BOUGAINVILLEA have to be some of the most splendid species for bonsai I have ever seen and, it is quite a pity that owners of the these plants as normal bushes, shrubs or plain old garden decorations don't always take the proper amount of care in treating the plant with care.
In this case, I truly cannot blame the previous owner who took care of the plant. Although it received little care, the Bougainvillea was simply placed in an area where much like the Bougainvillea mentioned in the link below, simply did not receive ample enough sunlight and additional nutrients to thrive.
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Now, getting to work on a ginormous bush with multiple thorns and hundreds of spiders really isn't ever something I look forward to, but in this case, I was beyond excited.
Initially, this turned up as a trade off between myself and the caretaker. I exchanged a one-year-old J. Mimosifolia seedling and a five-year-old Juniper Procumbens for this Bougainvillea.
Some may say that this might have been an offer which was a bit overboard on my part, however, this Bougainvillea has the potential to become a masterpiece which could go so far as to win some prizes locally, given it first has to survive recovery and of course, grow to an extent where it can be further styled.
Tell me what you think? Does this look like it can become a piece worthy of an award?
Removing it wasn't as difficult as it was time-consuming, this while I still have a job to do which pays my salary and so forth. But fortunately, today was a quiet day and, most of my work had been completed way ahead of time.
I started carefully creating a trench around where I envisioned the trunk to be, as well as planning ahead for where the roots might have been. Although there was a severe amount of dead branches, I could see that the tree was around nine to eleven years of age, so I wanted to handle it with as much care as possible.
Away with the tiny spade I did, and then started feeling around in the nutrient-less soil with my fingers, carefully mapping around to get a feel of the root system so that I knew where to keep digging, where to pull and where to break off some of the unnecessary dead-growth.
Among some of the strangest things I've found scrounging around in old pots, I did not imagine finding a price tag in the ground with this tree. Originally purchased for a mere R20, which is around $1.50, I found out that the tree was originally purchased from the same nursery where I purchase some of my young bonsai.
Strangely, I also noticed that the design of the price tag included the previous logo used by the nursery, a re-brand which happened some ten years ago. Joy I definitely felt as I realized I had about accurately guessed the tree's age.
Digging around in the dirt with the spiders was 'fun' however, time was running a little low so I picked up the pace while still treading with care. Before long, I had successfully removed the Bougainvillea from what may very well be called a prison, some strong feeder roots intact with larger ones as well.
The exchange was worth it in my opinion.
Can you still not see the value? If you don't, you may need glasses but, I still won't blame you.
And then came the biggest problem I had ever feared for - I thought I had run out of bonsai mix, as well as a variety of other mixes due to the larger Bougainvillea I had collected over the weekend.
Arriving at home, I first went to get some paper towels which I wrapped around the roots and moistened to prevent the roots from sustaining too much damage. Then, I quickly searched throughout the yard, storage shed and the garage for soils and such.
Luckily, I still had a full bag of premium bonsai mix and some river sand. Note to self or anyone who goes to collect Urban Yamadori: Always make sure you have everything you need before you even consider getting in the car and going to collect a plant. If you don't you may end up killing it.
As from this point on, things are quite simple and straightforward. Soils and treatments mixed, the tree is ready to be planted and, at which point, further pruning took place to remove some non-essential growth and side branches.
It'll be close to a year, perhaps even two years before this tree starts to resemble the picture I have in mind however, the wait will be well worth it.
Although the Bougainvillea is most clearly not the same plant species as below, the idea in future design and what is possible with the bougainvillea is relevant and shows what can be done with the material above.
Have a look for yourself - perhaps now you will see what I do.
Happy Steeming.
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