Japanese Boxwood - Now a true Bonsai

Well, it's becoming 'more' of a bonsai, I'll say that.  :)   This is the apex of my experience so far - of bonsai and homemade pottery combined.  In this instance this pot is actually the creation of my best friend Aaron, which I'll revisit as this post goes.    I finally feel like I am getting somewhere...  :)

Before - the Tree Trunk Pot of Aarons

This pots beginnings are better detailed in this post. 

Here are some finished pictures - glazed and ready for use.  Love this pot, Aaron's work on the trunks and branches that work into the foilage on the rim, is appreciated better in person..  The glazing is beautiful!

Picture from last season

This tree's beginnings are detailed in this post. 

Japanese boxwood before the transformation

This is a picture today that I took before my work.  The wire came off, and as you can see it survived the unusual winter we had very well, with a great deal of new growth showing.

Vast root reduction

As you can see, I reduced the roots a great deal vertically, so that it will fit into it's new home.  I did this by gently raking out the roots, sort of like picking hair apart from a bad perm (lol).  It was easy, as it seemed this tree wanted to be a bonsai; it has a very fiberous root system, with no real large, obnoxious roots that I had to wither down!  

Pot is prepared with wire and layer of soil

Something I've inspired Aaron to do in his future pot designs, is to add holes for 'wire'.  On this pot, I'm snaking wire through it's drainage holes to help hold the root ball down in the pot.  Ready for the tree!

Japanese Boxwood - in new home

I'm so excited!  This went so well; I've planned this tree's future out in my mind since my first work on this tree last year - and knew after Aaron's pot was glazed that this Boxwood would find it's home here; To work through the process with patience and to have a result like this - I can say I think that this is my 1st 'real' bonsai created on my own, from start to well.   Not finished, but looking like a bonsai.  There is still alot of work ahead; some more reduction, and then beginning the full ramification that I have planned for this tree.  It's future is an Informal style bonsai, with heavy ramification reducing the leaf size dramatically.

Close up of the trunk wired to hold root ball

Closer look at the base, the wire threaded through the root ball and gently twisted around the trunk, the soil (80% inorganic, 20% organic), and a nice little rock for effect (I dig rocks in the bonsai pots, the right rock can add depth and increase the image of landscape for the pot itself).

Yay!  A fun day and a productive, exciting experience.  Thanks to my wife for letting me indulge time today!  :)

Japanese Boxwood #1

Japanese Boxwood #1

Informal Style

Well... The bug bit me again today while out shopping today at a local hardware/gardening store for a few things for the house. This Japanese Boxwood nursery plant is going to become my next project today. For $5.99, the hours of work I put into it and enjoyment of the finished product are priceless, in my opinion. Oddly enough, many of the boxwoods of this size today looked like great 'potensai' - or, 'prebonsai' as it's termed by some. This little tree has a nice trunk already developed and looks nicely aged with rough bark deep into the top branches. Boxwood species are much like Holly; they can get 'sticky' after the branches mature past the fresh 'green' stage. They can be more difficult to Jin as the branches thicken. This tree has good motion hidden underneath these leaves!

A few hours of pruning, deleafing, bending and wiring (even got a guy wire in on this one) I can see the vision that the Boxwood was giving me the vibes of; The beginnings of a stately informal style tree. I'm no stickler for 'forms' or 'styles', but when one suits decidedly what I'm aiming for - I properly label it. An 'Informal' style tree means that for the most, the main trunk aims upward, but not 'straight' that it has some degree of bend or 'taper' in the main trunk(s).




Here is what will become the 'back' of the tree. Well honestly - I'm not sure yet which is front or back, there are strengths to both views (which means it'll look good from any angle, good radial of the branches as long as they all live through their Jinning!) Good exercise in wiring for me, I need to go back and re-wire and add wire to some existing trees to give them more direction - this tree certainly has shown me how much direction you can truly give with wire. The end goal in this Informal style, is for a very heavily rammified Crown to the tree. This will cause the leaves to grow smaller, and will also create thick, healthy growth that will thicken the crown of this Japanese Boxwood nicely.