Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna

Current height :   80 cm
Collected: Spring 2012

Repotted in spring 2015 in a home made concrete training pot.   The tree should deserve something better but I did not have anything of required size at hands.

Any suggestions for the future design are appreciated.


Early April 2015:




11/05/2015




More information about the tree could be found on my blog.

I think your tree will need some years, but its impressing, untamed beauty is visible already.  I love these trees, have a nice yamadori, too. Unfortunately my hawthorne has extremely sensitive roots. One branch almost instantly dried after repotting ... Wish you all the best with that.

Frankly, the pot looks great. It matches the "wild" appearance of the tree without looking like a pot for a conifer - you know the type of brown pots...

I would get some wire on those branches and put a lot of movement in them now while I could if it were mine.

It looks ready for a bonsai pot to me- even the same style and material, just shallower. Other than ramification, what are your plans?

I really like the tree. The crown needs refinement but that's about it. The trunk is amazing. I think the pot looks good but with this tree I might like something glazed with color. Great tree and thanks for sharing.

Thank you guys for your time to read my post about his hawthorn and to send me your comments. I do appreciate that.

Regarding my plans with this tree. Well, frankly, I believe that this tree should deserve more skillful and educated owner   .   As this is not case I plan to continue my work on the engine of the tree: to get more foliage on selected branches and to have more roots.   There are few tine roots close to the surface of the soil so I need to take care to get more of them and to let them grow.  This will help to increase the thickness of the branches to create a good base for the future well ramified structure with a good taper.   The branches will be shortened on a reasonable lenght next year or next but one and then I will start the work on ramification.    
In the years to come I will also need to improve the  quality of the bark in the bottom section of the trunk to get there a real high quality  alligator skin there.  
Later this year I need to make a decision on the front side of the tree, the planting angle  and define the parts of the dead wood -  the remains of the original tree in the top. Regarding the front side - the tree has a potential for the 360° view so I will try to follow this path. The main view  will be probably as the one on the first pic as it shows better the movements of the trunk.  Do you agree?

For the pot - Thank you for your kind comments.   I will be looking for a bit more rugged shape  with a colour similar to the current one - that is close to the colour of a limestone.  
There is in my view a great pot featured in Bonsai Focus magazine, issue 95, 72 p.

Vlad I really like your tree. I think that reducing the overall size of the foliage and keeping it tight is a good idea, as this is such a standout trunk and should be the focal point of your literati. I would like to know how you intend to improve the lower bark? Other than time, is there some trick to attaining the aged bark that you are aware of?
I'd really like to see the other angles of this tree, could you take more photos of it?

Hi Judy, happy that we have the same view of the design of this tree.

The bark ageing - you have raised a great topic.
I am not considering any artificial intervention to the natural ageing process with this specific tree or any others of similar qualities. Too good for experiments. Well, apart from exposing the trunks to the full sunlight and moisturing relevant trunk areas with water during the day. At least over the weekends. Frankly not sure if that makes any positive impact, but at least I do not see any harm of this approach.
The most weathered trunks I have seen can be found in places with very harsh living conditions. Burning sun, biting frost, loads of snow one year with black frost the other one. Mostly rocky terrain with limited water supply. A thick bark is in my view result of such environmental conditions. For sure you will find trees such as oaks, etc with rippled bark in a mild forest area. But still the true alligator skin with deep vertical and horizontal cuts can be found only in harsh climates. I don't think that moisturing the overheated bark simulates the same conditions, but I have the feeling that it helps a bit:)
Otherwise, there are some techniques described by well known bonsai artists. Mr Colin Lewis in his The Art of Bonsai - Design described a technique based on wet sphagnum moss wrapped around a trunk that was lightly scraped with a sand paper, I have also heard about Mr Kimura's North/South theory. Then there are methods based on the slits made in the bark of the trunk, light hammer tapping on the trunk, etc. I am sure you know even some other ones. Does it really work? Does it look natural? I do not know .
I have tested on one of my hawthorns the slits made with a pointed knife just a few mm in lenght criss crossing the bark. I was hoping that this will help to produce the weathered look. It worked up to the point, but it slowed down the growth and the appearance was not the same as on the bark created by Nature.

So in my view the best what I can do is to promote vigorous growth of trees in development. Cold feet in the hot summers ( the roots here in my climate zone slow down the activity once the temperature of the soil is over 20°C ), heavy supply of water/nutrients and massive healthy foliage. And I have to get rid of moss that tends to grow under the bark plates causing them to fall off at the end.

I will add some other pics later on. Sorry for the delay.

I think Vlad is onto something about cold making the bark more craggy. Even the pencil thin young ones here have craggy bark. Even more than this tree.
Send that one here and in a few short years the bark will be bad ass.

