Loropetalum Envy

Loropetalum. Lor-o-pe-tal-um. Not as intimidating as it first looks, as far as latin names go.

So, what is it? (besides a cute picture from wikipedia?)

It's a shrub I saw, and could not identify, last time we went to Florida. It was blooming in February, with this beautiful, wispy magenta flowers, had moderately sized foliage, and pretty jagged looking growth habit. I didn't know what it was, but I filed it away, hoping to come across it again some day in a place with a name loudly declared. Whelp, finally found it. And now I'm wondering...

Can it be grown as a bonsai?

So far what I know of them (besides being attractive) is this:

-They like full sun to partial shade (can provide, check!)
- They prefer well draining, acid soil (can provide, check!)
- They cannot handle freezing temperatures, but most do well with a cooler period for flowering. (with effort, can provide, so tentative check!)
- They are tolerant of pruning (awesome, so check)
- They can be grown in large containers (Hmmm, how large? Will they tolerate root pruning?)
- Heat tolerant, but prefer cool roots (good to know, shade or mulch pot in summer?)
-They come in green and purple leafed varieties, as well as white and magenta flowering varieties (I'm not picky, and has no bearing on bonsai culture)

A search for Loropetalum bonsai comes up with very little information about growing these.... but does yield some awesome photos.

-I don't read french (and the only french I speak is probably not suitable for mixed company or hanging out with grandma), so the information available here is lost to me. But there are some good pictures at the end: http://www.parlonsbonsai.com/Loropetalum.html
-More information in a language I can't read, and can't even offer proper insults in. But again, nice photos!: http://www.bonsajacaj.sk/cl_bon3.htm

And plenty of others, some which are really stunning, but I don't trust the websites so I'm not going to risk infecting your computer and mine by clicking on them. Hmmm. Internet, you make me nervous sometimes.....

The winter requirements are challenging for me here on Long Island, I am just at the northern edge of where they can grow in the ground, but may die back to the roots as a landscape plant. This clearly is not optimal. I don't do a lot of tender species as bonsai, prefering stuff I can mulch and leave out without too much hassle in my winters. But I might be willing to make an exception for this one.

Anyone have experience with this plant? Thoughts, comments or photos you'd like to share? While tracking this down at a local nursery is unlikely for me, next time I take a trip south, I'll be keeping an eye out for some workable stock!

Kusamono Plant Profile: Pure Heart Hosta

Hosta 'Pure Heart', photo courtesy of Walter's Garden, Inc.

A 2011 introduction from Walter's Gardens, Inc. Pure Heart is a miniature hosta, typically 3-4" tall and up to 6" wide. A sport of 'Blue Mouse Ears', it is the reverse of another Mouse Ears sport, 'Mighty Mouse' (and is named after Mighty Mouse's girlfriend from the cartoon, Pearl Pureheart. Cute).

Foliage is strongly variegated with a cream center and bluish green margins. Purple flowers are bourn in midsummer on 8" stems.

Like all hostas, Pure Heart prefers partial shade and will burn if kept in too much sun or insufficently watered. Its size makes it well suited to pot culture, and it can be easily divided as the clump matures. It prefers neutral to slightly acidic soil and is recommended for USDA zones 3-9.

*****

This one isn't widely available yet, but definately a cultivar to keep on the look out for!

Gumpo Azalea 1

Gumpo Azaleas are a satsuki hybrid with particularly small leaves, making them lovely for shohin bonsai. Classically, they are white, but pink (light), Fancy (pink flowers with a white margin) and red (dark pink) are available. Though less common in the Northern USA, these have been grown in parts farther south and in Japan for a long time. Usually considered suitable for zone 7 and warmer, we've only seen these little gems available regularly up here in the last ten years or so, as the winters have been slowly warming. They still require winter protection in my area, mostly from drying winds.

Intersting tidbit - Gumpo translates to 'Group of Phoenixes'.

This weekend I was considering a piece of stock I picked up at the end of last season. I got it for a song from the back of a large nursery, along with several of its brethren gumpos. Ostensibly a bush, the base is what drew me, and as I cleared away a lot of the old soil I was rewarded even further.



Originally, the soil line came up above the funny elbow looking branch on the right, with the whole bush being tilted to the right, hiding the root flare on that side. Fine roots had started to grow in the gap between the branch and what has now become the exposed nebari. I cleaned these out, since I had more than enough healthy roots to work with in more appropriate areas. Below are shots of the base and nebari from two different vantage points, both offering very different thoughts about a front for me.


