your first forrest

[defra]

Hi all!
i made two forrests so far and i find it verry hard to get the trees in the right place

i am curious how your first forrests look like as well the first Times mosthly with a couple mistakes wich we all can Learn from

ill kick off

my first forrest:


it are spruce seedlings i picked up in a forrest

 

[Underdog]

I am getting ready to try my first soon. I have a supply of Norway Spruce waiting. So far only some research and planning has been done.

 

[just.wing.it]

Never tried one yet, I have some ideas tho....

 

[Guy Vitale]

I don't do them often, my first was a disaster because I tried to cram them into a way too small pot, but here are a couple I really am hopefully of. The first is a very small little leaf linden that I assembled from seedlings that grew in my yard, I like the very small compact growth on these trees, they grow ridiculously slow. The second is a very dense 50 + mixed Japanese Maple Forest I put together from my leftover crop I struck from 2010. I got so many seedlings that year that my yard is full of very young maples. This one was quite challenging to assemble and is years away from looking anything close to what I envision. Because it's mixed maples the composition looks very uneasy to the eyes most of the summer, but the fall display is incredible, every possible color seems to be represented. BTW they are shown on the same table top which is 20" round for scale

 

[mattspinniken]

I think the key for a good forest is a good combination of uniformity and variation. Trees should look like they are brothers and sisters as far as bark and they should all have the same general flow. Variation is really important though, nature is not uniform. Variation in distance between trees, height of trees, thickness of trunk etc. Some trees should be basically touching at the base and others far apart.

I learned most of this after I put together my first forest. I love forest plantings though and have a few projects dreamed up.

 

[mattspinniken]

This is my first forest attempt the first tree is about 28'' tall or so, trees are all Larch that I collected from the same area. I think I can improve it by adding some smaller trees and making some trees straighter. It will look alot better after I wire it this coming spring.

 

[aml1014]

This is my first forest attempt the first tree is about 28'' tall or so, trees are all Larch that I collected from the same area. I think I can improve it by adding some smaller trees and making some trees straighter. It will look alot better after I wire it this coming spring.View attachment 125239

Mulberrys sure as hell can grow fast when they get water huh?
Oh, and nice forest!

Aaron

 

[Bolero]

My first forest or grouping started out as Tray Landscapes 5 years ago, creating Shimpaku, Japanese Maple & American Larch...
My Shimpaku's have morphed into Tray Landscapes or Saikei & Penjing...5 to 7 trees each...
My Japanese Maples morphed into Penjing of 17 trees, Ying Rock & Figures of Monks...
My recommendation would be to start with a good sized pot or tray, with tallest tree or trees in the center and just go from there, important to use a larger tray or pot to allow your forest to become larger as you grow into it...
Once started, trim roots to allow close together placement, do not overly prune yet just let the trees grow into the tray or pot for a year or so...
I am posting some pictures of Settings 3 to 5 years old and still Works in Progress...

 

[DougB]

If you are having trouble not with placement but being able to wire them to keep them in place then here is one solution. Before you put the first soil in you create a wire grid. Then tuck the bottom layer of soil in under the grid. Begin placing your trees and wire them to the grid. Add the rest of your soil as usual. Remember to grow and groom you trees (for their place in the forest) for a couple of years before putting them in a forest. Also try doing some Saikei.

 

[coh]

Interesting topic. I got inspired to try some forest/group plantings a few years ago. Bought a bunch of Korean hornbeam and trident maple seedlings and went to work. I found it was much more difficult than I expected to get the trees into interesting positions, and keep them in place. I'd put one where I wanted it, then it would shift when I was trying to place the others. This was with a fair number of wires that I placed through the drain holes to secure trees. Next time I might try using a grid/mesh to hold the trees in place.

Anyway, here is one of the first ones I tried, this planting is Korean Hornbeam and was put together 3 or 4 years ago. Unfortunately I neglected it one summer and the tree on the left grew excessively, so now I'm trying to restrain that one so the others can catch up (the middle trees are supposed to be the largest/thickest). Fortunately I have some other K hornbeam seedlings growing separately, so I can add/switch from this group if needed. That left trunk may well need to be replaced.

First image is the current photo, second is a sketch/virt of a possible future canopy (sloppy photoshopping, sorry ).

 

[ghues]

I think the key for a good forest is a good combination of uniformity and variation. Trees should look like they are brothers and sisters as far as bark and they should all have the same general flow. Variation is really important though, nature is not uniform. Variation in distance between trees, height of trees, thickness of trunk etc. Some trees should be basically touching at the base and others far apart.

I learned most of this after I put together my first forest. I love forest plantings though and have a few projects dreamed up.

