Neverending work in process

I started this Ficus nerifolia around 1972. It was one of my first bonsai. It did very well until borers destroyed most of the branches a couple of years after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

This is how it looks today, after almost 38 years in a container. One Mother Nature deals you a bad hand, you just start over with what is left.


Ed Trout Pembroke Pines, Florida

Nice recovery Ed.

Very nice tree! Do you have anymore pictures of the progression on whjat the tree went through? If so, could you kindly share with us ?

I like the destroyed/recovered tree infinitely better than the original. It has far more character and personality and actually looks like a tree. The original looked like a lego tree

I very much like the direction this is going in now.

Wow!! I love it then.....Slightly before I was born, and I love it now!

Look foreward to a couple of updates.

I AM SORRY,,That you lost a lot of your tree after that long working with it..... but I really like what you are doing with it now!! it is going to be a nice tree again..keep posting ok i would like to see it when it leaves out...good work take care john

in the 1970's the today image would not have excited anyone as the true to the book bonsai images were more popular - so the formal upright image was perfect for the tree and time.

Luckily, following the loss of 90% of the tree, the single branch trained into a tree image is a popular bonsai style today as it gives more dramatic taper, and this is a really nice example of that technique - made even better because nature took over and ate the rest of the tree!

both styles are extremely good for the year they existed in - is it the tree you've had the longest?

Great job Ed!!!

Mother nature knows best right?!?!

Have a great week everyone!!!
Sam

Marcus hit it right. My own teacher, Joe Samuels hated this tree.....because it didn't look like a ficus !! He was right, and ahead of his time. I've learned a lot since then, but also learned a lot from this tree while I had it styled as a formal upright. After all, the tree is our best teacher. Here is a photo in the early stages. Sorry for the lousy photo quality.....no "digital" back then !!

Can you explain the borers? I would have never guessed them to be an issue with ficus.

Russell,

Hurricane Andrew destroyed most of the native slash pines in 1992. Shortly after that borers started attacking many types of trees, and some surmised that it was because their original food supply ( pine trees ) was gone. The borers we have that infest ficus, are very small, but can destroy a tree quicker than you can react. They have been a problem since then. By the way, the first photograph of this tree was taken at The World Bonsai Convention in Orlando in 1993, by Peter Bloomer. I worked that convention as an assistant to Jean Smith, who was the workshop/demo chairperson. One of the headliners that I assisted that weekend was a young artist by the name of Russell Coker !!!!

Ed

Marcus,

My oldest tree.....Ficus nerifolia....started at about the same time as the formal one.

Ed

That's funny (not the borers).

Great convention, but most of what I remember was being Keiko Yamane's slave because I still remembered enough Japanese at that point to be her step-and-fetch-it for her kusa-mono demos.

Ed Trout wrote:
After all, the tree is our best teacher. !

Now to direct this quote to that silly 'Modern bonsai masters' thread. Ed. Your work and words are inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing.

Kind regards

Damien

Hi Ed, it looks amazing. I am glad you went this direction. I know the last time I went by your house you were contemplating this direction. It has the WOW affect

But like you always tell me, if it is to much trouble I will take care of it for you.

It is so refreshing to see a different approach to a Nerifolia. Continue your journey my dear friend. Thanks for last weekend, it was awesome. Can not wait to see what you are going to do with that Escambron.