Hi thanks for watching! What are your thoughts on the jins - the pieces of deadwood in the upper region? Let me know which you would keep or remove - if any?
Gro Bonsai ; I would shorten the long Jin on the left to 1/4 of it's length. It is sticking out to much. I would also remove Jin 2. It does nothing for your bonsai.
Hi I have watched= a lot of your videos and I am impressed with the time and detail you spend on you trees. I know this is a vid from 2019 so you have had time to study Rosemary as bonsai, I am thinking of buying a substantial tree is there any real problems you forsee with such a Mediterranean plant especially over winter I assume they need to be kept on the dry side and are reasonably tolerant of our cold winters. Any advice would be helpful if you have time. Many thanks for your videos, take care Joe
This is easily the nicest Rosemary Bonsai I've ever seen. Very well done! I like all the jin. I think when the foliage thickens it will fit in nicely. It's amazing how juniper-like the trunk looks.
Oh yeah I know what you mean - at one stage I suddenly thought OMG it looks like the tree equivalent of a skinned rabbit :D It will fill back in nicely though. Thanks for writing Anne! - Darren
Beautiful work. Great structural engineering! We have several large ‘wild’ rosemary which are almost 15 years old. Hope to salvage them from the maintenance people who need to dig them up.
salvage plants are such a great feeling in your heart automatically that rather than being trash or compost they become beloved & beautiful family members!
absolutely beautiful piece and I really enjoy how the deadwood interacts with the curves of the tree and the foliage so I would suggest keeping as much deadwood as is currently on the piece. great video!
Twiddling the wire as you put it is a technique used to place demolition charges on bridges and the like by British Royal Engineers. We used to call it Windlassing. It’s basically a non-mechanical turnbuckle using wire. Good technique.
I'd keep the right hand tallest jin, and reduce the one on the left side. That will tie it more into the trees trunk line, in my opinion. But, I feel that you have omitted to shape the apex in a triangular shape, and perhaps taken the crown a bit too far away from the trunk. Otherwise it must have been a real joy to work with this rosemary, just knowing the scent that would have filled the air........hmmmm roast of lamb comes to mind 😊
Well spotted, I'll give the apex a little edit next time I'm out - thanks! Ah my wife doesn't like the smell of lamb so I'm rarely allowed it, but it is easily my favourite. Cheers - Darren
Another great video Darren. I like that you show a plant that everyone can get hold of cheap. A lot of other Bonsai channels seem to concentrate on fancy expensive trees which may put people off. I've been pruning my small Rosemary with a view to future styling and hopefully mine will look as nice as yours someday. Just my opinion but I think the Jin at the top distracts slightly from the flow of the trunk. Would love to see how this tree has developed now that we're into 2021. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the feedback I appreciate it. I need to do more with accessible material. The Rosemary will go into a bonsai pot late summer this year as an experiment
I guess this is basically designed as a bunjin style tree. I know in that style typically there is not much lower foliage but to my eye that lower branch to the left of the trunk helped to balance the tree. Now all the foliage falls to the right of the trunk (when viewed from the front). I guess rosemary grows fast enough you can grow that lower branch back out if you want to. The two upper jin are very linear and break the beautiful curves that would be in the trunk if the jin were not there. The lower one in particular, because it continues a linear trend from the base of the tree gives the impression that an older tree were pushed over rather than grew that way. Wind does sometimes do that to older trees , but in this case it is in the opposite direction from the sweep of the top of the tree. Prevailing winds normally work on a tree in one direction.
Good observations, thank you. You’re right, my intention was to slightly ‘unbalance’ the design by pulling foliage to the right, knowing that it’s easy to put back if the final composition can’t hold that degree of asymmetry 🙂 it’s a bit of a gamble on what comes out of the repot I guess... Great point about the jins, they do tell a different story. Thanks- Darren
I think at this point that I would leave the dead wood on. You can always remove it later if you detirnmine it to be of no value. but dead wood especially, once it's removed you can't put it back.
