Hey guys, I have this bit of interesting deadwood which I want to use in some way so my idea was to incorporate it into a pine forest.
I have treated it with lime sulphur and wood hardener.
What are your thoughts on this idea and composition?
My only concern is all the trees are on the edge of the container and nothing right in the centre?
I don’t have a great deal invested in this so a learning experience as much as anything.
The seedlings are Scots pines.
What could I do to make this even better?
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From a compositional standpoint, you could also possibly plant the trees onto the driftwood and do away with the pot. Or you could try to lift the driftwood out of the pot so that it doesn’t take up so much of the pot.
Other than that, I agree about letting the seedlings grow for a little bit to mature them faster.
I actually like the scale of the saplings so not in a rush to thicken them just yet.
Also the wood sits on the rim of the pot so there is plenty of container depth below for roots
You could take a mould of the wood as it is quite an interesting shape, that way you could use it many times and create lots of different landscapes.
Unfortunately, the scale of the foliage doesn’t match the trunks and what you want to achieve. Far better to fatten them up to look more like a scots pine in nature. They need to be at least your thumb size (or larger) in diameter first. I would also take care when repotting as they look like cell grown trees. If they are the roots will be quite tender and really tangled.
I like it. Post pics when it’s potted up please. 
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Thanks for the input Keith.
I know the seedlings arent tree like in scale, but the thing that started me down this path were the seedling based accent plants. I like the look and shape of the seedlings so this way I get to enjoy that shape for a year or two before they thicken into trees.
Also gives me something I have built from scratch to play with.
I have another 6 seedlings in the ground which I could transplant later.
Re taking a mould… that is a great idea but not something I have time to do
Are you going to treat the wood to protect against rot? PC Wood hardener is a good option if you’re gonna do it.
You could try a bit of wire on them and create a windswept forest to add depth to the scale. Allowing them to grow into the pot for a couple of years will thicken them up a bit but once the roots are enmeshed with each other repotting could be a bit awkward without damaging the roots or the slab. be interesting to see it develop over the years though.
Yeah I planned to give them some wire.
I have ordered some more mature saplings so will decide when they arrive.
Also decided to replace the pot with a slate so will look nicer
Slate definitely sounds like a good idea.
We have progress.
I went and bought a slate floor tile and carved it into a nice complimentary shape.
The. Drilled a load of tie down/drainage holes.
Next step is the build up some walls all the way round using keto and plant the trees.
It’s getting a bit cold now so I think I will have to wait till spring to plant the trees now .
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That’s awesome. I have a group planting on top of some sort of stone planned for next year using nandina. What is the keto that you mentioned? I figured I’d have to build up walls to keep the plant in as well, but wasn’t sure what to use.
Keto is Japanese “bonsai muck” watch the moraine streams on rock planting and muck creation.
It’s basically a clay you use to build up a wall to hold the soil in place.
I’m lazy so just bought the correct stuff off eBay but there are loads of recipes on the net
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Small update.
As mentioned earlier, I have decided to use more mature trees on this driftwood project in the spring, but I didn’t want the pot and saplings to go to waste.
So I popped to the garden centre and grabbed some landscape rock and made this
Now I grant you the scale of the trees against the mountain is not quite correct but I still find it pleasing to look at and it will be fun to nurture the seedlings to see how they develop over time
Amit
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