Not worth showing, but...

...since you are alreaday reading this post I might as well introduce my "ugly duckling" to you.... Raised from only one branch the duckling might become a swan one day, who knows. (There is another Buttonwood of mine who had the same dream btw.)

The duckling's home is still a bit oversized, perhaps anyone has a suggestion for a more suitable container?



Wrong pic, sorry..











You again..out!

-dorothy

Dorothy, good looking tree! Good looking trunk! May I suggest that the foliage/branch structure be opened up some so, to quote Naka-san, "the birds can fly through" ?
Also, for my taste the top is too rounded, sort of "helmet head". Maybe a little irregularity to give it a more natural look?

Mike

Yeah, Dorothy - you're right. That's a terrible tree! Not worthy of you having it.

Send it to me immediately.

Maybe it's this American vs European styling thing but I can't agree with Mike on this one - I actually think it benefits from the evenness of shape. Quick question though: I notice some of the larger leaves are cut - did you do this only to maintain a shape outline or to encourage new growth? Or both?


btw - liked your "...since you are already reading this post " opening gambit. Reminds me of the classic line uttered when some idiot calls you and wakes you up at 3am and you say "It's Okay. I had to get up to answer the phone anyway".

Dorothy, I hope you don't mind that I put the tree in Photoshop and did a bit of trimming on it to illustrate my point.

Fiona,

the leaves were cut for shape only. This tree is actually thinned out! Total heavy grower.

Hey, it's on its way..

Mike,

good suggestion, I agree. For now I did not thinn the tree out further due to the time of the year. As I mentioned to Fiona, this one is a heavy grower and I had already trim back and out a good deal.

By the way, I am considering renaming the tree "getting-ready-for-Sunday-Brunch-after-Church" or "The date" ..

Thanks guys,
dorothy

I like what you have done with it dorothy. The weight dirtibution of the canopy is about right for me too.

Dorthy, thats a really good looking tree. For my personal taste, the jin that protrudes out towards the front view is a little distracting and I think out of place. Very nice tree though. If this is the ugly duckling, I wonder how the beautiful mother look like.

Luc

There is nothing wrong with the tree that a more appropriate pot would not fix.

dorothy7774 wrote:Fiona,

the leaves were cut for shape only. This tree is actually thinned out! Total heavy grower.

Thanks guys,
dorothy

First I want to say that the tree isn't that ugly duckling at all. More details in the carving of deadwood will improve - some drilled holes and minor gaps will improve naturalness. A better pot will further bring this tree closer to a beautiful bonsai.

Next - the foliage cutting. Maybe it is done for shape alone, but if it is exhibited that doesn't do the job. This is for training purposes, and the effect is that when you cut large leaves you equalise the energy and strength with weaker branches having smaller leaves. That´s good for training a tree, where strong branches must not weaken smaller branches. This technique is very usefully for many deciduous trees, especially maples.

Third, the shape. I think the straight but slanting trunk needs a canopy with less uniform lines. I think the canopy is too round, and misses some imperfectness. Thinning out and making a lighter canopy "with places for birds to rest" and remembering the irregularity enhancing naturalness is important in bonsai. I think some cutting of a few branches and shortening others so the lengths aren't equal, will enhance the design much.

Regards
Morten

Hi Dorothy.

The tree is very beautiful. She had a promising future.

If you do not mind, I tried a little adjustment, perhaps to improve in the future.

Pavel

Hello Dorothy,
Nice little tree! The trunk and deadwood are looking good. I'm sure you already had a plan for the top before you posted this. I look forward to seeing the tree in the future.
Thanks for posting.

Thanks Antonio.

Luc, the jin towards the front resembles a "scar" to me, a beautiful face with a scar. Good eye.

Reiner, nice to hear from you. I like the pot Pavel is using in his virt, just a bit smaller though.

Morten, thank you very much for your comment. I do cut leaves to control growth. It works just wonderful on many species, I agree. Next month I'll start working on the helmet..

Pavel, I love your virtual and the pot (and all the other trees of yours you have posted so far and I have not commented them yet )! Perhaps it can be a little smaller, what do you think?



Jay, besides thinning out the top even further I had no other plan. I posted this tree because it might give some folks an idea what can be done with a "slanted stick". Very often I see "stiff" slanted style that looks forced and without any dynamic.
This tree has so many flaws (raffle tree..ha!) that it makes its whole personality. If it was a person, she would be very good hearted and strong. She would just be getting ready to go out, a last look into the mirror while snapping with a finger and ignoring her imperfections..

Best,
dorothy

Hi Dorothy.

Yes, it is better.

Pavel