Live Oaks and Boxwoods

Thanks Khaimraj. I don't know if all of that is deserved, but I'll take it!

Russell,
Wonderful trees!! The old trunks with detail wired tops have such a peaceful image. Too many people just shear Boxwoods into a silhouet to maintain the shape, but like you show here with thinning the foliage and opening it up (and paying attention to the branch structure), they can have a COMPLELETLY different look. Even detractors to Boxwoods would have to admire these! Lovely!

I wasn't sure about the red pot, but kept looking at it. The shape and size seem too small to my eye for the illusion of a expansive live oak. The red against the leaf green though.. I probably would never have made that choice, but it pops! Did you have a Ginkgo in this pot at the New Orleans convention in 09?

JMcCoy wrote: Too many people just shear Boxwoods into a silhouet to maintain the shape, but like you show here with thinning the foliage and opening it up (and paying attention to the branch structure), they can have a COMPLELETLY different look.

Thanks Joey.

I like the comment above, and that's exactly how I see it - Bonsai is refinement - at least to me. I ended up in a, well lets say "disaggreement", with a "teacher" a while back over a yaupon. Structureless masses of clipped foliage are topiary, not bonsai to me. Sorry.

Yep, that's the pot the ginkgo was in. It's now in a pot Jim Barrett made for me in '85 ("Ginkgo Weirdness" is that topic here). I have to admit I was surprised how this tree turned out - not nearly as "live oakey" as the other, and I started looking at my pot options. Everthing else I have seemed so clunky, I liked the lighter feel and uplift of this pot so I thought I'd give it a shot. Trust me, if I ever come up with a killer white wisteria, sasanqua or cameillia the boxwood will go into something else!

R

looks as a guy trying to hold something!... i love it!!!! congrats!v

I thought this was unusual. This is a thirty-foot run of live Oak branches, twisted about each other. It is from Clif Pottberg's place nearPlant City, FL.

Inspired by Russell
Before


After

Nice one Bob, gotta love them old boxwoods!


Mitch

Bob, that's a nice boxwood! IF it's possible (and that's a big IF) I'd try to but some more movement in those branches. Up/down, side to side, and maybe droop the ends a little. Either way, it looks good!

Was it nursery stock or collected?

R

Thanks for the suggestion. I can get some more movement in the smaller branches but the primary branches are pretty hard. This was old 15 gallon nursery stock that was hidden in the back when I bought the nursery 15 years ago. There were a couple of others as well that I've recently worked on.

One of the others

Russell Coker wrote:

Hey Russell,

Check out this picture. Same pot? A lot of amazing pictures on this blog. I didn't take the picture so I didn't want to post it on here absent mindedly.

http://japanesepots.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/20121023-094859.jpg

Have a great week!!!
Sam

Nice catch!

Yep, same pot. He had the two, this red and the blue in the back of that pic on the left. I told him he shouldn't have two in his collection and he should sell one to me. He asked which and I said the red one. He wanted to know what I was going to put in it. I said a sasanqua or a lady banks rose. Later he gave it to me!

R

Russell Coker wrote:Nice catch!

Yep, same pot. He had the two, this red and the blue in the back of that pic on the left. I told him he shouldn't have two in his collection and he should sell one to me. He asked which and I said the red one. He wanted to know what I was going to put in it. I said a sasanqua or a lady banks rose. Later he gave it to me!

R

What a story!!! With a smiling face, I say the same to thee. One shouldn't have this many awesome boxwoods in their backyard. When you're ready maybe you can sell me this guy. You can keep the pot though. I wouldn't want to part with that pot if it was in my collection.

I have some dear friends in Huntsville. If I ever make it there, I'll have no choice but to drive the 6 hours and come see you. My azaleas are doing AMAZING by the way. I can't wait to see the flowers next year.

Have a great weekend!!!
Sam

Russell,
Just saw the beautiful boxwood you styled into a live oak. (I've seen the Angel Oak outside Charleston SC several times as well as the other live oaks that populate that beautiful city. I live near Greenville,SC). You mentioned it is a Japanese boxwood. I've seen several types, one being ilex crenata which I believe is also known as a Japanese holly. Also I've heard of a kingsville boxwood. I want to attempt what you have done so I would want to try to get the best type boxwood to attempt itl Could you share with me the type of Japanese boxwood you had such success with? I would be most grateful.
Thanks
David Stroud

Hey David.

Don't waste time with Ilex crenata. These are Buxus microphylla, common old Japanese boxwoods you should find everywhere. Colder climate use B. sempervirens, but I don't think they look like these.

R

Hello, i think the pot is adapted for bunjing style, i prefer that one, and , cutting a big branche on the left will give a direction to your tree .
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I doubt you'd do that if you saw it in person.

yes, off course, i respect your choice , it's just a study on photographies, but , for me, i think yhat the in the second photographie , your tree is better than in the first , your tree is less "static" .

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Are you familiar with our live oaks? If half of this tree dies I'll consider your plan.

Russell,
I found one nursery with an American boxwood. Would this work well to style as a live oak? They are checking on the availability of a kingsville in a size that would work. But in case they can't get one I wondered if the American boxwood might work.
Thanks
David Stroud
Greenville SC area

Russell,
I made an error, it is an English Boxwood this nursery has, not American as I stated. I double checked & found this mistake in describing what was available.
Thanks
David

Russell Coker wrote:


Are you familiar with our live oaks? If half of this tree dies I'll consider your plan.

There are only two things this tree is missing...maybe. A large branch down to almost touching the ground and adding the image below to the base.

http://www.artisanmetalshop.com/item_images/494fc0c1d379e0d043a9a9dd52464bf8_standing%20cowboy213.jpg

Just my 2 penneth!!!
Sam

I'm so upset to learn that box is dead. I saved a pic of it to serve as inspiration for a box I collected last spring. That's was one of the better boxwoods I'd seen. If the foliage had filled out on it, it would have been a stunner.

I'll try to post a pic of the one I'm working on here shortly. I'm really starting to like it, it just needs to fill out.

Russell Coker wrote:
Thanks guys.

Ryan, I'm not sure who came up with "live oak style" but Joe was definitely the first to start talking about it seriously in our area. Several years ago he did a great program for or Day of Bonsai, breaking down different catagories using examples around town and how to use those as bonsai. We should probably revisit that.

I'm still sick over losing this one...

Russell Coker wrote:
Thanks guys.

Ryan, I'm not sure who came up with "live oak style" but Joe was definitely the first to start talking about it seriously in our area. Several years ago he did a great program for or Day of Bonsai, breaking down different catagories using examples around town and how to use those as bonsai. We should probably revisit that.

I'm still sick over losing this one...

Hi Russel,
I'm late to the party with this post. I have 4 good sized boxwoods that I dug about two months ago. They are putting out tons of new growth already. I plan on using this picture (and others you have posted) as inspiration.
Thanx

I am so sorry that this one was lost. I really think you did a great job. One of my favorite boxwoods ever.
Tona

russell i've always loved those style of trees. time to time while at work i think if i lived down south how i would approach designing and executing the tree and too top the tree off i would add hanging spanish moss love to see these trees as the years go by they will get better and better