Walter Pall's main blog about bonsai and his work with trees from day to day. Lots of good pictures of good trees and lots of valuable information about bonsai.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Chinese elm
Chinese elm, Ulmus parvifolia
5 comments:
Stefan
said...
Dear Walter
I am an admirer of your work as you create trees which normally speak a unique and powerful language. However, this chinese elm does not really resemble a tree but more a what often is sold as 'Garden Bonsai', a wooden stick with 'pom-poms' attached. It this the artists choice to generate a response or a reminiscense of early times in your career as a bonsai artist?
you have a good eye. This is my cookie-cutter, old fashioned neoclassical bonsai. In my lectures I show it as an example with the words: "some bonsai look like trees as a poodle looks like a wolf" I keep it in the original shape much like one sometimes wold keep a building which is totally out of fashion as a testament of time. Often such things rise in value when the generation who hates it is gone. Anyway, the generation that likes this is still here. You would be surprised to find how many bonsai folks think that this is excellent. In my eyes they have the taste as of 1990 when this kind or image was in top fashion her in Europe.
this is outdoor all year. It is in the cold greenhouse in winter. There it has minus 10°C at the moment - stiff freezing. It is the Chinese variety which is often kept as inddor tree. But it is quite hardy really. It still does not loose all foliage in winter. This tree is proof that the rigid distinction between 'deciduous ' and 'evergreen' is nonsense botanically.
5 comments:
Dear Walter
I am an admirer of your work as you create trees which normally speak a unique and powerful language. However, this chinese elm does not really resemble a tree but more a what often is sold as 'Garden Bonsai', a wooden stick with 'pom-poms' attached. It this the artists choice to generate a response or a reminiscense of early times in your career as a bonsai artist?
Stefan
Stefan,
you have a good eye. This is my cookie-cutter, old fashioned neoclassical bonsai. In my lectures I show it as an example with the words:
"some bonsai look like trees as a poodle looks like a wolf"
I keep it in the original shape much like one sometimes wold keep a building which is totally out of fashion as a testament of time. Often such things rise in value when the generation who hates it is gone. Anyway, the generation that likes this is still here. You would be surprised to find how many bonsai folks think that this is excellent. In my eyes they have the taste as of 1990 when this kind or image was in top fashion her in Europe.
My comment is much like Stefan's. Two things stood out to me immediately: this tree is obviously healthy and well-cared for, but it looks like a pine!
I like your "poodle-to-wolf" comparison; very apt.
walter,
are you keeping this as an indoor tree, or is this picture from earlier in the season, or does it just stay simi-evergreen?
thanks,
steve
steve,
this is outdoor all year. It is in the cold greenhouse in winter. There it has minus 10°C at the moment - stiff freezing. It is the Chinese variety which is often kept as inddor tree. But it is quite hardy really. It still does not loose all foliage in winter.
This tree is proof that the rigid distinction between 'deciduous ' and 'evergreen' is nonsense botanically.
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