virginia pine and eastern red cedar

Anybody know if virginia pine can be made into quality bonsai. They are like weeds on my farm and have quite small needles. Also does anyone know if eastern red cedar can tolerate similar root and foliage reduction as other junipers can. They grow like weeds on my farm and have been cattle pruned for years.

From experience I can say that virginia pine does very well when trained as a bonsai. I have one in my collection that I have worked with for about 20 years....the needles, as you state, are quite short...During the last few years I have been training this pine following Vance Wood's techniques for mugho pines. This was done at his suggestion and has been very successful.

Best of luck.

Regards,
Tom

The red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) can be used as a bonsai. The problem is finding material that will make good bonsai. Typical red cedar are arrow straight, shaped like a candle flame on a calm day. Branches set off the trunk in a very distinct upward habit that makes it very hard to bring them down realistically.

If you can wire movement into smaller trunks, and get branches wired down while they are small, you have a chance.

Better, look for roadside plants that have been mowed often by transportation department mowers, or in pastures that have been grazed by horses, cows of goats. There are few habitats withing its range that create the wild, twisted juniper forms that you see in the western US.

Personally, I think they have a better chance as bonsai as shohin or smaller.

I find great eastern red cedars on the nutrient poor solid clay soils of prairie conditions at a family friends farm. I wish I could post pics via my phone. I have some excellent proof that a little research, an ability of patience for one year after trenching will yeild excellent nebari and twisted eastern red cedar shapes.

At the last two US National Exhibition there were several nice Eastern Red Cedars bonsai exhibited. One common thread among the nice ones was that they were developed and styled (or assisted in the styling) by Peter Minchienzi of New Jersey. If you have the Exhibition book take a look at pages 34 and 116 in the first album and page 14 and 72 of the second.. The one on page 116 in the first album is really great. He says they take a long time to develop the compact foliage but give them a go, and bend the heck out of the trunks. That is a nice thing about the US National Exhibition. There are many bonsai artists in the US that don't use the internet but have shown great trees at that show. I highly recommend the two commemorative albums from that show. Bill Valvanis did a super job producing them.

Also Pat Giaccobe in Florida has pretty nice one that he has been training for many years. I had a shohin one I grew from seed for about 6 years but it expired - not sure why.

Here are 3 J. virginiana works in progress. The first is a nursery-bought cultivar with very fine foliage, maybe 'Hillspire.'



This little one was dug from my pasture after I mowed over it a couple of years ago.



And I'm probably the ONLY person in the world who likes this one -- taken again from the pasture edge about 5 years ago.

love that first image Jim so natural looking ,what is it planted on?

dave steventon wrote:love that first image Jim so natural looking ,what is it planted on?

A piece of slate that for the last 100 years was on the roof of a school in Durham, NC. The building was being re-roofed and they were throwing it away. I have about a dozen pieces of various sizes.