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| Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum & relatively new to bonsai, though I have had several indoor trees for a few years now -- ficus & rosemary, as well as a lovely juniper made out of nursery stock a couple of years ago that winters on a cold porch. That's my background -- limited.
Today, I was at the nursery looking for things for the yard when I came across a cotoneaster dammeri tipped on its side, the last of its kind & on sale. So I bought it, brought it home & trimmed back the suckers & several spindly limbs to get at the trunk's shape. It has some nice angles. So what I have is a two foot tall tree with a caliper at the base of under an inch, which is obviously way out of proportion for a bonsai. It's still in ins one gallon nursery containeter & I'm thinking of planting it out in the yard for a couple of years to thicken the trunk. Or should I just cut it way back to a couple of branches then let if fill out in proportion? This is an inexpensive experiment, so it's no great loss if it blows up in my face. Thanks in advance for any advice. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hi, and welcome. I guess it's your choice about how to handle it.. have you considered a literati? It's got small enough leaves and berries! Must not have had enough sun or something previously. PS - if you have a 'functioning' rosemary bonsai, you're doing something right! |
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| Lucy, thanks for the welcome. The c. dammeri is certainly spindly! It does have the feel of a literati about it, which is appropriate, I guess, since I'm a poet. I guess what I was asking, without really knowing it, was, Can I cut this stock back to a stub? As for the rosemary, I have two, both four or five years old. I'll add a link below to a blog post about the prettier one, which I just repotted. I wish the trunk was thicker, but it has a graceful shape, I think. I have another rosemary, also several years old, a different variety with larger needles, that is also quite healthy. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Rosemary Bonsai / 12 in. tall
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| Love your little RM bush! Give it time, and you'll definitely have an interesting look - they do get gnarly great trunks. If you cut the CE back to just above the lower branches (I'd say below but can't swear to whether it buds below or not) you should be fine. Try www.bonsai4me.com - lots of species and their care, and you might see something there on it. |
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