Initial Styling of Yamdori Lodgepole Pine

Hi everyone! Today I did some wiring and removing of superfluous branches on a Pinus Contorta, collected 2006. It grew a lot this year and seemed healthy enough for some initial work. This is a very large tree, as you can see from the coffee cup at the base in one of the pictures (that's a Venti Starbucks!). Future work will be to ramify and improve the branching, perhaps shorten and carve detail into the large jin and someday get this monster into a bonsai pot!!! Thanks for looking. I would welcome any suggestions for improvement...

~Brian~

Brian,

this is a very promising tree.
nice trunk movement. but if were my tree, i would removed or shorten the deadwood branch on the right side, then pull the branches down to compact the image of the pinetree-IMHO

regards,
jun

Brian....

I would not make a decision yet about the big dead lower branch; you have plenty of time to carve it and make it shorter. I almost prefer to see the reverse side - so the broken lower branch/jin is visible. It is a beautiful piece of collected material - but the new top with that big curve does not feel right - the curve for me does not work with the movement of the lower trunk. I understand that you took one of the upper branches and wired it up to make the new crown - it also looks like it is going back - which I am sure gives you some depth. Not sure what your other options were before you wired it up - you may what to consider another viewing angle, ie. from another side. Good luck.....Tom

Thanks for the suggestions! I have been strongly considering shortening the lower deadwood branch. I've just been taking my time in deciding on a final course of action with it. The major curve is pretty much as it was before wiring, I just pulled it in a bit closer to compact the overall image. Perhaps another view might reduce the drastic curve in the upper part of the tree. It is definitely a work in progress....

Brian

Design is filling in a bit. Lower jin shortened substantially and some carving performed