I wanted to show an update of my little Black Pine that I have worked over the last year. It has come a long way, added new branches and is doing very well. This tree is pictured straight off my bench. So there are weeds, a dirty pot, and a tree that really needs wired.
Shohin Black Pine
I hope to have it wired out in October, and will post a new photo at that time.
Well the flowers on my Wrightia religiosa didn’t last very long. It has pretty much been raining here in Florida for the past 4 weeks, and the flowers just didn’t get a break. However since the flowers were gone I got a chance to make a few changes to this tree. First thing was to remove the red glazed bonsai pot that it was in. It was a temporary pot until I found something more suitable.
Wrightia religiosa - new pot
I have had this bonsai pot for years, but never found the right tree to put in it. If you review my posts your see that I had a Ficus Too Little, A winged Elm, and probably a few other potted in it. However I like the match up with this tree and this pot.
After repotting, I had to wire out the tree a bit. I wanted to open it up and expose the large trunk a bit. Remember when this tree blooms, they hang down past the bottom of the branches so I want the rows to be stright and well defined.
Lastly, while attending one of Boon’s intensive training classes he said that when you repot a tree you should put it in a different pot. I like this idea because the pot will bring on a all new look altogether. That’s the kind of thing that really motivates me.
Over the past few days I have worked to wire the secondary branches of my Blue Alps Juniper, and I have the scars to prove it.
Wired out Blue Alps Juniper
This is the results of my efforts. My goal this time was to truly performs a John Naka style wiring. I wanted to shape the branches from wide to narrow at the tims and from a side view from think to thin. I think I was able to achieve that.
Top view - Blue Alps Juniper
Here is an angle that you don’t normally see, but it is an important one. When I do my wiring the health of the tree is the most important issue. I try to move the branches so that the sun light is not blocked by another branch. You need to do this or the branch will die. Nice to see a nice full canapy, although I have a little bald spot in the middle that I need to cover over.
Before picture of Blue Alps Juniper
I needed to show the before picture so t hat you can see the dramatic difference. There was a lot of health new growth on this tree, and you can’t beat the blue color. I plan to stay on top of this tree and control the growth. I also want to shorten the left branch to bring the whole tree in closer to the trunk. Right now it seems a bit long which makes the trunk look thin.
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