This juniper started out as an upright variety with prickly bluish foliage. It spent a few years in the grow beds to get a thicker trunk and was transferred to a polystyrene fruit box for training.
I spent a few years trying to control the very upright growth habit without much success. I also got a bit sick of the scratches and prickles from the foliage but rather than giving up on the great trunk I decided to graft ‘shimpaku’ foliage onto it.
juniper approack graft
Approach grafts were successful but it still took 3 years to get all the branches grafted to ‘shimpaku’.
successful approach graft
The remaining original trunks made good jins to add to the wild, aged appearance and the possibilities were looking great.
Grafts completed
Last year I took this tree to a workshop with Hirotoshi Saito in Melbourne.
Before the workshop
I had imagined a tree with a single apex and spreading branches but after trimming and wiring Hiro’s design included 5 separate apexes – it is a multi-trunk tree after all.
Hiro’s design
after the workshop
It has now had some time to recover and this week I transferred it to a bonsai pot. Still needs more time to fill out and refine the foliage pads but this one has come a long way.
Hi Neil
I can remember you showing me this juniper at the time you were considering the grafting – probably summer of 2008. It was at one of our first meetings when you showed me around your nursery closer to Yack. Being new to bonsai at the time I had my doubts as to how it might be possible to resurrect the tree, let alone graft another species onto it .
I’d say that you vision and persistence have payed off handsomely however – it’s a fine looking and ‘un-prickly’ tree now with more to come .. well done.
Mike.