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American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum

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American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Empty Re: American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum

Post  augustine Thu Nov 19, 2015 3:34 pm

Arthur,

Thank you for the beautiful photos. Yushimura Island is one of my favorite bonsai in the country. (Funny some of your American Hornbeams are still green and my autumn foliage is way past prime and dropping.)

I appreciate your many contributions to the bonsai community. This thread is very educational and entertaining.

I too am glad that the Artisan's Cup was a success and best of luck to the Neil family. Being a bonsai hobbyist I cannot help but feel that the whole Cup thing seems very elitist. It seems like it takes alot of money to be in that group. I bet many others are like me and while wanting to improve their skills have no desire to spend mega-bucks for instruction and materials. (Heck, I can't even lift one of those trees.)

I remember an old saying that goes something like "always go home with the one that took you to the dance." There are many that have been sacrificing and working hard for the bonsai community for many years. And most of these are people that offer their goods and services for reasonable prices and in some cases no cost at all. (Arthur is one of these people as well as Walter and our friend William N. Valavanis.)

Just sayin'. With the exception of Michael Hagedorn's excellent blog, the bonsai movement in the Pacific Northwest isn't going benefit all of us. And I don't go for this "defining American Bonsai" thing. There's nothing new under the sun. Dan Robinson and Kimura have been doing the same thing for years, not to take anything away from Ryan Neil who is a very talented bonsai artist. Styles, art or craft or hobby, etc. are all a matter of semantics in my view. Call it what you will.

I fully agree with Arthur, bonsai should be accessible and promote community, cooperation, enjoyment. Oh, and let's not forget about the National Exhibitions put on by William N. Valavanis and his folks.

Best,

Augustine

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Post  Kevin S - Wisco Bonsai Thu Nov 19, 2015 6:13 pm

AJ - this is one damn sultry tree !!!

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 K10

in its autumnal state of near undress
and glistening in the rain - it is no less

like the allure of a woman in the midst of a dance
the undulations beseech, for more than a glance


sorry Embarassed
couldn't help myself
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Post  MichaelS Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:36 pm

[quote="beer city snake"]AJ - this is one damn sultry tree !!!



in its autumnal state of near undress
and glistening in the rain - it is no less

like the allure of a woman in the midst of a dance
the undulations beseech, for more than a glance


You beast! tongue

My favorite too..

MichaelS
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Post  Kevin S - Wisco Bonsai Fri Nov 20, 2015 12:30 pm

MichaelS wrote:You beast!  tongue

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Wolf11
(good ol' tex avery)
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Post  jgeanangel Sat Nov 21, 2015 1:21 am

beer city snake wrote:AJ - this is one damn sultry tree !!!

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 K10

in its autumnal state of near undress
and glistening in the rain - it is no less

like the allure of a woman in the midst of a dance
the undulations beseech, for more than a glance


sorry Embarassed
couldn't help myself

Kev
Carolina Hornbeam about 18-20" tall....not as large as it appears to me in the photo
i think it is in a S. Raynor pot??
it was part of the arboretum's display during the 2012 Nationals.

Arthur... nice rainy day photos! I hope you feel a strong sense of pride and accomplishment in how you have developed and grown the arboretum's collection!

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Post  Kevin S - Wisco Bonsai Mon Nov 23, 2015 12:33 pm

jgeanangel wrote:
Kev
Carolina Hornbeam about 18-20" tall....not as large as it appears to me in the photo
i think it is in a S. Raynor pot??  
it was part of the arboretum's display during the 2012 Nationals.

thanks john... i believe that the petite stature makes her even more appealing...
i am probably seen her in person, but while being overwhelmed by the gardens at the same time...
but seeing her on her own is quite different.
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American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Empty Another Round of Belated Autumn Foliage Pictures

Post  Arthur Joura Wed Nov 25, 2015 10:37 pm

Thanks to Dan, Michael and John for reading and posting kind comments. Augustine, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I am a proponent of the "Big Tent" approach to bonsai - as in, bonsai is a big tent and there is plenty of room for all kinds of ideas under the shelter of its cover. I think I see the influence of money coming more and more into the picture in the way some are attempting to steer the course of bonsai, at least in the US, and I recognize there is an upside to this. There is also a downside to it. I am not personally interested in looking at bonsai in a money-oriented light, but it is all the same to me if others want to pursue it in that way. There is room enough for them and me and everyone else under the big tent.

