Scots Pine - Pinus Sylvestris

Scots pine is my favorite pine species and one of my favorite species for bonsai (Blue Atlas Cedar, Trident Maple, and Japanese Maple being others in the top 4). I like them because the needles are not particularly long and they reduce well and they back bud well. I thought I would post pictures of some of my Scots pines with some commentary to encourage others to post about theirs. Some of them have been posted in previous threads over the past 15+ years (may have had a comment on the topic in the prior 20 years since I joined the IBC in about 1985).

This is one I originally styled in a workshop at the International Bonsai fall event in about 1998. It has had a few ups and downs over the years. The first picture is from June 2002 and shows the grafts I made to bring the foliage back in before I realized how well they back bud.



The second is from May 2013 and shows lots of growth and some unsuccessful root grafts to improve the nebari.


The third third image is from August 2020 and shows the tree after a couple of years of growth with only candle pinching - I was too busy with work to do the hours of wiring necessary.


The fourth image is after I cleaned it up to prepare for wiring. This involved removing most of the structural flaws (3 branches at a junction), some branch removal, and removal of the needles that grow up and down.


The fifth image of this post shows the tree after wiring and styling. I have a new puppy so it took about a month to get it wired. I am not completely happy with the tree, but I will see what budding I get next year with which to work.


I will add some additional trees to the thread.

Here is my second entry which is a more recent tree that presents a tall, elegant informal upright. It was developed from a 1 gallon nursery stock in about 2006. I don't have any early pictures, but here are two shots from this summer. Some of the styling is inspired by an article about Kimura styling a Japanese White Pine. It keeps falling forward so it is wired to a piece of rebar to keep it upright. The first is in a bushy state.


The second is after cleaning and styling.


The third shows the forward lean from the left.

My third installment is a root over rock that I started from a seedling in about 2006. It probably went over the rock in about 2012 with the rock and roots under the soil. The first picture is fro June 2020 in the bushy state.


The second image is from July 2020 after styling.


The third is of some wedges to push the roots closer to the rock.

Here are a couple of more informal uprights in development which were either 1 gallon nursery stock or seedlings I grew plus a literati.

The first is rather angular and I carved the where the leader was cut off into a v-groove. I anticipate cutting the left branch back a bit as it back buds.


The second has a bit more curve to the line. You can also see the scar where the leader to develop the lower trunk was cut.


This tree was inspired by a picture in a magazine (BCI?). It was a 1 gallon nursery stock I bought in 2004 and styled. The first picture is from our club show in 2008.


it did not have very good roots so I put in in a larger pot to try to grow more stable root base. I finally got around to taking another picture in August of 2020 when it had become very bushy and fallen over quite a bit as you can see from how steeply I inclined the pot.


Finally, here is a picture after I removed a great deal of foliage and styled it. The advantage of a mica pot is the I drilled a small divot in the rim to set the rebar in that is hold the tree in a more upright position. I will need to keep the foliage mass small over the next couple of year before repotting it into a suitable pot in the hope that it will remain upright. In looking at this picture I need to develop some separation between the dropped branch and the lower branch.

Hi Marty...  Thanks for sharing photos and comments on pine trees through the years.  Thanks for sharing over many years.  

New puppy-- lucky you!  

Regarding your IBC tenure.  This is, perhaps, your first IBC post:

Marty Weiser wrote:Marty Weiser
Jul 6, 1994, 2:26:37 PM

Folks,
Most of us in the Albuquerque, NM area mist a couple of times a day and soak
the trees once a day in the evening during the hottest part of the year.
This is obviously cut back when it is cooler and less windy and for more
mature trees to control coarse growth. We tend to use misters or sprayers
on an automatic timer rather than drippers in each pot. This wastes a bit
of water but it increases the humidity level around the trees. In addition,
it always possible to find wetter and dryer spots in the spary pattern for
trees that want those conditions. I tried drippers but found them to be too
inflexible to readily accommodate a growing collection.

I am currently president of the Albuquerque Bonsai Club and
I would like to invite those of you passing through the area to stop by and
see us. We meet the first Wednesday of most months and I'm sure a visit or
two to club member's collections can be arranged with some notice. We have
a few local trees of interest and various success with traditional material.

I will be vacationing in Columbus, OH and Baltimore, MD between 7/28 and 8/11
with travel between. I would appreciate hearing of any bonsai activities or
from enthusiasts willing to put up with a visit. You might want to reply
to me directly unless you want international exposure.

Thanks,

Marty Weiser
wei...@crank.unm.edu

You have to be THE senior IBCer, Marty. Thanks for sticking with fellow IBCers through good times and bad.

Sincerely,
Chris

Chris,

Thanks for looking that up and the trip down memory lane. It has been a long time and many of the folks I remember from those days have either passed away or moved away from the IBC.

Marty