Sometimes I work on nursery trees, sometimes I work on client’s trees……and sometimes if I’ve been a really good boy I get to work on my own trees. Hopefully these regular visits will give you an insight into what goes on behind closed doors……….
Studio Stories – A Tale of Three Junipers (Part One)
These three Juniper Chinensis all originated from Japan and are of similar size appearance and condition. They were ready for re-styling and appeared in the studio on separate visits but within weeks of one another.
They were all appraised with the view of trying to get the best out of what was available. How they changed will be detailed in this and two subsequent posts.
In the case of the first Juniper the trunk was quite heavy with problems in it’s taper especially where it forked into two branches high up in the tree.
To rectify his problem involved changing the front slightly, selecting the best trunk line, and creating some deadwood to improve the line of taper.
Once branch selection had been completed the foliage was thinned out and all remaining branches were wired enabling the unkempt form to be replaced by a more tree-like triangular silhouette.
The student wanted to portray the tree in a landscape setting using rocks he had collected. A shallow oval pot was chosen and rocks were selected and placed accordingly.
The tree was potted in a mix of 50/50 akadama and bims. The appearance of this bonsai will be totally transformed simply by the addition of some moss.
Our next visit to the studio will feature the second Juniper pictured above.