Large Scale Central

Bonsai done on Arobvitae and Alberta Spruce

Gardening
#1

I don’t claim to be an expert on Bonsai techniques but I thought these came out okay, even my wife did!

This Arobovitae we’ve had for about 8 years and I’ve tried to keep it pruned down. I always look for trees with good trunks and then keep them trimmed. This one usually gets a cut every other year.

This Alberta spruce was next to one that died last year. Left a big dent in the side. I finally got around to pruning it this year. Found it had another trunk and a little shoot growing up. I thought that was sorta neat. I opened it up some to see a few branches and break it into separate clumps.

#2

Jerry,
They do look very good.
I haven’t pruned my Alberta Spruce yet.
Ralph

#3

Looks good Jerry. I have both on my RR along with some very small boxwoods. I desperately need to prune them all this year.

#4

…winking…

#5

I did that pruning to several new ones I got last year, easier to do on a table! I plant mine in the pots anymore, just trim off the top edge down to the dirt level. Slows the growth and they seem to do well. Easier to dig up if they die, but hardly any in pots have died.

#6

But why have to remove them if they die? Lots of dead trees in the forest.

#7

I pruned all of mine this spring except the new ones. I give the new ones a year to get established before I prune them.
Ron

#8

Just bought 7 “baby” dwarf alberta spruce ($2.00 each at Meijers), question i have is if I leave them in their pots will that help stunt their growth? My other ones I’ve had for years were taken out of pots, planted and have really grown & filled out because I know nothing about “pruning” and the whole outdoor railroad & “garden” maintance thing is mine to do and there just doesn’t seem to be enough time.

#9

We just fit 37 potted shrubs in our 2006 Saturn Vue… Seems Home depot’s shrubs are 75% off… Didn’t spend over 70 bucks… $1.74 for dwarf Alberta Spruces…
Got 4 hollies & 4 chineese Boxwoods, & 2 Bluestar Junipers, & 17 Spruces…

Gotta check the other Home Depot tonight… :slight_smile:

#10

Why can I never find these deals? We looked at 1 gallon Dwarf Albertas last weekend - $17.95 each at Lowes. The Depot here never has them, especially when on sale. The best I’ve ever done was $4.99 each in early spring.

#11
Jon Radder said:
Why can I never find these deals? We looked at 1 gallon Dwarf Albertas last weekend - $17.95 each at Lowes. The Depot here never has them, especially when on sale. The best I've ever done was $4.99 each in early spring.
Jon, just so you feel better, I typo'd the quantity.... was only 27, not 37..... :) But, we hit the other Home Depot last night and got 4 more Bluestar Junipers @ $4.49 each.... :)
#12

Our Home Depot had em for 2 for $5.98 earlier this year. Didn’t buy em cause I guess I’m on the fence about putting something out there that is gonna need attention, even more than the railroad! May jump on some at some time, but still pondering right now!! Adding scenery such as buildings, grain elevator, oil tanks, water tank,etc. Don’t have to water em and almost NO care for dem!! Hah LOL Regal

#13

Jerry - I can’t disagree with your thinking. I don’t have many by Andy’s standards, but the few I have were planted a few years ago. I trimmed them up nice before they were planted…

(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Trees-2-640.JPG)

…but this year they need a full trim job again. I just need to remember to by some small shears when I’m at a garden store :slight_smile: The Alberta Spruces fill in to much if you let them go.

#14

Don’t forget the Camaecyparis family of trees. The purveyors of Mini forest are garden railroaders, I have no affiliation, but like their product. I doubt if you can get anything for a dollar 2.98, but their prices are not outrageous, either.

I’d use photos of my stuff, but this is a cranky Com Pewter, and doesn’t like to upload photos from my film camera, for some reason. :stuck_out_tongue: I use 2 and a quarter inch 120 film, and there are a lot of megapixals in each frame, some say over 100,000 megapixals, but Com Pewter is just stupid, I guess.

#15
Fred Ottusch said:
Just bought 7 "baby" dwarf alberta spruce ($2.00 each at Meijers), question i have is if I leave them in their pots will that help stunt their growth? My other ones I've had for years were taken out of pots, planted and have really grown & filled out because I know nothing about "pruning" and the whole outdoor railroad & "garden" maintance thing is mine to do and there just doesn't seem to be enough time.
About 1/2 of mine are in the ground and the other half in pots. I re-potted them in slightly larger pots. 2 years on going now, and I don't see a difference in growth yet. I may lift the potted ones and put them in the ground.

You do know the more you prune these buggers, the more they grow, don’t you?
Once you start bonzaing (new word), they can’t stop trying to regrow the limbs you lopped. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

#16
Andy Clarke said:
We just fit 37 potted shrubs in our 2006 Saturn Vue...
Would you have purchased that automobile if the company was named Uranus?
#17

Didn’t know that therefore I hope being in the pots stunts their growh as you have indicated.

#18

We plant in the pot, but we cut off the bottom and an inch up…

#19

New note on an old thread:

Randy McDonald said:
But why have to remove them if they die? Lots of dead trees in the forest.
'Coz they make you look bad.... :rolleyes: