1985 to 2023 the saga of a questionable Pine

Caz Scott the internationally known authority on Pine and Juniper bonsai giving a talk and demonstration at Somerset Bonsai Society Aug 2023, watched by John Trott of Mendip Bonsai Studio and who is also our Society President, the tree on the turntable is my questionable pine.

Way back in 1988 I had a beginners selection of twigs in pots at home and some bought in small trees, mainly indoor ones, at my studio in Crispin Hall an old Arts and Crafts community building at Street in Somerset. Then in 1988 a lady who had seen the trees there asked if I would buy her late husbands trees. A trip to Wellington followed and what for me was a large sum changed hand and I acquired the collection one of which I parted with on the way home to an old art customer who had expressed an interest in my little trees and that helped to pay for the rest.

Among them was what I thought was a Black Pine which the dear lady’s husband had himself purchased some years before, I should think it was at least twenty years old at this stage.Though the owner had kept his trees alive he had little idea of the styling and art of bonsai so the tree was very much a blob of foliage resembling a hedgehog more than a bonsai.

For a while back then I belonged to the Dorset Bonsai Club where members suggested some drastic pruning which with baited breath was done and one large branch was removed

In those days I had a young family and a business to look after and though like the previous owned I managed to generally keep trees alive they were very neglected when it came to styling and the artistic side of Bonsai and it was not until 2013 that I started taking photos of my trees.

We had by now moved and I joined Taunton and Somerset Bonsai Club BC where I took my Black Pine along for advice only to be told it was a European Pine and and I think it was at that meeting on Oct 2014 it was wired for the first time and branches guyed down .

Then in March 2015 it was re potted and after long discussions at Club another branch was chopped back and foliage dragged down.

In 2017the tree grew like mad and an error was corrected. I had always referred to this tree as my Japanese Black Pine which was questioned by Ade even though he had seen the tree for some years. In 2014 we had showed it to Jon Burges a forester who thought it was a European Pine.

At last it is now definitely identified by John Trott our Club President and professional bonsai grower as a MUGO PINE

Another change of name, this time it is the T &S Bonsai Club becoming The Somerset Bonsai Society where in August 2023 renowned expert Caz Scott made a number of suggestions for my tree,

Caz suggested that the top should be domed more and made to look less like a Acacia tree, that some pruning should be done, generally aiming for more triangular overall shape and when repotting change the angle so that the apex of the tree is above the nebari. On the plus side Caz did compliment the tree for it’s dense foliage and good health and that it was up to me as to how I wanted the tree to look the suggestions were applying the accepted rules of bonsai styling but the owner, or guardian, Caz said must have the final say.

So I did dome the top more and pruned back a little the width of the Acacia like canopy, the repotting at a different angle I am still thinking about as I have a fondness for the tree as it is in many ways. The evening with Caz Scott was one of the best evenings we have had and many of us learnt a lot and went home eager to improve our trees. Her instructions for us to make sure we had clean bottoms and tidy crotches evidently applied to foliage pads on our trees,

The Bonsai Archives on the tabs at the top are links to old blogs I did a few years ago which will be gradually sorted out and in some cases used with recent photos etc for more progressive tree reports.

These bonsai blogs a mainly for my own record but comments and subscribers are very welcome