I agree...... just to say though that I have reattached some deadwood on a fallen juniper but it was never the same. Also I have drilled into junipers and added deadwood Jin's with great results 🙏🏼👍🏼
I'm going to be doing my 1st bonsai tree from a rosemary bush my g'ma planted on the property I live on in '77 or so, I've been here off & on since '78. the shrub I'm working on had either an unfortunate mishap due to some natural or chemical deforestation? if that's the term for a sudden deadening of a beach ball sized patch of dead plant. I cut off & high pressure sprayed the worst away without creating dead patches elsewhere due to the intertwined nature of the plant which has always been allowed to be a wild , natural thing barring keeping it within a reasonable size, shorter than a mailbox & 2 parted, a mommy & a shorter more sprawled teenager who's a bit messy. recently I saw that some of the dead parts I'd left to keep from damaging it's structure as a whole had some struggling growth at it's tips! a foot or so of dead branch with a clumping of growth returning, looking rather ravaged, almost like bonsai bits riding out of the skeletal remains ! so I've loosened & cut free 4-5 bits, I've got them in H2O just now, cut them yest . I took a # of books out on the subject many years ago but wasn't able to try the hobby then! I'm very excited now!
Thanks for writing Matt - editing the next vid at the mo 😁 If your query is about rosemary, I’m literally making it up as I go, this is the only one I have and I got lucky (so far). Evergreen garden works has an article about rosemary that recommends Spring, and to go easy much like a juniper. I do know first hand that frost is a no-go, and I have a hunch that too much water post-repot could be an issue but that’s just a guess. I’ll do some research at some point but that article is worth a look
Thanks, but it was a general question. I’ve returned to Florida for the winter and am getting ready to get to work on my tropicals. Just curious of your general after care process. Cheers.
My general preference is Spring, no frost, careful water only when needed, usual amount of sun. The UK climate is very different to Florida, so the sun/shade will probably vary?! Oh also I only have one tropical so your mileage may vary...
I just collected my own rosemary from the ground. I live in cali. Should I be worried if the foliage feels crispy? How long should I wait to style and prune?
Crispy doesn’t sound good, could be a sign of sudden lack of water, possibly caused by compromised root system. Try to keep it somewhere out of hot sun and drying wind. I’d want to see strong growth for a whole growing season before styling. I have a hunch that rootwork and styling work in the same year could cause problems for Rosemary but that is just a hunch. My observations are based on just this tree and what little info I’ve found online so far, so it’s very possible I’m completely wrong but got lucky 🙂 Best of luck, would love to know how it goes.
If the leaves are dead and crispy but still on the tree it can be a sign of lack of water. If the soil is dry, it might need a good water. If the leaves have fallen off it could be due to being moved. But it is hard to judge without seeing the tree. Good luck 🙂
I have seen new foliage on old wood, but it is weak and I don’t think it has survived. From what I have seen it can’t be reliably drastic pruned, unless cutting back to existing foliage. It does air layer well, so you could easily create another shorter tree from the top of your existing tree. If air layering, ensure there is foliage below the air layer to ensure the base survives
Thanks for the tip, definitely noted 🙏 I honestly don’t know it’s age. I lived at the property 5 years and it was this size when we moved in. It certainly grows and thickens well in the container, so I’d guess if it was in the ground 5 years before we moved in might be a little conservative. But 10-15 years in total feels like the right ballpark. In training 2 years, the branch being used to build the apex was a single sprig of foliage in 2017 🙂 Thanks for writing - Darren
Hi thanks for writing! I’m afraid I don’t have any bougainvillea, they would not be happy in my garden, sadly. You have given me an idea to show some of the steps I personally use when starting a raw piece of material, that might help? I’m sure there are some vids on bougainvillea out there though 🙂 thanks - Darren
@@grobonsai I thought that showing from scratch how to make a bonsai tree would have been one of your first videos because thats what this channel is about, bonsai. It will really help. The other videos about making bonsai bougainvillea is not a help at all so it will be appreciated if you can make the video
It was in a video with another tree, but I’m afraid I can’t remember which. I need to do an update video but struggling for time at the moment, but it’s on the cards
Certainly wasn’t a quick trim. This work has however set the tree up for the future. It was extremely healthy, and I now manage the amount of water it receives very carefully.
