Old Larch -"The piss arch"-

This European Larch is in my possession for 4 years now. I planted it into a wooden box, where it stayed for three years. Nothing was done except from cutting back the branches just a little bit every year to get the tree more compact.



On the first photo from 2008 the Larch is quite expansive.



In spring 2010 the tree was set into this primitive pot, that fits well I think (Photo 2, 3). The tree stayed very healthy so I decided to make a first styling.




First I thought about a classic cascade with branches showing to only one side, but then I just let the three almost as it was.
A tree fighting against poor environmental conditions. It never succeeded in builing a crown, everything is pressed down to the ground.



Photo 5 shows the tree how I like to have it in maybe 2 years.



Enclosed a picture from above and the twisted branch on the backside that builds the top.




Height: 45 cm
Width: 70 cm

Best regards,
Marco

Hi Marco, this looks a great piece of material, did you not consider planting the tree in a different position from the establishing box position?

The tree tends to look like a piss arc

What a lovely turn of phrase Tony.

Great tree Merschel. I like it a lot.

Yes, a wonderful old looking tree. love the bark. I really need to get a larch. Does anybody know of a place in the USA to get good larch? Almost any kind will do, i just love the colours they turn.

Tony,"The piss arch" what a worthy name for the tree, so proud, powerful and full of life

The nebari is the best with this position. Also the roots a very thick till to the rim of the pot, so it`s difficult to change the position.

Regards,
Marco

"piss arc" I wish I could claim the phrase but its not from me...it's in common use with artists throughout Europe.

This tree has great potential, to determine the optimum position of a tree solely by the nebari is NOT the complete answer, if this was a deciduous tree then OK the nebari is a major factor... but this tree I feel has way more going for it.

I understand that the position of BIG roots is a problem, and ... I believe that your solution is OK, if it were mine I would work towards a different solution... each to their own.

Nice but i cant help but wonder what it would look like from the other side using the old gnarly branch to make the tree with and thereby losing the arc,nice problem to have though one of the better larches

Tony,
I am not resistant to advice, that`s my solution for this tree at the moment. It means not, that it`s the best solution of course.

I look forward to your ideas, if you like to.

Best regards,
Marco

Hi Marco,
nice larch!!!!!
I could not see just how that gnarly part look, but a more compact image like this would be very impressive and more natural/believable looking.



"piss arc" comes from "pis boog" (Dutch)! Guess who would come up with something like that?
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.

Hi Marco, I would not really make a suggestion until I saw the tree for real... however Hans offering is a good one

Hans van Meer. wrote:"piss arc" comes from "pis boog" (Dutch)! Guess who would come up with something like that?.

Hi Hans... it was Teunis Jan Klein that first told me this in reference to one of my trees way way back in 1995

Hans van Meer. wrote:Hi Marco,
nice larch!!!!!
I could not see just how that gnarly part look, but a more compact image like this would be very impressive and more natural/believable looking.



"piss arc" comes from "pis boog" (Dutch)! Guess who would come up with something like that?
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.

Hi Hans,this was what i meant but had to rush out to do a 3000metre swim after a 12 hr day in work,maybe from the other side though so the movement of the old gnarly branch makes it come alive

pissy..

nice larch!

tony wrote:Hi Marco, I would not really make a suggestion until I saw the tree for real... however Hans offering is a good one

Hans van Meer. wrote:"piss arc" comes from "pis boog" (Dutch)! Guess who would come up with something like that?.

Hi Hans... it was Teunis Jan Klein that first told me this in reference to one of my trees way way back in 1995

Hi Tony,
well I will not claim it! But it would be just about the wright time! I know that I used it during my first demo ever in early 1995, on that two trunk chamacyparis on that moon shaped slab from William, you know the tree. Teunis was there that day, so he might have picked it up there. I have it on film and it is a funny part of that tape. I named a branch that is styled as a bow, for lake of a better word: a "pisboog" branch, right after we discussed the "Honden drol top" (dog shit top) fenomena! In those days it was in fashion to make a curling top on a straight trunk tree! Hens the name "dog shit top"! I believe that Gijs Meboer came up with that one? I later used the "pisboog" term in the UK as "P bow" branch. My knowledge of your language was not that good than! Not that it is now, but I manage. But who ever came up with it: it covers the load very well, dont you think?!
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.

MerschelMarco wrote:

I don't see anything pissy or offensive about this. I see a beautiful tree.

R

dorothy7774 wrote:pissy..

or

I like your tree as it is. I also like Dorothy's approach as well. As the tree is now, it has a very haunting-type quality. A tree in its senior years; definately a tree for a graveyard setting or something you might see at Hogwarts!
Salut, Todd

Hi Marco


Very beautiful Larch Yamadori.
If it were mine, I tried to straighten up a bit, maybe to change the front side. Branch on the back is interesting, I might show it. Now think a little crown of the tree trunk movement clogs. Dorothy is a great proposal. Also, Hans is a virtual good, but I understand that it is difficult to remove half of the old tree. If I wanted to use the whole tree from the front side, I would try this plan.The idea of implementing them for several years, but Larch can be fast.




Pavel

superb material....congratulation ! .... I have to say the same opinion as P Slovak.


... if it was my tree I would try keep utmost from this beautiful tree

dorothy7774 wrote:pissy..

This is the best vert I've seen. Seems to show the struggle of the tree for survival.

Neil Jaeger wrote:Yes, a wonderful old looking tree. love the bark. I really need to get a larch. Does anybody know of a place in the USA to get good larch? Almost any kind will do, i just love the colours they turn.

Larix Laracina: Eastern/American Larch is one of the best of the species for bonsai. The best place to get them is from the wild. Living in NY as you do, finding one growing wild in the woods should not be a big problem as long as you are able and willing to go into some boggy areas where they are most likely to occur.

To clarify the language barrier, I don't think anyone meant disrespect to the tree. The nickname only refers to the curve of the trunk, which is a particular trajectory. Google up a picture of Manneken Pis.
Unfortunately, our larchless Neil is in Buffalo, which is not especially larch country. I referred him to Pauline Muth or Jim Doyle, or one of our local growers who does a lot of collecting.
Iris

Marco, the tree trunk on the last picture shows a nice move, even that would be an option for styling.