Crab Cove

I put this setting together in November '09 using a 3yr old Jacaranda mimosifolia that had been grown from seed & always kept in a small pot. It brings me joy everyday even tho it requires alot of attention to keep it a) alive & b) in proportion. The tree was initially threaded thru a hole in the deadwood & over the last 2yrs of growth it has fused with it.

Recently I received a very valid critique of the composition & have been trying to work out how I could improve it, thus I am posting here in the hope of suggestions from a few more knowledgable than myself.

Thanks in advance,
Matt

Hello

I like it... it has a great tropical feeling to it.
Buth with all that folliage it´s hard to get an idea of the trunk.
Can you take some pictures at different angles?

Greetings
Mário

Or, straighten out the foliage a bit. It also looks as if the exposed marble either needs to be cleaned up or covered with soil, sand or moss.

Mario,
It has just started to colour up before leaf drop, its a long slow process & wont be bare till around august/september but attached is a pic from the back which shows the trunk a bit better.

Jim,
"straighten the foliage"
The marble does need a clean but as I do not show my trees (except on forums) I dont worry too much about it. Adding moss to the whole tray would lose some of the story & sand would wash away with the first watering (I use the hose with my finger on the end) I might give it a scrub when I repot in november just for you.

Matt

Hello Matt

That´s a nice front too. I think i like that better...

Leaf drop Sometimes i forget i´m in a diferent hemisphere...

As for covering the whole bottom of the tray, i think sand would be a nice option...

Greetings
Mário

nice,
if you want sand in a few areas just spead some epoxy glue on the tray and cover it in sand - then you will stick it in place so it doesnt wash away.

cheers Marcus

Mario,
In a photo I too prefer the back in person the crab's features stand out more, the claws extending out to reach the viewer.
It is me who is in a different hemisphere

Marcus,
Using glue to hold the sand in place is a great idea, I do have a couple of questions...
If I decide to use the tray for something else, how hard would it be to remove the epoxy & sand?
Wont the rough texture created by the sand actually trap more dirt?

I might be very tempted to move the entire rock to the other end of the tray. The weight of the rock and the direction of the tree both call for it IMHO.

lordy wrote:I might be very tempted to move the entire rock to the other end of the tray. The weight of the rock and the direction of the tree both call for it IMHO.

That is almost exactly what I was told by a local artist that I respect, so here is a rough virt, let me know what you think.

Sure looks better...

But i would try not to center the tree in the composition.


Greetings
Mário

I was thinking the same thing. I would move it to the other side, and use the backside as the new front..

Storm wrote:I was thinking the same thing. I would move it to the other side, and use the backside as the new front..

Wouldn't that be just like the 2nd pic here? That is his current back.

No, I meant to view the side on the second pic, but push the planting to the left. So the tree leans away from its side.
Edit. Spelling.

Last year saw this moved to a larger tray to 'accelerate' growth but...
1. wasn't happy with the growth from a more typical bonsai mix, and
2. scored a beaut japanese pot at the local club show last november that was just perfect.
I removed the apical 'pad' and repotted a week ago, now it has settled I finally dressed the soil with moss today to stop any more erosion, here's pics of the process and result.







I am in 2 minds as to growing a new 3rd pad or reducing it to just one, time will tell.
Critique & comment always welcomed.
Matt

Matt,

if you like the Jacaranda, you might wish to try the Leucaena leucocephala.

http://polyploid.net/leucaena/pages/Leucaena_leu.html

The trick is to get a trunk with character and then do as you did with the Jacaranda.
Also to let you know I am reading the book.
Later.
Khaimraj

I think the new pot is a great improvement, the deadwood looks so much more dramatic overhanging like that.

MattA wrote:I put this setting together in November '09 using a 3yr old Jacaranda mimosifolia that had been grown from seed & always kept in a small pot. It brings me joy everyday even tho it requires alot of attention to keep it a) alive & b) in proportion. The tree was initially threaded thru a hole in the deadwood & over the last 2yrs of growth it has fused with it.

Recently I received a very valid critique of the composition & have been trying to work out how I could improve it, thus I am posting here in the hope of suggestions from a few more knowledgable than myself.

Thanks in advance,
Matt

In this picture I see a big black "X" formed by the driftwood on the far right.

Khaimraj,

The Leucaena leucocephala certainly look interesting, my love for Jacaranda goes back to childhood, seeing one from my bedroom window every day growing up & growing up with it, mum has photo's of us all next to it & its not much taller than my dad, it now fills most of their front yard covering a corner of the house, the whole drive & most of the front footpath & verge. Climbing the monster old tree in my great aunt & uncles rambling garden at Ermington (now townhouses), sitting in its upper boughs and falling out of it a few times too, combined with the plant I have had the longest being a Jacaranda collected as a self sown seedling in 1986, I didn't stand much chance of not trying to make a credible bonsai (I might get there in another few decades).

One upshot with the boook, if you dont like a particular story, it is soon over & onto another  
Matt

Thanks Bingregory, I am happy with how the parts have come together.

Twisted, I have never noticed until you pointed it out, doesn't X mark the spot? I wonder what treasure hides beneath  

Just thought I would share a pic now this is back in leaf.




Overall height to top of leaves is 26cm, largest leaf is approx 8cm.

That is very interesting.. I really like the new pot.. only my opion but I like the last picture on the 2ond page for the front of your tree.. i like to see the Trunk !! good job,,take care john

How lucky you found just the right pot for your tree. It's a wonderful combo.