Juniperus Parsonii

i acquired this tree from a local nursery this spring. not only was i drawn to the trunk, but the root stock only filled about one fourth of the height of its nursery pot. the only work i did was to tease the roots out and repot it, and i shortened the straight branch that grows back against the trunkline (didn't remove much at all, really). sorry about the lack of four photos to get all sides, but the weather was nasty today with the storm moving through and i managed to tweak my back this weekend so i'm having trouble getting around. makes a man bored on a rainy day. hope the angles i got show enough branching to give you an idea of what i'm working with. thoughts, opinions, etc. welcomed.

what i'm thinking of as the front so far


the shari is natural, and runs up underneath the horizontal section


from the back, showing the straight branch growing against the trunkline


this photo shows the lifeline attached to the one big root coming off the side of the tree. i'm considering enlarging the shari to include this section, but it's just a thought.

I think you need to grow the tree under the best conditions possible to get it healthy with lots of new growth before you do any more work.

those were my thoughts on the money, billy. a daily regiment of misting, checking the soil moisture so as not to overwater, and about six to eight hours of morning to early afternoon sun has been the practice so far. i like to think that the color of the foliage is a good sign. any advice beyond what i'm doing will be much appreciated. i know from my readings on this forum that you're a good deal further south than myself, but i respect your experience for certain. thanks for the advice you've given me thus far.

Misting is not needed and may be harmful. The tree needs to be outside protected from wind, and although this tree is cold hardy in your area, I would protect it from temps below 32 F this winter, but DO NOT KEEP IT INSIDE.

duly noted on the misting. i have a spot that overwintered a few other junipers last year, so while i again appreciate good advice i can assure you that putting it inside is not the plan. i know it's going to need a year or two at least to grow into a healthy enough state to start working with, but i thought this tree showed potential to be a pretty good bonsai. i'm a novice at this stage, so time will tell if i'm right or not. it's certainly fun to try. so far so good! i appreciate your comments, billy. thank you!

I forget -- if I ever knew -- where in western NC you are (it covers and lot of area and a wide range of elevations) . Parson's juniper is not the most cold hardy of the juniper family -- zone 6-8, and that is in the ground. In a pot add at least a zone to that -- 7-9.

Frankly, I think I would put this one in the ground for a year or two. Its foliage -- what there is of it -- is way out on the ends of the branches and has to be forced in. After growing in the ground for a year, severe pruning of the foliage should encourage some backbudding and get you some green closer to the trunk -- which is VERY nice.

I don't think you will get the same kind of growth if this remains in this pot. But if you do keep it there, I would mulch it deeply (pot and all) in composted pine bark and let the roots pass through the drainage holes.

thanks for your response, jim. to answer your question i live out in the country about an hour's drive down the mountain from asheville, within five miles or so of the SC state line. we definitely see our share of cold winter days and nights, so protection is something i've been thinking about for sure. i've been doing a lot of reading the last year about raised growing beds and i think i'm going to implement the concept over the next few weeks to a month as time allows.

i'm certainly patient and willing to take the year or two to put it in the ground. i guess the question is having repotted it once this year will it be alright to transplant it into the growing bed in a month or so? if not i can mulch it into the ground and transplant in the spring. this is definitely the kind of advice i'm seeking, and i thank y'all for helping out a youngster in the world of bonsai.