Let’s just say it’s more compact……

September 2012…..Keith’s Juniper Chinensis after it’s first styling. The upper section of the tree had ben made into some dramatic deadwood. The left hand branch was left partly for insurance and partly to keep the tree strong having removed so much foliage.

The tree back on a workshop earlier this month. Sadly over the years it had succumbed to a severe scale attack. It had been allowed to extend to aid recovery. The colour is returning and the growing tips are strong

The growth is now just so leggy and so far away from its main feature which is the tight movement in the trunk coupled with the deadwood.

Somehow we needed to get the foliage nearer the trunk to try and create a small but impressive shohin size tree complimenting the heavy trunk. I told Keith his wiring would have to be the best ever…….no pressure then!!

How did we manage to make it so compact?…….you don’t really want to know!!

Some serious manipulation but now the trunk is surrounded by tight foliage which we can shape with clouds and spaces.

Deadwood can be made better and the Shari in the trunk extended.

The stumps of the branches we removed can be made into jins to make it even more dramatic.

The overriding main feature of this tree that started the whole project…..its deadwood will remain and be exposed.

For a tree that appeared to be going nowhere and looked almost impossible to retrieve I must admit I am really pleased with the outcome. This tree and it’s owner can now look forward to an interesting and exciting future.

I shouldn’t really be so surprised because my students keep telling me I am good at compact!!!…….never really understood whether it was a compliment or a criticism……guess I’ll just have to let you decide……