Face to face

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Love the deadwood AJ, Is it a bonsai?

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A Thuja and very old. You going to tell us about it ?

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Atlantic Whitecedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)

AJ,

You are being remarkably tight-lipped. Like Will, I would like to read a little of the history behind this tree.
Is the picture from the most recent Expo?

Regards,
Martin

Here is a hint...I think:) I believe this tree was created by a North American Bonsai artist who is notable for his anthropomorphic work and other "out of box" creations. I also believe that it was gifted to the arboretum in the last 18 months or so (I could be totally wrong about this).
John

Goes by the name Nick?

Sorry; out of town and blissfully disconnected from technology for the last few days.

My friend John G. is correct. This bonsai was collected, styled and recently donated to the NC Arboretum by Mr. Nick Lenz. He also made the container in which it's potted. Although Mr. Lenz is well known for his innovative creativity, which sometimes includes manipulating deadwood on bonsai to include such things as the image of a face, in this case I don't think it is so. The "face" in this piece is rather obscure and appears to have occurred naturally.

After an unseasonably mild November, the weather in western North Carolina has finally begun to get cold. Last week there were several nights when the temperature went into the 20's (Fahrenheit), and tomorrow night it will supposedly drop to the teens. Winter coloration of foliage is beginning to show itself on "evergreens" like this whitecedar:

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Some people express dislike for the seasonal browning or yellowing of foliage on trees such as falsecypress, arborvitae, cryptomeria, juniper or even pine, and cultivated varieties of some of these plants have been developed for their tendency to stay green through the winter. Another way of looking at it is that the change of appearance in these plants is as normal for them as dropping leaves is for deciduous species. Of course, some people don't like bare trees, either. For me, these characteristics come under the heading of winter interest and are appreciated as such, both in the landscape and in bonsai.

The above image also better shows a certain peculiar feature of this particular bonsai. There is a hole in the deadwood, one that goes clear through and is apparently not a natural feature:

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The hole is a mystery to me. Perhaps it was drilled there for some reason relative to the training of the tree once it was collected. There are other possibilities, though; the hole is just about the size you'd expect from a .22 caliber bullet.

not sure about the hole??? I am no expert but I wouldn't think a 22 would leave a clean hole all the way through...but maybe trees are different than people???

As to the winter color issues, I am one of those for which winter colors only make me long for Spring. My garden is very exposed to wind and my junipers and several other species always develop significant Winter color. I actually find it a little depressing.

John

I agree with John as far as winter color goes...just makes me long for spring. That being said, here are two pics from Mr Kimura's garden showing some amazing winter (February) attire...

I assume the name of this bonsai is "Kein Ain Hara." Rough translation, No (don't allow) Evil Eye.
Iris

AJ wrote:

Can't wait...it will be here before we know it!!