Source: Bonsai Tonight
Every once in a while I see interesting bonsai with extra-interesting features. One of the more common is the extra-long branch. A white pine that fits this description caught my attention at last year’s Taikan-ten.
White pine – 2011 Taikan-ten
The first branch shoots straight out and then rises up, providing the tree’s primary point of interest. At the photo shoot for the 2012 Meifu-ten, trees with similar features caught my attention.
Satsuki azalea – 2012 Meifu-ten
White pine – 2012 Meifu-ten
Not long after noting the white pine above, Peter Tea and I turned around and spotted the pines below.
Garden pines
Clearly, something’s up here. The question in my head today – what role do extra-ordinary branches play in bonsai? Do they add spice to bland exhibits – or are trees better off without them? Peter does a good job plumbing the issue in his recent post on The Strange Trident Maple.
I was on the fence about whether or not to call attention to the primary branch on the pine below until I realized it pretty much emerges below the start of the nebari at a bold 90 degree angle. More food for thought.
White pine – 2012 Meifu-ten – what would you do with this tree?
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