Blauws Juniper (Part 2)

So by the summer of 2012, largely following my own instincts, my blauws juniper had progressed to look as it does in the first picture

I bought this tree with the intention of using it to improve my skills. I had no grand plan in my head for its final appearance and was happy to take in as much advice as I could get.

In September and October 2012, I was given the opportunity to participate in 2 weekend wiring workshops conducted by UK bonsai professional and Noelander’s Trophy winner Steve Tolley, so I took this tree along.

Steve felt that the large lower right branch was a feature better suited to a tree with a broader trunk base than mine had and recommended it’s removal. I agreed to this, so that branch was removed. The next picture shows Steve carrying out the final placement of the branches on the final afternoon of the workshop.

And this is how it looked by the end of these workshops in 2012. I was delighted with the result, which I felt had lightened the overall image. I also had my wiring skills improved considerably

A year later in September 2013, I was offered the chance to attend a Marc Noelanders workshop at the premises of my local bonsai supplier. I had been an admirer of Marc’s work for a number of years so I eagerly jumped at this opportunity. When Marc had studied the tree he felt that the upper trunk was too thick. He suggested 2 options for dealing with this. The first was to split the upper part of the trunk into 2 and use one part for the apex and the other as a lateral branch. The second option was to turn the existing apex and the branches to the right of the trunk into a deadwood feature. It was the second option that appealed to me most. The next picture shows Marc carrying out the final branch placement at the end of the second day.

The next picture shows how the tree looked after Marc had worked his magic

The final picture shows how the tree is looking at the moment (July 2014) a dramatically different image to that shown in the first picture. This is the image I will be sticking with as far as this tree is concerned and work over the next few year will concentrate on the refinement of the foliage pads and looking for a suitable pot