A regular update on the life and times of John Hanby’s Newstead Bonsai Centre……..
Topical Times – Buxus cascade styling and repotting
This yamadorii Buxus originated from the south of France. We had a batch of these and this was the last one to be styled.
The natural lean to one side and the position of the foliage made it somewhat obvious and appropriate to follow the cascade style. An initial selection of branches was made and the retained branches were all wired ready for positioning.
When it came to repotting there were some heavy ugly roots that ideally needed to be removed. Once these were removed it would also make it possible to tilt the tree over to enhance the cascading movement from right to left. Further investigation revealed that there was very little fibrous root attached to the heavy surface roots and so they could be removed without any fear of affecting the health of the tree.
You can see how much the tree was tilted from the position of the roots stub. I have left ample foliage on the tree to help it recover from this work but I suspect that in due course the two lower foliage clouds will be removed to leave a more compact semi-cascade tree.
The detail on the deadwood is quite stunning and is a clear indication of the tree’s age and somewhat exposed upbringing. Sometimes styling can be difficult and complex …..sometimes a bit of obvious pruning, a bit of wiring and a simple change of angle can bring about a dramatic change opening up the soul of the tree for all to see.