Hi thanks for watching! What are your thoughts on the jins - the pieces of deadwood in the upper region? Let me know which you would keep or remove - if any?
Gro Bonsai ; I would shorten the long Jin on the left to 1/4 of it's length. It is sticking out to much. I would also remove Jin 2. It does nothing for your bonsai.
Hi I have watched= a lot of your videos and I am impressed with the time and detail you spend on you trees. I know this is a vid from 2019 so you have had time to study Rosemary as bonsai, I am thinking of buying a substantial tree is there any real problems you forsee with such a Mediterranean plant especially over winter I assume they need to be kept on the dry side and are reasonably tolerant of our cold winters. Any advice would be helpful if you have time. Many thanks for your videos, take care Joe
This is easily the nicest Rosemary Bonsai I've ever seen. Very well done! I like all the jin. I think when the foliage thickens it will fit in nicely. It's amazing how juniper-like the trunk looks.
Wow thank you so much - your comment has blown me away. That’s so kind! Thanks again, Darren
This is incredible. You're super brave. And skilled. Edge of seat stuff.
I did like it as bushy as in the beginning of this video. The end result looks very bonsai-y and artsy. Very artistic.
Leave the jin!
Oh yeah I know what you mean - at one stage I suddenly thought OMG it looks like the tree equivalent of a skinned rabbit :D It will fill back in nicely though. Thanks for writing Anne! - Darren
Beautiful work. Great structural engineering! We have several large ‘wild’ rosemary which are almost 15 years old. Hope to salvage them from the maintenance people who need to dig them up.
Thanks Marc! By all accounts they aren’t easy to keep alive in a bonsai pot. Have fun
salvage plants are such a great feeling in your heart automatically that rather than being trash or compost they become beloved & beautiful family members!
absolutely beautiful piece and I really enjoy how the deadwood interacts with the curves of the tree and the foliage so I would suggest keeping as much deadwood as is currently on the piece. great video!
Thanks for the feedback! 😀
Came out nicely literati is definitely a good look for Rosemary
Thanks Chris
Nice work on the wiring . The jins look quite natural and with a nice pot this will look awesome!
Cheers!
Thanks, it is a lot of fun
Wow, love that tree 😍... great work and can't wait for any update! As for the Jin's I wouldn't worry about them yet. 🙏🏼
Cheers Graham. Lost the lower branch that winter sadly. Gonna repot this year
Twiddling the wire as you put it is a technique used to place demolition charges on bridges and the like by British Royal Engineers. We used to call it Windlassing. It’s basically a non-mechanical turnbuckle using wire. Good technique.
That’s really interesting, thanks.
Nice pruning ..like it....and good bonsai....
Thank you
I’d love to see this updated. Have you repotted yet???