M. Frary wrote:  I think Vlad is onto something about cold making the bark more craggy. Even the pencil thin young ones here have craggy bark. Even more than this tree.
  Send that one here and in a few short years the bark will be bad ass.

This is a great idea.  You are in zone 4-5?   Now we need to find someone eager to participate in this evolutionary/revolutionary experiment  who is based in  zone +10 or higher to get this burning sun in summer and we can start.  Any volunteer?

Thanks for the reply Vlad. I've found that the examples I've seen of human intervention into bark production to look inauthentic for the most part, and sometimes downright ugly. But I agree that trying to mimic harsh conditions may hasten the processes that nature uses somewhat. As long as the tree is still able to grow happily with these conditions, I can't see a downside to trying it. Good luck, and I'll be watching for updates!

Nice Vlad, what are you doing with this one? another one of my fav species

@Bobby Due to the problems with the spider mites there is no visible progress. Maybe at the end of the next growing season. Sorry.

outstanding trunk !!!
and i see nothing wrong with the rough concrete pot...

its just rough enough to complement and accentuate the tree without competing with it for the "tough guy award"

Would you believe Kevin that at the time I have seen the tree for the first time I have passed it even without any intention to collect it? I thought that the type of the trunk and its curves make it unrealistic for a matured deciduous tree. It took me two seasons to change my mind. After all, I have not seen a number of ball twisted or in various shapes crumpled matured junipers in the nature either. Obviously I do not live in the right region.

And here we go now. The twisted trunk sits in a pot and I have some deciduous semi/cascades, a number of deciduous trees with massive deadwoods (even a birch with a barkless burl on the bottom of the trunk ) on the top of that.

Hello, Vladimir!
Any updates of this nice hawthorn?
Thank you.

Alexandra, the tree is still under heavy reconstruction - now worth sharing at this stage. But knowing your fondness of hawthorns I have shared another one.

I think that as the tree gathers strength you will find new buds popping all over the trunk. This will give you the chance to change the style of the tree if you want to. Walter pall has a great technique for developing growth and increasing the strength of a tree. Just search for his hedge cutting method.

John, thank you very much for your encouragement and ideas. Giving any tree a chance to grow without too much restriction and support it with all the necessary elements is definitely the best one can do. As far as the so called hedge cutting method is concerned - first I do not think that this method has been developed by Mr Pall. Second in one of the early issues of Bonsai today the hedge cutting method has been labeled as an "atrocity". The wording is maybe exaggerated but I will never ever use this method on my trees. Nothing wrong with Mr Pall and his approach. Just my way how I treat my trees.

Please do not take my views as a rejection of helping hands. I do apretiate your effort to help.

I fully understand your point of view however I've practiced bonsai for over 25years and the hedge cutting method seems to be a brilliant technique for improving not only the health of a bonsai but also taper and styling options. The article Mr. Pall has written in his blog on hedge pruning is concise and easy to understand that's why I suggested it. I'm sorry that I took you for a beginner as I now know you are well seasoned in bonsai.
Thanks for the chat.

Vlad wrote:Alexandra, the tree is still under heavy reconstruction - now worth sharing at this stage.  But knowing your fondness of hawthorns I have shared another one.

Thank you!

Still a long way to go, but at least one might see the direction.    The lower branches downwards, the middle section more horizontal and the branches on the top going upwards - that is the plan.  The first two layers are structurally there - just need to get more wood - thickness, taper and ramification.  The top layer  has been just started this season.   As the trunk is a bit heavy for the classical bunjin-gi I plan the crown a bit heavier as well.  

Next update in 2025  taking into account my pace.  

WOW!

That's a beauty, Is it very chunky as it's sometimes difficult without something to scale against?

What you said about the cold affecting/ageing the bark rings true as i'm in the UK, I acquired this Hawthorne in 2013, In the seven years it hasn't changed at all apart from putting a few more branches/foliage out but the bark is very smooth and young looking!, We've not really had any really cold weather in ages, The last bad (Extended) freeze  was in 2009, This apparently stopped sap returning to the roots and they lost the kick start in spring budding, I lost 18 trees that started to bud in 2010 but then nothing happened, I touched the buds and they fell off and the trees were dead!, Trees were lost up and down the UK, A friend of mine was gutted as he lost 42 trees, All were much better quality than mine too



This one must be older as it's quite a lot thicker and has the cracked bark too although it's been chopped in the past and the new leader which is approximately the top half of the tree is very smooth!! By the way, Ut was in Sphagnum moss when I took the pics as it wasn't happy in the compost I put it in and was reacting badly some months later, It actually threw a branch






John