ROCK PLANTING

The rock is from Japan. The tree is j. procumbens nana from 5 gallon nursery stock. The tree has been in bonsai training about 15 or so years. The height including the Jim Gremel pot is about 24 inches.

Mike

Hello again, Mike....

I keep coming back to look at an outstanding duo !! Each is awesome ..... BUT to me they fight for attention.

If the juniper did not have jin between it and the rock, it might fit more closely and conversely the stone was not so intricate to blend with this interesting tree. Perhaps even a lower rock would be the answer!

As you know I'm very interested in worthy viewing stones and yours could stand alone! You said it is from Japan, do you know from where it comes and it's geological makeup?

Thanks for sharing !

Norma

While I agree with Norma, I find the

fight for attention

to increase my appreciation of the whole. In nature this happens. The rock could certainly stand alone (as could the tree), but in my examination of the rock, I find it pushes my attention back to the tree, and then the tree back to the rock. Overall, the wildness of the composition speaks to me. The tree is fighting to survive in the shadow of the rock. It pushes to the rock, and then dies, making the jin. The position of the moss ties the rock to the ground, and the light patches of the rock speaks to the light patches on the trunk. The color of the gravel matches the color of the rock at its base, and this focuses the eye of the trunk. I like it! BTW, I see a horse in the rock, and its nose is pointing down and almost pushing on the jin Norma speaks of as between the rock and the tree.

Norma wrote:Hello again, Mike....

.As you know I'm very interested in worthy viewing stones and yours could stand alone! You said it is from Japan, do you know from where it comes and it's geological makeup?

Thanks for sharing !

Norma

The rock was brought from Japan about 15-20 years ago by a bonsai master to use in a rock planting demo. A friend won it in the raffle. The trees on the rock didn't do well, so after a few months they were removed and put in bonsai pots. They have since thrived, and become show pieces.
The rock was originally 1/3 taller than now. My friend had it standing in her garden.
a big wind storm blew it over and the top 1/3 broke off. She offered the lower 2/3 to me, which I quickly accepted as I knew I had a tree to attach to it.
I don't know anything about the origin of the rock.

Mike

Carolee wrote: BTW, I see a horse in the rock, and its nose is pointing down and almost pushing on the jin Norma speaks of as between the rock and the tree.

Carolee, for many years I have referred to it as my "horsehead" rock.

Mike

I figured out a way to move the tree to in front of the horsehead without removing it from the rock. The main changes were cutting off some jin branches so the tree would move easily around the rock and fit in close.

I like it better in your new setting. Good job.

Mike,
I think the second set up is better too.

Now, I do not portend to be an expert in rock and tree plantings, but here goes: Is is a bad idea to have a branch/pad crossing over the rock in the front going the other direction, say halfway up the trunk? IMHO, that would help to put the tree out in front of the rock, and the overlapping would help break up the negative space.

It is still a great composition, I am just trying to learn here...

Thanks,
Rob A.

Too much going on for me. The rock wants to fly by itself as well as the tree. Two positives make a ...well you know.

__gary

I see that Juniper struggling to survive on a craggy cliff side...

Spectacular, Mike.

Pat

Can anyone tell me why the time stamp read "...Current date/time is Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:20 am..." when I posted (previous post) at 11:20pm?

The minds of the curious need to know...

Pat

bonsaistud wrote:Can anyone tell me why the time stamp read "...Current date/time is Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:20 am..." when I posted (previous post) at 11:20pm?

Because that's what time it was in the server's time zone.

If you tell the forum what time zone you're in, it'll display times in your time zone instead of the server's time zone. Click on "Profile", then "Preferences". Choose your timezone and click "Save".