Curly Willow: Stretching it to its Fullest Potential [Bonsai]
Like I said, I've been busy. Here is another tree I recently wired up. It is a Curly Willow I have been developing into a bonsai.
Now it's extra curly.
The branches might seem to have some impossible looking changes in the angles. I think this is because in the second photo the pot is rotated almost 1/8 of a turn more to the right, and I did not realize it. It was meant to show a better front.
Usually in picking the front, I look first at the roots and the base of the trunk. I want the branches above to create a nice picture of a tree around the base of the tree where the structure is built upon.
My strategy here was primarily to change the upward vase shaped branches into more lateral side shapes. For the lowest branches, I tried to make them weep downward at the ends to show that they are bearing the weight of age. Thicker branches could not be bent easily without causing the wood to split. The bark on this tree will rip a bit like the rind on an apple when an angled portion is forced to bend the opposite way.
When I find leaf stems forming in an alternating pattern along a branch, I try to bend the branch in a lateral zigzag, so that the side stems extend from the outside of the bends, not the inside. This shapes the branches into a nicer fan shape, and it offers more space for stems and leaves to receive sunlight without interference.
Roots on the surface are becoming more visible. Eventually these roots will beef up to help hold the tree more steady. They might also extend into an interesting web across the entire top surface of the soil. The roots here remind me of eagle claws clamping down firmly.
The top of this tree is becoming very thick. Eventually I'm going to have to deal with that to encourage more slender branches to replace the course branches. Fortunately this variety buds new leaves and branches constantly during the growing season. I'm really liking the new crown shape on this tree after it has been wired. Expect to see a nice spread of green leaves completing the canopy of this tree this year.
Photos in this post are all #originalworks by @creativetruth, unless stated otherwise.
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STOPI have a curly willow as well. But mine is huge! well, not so huge right now because I cut it way back. You must have a lot of patience to do Bonsai.
Yeah, these things have such an adaptive root system. They almost prefer to overdo it on growth every year, then allow lots of dieback, and then overgrow to replace everything that was lost. A very regenerative process that frustrates traditional bonsai masters because the tree does not maintain its previous shape year to year.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Are you giving it a different shape every year?
Well... I like to think I'm in control of the trees sometimes, but not really. I prefer to think the tree and I are a team, and we sort of compromise on a shape together. Ha!
😄 👍 teamwork is the best!!
Btw. I am hosting a Garden Corner get together/contest on Fridays. It is more to show off our gardens, projects, or dreams LOL. I am giving away Steem Basic income by random drawing...
I would love it if you participate.
This is fascinating. I was interested in bonsai as a kid I grew a few from seed. I would like to try again. What would be a good one to start with? Do you grow from seed?