I'd keep the right hand tallest jin, and reduce the one on the left side. That will tie it more into the trees trunk line, in my opinion. But, I feel that you have omitted to shape the apex in a triangular shape, and perhaps taken the crown a bit too far away from the trunk. Otherwise it must have been a real joy to work with this rosemary, just knowing the scent that would have filled the air........hmmmm roast of lamb comes to mind 😊
Well spotted, I'll give the apex a little edit next time I'm out - thanks! Ah my wife doesn't like the smell of lamb so I'm rarely allowed it, but it is easily my favourite. Cheers - Darren
Another great video Darren. I like that you show a plant that everyone can get hold of cheap. A lot of other Bonsai channels seem to concentrate on fancy expensive trees which may put people off. I've been pruning my small Rosemary with a view to future styling and hopefully mine will look as nice as yours someday. Just my opinion but I think the Jin at the top distracts slightly from the flow of the trunk. Would love to see how this tree has developed now that we're into 2021. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the feedback I appreciate it. I need to do more with accessible material. The Rosemary will go into a bonsai pot late summer this year as an experiment
I guess this is basically designed as a bunjin style tree. I know in that style typically there is not much lower foliage but to my eye that lower branch to the left of the trunk helped to balance the tree. Now all the foliage falls to the right of the trunk (when viewed from the front). I guess rosemary grows fast enough you can grow that lower branch back out if you want to. The two upper jin are very linear and break the beautiful curves that would be in the trunk if the jin were not there. The lower one in particular, because it continues a linear trend from the base of the tree gives the impression that an older tree were pushed over rather than grew that way. Wind does sometimes do that to older trees , but in this case it is in the opposite direction from the sweep of the top of the tree. Prevailing winds normally work on a tree in one direction.
Good observations, thank you. You’re right, my intention was to slightly ‘unbalance’ the design by pulling foliage to the right, knowing that it’s easy to put back if the final composition can’t hold that degree of asymmetry 🙂 it’s a bit of a gamble on what comes out of the repot I guess... Great point about the jins, they do tell a different story. Thanks- Darren
Thank you. Inspired me to try and do a rosemary bonsai as well
Great! Good luck! I’ve heard that they are sensitive to root work so watch out for that. Let me know how you get on 🙂
I think at this point that I would leave the dead wood on. You can always remove it later if you detirnmine it to be of no value. but dead wood especially, once it's removed you can't put it back.
Paul Schaefer I would agree with this 101%. There is no rush to deal with it. Once the foliage is filled in you can make sense of it all.
Very true - thanks both
I agree...... just to say though that I have reattached some deadwood on a fallen juniper but it was never the same. Also I have drilled into junipers and added deadwood Jin's with great results 🙏🏼👍🏼
Can you post an update on this? I’ve been really interested in rosemary lately.
Nice work! I'm not sure about the jins, so I'd keep them for now.
Good point! Thanks for watching 🙏
I'm curious; how does it look a year later? Maybe a "where are they now" video for some of your older projects?
I’ll be doing an update soon, but this rosemary suffered over winter but is now recovering
@@grobonsai great, thanks!
Ohh I’ve dug out soo much rosemary in the past lovely plants but have thrown them out because they grew too woody! No longer. Just got into the hobby.
Brilliant!
Great video! Since this video, can you please tell me if this rosemary has back budded on the older branches?
It produced one or two small buds on older wood, but they were weak and did not survive. Maybe in a sunny climate they may have thrived. Thanks 🙏
I'm going to be doing my 1st bonsai tree from a rosemary bush my g'ma planted on the property I live on in '77 or so, I've been here off & on since '78.
the shrub I'm working on had either an unfortunate mishap due to some natural or chemical deforestation? if that's the term for a sudden deadening of a beach ball sized patch of dead plant. I cut off & high pressure sprayed the worst away without creating dead patches elsewhere due to the intertwined nature of the plant which has always been allowed to be a wild , natural thing barring keeping it within a reasonable size, shorter than a mailbox & 2 parted, a mommy & a shorter more sprawled teenager who's a bit messy.
recently I saw that some of the dead parts I'd left to keep from damaging it's structure as a whole had some struggling growth at it's tips! a foot or so of dead branch with a clumping of growth returning, looking rather ravaged, almost like bonsai bits riding out of the skeletal remains ! so I've loosened & cut free 4-5 bits, I've got them in H2O just now, cut them yest . I took a # of books out on the subject many years ago but wasn't able to try the hobby then! I'm very excited now!