Maybe we can also use this thread to review and discuss forest composition theories?!
I fully appreciate and understand that the techniques and formation of the forest you describe....which are to enhance the visual effect. So how about a forest which emphasizes a managed forest, (which is common throughout many parts of the world) where the forest has seen Silvicultural techniques used, i.e. Planted seedlings at specific spacing and as the stand matures it was thinned leaving the final stand with even spacing between individual trees? Anyone got examples of this?
G.

 

[defra]

this is my seccond attempt made out of 9 little conifers i think two different species tough but ill Just wait and see what happens it sure was a good practice!



i think discussing different methods of creating a forrest is great my intention was to create a topic where People post their first attempts and tell what was wrong or right so newbies like myself can read trough topic and learn something out of it

cool to see all those forrests

 

[BobbyLane]

This was my first forest, i started with these three trees, they set the tone for the forest planting, the main tree in the centre, the secondary tree off to the right and third tree far left completes the shape. the main tree and secondary tree were the 'oldest' in this forest...this forest was for the most part, put together with cheap chinese elm, mallsai material, very easy to come by and should any trees die, can easily be replaced..
IMAG3009 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

all the other trees added were somewhat smaller in height and girth...
IMAG3016 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
IMG_6500 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

every good forest should have a 'sweet spot' here is mine, its an area that invites the viewer in, here there's a hint of a path that tapers off into nothing, right between the main and secondary tree..
IMG_7435 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
IMG_7423 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

There may be more paths in there, if you wander around, its good to have some contours, ridges, terracing....you can create this with moss/soil, different levels
IMG_7425 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
IMG_7426 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
IMG_7427 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
IMG_7429 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
IMG_7440 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
4caa9afa-53b2-4d3c-a7eb-5c563c3224d8 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
525751e5-fef1-48af-95ae-9e8c5f59023c by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
afde8308-5923-4e16-84e9-f41ee35291a8 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
f91947bd-5c64-4618-a2f8-d90d03817e51 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
b293cdb3-8787-4233-8afd-198e3360391f by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

There are many different ways to arrange a forest and everyone will have a different view on it...i saw mine as an enchanted, fantasy type of image, fangorn forest springs to mind. there are only 8 trees in the final image, some of the cuttings didnt take, the secondary tree was also fatter than the main, central tree...but it worked for me
The main thing is that you have fun building your forest

 

[Underdog]

i think discussing different methods of creating a forrest is great my intention was to create a topic where People post their first attempts and tell what was wrong or right so newbies like myself can read trough topic and learn something out of it

Great Thread and I am looking forward to learning from it. I already had the grid/screen idea on my plans from watching some videos. Great idea.

 

[sorce]

first forest

Fuckin Spiniken!

Sorce

 

[Bolero]

coh... what a great Korean Hornbeam grouping for a first try, very nice with great future potential...

Here is some Food for Thought FWIW...

I would put a stake into the dirt next to the furthest right and left trees & then wire them to the stake to try to bring them vertical on near vertical, then placing shorter trees, vertically, at the furthest right & left to arrive at your Classic Triangle look, some Pruning would also be appropriate.

Love your Hornbeams do you have a picture in Foilage ???

I would not worry about the tree with the fattest trunk not being in the center of the grouping, actually it adds a visual dimension, a shorter and just as fat tree next to it would give it purpose & original intention.

 

[Underdog]

This was my first forest, i started with these three trees

Nice Bobby. Did you use "muck" around the edges or how do you keep the soil on the slab?

 

[BobbyLane]

Nice Bobby. Did you use "muck" around the edges or how do you keep the soil on the slab?

Hi Underdog, no i didnt use any muck, but i use quite a bit of organics in my mix, i found this helped keep everything together, along with the mossing around the edges. my soil mix for this forest also contained chopped spaggy moss.

I did another with cork bark elms, more of a grove...

 

[Bolero]

Bobby Lane... Your Chinese Elm grouping is Marvelous, you are a Pro...
I especially like the thickness variations & movement in the tree trunks and the exciting ground cover movement which makes one's imagination run wild when viewing...you are a very good Bonsai Landscaper, Applause, Applause....

 

[BobbyLane]

Bobby Lane... Your Chinese Elm grouping is Marvelous, you are a Pro...
I especially like the thickness variations & movement in the tree trunks and the exciting ground cover movement which makes one's imagination run wild when viewing...you are a very good Bonsai Landscaper, Applause, Applause....

Thanks buddy and likewise, your work shows great intricasy and attention to detail, wonderful colours, the larch forest with the fallen tree is very convincing.