The tree is a little wierd and kooky from this angle. I would actually rotate it slightly, so that the lack of roots on the left hand side is not so glaring, if I were to chose this angle. There *are* roots on that side, just not nearly as flat and spreading as the ones on the right in the above picture.

From this side, the nebari is not nearly as dramatic, but it still has something to offer, especially if I want to go with a heavy cut down and start the branching entirely from scratch. It could make a potentially powerful little shohin, which the leave size lends itself to very well. Less dramatic, more sedate. This was the side originally exposed, and what made me bring it home in the first place.

I will be letting this piece recover from the repotting while I deliberate possibilities. Extensive removal of branches (there are a lot of them that will play no role in any future work) will wait. I intend to remove the flower buds, and once vegatative growth starts up again here, doing light, selective pruning, with an eye on encouraging back budding. If I had a clearer idea of which direction I wanted to take this, I might be more daring with cutting it down, but for now, I am in no rush.

Suggestions and thoughts, as always, are welcome.

Bonsai Plant Profile; Witch Hazel

Hamamelis; Witch Hazel

I wish I knew who to attribute this to/where it came from. All I know is that the folks selling Witch Hazel seeds online seem to love this particular image. Not that I can really blame them.

Winter flowering bonsai are frequently overlooked in comparison to their more multi season friends; pines, maples, junipers.... and for good reason. Many shrubs and trees that flower in winter or very early spring make challenging bonsai specimens. Witch Hazel (of which several varieties are currently in bloom here on Long Island) for instance has large leaves that do not reduce well, and which grow at awkward appearing angles from the branches, making them mostly single season interest trees. Take the tree below, from the Chicago Bontanic Garden collection. Hamamelis japonica, Japanese Witch Hazel, in summer leaf.




Untidy, isn't it?

But take a look at the same tree in its winter dress.




Whole different ball of wax.

Some tips on growing Witch Hazel:

-There are dozens of species of Witch Hazel, many of which have different bloom times, usually lasting for about a month, ranging from October to February in northern areas. Hardiness ranges from zone 8 to zone 3, so be certain that the species you are choosing is appropriate for your winters. A cold frame or hoop house style green house can mitigate those requirements.

-Related to the above, several species have different coloured flowering varieties available. They come in whites, pinks, oranges, reds and bronzes. Many are not as vigorous as the typical yellow flowering varieties, and may prove more susceptible to disease, or may not be as cold hardy as the species. Keep this in mind when experimenting with different cultivars.

-Because you will be showing this tree when it is naked, the ramification and fine branch structure is incredibly important. Witch Hazels can have lovely, fine and delicate branching with some work, and are well worth the effort.

- Well cared for and fertilized, many species of Witch Hazel can take a lot of insult and heavy pruning. Limit the majority of your pruning to early spring to early summer, to allow the tree to rest and form buds for the following winter if you expect to show it.


-Witch Hazels like full sun to partial shade, and when grown in the landscape can tolerate quite a bit of shade. In a bonsai pot especially, offer protection during the summer from midday sun, and their leaves can scorch.

-In the summer, Witch Hazels tend to like a lot of water, and while good drainage is required, these trees should be allowed to remain moist and never allowed to dry out.

-Witch Hazels are largely pest resistant, though occasional scale and aphids will be a problem, especially if over fertilized in mid to late spring. They are also a loved food of certain caterpillars, but this is less of a problem in bonsai cultivation than it is in the landscape. H. mollis, Chinese Witch Hazel is sometimes noted with Powdery Mildew.

-Fertilizing is fairly standard for an average deciduous tree. An occasional dose of an acidic fertilizer can be beneficial, as they prefer slightly acidic conditions.

Having bonsai that look good year round is a great thing, so great as to be impossible to overrate really. But the joy of a winter flowering bonsai cannot simply be ignored by those of us who live in temperate climates. When this quiet time of year rolls around, the winter and early spring flowering choices, both on the bench and in the landscape, keep my heart warm during the quiet months. I look forward to each new flowering as they come. The fall flowering camellias and seven sons tree. Winter hazels, sweet box, mahonia, persian ironwood and erica. Before we even get to plum and cherry, the wintersweet, winter jasmine and forsythia brighten our days. Some of these are suitable for bonsai; others are very much not (I imagine trying to bonsai a mahonia would be a lesson in abject pain and disappointment for any practitioner. But then, there *are* people who bonsai poison ivy, so to each their own). And each winter flowering species has its challenges and disadvantages. But these are trees that personally at least, I would like to try to work with more frequently.