Kev, my friend, I am beginning to understand the "snake" part of your on-screen moniker. Now I will have to keep a closer eye on you whenever you are around my plants. I am glad you enjoyed, in your own particular way, the American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) whose image I posted. Perhaps you would like to see picture of *her* back side?

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9410

Yowsa! Actually, that is a close up of the trunk-chop scar made when I first started working on this specimen back in 1993. It serves as a reminder that although American hornbeam is one of the best North American species for bonsai use, one of its drawbacks is how long it takes the tree to cover over wounds with callous material. That cut was probably about 1.5" (3.81cm) in diameter when it was made, and after 22 years it still has not completely covered over.

What follows are a few more images, sans rain, of deciduous trees showing off in the NC Arboretum's bonsai garden about 3 weeks ago. The color show is over now, and the plants are all put up for the winter.

Trident Maple (Acer buergerianum):

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9310

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba):

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9311

Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum):

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9312

Tamarack (Larix laricina):

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9411

Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia):

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9414

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) and Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis):

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9316

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia):

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9314

Chinese Quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) with its 2 ripe, pendulous, rounded fruits hanging brazenly in the open breeze (Kev? Kev???):

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9415

And finally, Natchez Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia X 'Natchez'):

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9315

The above tree was used for the 2015 Carolina Bonsai Expo logo. It did not happen until 2 weeks after the Expo was over, but it did indeed turn as red as the way the logo showed it!

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 2015_e10
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Post  Khaimraj Seepersad Thu Nov 26, 2015 9:52 am

Very Attractive Arthur !!
Thanks
Khaimraj
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Post  AlainK Thu Nov 26, 2015 8:32 pm

ThumbsUp
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Post  manumidam Thu Nov 26, 2015 11:09 pm

amazing bark for a Chinese Elm.

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Post  MichaelS Thu Nov 26, 2015 11:58 pm

Lovely Crepe Myrtle. I like the ginko too!
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Post  Kevin S - Wisco Bonsai Fri Nov 27, 2015 3:30 pm

Arthur Joura wrote:Kev, my friend, I am beginning to understand the "snake" part of your on-screen moniker. Now I will have to keep a closer eye on you whenever you are around my plants. I am glad you enjoyed, in your own particular way, the American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) whose image I posted. Perhaps you would like to see picture of *her* back side?

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9410

HEY NOW !!!
thats verging on inappropriate !!!
can't a gal have a little dignity around here ?!?! Razz

but seriously AJ... can you really deny certain "stirrings" when gazing upon such an undulating beauty ? Wink

and then there is this:

Arthur Joura wrote: Chinese Quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) with its 2 ripe, pendulous, rounded fruits hanging brazenly in the open breeze (Kev? Kev???):

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9415

no prompting needed...
LAWDY LAWDY... CLEANSE ME OF THESE IMPURE THOUGHTS !!!
GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN !!!

in all seriousness though, ignoring the scale of the fruit, it is beautiful non-the less and quince fruit will always remind me of the late great restaurateur JACK WEISSGERBER:

http://www.jsonline.com/news/obituaries/milwaukee-area-restaurant-owner-jack-weissgerber-dies-at-75-b9945605z1-213893091.html

he had a quince tree on the property of the seven seas restaurant and i attended many wine dinners there and every single one of them featured something with his quince, whether it be a tart, a chutney, or just a simple jam with cheese... i was lucky enough to get to know him very well over the years and after his passing, his head chef told me i would be allowed to take a cutting from the tree, but i have yet to be there at an appropriate time to take one...

as always, thanks arthur for sharing your collection... i call it "yours" with the full understanding of it being a public display and therefore funded as such, but i highly doubt that it would be as it is without you (and your band of volunteers !)
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Post  Dan W. Mon Nov 30, 2015 5:36 am

Beautiful trees as always Arthur!

I'd love to see a post dedicated to the Hornbeam that has Kevin.. stirring... lol. I would really like to hear about it's history. Did you design the tree entirely there at the Arboretum? -- Or a post about several of the native hornbeams you're growing would be very interesting.
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American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Empty American Hornbeam

Post  Arthur Joura Fri Jan 08, 2016 8:57 pm

Thanks to those who responded to my last post, way back at the end of November. Most of the time since then I was holed up in a secluded place, laying low and doing all I could to avoid the mass psychosis commonly referred to as "The Christmas Season", or alternately, "The Holiday Season". Only lately did I cautiously reemerge, as my hirsute friend the groundhog will next month, to look around and see if the coast was clear. Being now back to business, let me respond to the request from Dan W. for more information regarding the informal upright hornbeam bonsai whose picture I posted, the one that aroused Kevin's inter-species lust.

