. View attachment 253167g
View attachment 253168View attachment 253169

I even like your artwork (am sharing mine because I have to post something). I know mine is not good lol

 

[AshleyMammal]

Collected this red oak about 2 1/2 years ago. View attachment 499737View attachment 499738View attachment 499739Wasn't sure if it would make it but it's still hanging around. 14 inches tall.

1) @Dragon60 I LOVE this one, so simple and elegant.

2) @john blanch in my humble opinion your tree currently looks like two trees, a chunky sumo base and an elegant bunjin top. I don't know exactly how easy it is to graft and layer Cypress but by all accounts it is possible - I'd graft some foliage low down on the thick trunk and airlayer the top, eventually getting two trees (at the opposing ends of the bonsai spectrum!).

3) I wasn't quite ready to post the below, but as we're chastised for not posting photos in this thread; here's a tiny literati San Jose Juniper I've been working on for a few years now. Still mucho work to the top to be done: