Luke86
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Juniper

Hi there,just bought this juniper from a guy who's been growing bonsai for around 40 years

Just wondering what people think in terms of how to style it?
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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

To start with DO NOTHING! Bonsai is an art requiring a lot of patience and now is your chance to start developing that patience. The first thing that needs to happen is that you and your tree need to get to know each other.

I looked back and you had a series of posts about "my first juniper bonsai" at the end of last year. It was a different one. Do you still have that one? How is it doing? At that point you indicated that you understood that junipers need to live outdoors. Did you just bring this one in for the picture? Even though you live in Vancouver and it may be cold, it needs to go out. If it has been in for awhile, I would transition it gradually, to the coldest spot in your house and then to some unheated indoor space like a garage or shed, and then to the most protected outdoor space you can find. But I would get it outside, or there is a good chance it won't make it to spring, or if it does, having not had the winter dormant period, it will be exhausted and die when spring growth comes.

Other than that the tree needs to get used to its new (outdoor) location and you need to learn how to keep it alive and thriving in its tiny pot. In the meantime you can be studying the tree and the art of bonsai and thinking about what you want to do with it come spring.

The first step is what style you envision for it. Here's a couple descriptions of bonsai styles:

https://www.bonsaiempire.com/origin/bonsai-styles

https://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics_ ... Forms.html

It looks like whoever started your tree had in mind a slant style or possibly informal upright. It might possibly be developed into semi cascade or windswept styles.

Your tree is currently very twiggy. You will need to reduce some of that for your design to be clearer.

Here's some articles about basic principles of bonsai design:

https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/rules.htm

https://www.cutebonsaitree.com/branch-rules.html

https://www.annarborbonsaisociety.org/I'm ... _Wikle.pdf

https://andyrutledge.com/book/content/towardart.html

Best wishes! Keep us posted on how your new juniper progresses and what you decide to do with it in the spring.

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

Look for inspiration pictures to give you a sense of what you are aiming for:

juniper bonsai, slant style

Image
https://bonsaitonight.com/tag/bonsai/page/144/

juniper bonsai, informal upright

Image
https://www.kusamurabonsai.org/Photos/20 ... index.html

juniper bonsai, semi cascade

Image
https://dragongardennursery.com/gallery.html (note this is a fifty year old bonsai done by a professional!)

spruce bonsai, windswept

Image
https://www.artisticbonsaicircle.co.uk/b022td.htm

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

first thing I would do with a juniper is find a nice place outside for it. It is not a houseplant.

Luke86
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Thanks for the reply guys,for some reason it didn't let me know you had replied.

Anyways this is a different one,I wanted one that was a bit more developed.

I still have the other one,and that one seems to be doing just fine.they both live outside but I just bought it in for a picture.

Yeah the slant style in which its currently growing into,is what made me buy it I really like that style of bonsai.

And yeah I realized it's quite twiggy so I'll definitely reduce that in the spring and go from there.

I'll definitely keep you guys updated with what I'm thinking of doing with it

Thanks for the advice

Luke86
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Also here's a picture of the top of the tree from above.it had been wired,the really curved one is the second main branch and the one curving down is the first branch
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Luke86
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Also I have another question,in the last picture the second branch bends round to the front of the tree!
I want this tree to grow higher so do that, would I wire it upwards so that takes over as the lead? And I'll wait to wire it
Thanks

imafan26
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Posts: 13961
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Most bonsai trees bend to the side in windswept and cascade. In formal upright the tree is fairly strait. In informal and slant styles the tree is to bent to the side or toward the back. You always want to be able to follow the trunk up the tree and the trunk usually is what is accentuated
So, no, you would not want to bend a branch around the front of the tree but it could be in and "s'" shape undulating as it goes up as in the informal upright.

In cascae bonsai, look closely. The main branch is bent down till it it level or lower than the pot rim. But at the apex before the cascade travels down there is a tuft of leaves or branches that is pruned into the traditional layered pyrimidal shape. Note that the strongest element is the trunk. Trunks should be thick; and "aged"; you should be able to see it through the layers.

https://i24.servimg.com/u/f24/16/14/14/85/cascad10.jpg
https://bonsaibark.com/wp-content/uploads/benafter1.jpg
I liked this video. The bonsai artists explain what they are doing why and how they envision the tree will be.
https://www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/prog ... ion-movies

This I do not particularly like. It does not look natural or even orderly and if wires are left on the branches too long they will cut in to the branch. There is an attempt being made to layer but the layers are not horizontal and you really cannot see the branch through the layers. The top has a big hole in it. The owner admitted it did not turn out as he planned but was trying to fix it.
https://www.bonsai4me.com/Images/ATJunip ... IC%20D.jpg

Luke86
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Okay I understand that,thanks for the advice! It's nice to see people replying to my questions
Thanks

Luke86
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Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 1:12 am

Sorry I think I worded that question wrong.
What I meant to say was....in the second picture you can see a branch curving round from the far left,then curving round to the right!
Because I want this tree to grow bigger/taller,would I wire that curvy branch upwards? And then arrange the branches that come off of that?

Luke86
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Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 1:12 am

Hi guys,well it's spring so I decided to give my tree a trim and a wire.
I decided on the windswept style in the end

It was pruned quite heavily so I didn't do anymore to orbit later on the bottom of the pads need to be timed out a bit I think.
I didn't want to go to hard on it
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Luke86
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Sorry I meant I didn't want to do to much pruning.but later on the pads will need to be thinned out



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