This American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) is a sentimental favorite of mine, owing to it being one of the first bonsai I ever made myself starting from scratch. It dates back to the spring of 1994, which was the start of my second growing season as a fledgling bonsai curator. Back in those days I was doing everything I could to educate myself in this new field of endeavor, and I was literally reading "the book" at night and then going into work the next day and attempting to do the things I read about. When I say "the book" I do not mean any one particular one, although Yoshimura's "The Japanese Art of Miniature Trees and Landscapes" was the one I referred to most often. I also spent a lot of time with Harry Tomlinson's "The Complete Book of Bonsai" and Dorothy Young's "Bonsai the Art and Technique", but there were many other titles as well. So I would read things in these books and try them, and one thing I read about was collecting from the field a sapling tree that had attained a few year's size and cutting it down to a stump, waiting for it to re-sprout and then building the bonsai from that. It sounded promising so I tried it.

A year earlier at the Arboretum we had done a landscape planting along a newly built road to our newly built greenhouse. Most of the plant material was trees and shrubs we had grown in our nursery operation, but we also used a few American Hornbeams that had been collected from the woods by a man who at that time was our landscape crew leader. He had dug up eight or so trees that were roughly 6 to 8ft (1.8 to 2.4m) in height. Four of these were planted in this new roadside landscape and the unwanted rest were left to fend for themselves, crudely gang-potted in a large plastic tub left beside a random outbuilding. And when I say left to fend for themselves, I mean it - they were not watered or tended in any way. By the time I came to work that next spring with this idea in mind about cutting down a field grown tree and making a bonsai out of the stump, several of these neglected hornbeams had died and it was pretty obvious no one cared about any of them, so I asked if I could make use of whatever live ones remained. Permission was given. I rooted through the lot and found two that still had reasonable life left in them. These I took and cut down to approximately 6in (15cm) stumps and then potted them up individually in large plastic containers. When the landscape crew leader saw what I had done he said, "If I knew you were going to do THAT to them, I wouldn't have let you have them!" He was serious, too.

Back when I was doing this I had yet to learn the great value in photo-documenting all stages of a bonsai's progression, so I have no images of any of this part of the story. The first relevant picture I have is this one, made in the summer of 1995:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 A1_9510

What is seen in this photograph is the abundance of stems and foliage produced by the stump after a year and a half of unrestrained growth. In truth, I do not know if this image is actually the stump that ultimately became the bonsai in question or if it is the other of the two I saved, but it does not really matter. At this point both trees looked roughly the same. I do know that I made this picture just before doing the first pruning of the material, wherein the rudimentary structure was initially laid out. Too bad I do not have a picture of that! In fact, the next image of this specimen I can offer is from 8 years later, in 2003:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Americ10

(Here again I will take the opportunity to comment on the importance of making photographs of your bonsai on a regular, ongoing basis. Even if you think the tree is not changing much over the years, and particularly in the early stages when you might be tempted to think the tree is not developed enough yet to warrant photographing it, document your bonsai's development and you are likely to one day be glad you did. It is an especially sensible practice in this era of digital photography when there is little or no expense involved in taking as many pictures as you want. If worse comes to worse and a great bonsai fails to materialize, it takes little effort to delete the evidence.)

Looking at the above image it is evident that this particular specimen has followed a true course since its early development. That is to say, the tree was designed a certain way to begin with and has not changed so much over time, beyond the ramification and refinement it is hoped the passing years will bring to it. In my experience, this consistency is not so often the case.

Here is how this tree looked in 2005:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Americ11

And here it is on display in the Bonsai Exhibition Garden in 2008:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Americ12

Astute observers may notice the preceding three images show this particular bonsai in three different containers. The size of each container is approximately the same, the changes were made as I experimented in finding the right combination of tree and pot. Interestingly, all three containers are the work of Sara Rayner, whom I hold to be among the very best of American bonsai potters.

