The first 13 trees for the maple forest.
5 Katsura
3 Kiyohime
2 Deshojo
2 Butterfly
1 Trident
Two spaces to fill any suggestions?
I had considered Benichi dori but they need to be grafted.
Had also considered Seigen or Chishio but proving difficult to find.
Arakawa has so far proven to be very expensive costing more than the rest of the forest combined.
I have not been able to find Yatsubusa at all !
I have a couple of Field Maples of the right size but not quite in keeping with the theme,I do have some Mountain Maples available to me but they will probably outgrow the other maples as they are very strong growers.
I’m at an impasse at the moment do not know what to do for the best.
HELP!!! lol
That is what I want literally your description above.The forest has been inspired by a mixed Maple forest I saw on bonsai bark. Obviously did not want to just recreate what I saw but the mix in the same pot was such an amazing effect I just have to give it a go.
I am open to the idea of possibly removing something in place of something else if there is a valid point for doing so.
Should offer a bit more clarity to my thought process.
5 Katsura - Will form the bulk of the composition
3 Kiyohime - Outer rim area of the pot as these are basally dominant
2 Deshojo - Large splash of red for hopefully season round contrast
2 Butterfly - Long internodes naturally should define the movement of the composition
1 Trident - Apically dominant main purpose the apex.
Hopefully this may help someone see what I at least “think” I can see.
I would try to compose the forest with the trees you have right now and then look in which specific point you need more trees, so you can select them by their shape. Depending on which form of forest you want (flat ground or more hill like), you need some more curved trees perhaps.
When you have a rough pic of how the forest will look like it will be much easier to select which maples you need to finish, because then you know the space it will fill and you know besides which other trees it will stand. So that you don’t have the same species all on one side.
That’s a hot one. Really beautiful. You will need some smaller ones for the edges but i think you will see it when you put them together roughly. I made a hornbeam forest last year and i made it the same way. Just bought a few more trees than i actually needed and then put them together step by step to see which one fits at which point.
Which tree do you plan to be the main tree?
Have you thought about penjing? Two separate forests, a mountain side then separated by a river or stream then the main forest?
Do you have a pot yet? That’s going to be a LARGE forest… give plenty of room for growth.
I would , maybe, spend a summer planning/arranging, root trimming, wiring ; before putting it together.
I LIKE the penjing idea above, if you have the mountain-side materials-- and ability to pull it off.
I’m jealous, My maple forest disappeared to a winter vole… ate all seven trees. Also the Japanese maples I was working on for another forest penjing. And a 5 Korean hornbeam forest…
I do have some rocks I could incorporate to take it down the penjing route.Might have to make another visit to the mountains for some more options though.Not that I need an excuse to want to go to the mountains lol.
Main tree would be the Trident as I believe this to me the most vigorous and is already the larger starter tree at this point also.
Kurt I think your right in that I may need to put this off by a season and take my time with the final direction.
Your right of course size wise this is going to be quite a size but,I want this to be a main focal composition in the garden.
Sorry to hear about your trees,my biggest pest at this point is not entirely a pest.Its a rather chubby robin red breast that loves pulling off moss but he does eat a lot of bugs and such so is partly helpful lol.
This is another large forest put together today made of Ficus that I had offered to me at a bargain basement price.I feel it may be to many trees though.
Picture out mountain side where there’s waterfalls, streams or river. Group plant maples on both sides - a group by the mountain side and another group where the forest (larger trees or conifers) clears or begins. Saw this in a hike from last year but were vine maples and big leaf maples instead growing in clumps on mountain/cliff side near the waterfall and on boulders (the size of semi trucks) in the middle of the river.
Hope that helps. Still your choice.
Some of the maples in your selection are basally dominant, some are dwarf varieties, not sure if all are upright maples. The trident would be great on the mountain side paired with the butterfly maples.
Wait till they all leaf out so you can plan and arrange whichever way you want to go. Keep us posted, I’m excited to see your success with your maple forest.
Great project and beautiful inspiration project. Whereas I won’t be able to help you with the selection of additional A. palmatum varieties, I wonder if it is not too late to create this composition now with three of your trees in leaf already and others nearly there… I wonder if these tree at this stage would survive the level of root work necessary in a forest planting.
