Entry #4
Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis 'Prince of Whales')
USA
23cm (9") /
Before
Before: This tree was purchased recently from a local landscape nursery. The nursery stock was selected for it’s unique foliage, trunk diameter, and decent movement for untrained nursery stock. Although this cultivar does not have mature scale-like foliage as other Juniperus horizontalis ssp., the juvenile needle-like foliage is tight, soft and supple, that turns an interesting purple in cold winter conditions. This tree has lots of foliage for the trunk, all the way out to the tips of the branches. Although the branches are full of foliage, the branches are very thin and do no support the weight of the foliage mass, which lends to it’s growth habit, “creeping”. All branches will have to be fine wired, and the wire may have to remain on the tree a bit longer than usual for the branches to set. I have not decided yet as to what design this tree will have, as I often like the tree to dictate the style. Upon further evaluation of the tree and branches I will get a better idea of the final design. However, this tree should make a nice small-medium size bonsai.
One Quarter Progression
Quarter Progression: After examining the trunk and branch structure it was apparent that just above the soil line the main trunk (thickest portion) curved to the left, while 2 other significantly thick branches curved the opposing direction. Since the thickness of the main trunk is less than 5cm (2″) in diameter, the overall foliage mass must be considerably smaller than what it started with. Because of these reasons, the 2 thick opposing branches were jinned to reduce the overall silhouette of the tree and create more interest in the final design. Jinned branches were wired to pull them apart and move them in a similar direction more harmonious to the design. Based on the movement and size of the tree, I am currently considering 2 possible design options. One is a slanting or informal upright style. The other is a semi-cascade or full cascade style. I’m leaning toward a cascade style because I feel the truck comes out of the soil at a very convincing angle for a cascade style tree.
Half Way
Having decided on the cascade or semi-cascade style, additional branches were removed in the rear to reduce the overall foliage mass. All remaining branches were wired into position, and fine wired all the way to the tips of the foliage to place the foliage in the right place to achieve a more full, mature looking design. Too often trees are first styled by removing too much foliage, which weakens the tree and leaves it looking bare, reducing the overall impact of the design. Additionally, extra foliage and branches were left on the tree to promote health and vigor. Doing this will aid in speeding the design process, by allowing the tree to accumulate more photosynthetic resources which will help the canopy of the tree to fill in faster and recover from initial design work. In the future (possibly as early as this fall) superfluous branches and foliage will be removed, and the foliage mass will be reduced again, bring the tree closer to it’s final overall design.
Three Quarter Progression
After allowing the tree to grow out through most of the spring, the tree did not skip a beat. Noticing that the tree was growing profusely and knowing that it was already root bound in it’s nursery pot, I decided it was time to repot it.