Bonsai anyone?

[Gina145]

Rose trees aren't traditional bonsai material but, as you can see, with a little creativity it's possible to make bonsai from almost anything.

My Pinterest bonsai board is http://pinterest.com/gina145/bonsai/ There's not much there yet, but I added a few interesting trees I found while browsing through Pinterest last night and I'll try to find some more as soon as I've got some free time. As you can see there is a huge variety of sizes. Walter Pall, who features in one of the photos, is a very well known bonsai artist and I will be attending one of his workshops when he visits South Africa in October.

RoyalFeather, how long is it since your trees were repotted? Did you cut a lot of root when you potted them? If your trees are settled it may be safe to do a little light training. Just don't try to do too much at once. (I'm assuming that you're in the Northern hemisphere and that it's spring where you are.)

 

[RoyalFeather]

I live in Oregon, Gina, which is the Western Hemisphere where I am, so yep, Spring here. They are wild-harvested trees and I collected them and planted them about 2 weeks ago. I tried to get as many roots as I could, but they are from the Oregon Dunes and a sandy environment and didn't have too much aside from a tap root. They are a Shore Pine and a Madrone, which are both native plants to my area and are quite lovely.

 

[claudine]

I found some pictures of really lovely bonsai trees, aren't they gorgeous?

I love these pink flowers, they look so romantic.

These bonsai trees look like art

 

[Gina145]

RoyalFeather, I don't have personal experience of digging up trees, only what I've heard at my club. From what I've heard, with trees that were dug up from the wild it is probably safer to give them a year to recover. I thought they had already been growing in pots. I hope they have some fine roots growing off the tap root because those are really important. Also, for now they should be in fairly large pots with lots of room to grow. Newly potted trees are usually kept in the shade for two to three weeks to recover from the shock of having their roots pruned.

Neither of those are species I've ever seen. I'd love to see what your trees look like.

 

[ChanellG]

It's so beautiful!!! I've never thought about it before but after I saw this picture I realized that it may be pretty easy to make a bonsai tree from a rose - roses grow so fast.
I prefer to let my roses grow the way they want but it's a really lovely idea

I would prune my roses a bit just to keep them tidy, but nothing drastic. Now that I have seen this rose bonsai though, I thing I am going to have to try it if I can find a variety of rose that can thrive indoors. I plant to get some cuttings from my mother's roses soon.

 

[RoyalFeather]

RoyalFeather, I don't have personal experience of digging up trees, only what I've heard at my club. From what I've heard, with trees that were dug up from the wild it is probably safer to give them a year to recover. I thought they had already been growing in pots. I hope they have some fine roots growing off the tap root because those are really important. Also, for now they should be in fairly large pots with lots of room to grow. Newly potted trees are usually kept in the shade for two to three weeks to recover from the shock of having their roots pruned.

Neither of those are species I've ever seen. I'd love to see what your trees look like.

I had heard a year as well, but then a local Bonsai grower told me 4 months was okay. I'd hate to risk it and kill my trees, so I thought I'd ask and see what you guys thought.

I just dug them up with a shovel and gave them about 1' of soil on each side of them, but the roots that were there weren't all that much. There were a few side roots coming off the taproot, but not that many. The sand-dwelling plants don't usually have much for roots.

 

[Gina145]

As you know a local Bonsai grower, I'd try to learn as much from him as you possibly can. He knows the local conditions and the local trees, whereas most of the people you ask online will probably be used to different conditions. Has he seen your trees?

If you've got any doubts, it's always best to err on the side of caution. Bonsai is a hobby that requires patience. That's not my strength, but I'm learning.

 

[RoyalFeather]

He is an amateur grower that knows less about plants than I do. His trees are all brown when they should be green in spring and one is covered in bugs he refuses to treat for. I took his advice before I had seen his trees or knew his experience level. So I'll probably wait a lot longer than he says to wait.

I have a couple more varieties of trees that I'd like to try out as well, but thought I'd start with two.

 

[claudine]

I would prune my roses a bit just to keep them tidy, but nothing drastic. Now that I have seen this rose bonsai though, I thing I am going to have to try it if I can find a variety of rose that can thrive indoors. I plant to get some cuttings from my mother's roses soon.

In general, roses love to be pruned. I had pruned my roses after the winter and they started to grow really fast almost immediately. Soon, they'll bloom
Miniature roses are perfect to grow them indoors but I'm not sure if it's possible to make a bonsai from them since they're so small.

 

[maddie]

Air layering is a sure fire way to propagate a plant. II have air layered quite a few rubber plants and ficus starlight which for some reason s finicky here and refuses to grow easily from cutting. Ficus of any kind makes for excellent bonsais. I'd love to have a banyan tree some day.. they make awesome bonsai material.
Here is a picture of one..

 

[Gina145]

RoyalFeather, it doesn't sound like he's the best person to ask advice from then. Perhaps there's a bonsai club in your area where you can find some real experts. Otherwise there are some really good online bonsai forums, so I'm sure you could get some useful advice from people who have worked with those species.

Maddie, ficuses are one of my favorite species for bonsai. I don't have any with all those aerial roots though. You need a lot of humidity to get those.

 

[orclev]

Bonsai plants are gorgeous! My dad is actually really good at bonsai and has been doing it for years. He can take a plant that has been struggling and has ended up deformed or lopsided and turn it into something beautiful that thrives. I've never learned how to do it myself, though. They do offer classes in Bonsai at the National Arboretum, which I might look into sometime since it isn't too far from where I live.

I have to say I was super excited when I found out that it's possible to grow citrus plants in pots! One of these days I really want to get a meyer lemon tree and try it out for myself, but I'm not 100% sure where to find them... I know they sell them somewhere around here though, because my mom has one. It just grows and grows though, and hers hasn't produced any flowers or fruits yet even though she's had it for about a year or so now.

 

[Gina145]

orclev it sounds like your dad is a real artist. Deformed and lopsided trees can actually be the best candidates for bonsai as the most artistic trees are ones which have a story to tell and often it is one of struggle against harsh elements. The art is in allowing those trees to convey their struggle in the best possible way.

You really should take some classes. It's a great hobby and it would give you a wonderful interest to share with your dad. I wish someone else in my family was interested in bonsai, but sadly no one is.

 

[maddie]

I was at a bonsai garden a few days ago, and I was so thrilled to see these beautiful little trees recreate nature in a miniscule sort of way. I have so many pictures of those bonsais.. but the fact I have been constantly travelling has me disorganized. I will post more pictures here as soon as I get my feet in a steady place.

 

[maddie]

I found some pictures of really lovely bonsai trees, aren't they gorgeous?

I love these pink flowers, they look so romantic.

These bonsai trees look like art

Two of these are adenium obesum .. the one with the wide open flowers. They are actually normal plants .. that naturally grow that way. However, I am curious to know what the other plant/tree is? I would like to try one of those. Does anyone know the name of the tree in the middle? I would appreciate if you could throw some light on it.