First times - The Cotoneaster, root over rock adventure

While mucking around with junipers is fun, sometimes too much of the same thing becomes a little bit tedious. So feeling confident with my newly gained experience in wiring and shaping plants i decided to put my hand to a different species of plant as well as different techniques and styles.

The plant that i decided to use is Cotoneaster horizontalis. There are many species of cotoneaster and they range from low growing ground covers to large shrubs up to 5m tall. There are many examples of established cotoneaster plants in front yards all across the north shore of Sydney, mostly in the older landscaped houses. In my humble landscapers opinion cotoneaster is an old persons plant, i have never thought of putting it in a garden that i have created and nobody seems very interested in them anymore. It is also considered a "weed" as it can quite easily establish in relatively undisturbed bushland.

All of these negatives aside, Cotoneaster horizontalis is a perfect candidate for bonsai. Its small leaves make it easy to create very tight and thick foliage pads. In Spring it displays white, pink and red flowers which coming through to winter fruit into little red berries. It is a very hardy plant which also bodes well for bonsai.

 The picture above is my friends cotoneaster bonsai and is very similar to what mine looked like when i acquired it from the nursery, you can clearly see the red berries and why it is a plant with potential to look very pretty.



As i was sitting and pondering about my plant and what shape it should take i decided i wanted to try and do root over rock style. I had found a good rock previously in my backyard which would be perfect for my first root over rock experience. BUT as everything was going so well there is bound to be something that goes wrong, and it did. While i was trying to shape the plant i managed to snap the stem halfway with my clumsy beginner hands. Alas all was not lost, mother nature blessed plants with the ability to grow back and while only half the size i managed to salvage what i had left.

Root over rock style showcases the ability of plants in nature to adapt and survive in all sorts of harsh landscapes. In my little plants case i hope it will look like its growing on the side of a cliff.

 I will run you through the steps i went through to achieve root over rock.

1. I cleaned all the soil away from the base of the plant to expose all roots and gain an idea of how extensive the root system was.
2. I chose which way the rock should sit and the best position for the plant to be fastened. Keeping in mind how the roots would flow down the rock into the soil below.
3. Once the plant had been placed it needed to be wired down. I wired the root system over the rock with 2 loops, one from top to bottom and one around the belly of the rock like in the photo below.
   
4. Because the roots weren't yet attached to the rock and also too short to reach the soil at the bottom of the rock i buried the rock in a large pot where the soil comes up just under the base of the trunk. i will leave it buried like this for about a year or until the next growing season has finished then i will pull it out and readdress the roots to see if they have grown and attached enough to expose the rock and only then start shaping the tree. Below is what the plant looks like today.
   
   

Now all i can do is wait and ponder over the final shape this plant will take. While i wait i will continue to create more bonsai even propagate and grow my own plants. I have many grand plans but until i get them started they are all merely dreams. I will however continue to dream big!

Juniperus 'prostrata' - The perfect beginners bonsai

I thought id just put up some of the Bonsai work I've done to date, write a little about each piece explaining some thoughts and hopes for the future.

These examples of my work are Juniperus 'prostrata'. On a recent trip to the bonsai nursery i bought about 5 of these plants in starter pots. They weren't in any shape at all and had been in these pots since they left the propagation table. They varied in age from 3 to 10 years old according to the nursery owner.

What i like about these junipers is the flexibility and hardiness. As a landscaper i plant these in very tough spots as they can take most types of soil be it acidic or alkaline, they are drought and salt tolerant and like full sun. As long as the soil is relatively well drained this plant can take a battering while staying healthy and keeping an interesting habit through all seasons. 

As a bonsai the younger growth is very flexible which helps enormously when shaping, as well as being very forgiving for a clumsy beginner.

Specimen 1

Specimen 1

 Specimen 1 is a plant that i put straight into a bonsai pot as i was giving it away as a present. Another plus about bonsai is they can make a very good, cheapish (if you stay young and small), personal present which will last a lifetime (only if the recipient is a green thumb).



unfortunately i didn't take any before photos but to explain, this was one of the 3 year old junipers and all the branches of which there were many more lay prostrate. It now stands about 20cm tall from base of trunk to tip. It is in an informal upright style with a semi-cascade branch off the side. This is my favourite to date, mainly because it looks semi finished. It is a shape i wish to recreate one day in a much larger format, creating flat pads of branches on the outside curve of the trunk.

Specimen 2

Specimen 2

 Specimen 2 is one of the 10 year old junipers, it stands about 15cm from base of trunk to highest point while the longest leader is around 30cm in length. Its yellow foliage is basically because of the fact its been stuck in the same starter pot for 10 years. Its had a hard life however this has lead it to have a more developed lower trunk and bark. I have now potted it up and i am hoping that the new soil combined with fertiliser, water and sun will bring it back to all of its green glory.

There isn't much technique or thought put into this specimen, i just wanted to try out some crazy trunk shapes which in time and after some thought will lead to some random foliage pads and hopefully an all around funky, interesting plant.

Specimen 3

Specimen 3

 Specimen 3 is another of the 10 year old Junipers. Like all Juniper 'prostrata' they start prostrate. With this one a bit of very thick wire and some careful shaping it now stands in an 'informal upright' style. Clearly
 a lot more work to be done on the habit of the tree but i think we are on the right track. When i potted this plant up into this larger training pot i tried to expose the roots a bit and added a couple of small rocks for interest but also to recreate the kind of terrain these plants are found in the wild, up in the mountains of central Asia.

This plant is in the same kind of health as the last one and hopefully the same care schedule will prove to work.

Specimen 4

 Specimen 4 is a juniper i saw at a bonsai show in Pymble on the weekend. One day i hope to have the skills and creativity to grow something like this. This is the kind of thing i will continue to get my inspiration from, there is no limit to the things these plants can do (with a little help from people).

Introduction

After sitting at my desk for half an hour wondering how to open my very first post on my very first blog I've decided to just go with it and "learn on the job" as they say. What has anyone got to lose in the end, if your interesting people will read!

So, lets get to the introduction. My name is Liam Kendrick, i am a 26 year old Landscaper from the North Shore of Sydney more specifically Turramurra. I'm a very easy going bloke that doesn't need much in life to be content or entertained. Friend's and Family are a must, but add to that sports, landscape design and anything to do with gardening and mother nature then you have a mixture of what i call my life.

Over the last 6 months i have had the pleasure to discover a love for the art of "Bonsai" or what alot of people refer to as little trees in pots. I have always been interested in horticulture, mainly due to my grandmother and father. They are both avid gardeners and in my grandmothers case a crazy pot collecting geranium lover. Though i have always enjoyed plants i hadn't until Christmas just passed even really thought of growing bonsai. One of my good friends took me out to a bonsai nursery where they have a large collection of old bonsai and it was love at first sight. Ever since then i have been growing my own and reading up on the techniques and styles of bonsai any chance i get.

My aim for this blog is to basically record the progression of my bonsai trees as well as the growth of my skill and knowledge in the subject. I want to share with people my career in bonsai as you might say. I want to meet people with the same passions and interests as mine to help me grow and fine tune my skills and knowledge.

On that note i would like to post a photo of the first bonsai i put my hand to. I bought it from a nursery as a very leggy Azalea and shaped in a windswept style. Looking back at the first one is a funny experience and now having read and researched as well as had the experience of creating new bonsai, i laugh at it. By no means am i ashamed of it but there are more creative and more beautiful styles that this plant could have taken. I personally think that being able to look back on previous work and laugh is a good thing, it shows progression in your journey to find your own style.