the vynsane asylum

~5 year old juniper originally transplanted from my Brother-in-law's house to my front yard about 4 years ago. Other than a little pinch-pruning here and there, it's grown relatively unencumbered since.

I've always favored the Bunjin/Literati style and intended to sculpt this tree that way. Admittedly, I probably should have paid a bit more attention to the way the branches were growing, but I wanted to see where nature would take it and if it would present a different personality than the one I had prescribed for it. Turns out, it hasn't, really. Along with a lot of back-yard cleanup yesterday, I decided that it was about time I started its training. here's how it looked before and after its first major branch removal:

Before:


Bunjin Bonsai WIP - before first branch removal by vynsane, on Flickr


Bunjin Bonsai WIP - before first branch removal by vynsane, on Flickr


Bunjin Bonsai WIP - before first branch removal by vynsane, on Flickr

After:


Bunjin Bonsai WIP - after first branch removal by vynsane, on Flickr


Bunjin Bonsai WIP - after first branch removal by vynsane, on Flickr


Bunjin Bonsai WIP - after first branch removal by vynsane, on Flickr

not even a comment about my shitty looking front 'yard' (as in one square yard of grass)?

The pictures have some sort of forced perspective, so it is hard to tell how big the tree is.

BANZAIII!!!!!

Ran wrote:The pictures have some sort of forced perspective, so it is hard to tell how big the tree is.

good point, although, again, i think it's merely a trick of how small my front yard is... it's maybe a bit over 3' tall. when the top is cut back and wired into position it will probably be less than 2.5'. i should have tried to find a large piece of posterboard or something to put behind it so it would be easier to see, but i don't have anything that size that would stand up well on its own. i suppose a piece of sheetrock might suffice. i could get my daughter or the missus to stand behind it in order to hold it in place.

for the intended final style, there is still a good deal of cutting to be done, but i didn't want traumatize the tree any more than i already have. the bunjin/literati style is particularly known for sparse foliage mainly located at the top third of the tree, with a sinuous, often twisted trunk.