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Continued from above...
One very common example of non-cooperation is, all the best features don't present themselves from one view. If the tree is young, you may still be able to manipulate it enough to remedy the problem. For example, maybe the trunk is still pliable enough to wire and create movement that views best from a given angle
Or if you want to carve a shari (deadwood on the trunk) in a young juniper, then you can pick the side you have chosen at the front to carve
Continued below...
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With such an outstanding deadwood (shari)
this view has to be the front. The tree is an old Taxus Baccata (English yew). The artist is Stefano Frisoni of Italy
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Continued from above...
Here's a progression that may help you make the best choice: Start with the trunk and look for interesting lines with good movement. Once you've figured the best view based on that, look for taper (young trees often don't show much or any taper). If you're lucky there will be some taper and it will show best from the view you've chosen. If not, you'll have to decide which is most important with the tree. Or if possible, find a view that shows a bit of both
After that, some people say the Nebari (exposed flare and surface roots radiating from the base of the trunk) is next to come into play when choosing a front. Certainly, being aware of the nebari and its best view, can help
Continued below...
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Trident maples are famous for nebari and taper
and this one has them both
The artist is German Gomez
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Continued from above...
However, some species easily develop nebari while others don't. For example most maples and some other deciduous trees are known for strong nebari, while with junipers and most other conifers, where strong nebari is uncommon, it's a lesser consideration
Continued below...
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This Stewartia with its light airy branching, is designed to show off its long smooth trunk and colorful exfoliating bark
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Continued from above...
Branching is also a consideration. Especially if the tree is old and branches cannot be easily manipulated. With young trees, where branches are numerous and easy to shape and move around, you have more latitude
Also there's the option of removing (or jinning) branches if you don't like them and selecting younger ones with promise. They might take a while to develop, but bonsai is about patience anyway, so why not?
An aside on removing branches... the longer I practice bonsai, I become less inclined to remove branches. Especially when first getting to know a tree. Most of the time it's best to wait before taking much off. There are several good reasons for this, not the least of which is; you can't put it back on if you change your mind, or if another branch that you thought would do the trick becomes stressed and dies (there's more to this, but we'll save it for another time)
Lacking younger branches, you can wait for new branch buds (this will take even longer, so your patience will need to be near superstar status). Also, this only works if the type tree you are working with buds easily. Some trees are trickier that way, but most young trees will bud back
Continued below...
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This illustration appeared in Bonsai Today magazine sometime in the late 20th century
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Continued from above...
This brief introduction finding fronts is meant mostly to open the topic up for consideration. If you're a beginner or or would like to review, Jonas Dupuich's The Little Book of Bonsai has an excellent discussion on the topic. And Dave De Groot's Principles of Bonsai Design is one of the best we've seen on design in general, which includes finding fronts and much more (see below)
And then there's Michael Hagedorn's Bonsai Heresy, which not only has an excellent section on fronts, but has caused me to think deeper about the multiple facets of bonsai than I ever imagined (see below)
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Before we move on
A little more on branching (and beyond)
images and text from a 2009 Bonsai Bark post
(same author, yours truly, 11 years earlier)
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This illustrations and the one below
are from Bonsai Today issue 92.
Learn the rules first, then break them
Though nothing is written in stone,understanding the basics can be very helpful. If the points shown in these two illustrationsare not that familiar, you might want to take some time with each one. As you apply them, your bonsai very possibly will improve. Once you get the basics,
you can experimentwith breaking the rules.
A little story to make a point
I’m told that when the first Westerns saw Japanese bonsai they (or at least some of them) thought there was some sort of magic involved. This is because they had no clue that there was method behind the art. Though we now understand that it’s not a matter of magic, still, most of us aren’t able to figure out what the basic secrets are until they are pointed out. Once you understand them, choosing quality stock and styling bonsai isn’t so daunting
(going beyond the basics
and styling truly creative bonsai is another story).
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Can’t find your magnifying glass?
