Winter pear

Winter weather and winds have taken off almost all of the fall leaves now, leaving the skeleton in plain view. Pear aren't the most finely ramified of trees, but they have a certain ruggedness. I'll snip off all of the end buds just before bud break in the spring in hopes of improving ramification next year. Then, however, It'll likely need someone to push it way back.

Looks good, looks gnarled

Difficult to create a branching order in pear .

Important is its spring flowering.

Congrats on your tree Jim.

Regards Daniel

JimLewis wrote:Then, however, It'll likely need someone to push it way back.

Someone?

I really like the tree- well balanced.

i dig how the secondary trunk looks like it was once part of the main trunk and just gradually removed itself over time, leaving behind the groove of its prior position.

which is pear-haps exactly what happened...
and if so, i would like to know if it happened on its own or if it was manipulated.

(and david - you said you miss your PMs sometimes - so check yours   )

Daniel, yes. Even large pears are coarse looking when bare. Small ones like this 12-inch tree, look even worse. But you work with what you have.

Precarious wrote:

JimLewis wrote:Then, however, It'll likely need someone to push it way back.

Someone?

I really like the tree- well balanced.

Thanks.  On the "someone" . . . I'm on Hospice care now, and you know how that goes.  Some new medication seems to help, but . . .

Kevin:  I split the trunk back when it was a mere seedling, then wired the "daughter" off to the side and hoped.  It worked nicely, tho it often doesn't.

I have always enjoyed seeing your updates of this tree, Jim....thanks for sharing. How many years since you collected it?

Tom

so even though it was just a seedling, it still created the void in the main trunk ?
it looks like it came away far more recently due to what looks like the matching declivity.

btw - looks like i will for sure be coming back next year, but for the expo this time...
so if you need any help with getting some tree work done, i'd be glad to add an extra day or 2 to my vacation to give you a hand.
(under your guidance of course...)

Wow, wonderful tree. Really nice. Pears really do make nice bonsai - both the European culinary pear and the various Asian and ornament species. I love how the bark is developing. Thanks.

My sincere best wishes for you, and hoping for a good health outcome for you.

I remember seeing the fall color of this tree and it what inspired me to hunt for a pear this winter for collecting in spring. I stocked up on fungicide too to make sure nothing transfers to my junipers

Jim,
I've identified with and been inspired by your "no nonsense," yet not too serious, take on bonsai and willingness to experiment with non traditional species for years now, including on the old garden web forum. I appreciate what you have contributed to the art of bonsai as well what you have removed, such as a more than a few horticultural superstitions. I think that you have the right mentality of participating in the art for your own pleasure while not over-stressing the importance of what we are doing.
I only recently started attending local bonsai meetings, which has been a huge step forward for me as a hobbiest, but it is funny when some of the senior members of our club or even past and present curators of the National Arboretums bonsai collections, are impressed with the depth of my knowledge when it comes to the care required for our root restricted friends. And for that compliment I give credit to the online forums and in no small part, to you, for your contributions of knowledge and of discourse which has helped usher in the modern era of bonsai.

Thank you,
David D.

Tom Simonyi wrote:I have always enjoyed seeing your updates of this tree, Jim....thanks for sharing.  How many years since you collected it?

Tom

Tom, this started out in 1993 as discarded cores from a pear relish my wife made that year. The relish was delicious, and this (and others) sprouted from the scraps she tossed into the woods.

Kevin . . . If I recall, the trunk was pencil thin when I split it. I have kept the scar open over the years. It is visible from around back on the smaller trunk as well.

David (and others) thanks for the kind words.

well, i'll be damned... nice work.
and keep my offer in mind and i will see you next october.

Jim

I recognise this tree from previous post and I love it.

It has that elusive quality that sets "really good" bonsai apart from the merely "nice" ones.

This isn't just about strong nebari or good proportions or fine ramification. It's about something more than all of that. It's about character and this tree has bucket loads!

The phrase "age worn beauty" springs to mind.

Thanks for this and all your other posts.

Regards

Richard

Very nice  treee.. Go well.  Hank

Jim....thanks for providing the history of this tree....really marvelous. Thank you.

Jim, your pear is looking awesome these days. I haven't been on the forum much this year and I now see that you are having health issues; I pray you feel better; sending prayers and light.
Todd

Jim,
So sorry to hear about your health. Hope you feel well during the Xmas season!

Your pear bonsai is beautiful and truly reflects the love and years you have put into its training. It shows "agedness in a container" which cannot be quickly achieved. Great Job!

Here are a couple of photos of my Robinson Contorted Bradford Pear that I displayed this past weekend at the Winter Silhouette Exhibition. More photos on my blog at:

http://valavanisbonsaiblog.com

Thanks, Bill. I wanted to get to that show, but it would have been a bit too much, I'm afraid. VERY Nice pear. Mine has never bloomed (or, of course, fruited).

Got lots of family arriving in a week or two, including my just-turned-teenage, (but still a sweetie) granddaughter. Most will stay through New Year when we'll all share the Hoppin' John for good luck in the coming year.

JKL knows well how much I love this pear of his. I am so happy you posted a naked shot for the winter.

I am saddened to hear of your ill health, and am wishing you the best holiday season with your family.
Thanks for all the help you've given freely to me and others- it is much appreciated.

Hi Jim,
That's a great pear tree. And I love it.... When searching for other pear posts, I noticed that you have quite a few posts of the same tree (below links). By the way, can you tell me how well Pyrus calleryana does in bonsai cultivation? There are tons of seedlings (some larger as well) in my area growing wild.

https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t1223-split-trunk-pear-update?highlight=pear
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t1711-pear-color?highlight=pear
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t4751-chinese-sand-pear?highlight=pear
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t4929-pear-in-winter?highlight=pear
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t9128-pear-leafing-out-cold-snap-coming?highlight=pear
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t14517-pear-color?highlight=pear
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t16135-pear-fall-color?highlight=pear

Hi there,

"I'm IBC"

I mean, I remember Jim Lewis. We exchanged a couple of private messages, like friends. He played music with Elizabeth Cotten.

Now he's gone. But to me, he's part of our common history, and he was a nice man, he was.

I don't believe in god, or heaven, but if he did I think he's sitting next to his god, for he was a very good man.

AlainK wrote:Hi there,

"I'm IBC"

I mean, I remember Jim Lewis. We exchanged a couple of private messages, like friends. He played music with Elizabeth Cotten.

Now he's gone. But to me, he's part of our common history, and he was a nice man, he was.

I don't believe in god, or heaven, but if he did I think he's sitting next to his god, for he was a very good man.

I'm so sorry to hear. Jim's posts were so informative that I remember looking forward to any posts under his name. May he rest in peace. He will be missed, definitely by me....

I noticed that for some reason, most bonsai folks either play a musical instrument or are into some art. I personally love sketching; charcoal & graphite being my medium of choice although I occasionally dabble in pastel as well. It seems as if there is either a correlation with bonsai, art, and music or some kind of influence between them.

Aman

juniper07 wrote:... ...It seems as if there is either a correlation with bonsai, art, and music or some kind of influence between them... ...

Each and everyone is a means of expression. Either bonsai, or music, or painting, or sculpting, or any art form. This is Art.
ΟR,
Bonsai evokes sentiments. So does any art form. Hence the propinquity.