The Myth of Bloodgood?

Hi everyone,

No not another Harry Potter Film. Another are Bloodgood maples any good for bonsai topic???

I thought I’d share with you a project that I’ve been working on for the last 5 years or so, especially as I recall seeing on here (whilst lurking) that ‘blood good’ maples can be a bit difficult see...

https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t503-bloodgood-for-bonsai-zone-9?highlight=bloodgood
and

https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t3141-bloodgood-maple-help?highlight=bloodgood

To quote TimR in one of the posts on these links ‘The thinking (as stated) is that Bloodgood has a coarse growth habit and large leaves with long internodes which precludes it as shohin size. They do not reduce well or ramify allegedly. (is this a bonsai myth????)’

I’d say its bonsai myth that they can't make good bonsai as long as you have a suitably sized trunk / size of tree; I don’t think they would work with shohin for instance in which case it’s not bonsai myth. You also need time, patience (you only get one real flush of growth per year, with the second not really being worth much - usually an odd shape leaf) an acceptance the leaf size isn’t going to reduce much – a little but not much..... And that the leaf is easily damaged during the growing season.... but to the tree:

February 09:



February 10:



February 10 (about 30 minutes later):



February 10 (about two hours later) - Pot by Bryan Albright:



May 10:



And finally two pictures from September 10 at The Newstead Show, my teachers exhibition:





Hope that was of some interest and maybe dispels a myth or two...???

Jonny.

I think as you say in the UK - "Bloody Good"

The trunk reminds me of many of the southern Chinese raft style trees. One thing to consider is to accentuate the bridge look under the trunk by elevating the tree even more and excavating some of the soil under the trunk.

Hi Johnny

I was careful in that I spoke objectively and said it was possibly "a myth" .I have one growing in my front border that has good potential and is a possible lifting candidate in the next year or two to see what can be done with it.

Your example works very well imo.

TimR

Thanks for the comment Rob. I hadn't thought about extenuating the bridge under the trunk - I'd kind of been thinking the opposite and considering a rock or similar, but it’s a nice idea and certainly one I'll consider.

Tim you absolutely right you did say it was possibly a 'myth'. I hope you don't mind me quoting you. Certainly don't give up on the one you've got growing. No doubt they are less well suited to bonsai than some other maples but they can be just as rewarding and make good bonsai in my opinion. You also don't see many!

"Ruddy hell, Harry!" said Ron as Hermione's jaw dropped and hit off the Pensieve.

Now that's what I call a transformation.

Another myth hits the dust. Nice one, Jonny D (Dumbledore?).

Hi Jonny, I've seen so a tree in the nature, it was an Acer campestre which has fallen is on a slope. Your tree looks almost exactly like this, I like very much.

Hi Jonny


Really very beautiful and interesting tree. Congratulations.

Pavel

Fantastic. I really like it. I always felt the leaf size would not work. See me check out a 20 year old Bloodgood in the garden tomorrow. "Yes dear I really think it should come out:-)"

Mike

Wow. I must admit that I have tried to disuade folk from trying Bloodgood. Did you lay it over to make a raft, or was it like that?

These are a few of the Chinese raft style bonsai I was referring to earlier.

hi johnny, where did you get the tree from ?? the reason i,m asking is that it looks like one of my old trees that i made into a raft and sold a good few years ago when i lived in sheffield. regards john

I would try to beat the myth with such a beautiful material too. The type of raft I dream about. I´ve seen similar ones in Denmark, A.campestre and F.sylvestris.
I´d like to have this one in my garden, even though I see the leaf size still isn´t appropriate.
I had almost 30 cultivars of palmatum, still have around 25. So in the older topics I would say no to Bloodgood bonsai.

Hi everyone,

Fiona – your comments made me laugh a lot. Thank you for your nice comment.

Karl and Pavel – thank you for your comments I very much appreciate them, having seen both your work this means a lot. Karl it would be nice to see the field maple you refer to.

Mike, thank for your nice comment to. Go out late one night and dig it up. The next morning blame it on ‘sleep walking’ or..... ‘sleep bonsai...ing’?

Hi Will. Thanks. Hopefully I’ve changed your mind about bloodgood. When I got it was already laid down but was very weak at the right hand side as you look at the picture. I think the previous owner may have had it as a cascade – I just felt that was what had happened to it when I first repotted it (does that make sense?). I took some additional sections of bark / cambrium underneath the trunk when I did this first repotting into the box that you see in the pictures. I gave it a good year before doing anything further and just fed heavily. It stayed in the box for a further 3 years (by this point the box was falling apart anyway). The feeding , removal of bark / cambrium and box did its work though as you can see from the repotting picture all be it a bit blurry.

Rob your right it does have an element of those Chinese raft style bonsai.

Hi John, it came from Peter Snart. It was in quite poor health when I got it. It would be interesting if it was previously yours – I often wonder who had it before me.

Hi Tom – thanks you, I dream about bonsai to. I can confirm its staying firmly in my garden however! I don’t think the leaf size will ever reduce as much as other cultivars but thats ok. I’m glad I may have converted you to them.

I should give credit to my friend Bob (Bobsai) who made the table - fantastic.

Jonny.

hi Jonny, yes it was my old tree, I couldn't remember who I sold it to, but Peter Snart used to buy a lot of trees from me. It must be at least 7 yrs since I sold it. I've not lived in the uk for 5 yrs now. It was nice to see it again and I'm glad it's found a good home. It was in my garden for many years<not as a bonsai> before I made it into a raft and originally came from holland. regards john . ps the carving was done to disguise the graft

hi jonny, sorry only just read the whole text, it was never a cascade always a raft, just so you know the carving is not original i created all 3 sections, its healed over nicely yes ? . regards john

Another nice tree John!
I'm really glad to see your works. I hope to see more of your trees who ever the current owner is. there is that distinct character of your works.

regards,
jun

Hi John, thats fasinating, brilliant to know where it intially came from. The time lines now all make sense.

I'm glad you've seen it again so many years later and hope that I'm doing your intial work justice and improved upon it, I'm glad you think its gone to a good home. I've linked all of the carving sections through to each other, there is another small carving / hole on the top which is also now connected through to the main carving section. You'd never known it had been grafted, no one has ever said this before.

Jonny.

thanks for the nice comment jun, i,v sent you a private message . regards john

The fact that this tree has had two owners separated by at least a third owner is very cool in my opinion. Interesting to see the history of it. Very nice tree I might add.

Bloodgood maples are about the only form of Japanese Red Maple you find in Southern California that can survive our summer heat, so I viewed this thread with great interest. I have a Bloodgood Maple that my wife bought about two years ago, and so far most of my work has been on reforming/disguising the grafting scar near the base. I'll put up a photo when it starts to look like something.

hi jesse , not only has it had 3 owners< well 2 really cos peter snart is a dealer> but very old because i bought it from a nursery in sheffield< yorkshire> that specialized in importing old specimen maples from holland, and well travelled, came from holland to yorkshire then went to northumberland then back to yorkshire again. it obviously wanted to be back in yorkshire. regards john

Hi Jesse, I compltley agree with you and John as well. I think its great that we've managed to track this via IBC. Shows the power of a forum such as this to. I can confirm its staying in Yorkshire!

Hi Charles, it would be good to see your tree and I'm glad that you've got something from the thread. Maybe you could show us your tree as it stands and we can give any advice / thoughts possible.

Jonny.