Cheap bonsai.

I bought this prunus from the garden center for £8 last week and made a little wind swept scene with it. I had plans to give it away, but my wife likes it and she won't let it leave.

I like the concept you are going for here. I like the slab planting and the accent mosses. The trees styling IMO, needs to be trimmed a bit.

The long right branch could be clipped back a little more. OR a full removal. Just seems a little too long. And with all of those buds about to break you can take advantage of some future ramification.


Thanks for sharing this. I have been wanting to do a slab windswept, myself. This has fueled the fire a bit. Thanks for sharing it.



That being said, I have just come across this picture to perhaps support your current styling.

Windswept

You wait till it flowers Smithy. If I'm right, I think its Kojonomai,(excuse the spelling) very pretty little flowers.

I made a windswept with the same tree a couple of years back. you're right, it looks lovely when it flowers. Not so healthy these days as it was consumed by my bliddy dog.

Will's right, when it flowers, there's no way your wife will let it go :-)

I have one of these that I put in the ground for about 7 years to thicken. It taken a while to get any sort of girth to them. My one is a little further on as I have it in a poly tunnel. I'll post it in flower, possibly as early as next week.

Regards

Ian

the reason i left the branches as long as possible for now was to get the most of the flowers.

Ian Young wrote: I have one of these that I put in the ground for about 7 years to thicken. It takes a while to get any sort of girth to them.

Although the process has been held back by our near (and highly untypical) permafrost I am digging one up now after about the same length of time. It has multi-trunks, the smallest of which is about 2" thick and the largest being 5". I will be reserving judgement on whether it loses some trunks or not until it has got used to its grow box.

But it has the potential to be a wee stunner just like its owner.


Or should that "t" be a "c".

will baddeley wrote:You wait till it flowers Smithy. If I'm right, I think its Kojonomai,(excuse the spelling) very pretty little flowers.

Prunus incisa 'Kojo-no-mai', Fuji Cherry. Mine is about to flower too, will be posting pics when the buds pop...

will baddeley wrote:You wait till it flowers Smithy. If I'm right, I think its Kojonomai,(excuse the spelling) very pretty little flowers.

Kojo No Mai, aye...

And I agree it should be at its best with the flowers, nice styling for this view.

what a beautiful lil tree,Smithy. Don't always have to send £££s for a nice bonsai..

very nice

Cheers,

Faisal

I have a couple of pleasing examples that I am sure someone on here will have a picture of. Wait and see on that one. I have a trunk in the ground that has entered its eighth season. It has thickened really well in the last three years and I have taken some really nice layers off the naturally kinked and twisted branches. I layer about first week in May complete ring of bark and wet sphagnum moss in a bubblewrap bag covered with dark plastic. Roots are formed in about six weeks but I leave the severance until the leaves have turned colour in autumn remembering to water the moss as required. Root work is best carried out around flowering time and certainly before the flowers fall. If you watch the buds over the next few days you can tell which ones are flowering buds. This will help with pruning in coming years. I prefer to prune branches when the tree is in good growth about mid May.Any new growth after that can be pinched or stopped in August. Generally the flowering spurs will appear in the first three or four leaf joints or at the tips of new branches. The branch tips can be quite long so aim to prune in May with a view to promoting flower buds for next year from the first four leaves of each new shoot. Good luck and I hope that made sense.

Regards
Andy.

One of Andy's prunus as seen recently at the BSA show

How tall is that Prunus, Fiona?

Thanks andy for that info. I plan to air layer a few branches of another one i have.

Hi Smithy.

Nice tree and nice work. The advantage of Prunus - creates a beautiful soft branches.
I look forward to more for the year.

Pavel

Thanks Pavel

Smithy, a nice tree, I purchased something similar last year as a small 'starter' on a visit to devon - previously I hadn't grown flowering species, however that little prunus changed my mind - while they won't form a major part of my collection they will have a small corner - I'm looking forward to it flowering in the next week or so. £8? - a good buy! I made a decision yonks ago that I wouldn't spend more than a tenner on a tree (I used to purchase stock from the 'throw out' corner of garden centres and nurseries) it's gone up a bit but I still don't spend that much ( most expensive was a black pine - £80 - and I needed to lie down after that!) - love the moss on the planting - for me the nesting birds tend to rip my out - little buggers! cheers windswept

Thanks windswept.
I must admit the trees I have spent the most on I have the least affection for, but worry the most about as i have spent money on. The best ones are always the free ones.

We have cats and a small garden so the birds stay off my trees.

Jaco Kriek wrote:How tall is that Prunus, Fiona?

Sorry, Jaco. Am away from home just now and only just noticed your question.

I'd say it is about 20-24 inches (50-60cm) - but hopefully Andy will confirm this as it is his tree.

Taken today. My flowering Fuji cherry. It's not quite fully out but you get the idea.





Its been in this pot a year after collection from the ground. After flowering it will get it's first wiring.

Here is mine in flower

NICE! Thanks for the update. It all looks very good. Congrats!

Bet the trouble and strife really likes it now?

Really nice Smithy.

Looks good from both sides. I think I prefer the last photo you posted - it looks more windswept.

Paul

Thanks guys. Yes the wife says its her favourite now and its staying.