Orientation ?

Hi everone!
Well I have what I think is a odd question! At my last home I had a small bonsai area to which I payed little attention to how or where I located my bonsai benches. There my biggest problem was relentless wind and unforgiving blazing dusk to dawn in blocked sunlite. Shade was the premium! Some how I endured and was able to keep a small variety of bonsai!

That was then this is now, we have relocated to a much larger piece of property of which about 60% under shade of several large Live & Red Oaks. The property is rectangular shaped laid out on the long side north and south. There is a large area that has no trees and the sunlite can come in mostly uninterrupted for at least 6hrs a day.

Now here is my dilmia, how should I orient my bonsai benches, north and south, east and west, or it doesn't really matter! Any toughts or am I making a mountain out of a mole hill?

Thanks Mitch

Hi Mitch,

I believe orientation is very important and usually overlooked or ignored by many growers. As you have already found actual bench conditions in a relatively small area can vary hugely due to wind, sun, shade, reflected heat & light from walls etc and I find the varied trees in the average collection will thrive or sulk in different positions.

I have set up a rectangle of benches, one facing each way, one side backed by a white wall, one side backed by a black fence and two sides open. This gives me the exposed sections that the pines and junipers prefer and then an increase is shelter and wind protection for the deciduous. The trees on the exposed benches are not ever turned, the benches backed by walls etc have the trees turned very occasionally to stop main branches bending forward.

For the first few months it was a case of experimenting with position - the trees show you easily where they are happy as you can see strong growth and gauge the water they need -trees that stay wet or grow long internode expensions are too sheltered.Once the tree is in its place i leave them there so they can get used to the path of the sun, predominant winds etc - Constant moving and fiddling about is avoided - they are trees and naturally thrive all their lives in a fixed position. It is amazing how some of the sensitive trees hate being moved - foliage colour can change the shade of green looking 'dull' and growth will slow until they settle again.

The species you have will dictate how much sheltered and how much exposed bench space you need, but i'd try and build a bit of both.

cheers Marcus

Marcus
Thanks so much for your reply and free flowing information! I kinda wanted to build a actual bonsai garden with benches on the perimeter like you are discribing. I deffinately like how you are discribing how you distribute different species according to thier individual needs. Thanks so much for the info, in all of my reading and reasearch I have never found any criteria on this subject! So again thanks!

Mitch