I cared and looked after my larch through all the developement years about 5 years. I grew it in the ground and placed it in a training pot over the
5 years and came to a point last year in December to seek professional help from Harry Harrington in the UK. He has now styled my Larch. This is what he has got to say and What do you think guys of the transformation he has done? Its just wonderful. I will be getting it back after a year of his care.
Harry:
harry.harrington Before and after shots of the Larch bonsai styled yesterday and today after moving to a smaller pot.
The tree has come to me as a year long commission and the main problem it had was that the apex was way to the right of the base. Secondly the tree was too tall for its trunk diameter and needed reduction to make it look more powerful.
We are now in the best period of the year to repot Larch.
They aren’t the easiest of trees to transplant successfully but in January, in the dead of winter and long before the buds start to swell, seems to be the best time of the year to interfere with the roots.
The deadwood will be updated later in the year once the fresh wood has dried out.
It’s very nice and it’s probably my preference from listening to Ryan preach for so long…but my first question was why would he build the Apex back over the base with such strong lean and all the deadwood suggesting age. I do respect his work I think he makes some amazing trees, so it would literally be more of a question to further my knowledge than a critique.
You have built a very nice tree and he has moved it along nicely as well! Strong work all around
The main tree featured in the video is yours; I did that 3-4 weeks ago and there’s new buds swelling and opening everywhere. I think I’m going to have a fairly detailed year long video on it development by the time I’m finished!
The tree right at the end of the video must have had at least 3/4 of the foliage removed. A strong larch can take that at midsummer
Sounds like he takes off about the same amount of foliage as when you cut the new shoots back to two buds as Rayn recommends. The advantage of Harry’s approach is that it will leave multiple buds along the shoot that can develop into side branches - great when you want to add length. I am thinking we could combine the two partial defoliation techniques - use Harry’s needle stripping where we want to add length and Ryan’s cut back where we want to add density.
As the video I made with the styling explains, a tree will naturally try to counterbalance its weight by having the crown directly above its base. This is also aesthetically pleasing.
If the crown rests to the left or the right of the baseline, then the branches must be used to visually and physically balance the tree overall.
Therefore, a tree with the top of the crown to the right of the base of the trunk would require longer branches towards the left. THAT SAID. A strong powerful trunk with strong anchoring roots can go against this rule fairly easily.
I take it as different artists statements. No right or wrong. Harry sounds like he is seeking balance and stability to put the viewers at ease…makes sense. Ryan is constantly chasing the ancient form and purposely challenging that tradition… when chasing ancient. To each their own and it’s the two forms that makes each more compelling individually!
