Hey guys,
This tree presented all sorts of unique challenges. I had to severely change the angle to maximize the tree’s potential…
By doing that, it oriented all of the foliage down which made pad formation extremely challenging. Each secondary and tertiary piece needed to be flipped 180 degrees, which if not handled carefully will result in a dead branch very quickly. This also happened to be one of the most brittle trees I’ve ever worked on. I had to raffia most all of the structural pieces just to get some degree of control over placement.
It took me a while to get here… but I’m starting to fall in love with this sub species. The fine, feathery foliage does require a different degree of precision and care… but that growth habit also comes with a greater degree of ramification all the way out at the tips, which makes them feel much older as bonsai than either Sierra or California. Those are less tedious and much easier to work, but you just don’t see that twiggy, lignified branching like you do with RMJ.
Video with a full styling breakdown just dropped. Go give it a watch if have 6 minutes to spare. As always, I’m super grateful for the support.
