Well, bonsai literally means "plantings in tray", so having it in the ground would kind of defeat the purpose, but I suppose it could be done. The picture is kind of small, but from the looks of it, it appears to be quite small. You'd want to develope a strong trunk first by letting it grow out for a couple years. From there, you can start styling, using and accenting the tree's strong aspects. Do you know what species it is?

Jason

Mike is right. Leaving a tree in the ground and shaping it is a sure way to get a nice specimen. I have grown wisteria and bald cypress this way for a number of years. What I have done with the trees was to place a large piece of plastic or clay dish on the bottom of the hole where I plan to plant the tree.This is to keep the tap root from going too deep.

Patience is the key and if you wait a minimum of two to three years, you can see the trunk has expanded and the shape is making it look like a bonsai in the ground. A wisteria grown from seed will require at least four years to bloom. Afterwards, you pick the right time of year to dig it up and plant it in your bonsai pot.

You can apply your bonsai styling skills to the trees and shrubs that you need to control in your yard. Pruning the fringe of trees into shorter and more appealing shapes is much easier than trying to cut them out by the roots. If you have ever lived on the edge of a woods you know how hard it is to keep it from encroaching into your space.Vigorous but thoughtful pruning can turn it into a permanent bonsai style landscape. Keep them short and expose interesting trunks and be mindful of the color in the fall.

Some bonsai sites offer growing bags for in ground growing while confining the roots to a certain extent. Often times specimens collected in the wild are then placed in these bags and planted in the new location to grow and also to minimize shock for a period then transferred to training pots and then the permanent pot. I found that B 1 shock minimizer works well when transplanting

Do you have ant ideas on how to bonsai a large in ground tree?

Don't know what kind of tree it is.

Good luck with that on unless you have a shrink ray. Bonsai is a small tree in a pot that looks old and mature. There are some large bonsai, and some can be effectively reduced in size to suit a large pot, but it's too late for that one. I have collected 100 year old trees from the mountains for bonsai but they were naturally stunted in size, which is why I selected them. Some trees will sprout new growth from a severe trunk chop and provide a great, thick based bonsai in several years of development. The problem with something that size is the root ball, way too big for any pot, and reducing it enough would kill it.

Dig cedar up in late winter when dormant and place in pot. DO NOT wash all soil off roots. A general potting mix is fine. You will need a shovel and branch cutters.

Anyone that tells you different is a novice. Most bonsai artists grow their trees in the ground before transitioning to a pot. I have over a 100 specimens doing just that.

The only downside to in-ground development is that the container can't be moved or turned to chase the sun; and with certain very phototropic species this can present a challenge, even with staking, wiring, and judicious pruning.

I've seen the term "Niwaki" used to described garden/landscape trees that are highly styled using bonsai techniques. I currently have a Mugo pine growing on a small slope, and once it is tall enough I will remove some of the branches to expose the fattening trunk below.

Josh

I think bonsai are better grown in the ground. If you have really rocky soil, poor sand, etc they why not. Also agree with Mike and transplaing. On that large tree above why not thin out the branches to achieve a Japanese look if that is what you are going for. If you were die hard on bonsaiing that then cut it all off this month to 6 foot and that will create water spouts. Train those using a really thick hard wire, maybe thick copper 1/2 and keep removing water spouts. Be sure to fertilize heavily and be prepaired to possibly loose the tree in the process but I say why not if that is what your shooting for. I have done the same thing with gardenias, chaste tree, and crape myrtles "not crape murder if done right" that have been overgrown.

Oh on a side note you could also use T posts and cables to pull the water spouts in directions you want, just be sure to have adjustable ratchets like they use on blueberry farms. Those things can be really handy because you don't want to do anything fast. Think reverse espalier-