Sounds like a fun project! Cuttings will readily root in soil, not sure about rooting in water though
Missing your vids (seasonal I guess). Question: when you do a heavy root prune and repot what is your suggested after care? Thanks
Thanks for writing Matt - editing the next vid at the mo 😁 If your query is about rosemary, I’m literally making it up as I go, this is the only one I have and I got lucky (so far). Evergreen garden works has an article about rosemary that recommends Spring, and to go easy much like a juniper. I do know first hand that frost is a no-go, and I have a hunch that too much water post-repot could be an issue but that’s just a guess. I’ll do some research at some point but that article is worth a look
Thanks, but it was a general question. I’ve returned to Florida for the winter and am getting ready to get to work on my tropicals. Just curious of your general after care process. Cheers.
My general preference is Spring, no frost, careful water only when needed, usual amount of sun. The UK climate is very different to Florida, so the sun/shade will probably vary?! Oh also I only have one tropical so your mileage may vary...
Thanks, looking forward to seeing future updates on your collection.
This was 3 years ago… is there an updated shot???
Not yet, it’s growing well though. Will be updated in summer 🙂
I just collected my own rosemary from the ground. I live in cali. Should I be worried if the foliage feels crispy? How long should I wait to style and prune?
Crispy doesn’t sound good, could be a sign of sudden lack of water, possibly caused by compromised root system. Try to keep it somewhere out of hot sun and drying wind. I’d want to see strong growth for a whole growing season before styling. I have a hunch that rootwork and styling work in the same year could cause problems for Rosemary but that is just a hunch. My observations are based on just this tree and what little info I’ve found online so far, so it’s very possible I’m completely wrong but got lucky 🙂
Best of luck, would love to know how it goes.
hi i was wondering about my new bonsai should the leaves feel dry if it just got moved and the spices is known for loosing there leaves when moved
If the leaves are dead and crispy but still on the tree it can be a sign of lack of water. If the soil is dry, it might need a good water. If the leaves have fallen off it could be due to being moved. But it is hard to judge without seeing the tree. Good luck 🙂
Does the rosemary supports drastic pruning? I would like to reduce the height
I have seen new foliage on old wood, but it is weak and I don’t think it has survived. From what I have seen it can’t be reliably drastic pruned, unless cutting back to existing foliage. It does air layer well, so you could easily create another shorter tree from the top of your existing tree. If air layering, ensure there is foliage below the air layer to ensure the base survives
Thank you for the tip!
Just please don't root prune too much rosemary - I killed 3 already. Beautiful piece of plant you have. Do you know how old it is?
Thanks for the tip, definitely noted 🙏 I honestly don’t know it’s age. I lived at the property 5 years and it was this size when we moved in. It certainly grows and thickens well in the container, so I’d guess if it was in the ground 5 years before we moved in might be a little conservative. But 10-15 years in total feels like the right ballpark. In training 2 years, the branch being used to build the apex was a single sprig of foliage in 2017 🙂 Thanks for writing - Darren
Hi, can you show how to make a bonsai bougainvillea tree?
Hi thanks for writing! I’m afraid I don’t have any bougainvillea, they would not be happy in my garden, sadly. You have given me an idea to show some of the steps I personally use when starting a raw piece of material, that might help? I’m sure there are some vids on bougainvillea out there though 🙂 thanks - Darren
@@grobonsai I thought that showing from scratch how to make a bonsai tree would have been one of your first videos because thats what this channel is about, bonsai. It will really help. The other videos about making bonsai bougainvillea is not a help at all so it will be appreciated if you can make the video
Sooo maybe update? :D
It was in a video with another tree, but I’m afraid I can’t remember which. I need to do an update video but struggling for time at the moment, but it’s on the cards
@@grobonsai I'll check other vids then, thanks for info :)
hardly any plant left by the end of it
Certainly wasn’t a quick trim. This work has however set the tree up for the future. It was extremely healthy, and I now manage the amount of water it receives very carefully.
for me , was better before pruning or wiring