The text here is a little small, so we’ll repeat it
1. Left illustration: For balance and depth the side branches grow slightly towards the front rather than straight out.
2. Left middle: It says the first back branch should be at more or less the same height as the side branches. This is misleading. Normally you don’t want the lower branches to be too close together (see the illustration at the beginning of this post). A common ascending sequence is: first branch on one side, second branch (higher) on the other side, back branch (higher still). The back branch is never (never say never) the lowest.
3. Right middle: The upper section of the tree is filled out with several diagonal branches. They don’t all have to be diagonal; some could be in the front (only on the upper part of the tree, so the view of the lower trunk is not obscured), on the sides and in the back.
4. Right: In order to achiever a triangular shape (this hasn’t been discussed here and won’t be) the branches should be smaller as you ascend the tree. You can fill in most of the gaps near the top (the apex), with small branches.
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Just in Case You Missed It
the next six photos are from our last post
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Diving for Bonsai?
This tree is the inspirations for the title
of today's Bonsai Bark post
it conjures a sea bird diving for fish, at least in this mind,
and allowing for a little poetic license
The artist is Zhong Quan Shi
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Gannet starting its dive
photo borrowed from the Daily Mail (U.K.)
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Though others must exist,
I don't think I've ever seen a literati Mugo
Zhong Quan Shi's machine translated caption (from Italian)
with this delicate Literati pine reads...
"A small Mugo pine tree... personally expressing
a clear understanding of the shape of the bonsai tree
that represents.. simplicity, wisdom, and science..."
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Gannet ready to pierce the water
Sabina juniper by Mr Zhong from today's post
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The more I see of Zhong's bonsai,
the more I'm impressed by his range of styles and type trees
the machine translated caption reads...
"Beauty gives courage to overcome difficulties..."
No name is given for this Japanese maple cultivar
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If you read and take the time to digest this fascinating, deeply intelligent and easy to read book, you'll come out knowing more about bonsai than you imagined possible
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Michael Hagedorn's Other Book
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Some More Books
We Think You'll Like
and just in case you think you've seen them all
we change them up regularly
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This one-of-a-kind book is the real thing,
not a rehash of information gleaned from other books,
but clear, practical advice on growing
and caring for your Ficus bonsai
There are only about fifty copies left
and it won't be reprinted when it's gone
ONLY 27.95
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Forest, Rock Planting & Ezo Spruce Bonsai
by Saburo Kato the Grand Master of the Art of Bonsai
Absolutely one of the best bonsai books ever
Everything about it speaks of beauty
& love of the art of bonsai
176 pages, 17 Pages of color photos of Mr. Kato's Bonsai
9 1/2" x 6 3/4". Hardcover
List price 34.95
NOW ONLY 24.95
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Principles of Bonsai Design
by David De Groot,
former curator at the Pacific Bonsai Museum
Principles of Bonsai design is the most complete
how-to bonsai design book we've seen in over 25 years
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Masters Series Bonsai Books - Set of Three
Now you can save on these three definitive
how-to design techniques & care bonsai books
Each with striking full page bonsai photos as well
These thorough and complete books will provide
a big boost to your quest to design, style
and maintain beautiful bonsai
List Price for the Set 98.85
NOW ONLY 79.95
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Tie Pots Are Marked Down!
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About 80% off our pre-bonsai are now in Tie Pots
Not Only Can You Use the Knobs for Guy Wires
But they are perfect for wiring the trees into the pots
and it's so much easier than with conventional pots
order yours now
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Healthy roots and the wonders of Air Pruning
Roots spread evenly throughout the pot
no more circling around the edges
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MOST OF OUR BONSAI TOOLS
ARE NOW MARKED DOWN
SOME ARE EVEN 50% OFF
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A lot of arborists don't use any wound sealants
This might make sense on large trees in the ground,
but with bonsai, where ugly scars are undesirable
Cut Paste keeps the moisture in so the tissue
around the cut doesn't dry up and die.
This allows for it to callus and gradually cover the cut
HERE'S YOUR LINK TO OUR 4 TYPES OF CUT PASTE
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NOW BACK!
after several months
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One possible front view of a Japanese maple
We borrowed this photo from Michael Bonsai
We don't know who the artist or owner is,
but our best guess is that the tree lives in Japan
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