Still A Stick in a Pot?

Hi Folks,
Here is a little Mountain Hemlock "stick in a pot" I've had since 2008. Back then all I wanted to do was keep it alive while learning the basics. It had struggled in the wild and is older than it appears....and although I know it will get laughed at...that's fine with me as it is a fun little tree and I plan to grow with it for many years to come. Although the bark is covered (with black inner tubing), it is starting to fissure nicely.
The mountain hemlock once healthy, can provide wonderful thick foliage pads quickly but then it starts to look immature so you have to thin often to attain the desired “aged” ramification.
Here it is in 2008, again in this summer and about a week ago, I still want to wire and flatten some of the smaller branches but maybe next year. I plan to re-pot in the spring of 2012 and expose more of the buttress and surface roots.
Cheers Gman

hi. whats your targeted design for the tree? it seems your going for a literati.

regards,
jun

Hi Jun,
You are correct.
Cheers
G

Hi Folks,
An update on this Mountain Hemlock stick in a pot.
Soon after the last picture on the first post.... I gave this tree to a friend who knew nothing about bonsai but loved the little tree. He lives at sea level across from the ocean and I think that by looking at the tree this week it doesn't like the salt air... (actually its the pounding SE storms with high concentrations of salt air). He still wants to keep it so I did a little work on it and he'll keep it in his back yard protected from the storms (he's also promised to water it with a water wand after the storms, to wash the needles).

It's still a stick in a pot and even though the one main branch appears bare in the photos there was a lot of live buds so hopefully it will flush nicely later in the spring....but as my friend said...."I don't mind the dead stuff as it makes it look old...isn't that the point"!

One of the nicest things about this composition for me is the Roger Snipes (Spokane, Washington) pot. My friend has agreed that I can completely repot it next year and have the pot back as I've got another tree in mind for it.

First photo - As I got it minus a hole bunch of weeds/moss that I removed

after I slip'd potted it (raised it) and trimmed most of the dead needles/tips.

and a side view - does a round pot have a side lol

Cheers Graham
Come on Newbies post your sticks in pots

The "side view" is by far the best view; the branches are pulled in close to the tree and it's much less spindly and stick-in-a-pot looking.

^ I concur with all of points.

That was my first reaction to photo of the side too. Looks a lot more mature and has great movement. A nice image of an old weather beaten tree seen from a distance.

Thanks Jim, Cockroach and Mike, the more I look at the either side view it works better.........I'll let me buddy know but I know that he's just happy to a have it on his deck to enjoy.
Now back to my other sticks in pots
Cheers Graham