Juniperus Communis

I was just wondering, there is alot those around here. Almost everywhere really. I like them, because they have short needles, and have a kind of "scare" for me, cause when I was little I thought they were full of tics.
I'd like to make some bonsai out of them, and could get as many as I want, but how should you do that..?
I assume I cant just trunk-cut it and then expect it to get some backbudding? Does it backbud at all, when you remove 90% of it?
All those I have seen, either have 1 cm thick trunks or have 5 cm and many metres high..
Not easy to dig one up from a mountain crack and put it into a pot when its that big..

Also: I've seen a nice pinus I would like to get, but I have to do some climbing to get to it, and its in one of these cracks aswell. How much of the roots do I have to get? Im not sure If I can get much at all..

You'll find that people in different parts of Europe have different experiences with J communis. I find them close to impossible to collect succesfully. I've tried several and they all failed. These were growing on limestone. I have heard others say that if they are growing in acid soils, they are easier to collect.

Taking cuttings in July they rooted easily, but these are very slow to thicken.

There are some very dramatic old windswept ones near to where I live, but thankfully these cannot be collected as the area is a nature reserve. Great models to study though.

Take some photos. Show us what you've found. Junipers grow in the north of England but the survival rate is very poor. The rest of europe seem to have no trouble with their varieties.

this is a "cumbrian juniper" protected of course , it is growing in a thin soil (3" - 4" deep) on a river bank
there is a lot of rain in this area but this side of the valley is never "wet". the new junipers that have been planted in this area are healthy and growing well


this tree is on the opposite side of the river and is growing in sodden peat at the edge of a rock field
the seedlings on this side are stunted and hardly growing but they are surviving . i have two seedlings from a regeneration programme and one is kept in open and well draining and the other peat and grit and both are growing roughly the same , they are about five years old now and approx 3/4" diameter trunk

WOW!!!! They look fantastic just where they are.

Very nice indeed. Those I have seen are mostly bush-like.
But how is it with backbudding? Can I cut those I find down, and expect them to get some new shoots?

will baddeley wrote:WOW!!!! They look fantastic just where they are.

that would be telling , speaking to one of the bods that knows they are a sub species of common juniper that is unique to this area.
i just thought this picture would show the scale of the junipers

Holy Smokes!

1400 Bonsai enthusiasts just went apoplectic.

I wouldn't be sharing the location of that hillside anytime soon!

Jay

I'll race you there Jay!

I'm up for it. My toes might end up a little wrinkly after the swim across the pond!

Where I live I can't even find a good hill, never mind one covered in trees begging to be bonsai!

Jay

I did'nt ask where are they, I said fantastic where they are[ left alone]

I understand what you're saying, Will, but that isn't nearly as funny as where we're going with it!

The American version is variety depressa. It is a spreading shrub, not a tree. Not much used for bonsai. They say it doesn't tolerate container growing too well. I found a spot 12 years ago, between Watertown and Sackett's Harbor (Lake Ontario), where they were growing on a limestone bedrock, very shallow soil. I couldn't collect the big interesting ones, but I got several juveniles. I put three in my foundation planting, where they have done very well with occasional shearing. There is one extra one on the side of the house. The trunk base is beginning to look sort of like bonsai material. I had the gardener root prune it. Next spring I may dig & pot it up. For the price, I can afford to experiment.
Iris