juniper c. old gold

Has anyone used the juniper c. old gold for a bonsai?

bonsai padawan wrote:Has anyone used the juniper c. old gold for a bonsai?

I've tried.....unsuccessfully. It's the foliage. It just doesn't work.

It's just another J. chinensis. Cultivars with odd foliage sometimes are a bit more tender that "normal" plants, but otherwise, it's just another Chinese juniper.

Personally, I find the odd-colored varieties rather unattractive as bonsai.

I suspect the problem here may be taxonomy. Although it is often listed as a cultivar of J. chinensis, I believe it is actually a cultivar of what is now named J. pfitzeriana. This group is valued for landscaping, but is not suitable for bonsai.
Iris

I have an Old Gold thats growing outside and it has mature foliage that's similar to Shimpaku, no juvenile foliage at all and the plant is under five years old. Maybe it's not Old Gold?

Pfitzeriana can be made into handsome bonsai but need a lot more working than chinensis. The foliage reverts easily to juvenile and can be a bit floppy but with patience, will settle down. Brilliant practice material for carving, tearing and bending techniques.

Hi,

I've seen the variety in some of the subjects that Salvatore Liporace has Worked on registered in the bonsai book " Bonsai - Spirit and substance". Presumely in one of my first courses of bonsai i actually have the idea that i've worked on one. Though they seem not to present the same thin and dense foliage as the itoigawa varieties i believe it's workable, although in more medium larger scales they would probably offer the best possibilities.

Compliments,

Gustavo