Hi all, first post here. I was hoping I could get some additional perspectives on this tree’s design. It was one of my first trees about 15 years ago and I’ve made all the best mistakes with it. It’s managed to survive this long, and has a great trunk and nebari, beautiful age, but the design definitely needs work. I recently cleaned and started wiring the tree hoping for some direction, but am still stuck.
Those parallel branches on the left have always bothered me, and the length of the lower one before it gets to any foliage feels excessive. I’m considering jinning the branch and bringing the weight back to the right side of the tree, but that’s a big decision for me. The remaining branches are also a bit leggy as well, so don’t want to hit that pompom effect.
I’ve seen Ryan do some really cool stuff with unique trees, so hoped I could get some mirai perspective.
Any ideas are welcome and greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Rotate it a bit to get rid of that pigeon breast and add a bit movement in the lower trunk, tilt it from the back towards the viewer, add a few jins, maybe a shari, bend the upper trunk to give that straight part some motion, prune and wire.
This is an awesome idea. I think I was attached to the larger branches on top, but your mock up helped me see the smaller finer branches as shaping the apex and canopy. Also, nice suggestion on the orientation change. Much more interesting. With the left branch out of the way, I’ll be able to see more of that trunk bend. Excited to start looking at it in a different way.
Removal of large amount of foliage this late may compromise winter hardiness. You need to ensure a plan to let the plant accumulate energy to survive freezes if that is part of your environment. Maybe do the reduction over several seasons?
Depends on your location and how you overwinter your juniper.
Great feedback! I live in Zone 10a, so rarely dip below freezing, but nonetheless, I plan to take this transition slowly. I don’t want to risk losing the tree.
I might actually air layer the lower left branch to get another tree out of it, so that should buy me some time.
Nice tree you have there. I think it would make an excellent wind swept style tree. All the angles you show has possibility. Just thought I’d throw that out there…
Thanks for the idea! I’ve also considered this. The movement is already there. Would just need some additional wiring. I may do some grafts to see if I can bring in the foliage tighter as well. So many options!
I’m late to this discussion. I like @Kenez 's design suggestion. It’s much more in proportion to the trunk. But I really like the trunk line as you see it from either of the side views. Have you considered making either side the front? In your second image, you already solved the parallel branch problem by putting them in the back. And with this front, I think you have a lot of foliage to work with to style a great canopy with pads. You could go either way with the movement, extending to the right, or counterbalancing back to the left. But the power of the base and the dramatic movement to the right in the trunk really add drama for me.
