This post is part of my bonsai series on winter pruning and tree clean-up.
The type of tree I am focusing on today is a Hawthorne tree. Hawthorne is known for producing two things. #Berries and sharp #thorns. Birds love feeding on the berries, and also the added protection the thorns provide to ward off hasty predators. The needle-like thorns are rounded on the sides, and safe to brush up against; however, if you gently touch the skin directly onto the point of the thorns, it will draw blood almost instantly.
For the first few years, I did a lot of research on whether or not it is ideal to keep thorns on a bonsai tree. After attempting to work on the tree a few times with some very light pruning, and one unsuccessful wiring attempt, the tree was pruning my hands more than I was pruning it!
The decision to de-thorn this tree became obvious. In order to even safely handle the tree for any kind of work, I would need to remove the thorns first.
And these thorns grow back every time. Not always in the same place, but always in irregular areas between the buds, and aimed like swords ready to fend of any approaching appendages.
Pro Tip: Wear thick gardening gloves when handling any sharp objects. Cutting any branch with protruding ends can be just as dangerous as pruning a rosebush. Pruned branch ends can often fall at high speeds into your hands, arms, and even flick up into the face. Long sleeves, glasses, and/or protective eye-ware is also advised.
Besides dealing with thorns and some general clean-up on old pruned branch ends I need to clip off, let's take a look and see what sort of branch pruning decisions I made.
Looking at the photo above, I circled all of the nodes where three or more branches were joining into a single point. If I leave these areas alone, they will just continue to fatten and swell up into an ugly ball joint. To avoid that future, I will need to follow the Rule of Two, and select branches to remove, so that no more than two branches extend from a single node.
Removing unnecessary branches is going to help this tree to focus more vigorous growth into all of the remaining #buds. More buds producing leaves and branches will give more options for the future design of the tree. Plus, a tree full of many leaves tends to look healthy and appealing in general.
After selecting which branches will need to be removed, I painted black lines to show the part of the tree that will remain in-tact. I also painted green over the buds that will remain. This tree has tons of buds on it, and they grow in all directions around the branches.
In some cases, I chose to remove the branches that were extremely long and straight. Those branch ends are good choices to remove, because they don't produce as many buds except one or a few big buds at the far end. By removing the long straight extensions, I can keep the intervals between branches much closer together. The long straight branch ends are also a distraction to the softer curving lines of the nearby branches and trunk that I prefer.
As a Bonsai Hobbyist that tends to dislike wiring tree branches, I love Hawthornes because it buds everywhere, and tends to grow branches in outward directions. While my Willows and Chinese Elms have to have their branches trained and angled outward from their natural upward growth habits, Hawthornes enjoy fanning their branches out to the perimeters to find sunlight.
I think this is because Hawthorns are found in nature growing as #shrubs in the shade where the berries are dropped by birds. The branches have to search wide for sunlight pockets. Eventually the tree forms strong roots, and the #trunk can compete with the larger tree that was once shading it. A mighty Hawthorn becomes the new ruler of the forest ceiling, and guardian of a wide perimeter of territory for hundreds of animals seeking food and protection.
Here is the final result of the fully cleaned up tree. All the dangerous thorns are gone. I cut away most of the dead stubby cut-marks from last season, so now the branches have smoother bends. Notice how the thickness of the trunk has a more natural flow now as it tapers towards the narrowest branch tips.
The most challenging part was cutting the thickest dead #wood areas that were stumping up on top of the trunk. Dead wood is really hard to cut through even with my sharp concave branch pruners. In some cases, I only managed to cut the outer bark, but not the dead heartwood interior. If I had a knob pruner, I bet I could dig that out better. I could also try using a saw.
Without even forcing the branches to change their growth directions, the branch tips and buds now look like they are all focused on growing upward to the sun. Before, many of the branches were hooking down, clawing for the earth. The selective branch pruning has changed the entire attitude of the tree into a more positive presence that can be enjoyed.
Overall, this tree turned out very well, I think. It needed hardly any work at all. A beautiful tree that likes to maintain itself, and even defend itself against my pruners is fine with me.
Here's a photo I took recently of the night life colors and shapes I thought were fascinating. I liked how the street lights had different colors and sizes behind the cherry tree that was in bloom. The misty blooms were glittering from the reflecting street lights. There was a natural flow and balance in the lines, shapes, and colors. Sounds like poetry, eh?
Did you enjoy my photos and information about this Hawthorne tree? I'm really happy to have a community that likes to respond to my hobby activities, and that is why I share.
There is a strong interest, I have noticed, in people wanting to learn more about bonsai. Check out the #bonsai tag, and you'll find most of the photos people post are the same public photos commonly found on the internet. There are very few actual artists sharing their original works of their recent tree photos. My strategy is to share as many of my photos as I can here on steemit. By encouraging people to make a beginning attempt if they feel so inclined, like I have, we can grow a bonsai of fellow hobbyists and appreciators.
Coming up, I have a bunch of Willow trees I also worked on last week, so I'll be posting those results soon.
May you find a tree this week that teaches you wisdom.
