Blue Cedar Atlas Progression

A number of years ago (2010ish) I wanted to have a Cedar for my collection. As most of you know it is 'difficult'    to find them as bonsai, so I went to the local Garden Centre are bought a 10-12 foot one. The photo below is not the actual one I bought, but it gives you an idea of what I got and started with.



I got it home and cut it back to the bottom few branches and buds. In 2011ish I repotted it into a mica pot and bent the top branch up to create an apex.



In 2013, after two years of heavy feeding I wired and started to bend the branches into position.



In 2014 I took it along to a workshop at Dragon with Pavel Slovak. We worked on repositioning the major branches and restyled it. Another year later 2015 (last week) I repotted it, it is still a work in progress, with further refinement needed but its coming along nicely. Any comment welcome, Mike. (sorry for the wrong angle of the photo, having problems getting it the right way   )

Looks good! Thanks for sharing the progression!

Does it backbud much?

Very good job!

I prefer it vertical though...

Nice job Mike

Regards Chris

Thanks for your comments guys

f1pt4, because I have grown the branches from small branches or from buds, I have not required any of them to back bud since I have been growing 'out' not 'back'. Its one advantage growing from buds. However when I was heavy feeding and cutting back regally I did get some back budding but not a lot, nothing on the main truck but a few off the smaller 'younger' branches.

Can you share your strategy for developing this tree? Pruning, pinching, feeding, etc?

Mike thanks for sharing the pics and experience. By the way are you in Wales?

Thanks for you comments guys

bottasegreta
Please give me a few days and I'll try and put a 'scribe' together summing up what I do.

DougB
Yes I'm in south Wales

Thanks for the reply Mike. You might want to add Wales to your location. It took me some digging to guess what country you were in. Thanks again for the pics.

Thanks for your reply Mike. I was just curious. At first glance I thought it was a larch, just with incorrect color balance in the photo. I like what you've done with the tree, and I might try my hand this year on one as well.

Cheers,

Mike.

I lost two last year [C.Libanese & C.Brevifolia] over the winter. They were hit by some fungus or whatever kind of sh%&t Within few days they were "tobbaco" brown and dead.

Awesome awesome!

I always wanted one... maybe in the future...

Could you post another picture of how it is now?

Thanks

Hi immAGinoso,
Thanks for you message This was the tree last month. I'm giving it a years rest, final detail wire next year.

Hello Mikey,

Thanks for sharing the recent pic of this nice bonsai.
I wish I had the space and garden to do something similar. I love how the blue tint of the leaves works so well with the liver red pot. Cool color + warm color = good bonsai

This is why I love bonsai, I am discovering new design principles.

I am in zone 5b, Toronto Canada, doing bonsai for the first time on a 17th floor balcony. Hopefully will be able to overwinter successfully too on the balcony in the future. I plan to keep my trees portable size - good as handcarry in the subway etc.
Could you recommend a species that has the same blue tint of leaves and small leaf size that I could try?
My balcony faces east. Direct sun from sunrise til just before noon. By noon, its on top of my building.