Here is another view of this hornbeam on display in the garden, in September of 2013:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Americ13

I think this particular specimen has been on display in the garden every year since the garden opened in 2005. It might be seen as precient, therefore, that for the opening of the garden I made a logo image featuring this American Hornbeam:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Bonsai10

As regards the styling of this tree, it represents the basic understanding I had of the informal upright form when I laid out the design almost twenty years ago. Again I was following "the book", so the branching follows the all too familiar pattern of branch on one side, branch on the other, back branch, and so forth on up the length of the trunk, starting about 1/3 up the height of the tree, becoming more closely placed together as they near the apex. The trunk itself moves first one way and then the other, zig-zagging in a predictable pattern of decreasing increments and gradually tapering as it moves upward. The primary branches do not stick out horizontally or descend as "the book" often prescribes, but that is not for lack of trying. In the early years I did wire the branches to try and override their upward growing tendency, but they were stubborn about it and after scarring a few of them I backed off. Wire scars on the smooth barked hornbeams are more or less permanent, and of course undesirable. As a result, this specimen has been largely shaped through the clip & grow method, especially over the last decade or so. In the meantime my concept of tree design, deciduous tree design in particular, has changed due to the influence of closing "the book" and studying the natural example instead. The mostly ascending branches now look right to me.

This springtime image from 2014 gives a good look at the structure:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Americ17

To close out the story, let us return to those four American Hornbeams that were planted along the roadside at the Arboretum all those years ago, the brothers and sisters to this bonsai. Three of them were planted together on one side of the road, and the fourth was planted opposite them on the other side of the road, and they have all prospered. This image shows the group of three in autumn leaf, two being orange in color and the third yellow:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Americ16

Yesterday I brought the American Hornbeam bonsai out for a family reunion:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9510
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Post  Dan W. Sat Jan 09, 2016 2:41 am

Awesome story Arthur! Thanks for sharing about this tree. I love that you included a photo of the bonsai next to it's full sized sibling! Maybe in another 20 years you can do it again to show the changes in each.... Wink
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Post  Kevin S - Wisco Bonsai Sun Jan 10, 2016 4:52 pm

Arthur Joura wrote:Being now back to business, let me respond to the request from Dan W. for more information regarding the informal upright hornbeam bonsai whose picture I posted, the one that aroused Kevin's inter-species lust.

sorry, but i stand by what i said: THAT IS ONE HELLUVA SEXY TREE !
(and if brian da chopper wasnt so web-silent, he would agree with a hale and hearty HARRUMPH !!!)
and thanks for the back story AJ... fills in some of the gaps for the old eye-lid bijou Razz Embarassed Wink

in all seriousness though genuine thanks for the story... the longer i am into this the more the story of each tree becomes important to me... and you are spot on with your advice re: photo documenting our trees... i shoot throughout the growing season and when any major work is done and then just dump them into a desktop folder by month (i.e. aug 2015, sept 2015 etc)... then, now in the dead of winter, i can relax with a hot toddy and revisit this past season and sort them into each individual tree's folder... makes winter suck just a little bit less... (i only outlaid my process for the edification of those who think photographing may be a hassle... but like you said, digital makes it easy)

i hope this coming year allows you the time to continue to share both current work, and the history of some of the arboretum's trees...

(btw - i have a mesquite tree from frank sinatras front yard... so that has a cool story to it...)
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Post  AlainK Sun Jan 10, 2016 9:46 pm

Methinks Carolina Hornbeam and tree others great looking are.

Many feelings inside they give.

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 2d57b81091d98f98cfb0b923b48de129
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Post  Kevin S - Wisco Bonsai Tue Jan 12, 2016 12:38 am

more yoda than cherokee/creek...

which is probably good (so as not to offend, which i doubt was your intention...)
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Post  BrianS Tue Jan 12, 2016 2:55 am

That is a sexy ass tree so here it is......HARRUMPH!!!
Web-silence has been broken lol!!!
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Post  augustine Tue Jan 12, 2016 5:29 pm

Very nice Arthur. We too, in Central Maryland's Baltimore Bonsai Club, are devotees of the Carolina Hornbeam and are fortunate to be able to collect them locally.

We need to start a thread on American Hornbeams. I'll take the initiative.

Happy New Year to all.

Augustine

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Post  AlainK Tue Jan 12, 2016 8:27 pm

beer city snake wrote:more yoda than cherokee/creek...

Ach! Cultural gaps, misunderstandings...  Wink

Wanted to say that what was visible was deeply rooted in America to me. And proud, strong and firm.

A cliché maybe, but that was the picture that came to my mind, not Joe Di Maggio, Colonel Sanders, Huckleberry Finn, or even Ella Fitzgerald  Very Happy

Also wanted to speak basic alien English, to avoid any lengthy 357,569,426 characters replies on the subject.

Although words have been my living, I much prefer when I can communicate with pictures or sound...





