Clean Sweep - Show Us Your Brooms

I always like the collaborative threads were people posts trees in a common theme. I don't recall seeing a theme on broom styles. There are so many variations to the broom style that it might be interesting to see what gets posted. So sweep out those files and show us your broom style bonsai.

I'll start with a natural flame shaped broom style Florida Elm. It's in a Tokonome green glazed pot. The tree is about 24 inches tall from the pot top.

Mine is buried under 30" of snow. Soon to be 50".

Shohin broomstyle Zelkova.



One of the trees I will exhibit on the Eda Uchi Kai Bonsai Ten in two weeks...

Regards,
Hans

Very nice trees.
How tall is that one Hans?

Storm wrote:How tall is that one Hans?

It's just under 20 cm... (7.8 inches)

Here a few of my maples. I think broom form(informal broom form) is THE appropriate form for maples.
Trident, Acer burgerianum, Japanese maple, Acer palmatum.

burning bush, Euonymus Europea, wild cherry, Prunus spec., garden lilac, Syringa vulgaris. linden, Tilia platiphyllos

It will surprise many: I think the informal upright form is NOT appropriate for any broadleaved tree. It is the abstraction of a pine tree and looks strange on a broadleaved tree. We only go so used to this. Sure, I am also guilty of this. I believe that in twenty years all broadleaved trees in the informal upright form will have a time stamp on them and be considered a retro.

European beech, Fagus sylvatica,

Field elm, Ulmus campestre. I consider this still a high informal broom form.
Kingsville boxwood, Buxus microphyllum
Dwarf honeysuckle, Lonicera nitida
Common myrtle, Myrtus communis

Very Nice Walter! Thanks for sharing.
I think the one I liked the most might be the third picture you added.

Thanks Walter for taking the time to post such an interesting variety of broom styles. You have a very interesting approach to the style.

Here are a couple more to show the versatility of the style.


A a shohin Willow Leaf Ficus in a pot I made. This started as a root cutting.


A broom style Hackberry by American artist, Guy Guidry. I recall him saying this was one of his very first bonsai. The really wide pot recalls an open field.


I'm reposting my Chinese Elm broom for the record.


Of course, the Zelkova is the traditional species used for a broom style in Japan.
I photographed this Zelkova at Mr. Takayama's nursery in Japan. Nice nebari.


This one was at Mr. Kato's nursery , Mansei-en, before he passed away.

Rob...thanks for beginning this thread....lovely trees from all who responded....here is a Ficus benjamina.

Regards,
Tom

The devil made me do it

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Some very nice trees posted. When I look at brooms, I see the Zelkova. Many trees may have a similar outline/silhouette, which is fine also, but a broom is a broom.

Rick Moquin wrote:The devil made me do it
Some very nice trees posted. When I look at brooms, I see the Zelkova. Many trees may have a similar outline/silhouette, which is fine also, but a broom is a broom.

But Rick, open up a bit. There are many kinds of brooms.

[quote="Rick Moquin"]The devil made me do it

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Very good! Wonderful thread this.

This one was at Mr. Kato's nursery , Mansen, before he passed away.
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For me this tree is close to perfection.............stunning!

Walter Pall wrote:It will surprise many: I think the informal upright form is NOT appropriate for any broadleaved tree. It is the abstraction of a pine tree and looks strange on a broadleaved tree. We only go so used to this. Sure, I am also guilty of this. I believe that in twenty years all broadleaved trees in the informal upright form will have a time stamp on them and be considered a retro.

Thank you very much for the pictures of these wonderful trees, Walter! I completely agree with you, most broadleaved trees I am familiar with have a broom-shaped canopy - a trunk which forks into a few main branches, which then fork into secondary branches, and so on. The actual shape of the canopy can vary widely from almost spherical to flat-topped, but seldom the tree has a main trunk line from bottom to top - one of the few exceptions that comes to my mind are Eucalyptus trees.

Best regards,

Marlon Machado
Bahia, Brazil.

Walter Pall wrote:Here a few of my maples. I think broom form(informal broom form) is THE appropriate form for maples.
Trident, Acer burgerianum, Japanese maple, Acer palmatum.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but most of the trees you posted are less like the traditional broom style and more like informal upright style in their branch placement. I would not consider many of the trees you posted as "broom" style at all. If your only criteria for a "broom" style is a rounded crown and branch tips that point up instead of down like a conifer then I guess your trees fit the "broom" style.

Rob Kempinski wrote:

This one was at Mr. Kato's nursery , Mansen, before he passed away.

This is what I would consider to be the perfect broom style.

Walter Pall's trees rocks! i have his cd with a thousand's of images.. and he says he is 'only' an amateur who TRIES to work professionally"!
i wish i could reach that level one day
Thanks for sharing.

Yup. Lovely as all of those trees are, I think many of them fit only the most liberal definition of broom style.

Hi all.
The trees presented here are amazing.

I was only three years trying to talk to Berberis thumbergii.





Pavel

Good evening Mr. Slovak,

Beautiful tree .. I have to take one, but I do not know much about this case, can you give me advice. Easy or not bonsai ..

Thank you

large siberian elm multi trunk/clump



small siberian elm



three trunk zelkova

JimLewis wrote:Yup. Lovely as all of those trees are, I think many of them fit only the most liberal definition of broom style.

Agreed.