Mattbonsai

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Mattbonsai

Hiya Pup, Cheers for doing this.

When you first acquire a tree, is it through collection, or are they purchased from a garden centre or nursery?

-Matt-

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Pup

Most of my natives trees are from collected stock. Some are nursery stock. Our exotics as we call them are either nursery stock or, collected from gardens.
Although we do have some trees that have become noxious weeds. According to local councils. Like Olive Hawthorns Liquidambar.
There are others that I cannot remember at the moment.
In Western Australia we do not have the same problems with them as other states, we do have a few of them though mainly Olives.
Pup

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G, day I live in western Australia I have been trying for the last 20+ years with some success to grow Bonsai. I am a perpetual learner and an advanced beginner

JLDoggett

Pup, thank you. I have been mulling some questions for a few weeks and hope you can offer some advice.

First, as someone who is ignorant of native Oz species, can you suggest a couple of trees I could try to find? Only having been there once and in January, I am unsure what is native down there that will live in a temperate zone (your January made my August seem like early spring, very hot). Also what is your favourite cultivars and why?

Now a few questions about style: Do you think there is a "Australian Style", if so how would you define it? (I never said they were easy questions). What is your favourite technique for training the wonderful trees you have? With so many of your trees gracing the home page over the past months do you have one in particular that you are especially proud of and why?

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Pup

G, day Jim. Like you I have been mulling over my answers to your questions.
First there are quite a few that spring to mind. In the Melaleucas there are those that will take heavy frost and drought. The range is as you see quite dramatic. There are 250 plus, of them. My favorite species are cuticularis ( common name salt water paperbark ) as it does grow in salt laden river estuaries. The others are Parviflora and Rhaphiophylla. Both of these have a common name of ( swamp paperbark ).
Just recently the BCI had a convention in New Orleans. I was asked by Donna Banting the editor a similar question. More specifically about Bottlebrush ( callistemons ) these trees will handle frost to minus -5 up to 45 celsius. There are a lot of cultivars of this species. Look for the one with small flowers. They will reduce with time both foliage and I have found flower.
My favorite tree is a Melaleuca parviflora. This tree is responsible for my love affair with Melaleucas. It was awarded best in show at the 2001 AABC convention in Fremantle. It was also the first time it had been awarded on behalf of the President of the Bonsai Clubs International.
Also over the years this tree has become known as Houdini for its love of life and tenacity. For times it has appeared to be dead but has come back. I have what I consider better but this one is special.

Now the curly one that gets me into trouble!. I do not consider there is or will ever be a definitive Australian style.
There are iconic trees in Australia recognized immediately as Australian. As for styling it as, Australian The Banksia which is one of those as being Iconicly Australian.
It grows as a shrub, also prostrate like a Juniper, there is one in my suburb that is just like Chase Rosades Logo. There are river gum trees that grow as semi cascades and tall maples. The Melaleuca, has 250 varietys as mentioned. When you say Melaleuca to most people there reply is Paperbark of the 250 only 48 are refered to as paperbarks.Which also grow in all the styles that we consider in Bonsai.
It is an iconic Australian tree,recognized as such. So while we are looking for that style( by the way acias are also endemic to Australia but do not grow as they do in Africa we must first promote Australian trees for Bonsai.
When they are excepted as Suitable then I think we will see some very nice trees on the world scene.
I beleive this question was also put to Peter Adams on his resent visit to Australia his answer was when you stop making exscuses for your trees. then you will see that style. I beleive that we must start with there promotion as good matrerial. As most people know that the Ficus rubiganosa is good material for Bonsai.
Now as for styling I use all the methods traditionaly used in Bonsai Heavy bending with wire raffia turnbuckles. Also the clip and grow method. I also use fire to harden the wood and to simulate fire damage, as alot of our trees do get burnt. Pup

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G, day I live in western Australia I have been trying for the last 20+ years with some success to grow Bonsai. I am a perpetual learner and an advanced beginner

Mattbonsai

Hiya Pup,

How do you water your larger trees? Do you do it with watering can / hose pipe, or do you have a straight in pot irrigation system set up?

Cheers

-Matt-

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M.B.

Hey Pup, do you or have you in the past ground grown bonsai, especially seedlings? How do you get the trunks to have "character"? I ask because I have several hundred trident maple seedlings that self seeded over the years in my yard. Most of them are as straight as telephone poles and I really don't want to wire a hundred plus seedlings. The smallest ones are the size of a pencil, on up to 1 to 1 1/2 inch trunks.
Mary B.

M.B.

Hey Pup, I have a Grevillea growing in a poor spot in the front yard. It was a one gallon whose roots escaped through the bottom and I'm now having to it cut back every year so I can get to the water facet. I think I could do a semi cascade with it but have been hesitant to dig it up since I enjoy the blooms in late winter.
Do you use Grevillea for bonsai and when would be the best time to dig it? Are the roots sensitive to being messed with?
Mary B.

Pup

G,day Matt, I use all three systems. When I am away for any length of time ie 6 weeks to Europe and the UK. I used the reticulation. My bonsai Buddy checked it for me so I was OK. Though I did not need it.
When I am home as now I water by hand held hose with a fine rose spray. When a single or maybe two trees look a bit on the dry side I use one of the fine stainless steel can's. I also use this for fertilising with liquid's.

Any other queries please put them here. Yours in Bonsai Pup

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G, day I live in western Australia I have been trying for the last 20+ years with some success to grow Bonsai. I am a perpetual learner and an advanced beginner

Pup

G, day Mary. I have grown in the ground, but I have to admit that what you are growing is far more than I have done.
The only advice I can give you, you have already discounted.
By far the best way to treat any ground grown stock is to start it as a bonsai from day one. My reason for ground growing is to fatten up trunks.
I am sorry I could not give you a quick fix for that.
Pup

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G, day I live in western Australia I have been trying for the last 20+ years with some success to grow Bonsai. I am a perpetual learner and an advanced beginner