Corny, ain't it? But I love it!  cheers

PS: I used to sing it and play it on the guitar, I'm trying to find the gist of it on the ukulele for my next school trip to England so everyone can sing it along in the bus Cool

Ooo yeah!
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Post  Kevin S - Wisco Bonsai Wed Jan 13, 2016 12:51 pm

BrianS wrote:That is a sexy ass tree so here it is......HARRUMPH!!!
Web-silence has been broken lol!!!

affraid affraid affraid affraid affraid affraid

you GOTTA be kidding me !!!
brian... ?
brian who ??? Razz

hope to see another post in the next..., oh say... decade or 2 Razz


AlainK wrote:
beer city snake wrote:more yoda than cherokee/creek...
Ach! Cultural gaps, misunderstandings...  Wink

no sweat... i would be hard pressed for a french reference with out the googles
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Post  Arthur Joura Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:54 pm

I always try to give the botanical name for any bonsai I write about, but in the case of this Corkbark Elm I am uncertain. For years I used the name Ulmus parvifolia var. corticosa, only to be told by various authorities at various times that it really should be referred to as Ulmus parvifolia 'Cork Bark', or Ulmus parvifolia var. suberosa, or Ulmus propinqua var. suberosa, or Ulmus davidiana var. japonica. I have no idea what the right name might be, but if those who truly care want to fight it out among themselves and then let me know who wins, I will gladly call it by that name.

This elm came to us as part of the original donation that started the bonsai collection at the NC Arboretum, so I have been working with it since 1993. Here is what it looked like at that time:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 A_chin10

By 1996, due to its robust growth habit, I was able to make it look like this:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 B_chin10

Here is an image from autumn of this past year:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 C_img_10

This is a popular specimen for us, mostly due to the character of the dark, heavy, deeply fissured bark. That bark has the added benefit of bulking up the trunk of the tree so as to make it appear much greater in circumference than it would if it had smooth or only moderately textured bark. This is another example of a tree I shaped early on in my career, following closely the standard approach for bonsai design as given in the various "how-to" books I was learning from, and I think it gets a passing grade as an example of a basic, deciduous, slanting form bonsai. It has attained a fair degree of ramification, but frankly that is not much of an achievement when elm is the subject matter in question. Here is a look at it bare of foliage:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 D_img_10

Lately the look of this bonsai has become less and less satisfying for me. Part of what I find bothersome about it is how stretched out the top of the tree has become, a not unusual development that can happen over time without the grower necessarily being aware of it, until one day you look and it jumps out at you. Another nettlesome feature becomes greatly apparent when viewing the tree from the side:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 E_img_10

As I was learning bonsai I was repeatedly instructed that the tree should be shaped so that it leans toward the front. This design idea was typically delivered with the picturesque advice that "the bonsai should bow toward the viewer" (like a good little Japanese tree!) I think I took the advice a little too far, not only with this tree but numerous others that I first did back when. Now my thinking about bonsai design has evolved to the point where I am much less committed to the concept of a bonsai having a "front", as such thinking leads too easily to looking at them and thinking of them as 2-dimensional objects, which they are not. Eventually I will write more on that topic, but for now I will simply say that too many bonsai I see look silly when viewed from an angle other than that which is presented as the front. This elm, my own work, stands as an embarrassingly obvious example.

What follows are a set of four images, comprising a 360-degree view of the tree after a recent structural pruning session. My objectives were to shorten its height, adjust its branching pattern to give it a more naturalistic feeling, and try to alleviate the appearance it has when seen from a side angle of being a diver about to jump off the high board. I think I was able to accomplish a good deal of all that, bearing in mind the wise words of my old philosopher friend Andy Faller, who was fond of reminding me, "we can't eat the whole elephant in one bite!"

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 F_img_10

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 G_img_10

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 H_img_10

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 I_img_10

Here is a side-by-side view, before and after:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 D_img_11  American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 F_img_11

And to finish, here is a comparison of the old crown and the newly restructured one:

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9416

American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Img_9417

I had to sacrifice a lot of the nice ramification, but a good deal of that should be back by the end of this year.


Last edited by Arthur Joura on Fri Jan 15, 2016 8:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
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American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum - Page 29 Empty Re: American Bonsai at the NC Arboretum

Post  Kevin S - Wisco Bonsai Thu Jan 14, 2016 5:54 pm

great example of some small changes making a big difference !
i hope you follow this up at a later date...

btw - i really REALLY like that pot that it was initially in (1st pic)...
is that pot still part of the arboretum's collection ?

and if so, is it just gathering dust ?
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Post  AlainK Thu Jan 14, 2016 7:01 pm

Great tree, great work. Wink
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