Purple Smokebush

Hi Chris,the height from the tree including pot is 88cm and the trunk thickness is 43,5 cm
Greetings Ed

We had one of these in the garden where I lived before I went off to university as an adult student - I wish I has taken cuttings, or an air-layer: lovely trees with great colour, and the bark has good texture, too.

Cotinus has very nice unusual flowers, I hope that you will get them on your tree one day.

Thank you Marija,I hope it will bloom next year
Before I styled this tree,it was blooming nicely.
Greetings Ed

New Photo update
Greetings Ed

I like it in leaf. Interesting looking leaves - fringed by a contrasting color. Nice.

Here a Update from this bonsai in training.
I have ask My good friend and bonsai-mentor Hans van Meer to help me with this tree.
I have styled it already,but he said to me it would be better to point almost all the leafs upright like a broadleaf should grow.
He styled it with the future in mind,and the branch setting looks better and more natural looking.
And we took a thick branch away,and when we have done this the nebari looks much better already
And I want to show you a strange fly,I call this a unicornfly.
This fly is sitting on Hans finger,and make a photo from it.
Greetings Ed

Hi Ed

Very nice tree . Removing root nebari certainly benefit. Nice foto.

Pavel

Thank you Pavel for your nice comment.
Greetings Ed

Hello Ed. Great decision to style the branch tips upwardly. A much more powerful image I think and helps show off the structure more.
I have those little hover flies in my garden. They look fierce but are quite harmless.

Yes Will,the structure is much better now.
And next year it will be re-potted in a handmade pot,specially made for this tree
I will show it in his new pot next year.
Greetings Ed

You can see it also on my youtubechannel
https://www.youtube.com/user/EDBONSAI?feature=mhee
Gr Ed

Update Smokebush 2012
Gr Ed

Wow, I never though of smoke tree as a bonsai, I am interested now. The burl from this tree's root (known as chittam burl) is one of my most sought after piece before...now my hobbies are making a connection.

Smoke tree is also something I never considered too seriously until I saw this thread and saw some 5 gallon pre-bonsai specimens for sale last fall, but this definitely gives you a good Idea of the size that is necessary to make a convincing image with those leaves.

-Jay

ED,, Wour smoke bush is looking beter and better !! you have a nice tree comming along..i really like the last picture,,,good job....take care john

Love this tree...looking forward to seeing how it looks in leaf this summer.

Picture is looking good Ed! But still your smokebush is looking much better in real live! With a few more years of work on the branches and the finner ramification and then your Bonsai will be a pretty unique show stopper!
And now I have to get back painting all my Bonsai benches!
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.

Here a Update from this tree,I really like it this year in full leaf.
Next year I will place it in a better pot with the right size of height and coulor.
Gr Ed