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Ponderosa pines at Elandan Gardens

July 27, 2012 by Jonas Dupuich

Dan Robinson has been growing pine bonsai for a long time. Some of trees on display at Elandan Gardens started from seeds Dan collected in Korea when he was in the service. Most, however, were collected from the mountains, including the awesome specimens below. All text accompanying the images comes from signs displayed with the trees. I’ve identified trees without signs simply as “pine”  – feel free to let me know the details if you’re familiar with these trees and I’ll update the post accordingly.

Ponderosa PinePinus ponderosaYear of Origin: 1700When I spotted this tree struggling for life in the crack of a granite boulder in Wyoming, I instantly had a plan to create a cascade style bonsai with its swollen base and short compact branches. To complete the design, heavy wiring would be needed to manipulate the branches. Heavy wire holds the branch in the position you determine for the tree's artistic creation.

Ponderosa Pine – Pinus ponderosa
Year of origin: 1700

When I spotted this tree struggling for life in the crack of a granite boulder in Wyoming, I instantly had a plan to create a cascade style bonsai with its swollen base and short compact branches. To complete the design, heavy wiring would be needed to manipulate the branches. Heavy wire holds the branch in the position you determine for the tree’s artistic creation.

Ponderosa Pine Pinus ponderosaYear of Origin: 1500This untrained tree has an eminence about it that only a powerful stone pot could possible frame. The balance here looks a bit precarious; perhaps a larger post will be necessary.

Ponderosa Pine – Pinus ponderosa
Year of origin: 1500

This untrained tree has an eminence about it that only a powerful stone pot could possible frame. The balance here looks a bit precarious; perhaps a larger post will be necessary.

88. Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)Year of Origin: 1750I replaced the original Ponderosa Pine foliage by grafting Japanese Black Pine foliage onto it in 1970. The Black Pine foliage has a density, color and length that is very desirable.

Ponderosa Pine – Pinus ponderosa
Year of origin: 1750

I replaced the original Ponderosa Pine foliage by grafting Japanese Black Pine foliage onto it in 1970. The Black Pine foliage has a density, color and length that is very desirable.

Ponderosa Pine

Ponderosa pine

Eastern Pitch PinePinus rigidaYear of Origin: 1820Collected in the Adirondak Mountains of New York with a young and enthusiastic Frank Heidt. Pitch pine is a favorite of East Coast collectors and it is easy to understand why. It's amazing that within an hour of New York City gnarly stunted trees can be found.

Eastern Pitch Pine – Pinus rigida
Year of origin: 1820

Collected in the Adirondak Mountains of New York with a young and enthusiastic Frank Heidt. Pitch pine is a favorite of East Coast collectors and it is easy to understand why. It’s amazing that within an hour of New York City gnarly stunted trees can be found.

Lodge Pole PinePinus contortaYear of Origin: 1850Collected on a collecting trip near Gold River, BC in 2003. Potted in September 2004. The upper trunk was split and torn down in April 2005. Training has just begun.

Lodge Pole Pine – Pinus contorta
Year of origin: 1850

Collected on a collecting trip near Gold River, BC in 2003. Potted in September, 2004. The upper trunk was split and torn down in April 2005. Training has just begun.

Pine

Pine

Pine

Pine

Pine

Pine

✕

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Filed Under: Excursions Tagged With: Elandan, Ponderosa pine

Previous Post: « Ponderosa pine deadwood
Next Post: Stroll through Elandan Gardens »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. jeremiah lee says

    July 27, 2012 at 8:16 am

    Some very amazing pines!

  2. marcuswatts100 says

    July 27, 2012 at 10:10 am

    a lovely collection of unique trees – my only dislike is feeling the need to put a completely made up guess at the year the seed germinated, this pointless information has nothing to do with the bonsai as the bonsai clock begins the day a man gets involved in digging, prunning or training. Nothing wrong with saying “approx 200 years old”, but saying “yr of origin 1820”!!

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      July 27, 2012 at 10:25 am

      Thanks Marcus – I share your sentiments. I was told that Elandan makes an effort to take core samples and or count rings before making these assertions, but the prevalence of even numbers seems to belie any absolute reckoning.

  3. Steve Moore says

    July 29, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    Great pictures of great trees! Thanks for posting these, Jonas.

    I’m partial to pines, tho I still have a lot to learn about them. Both those facts are partly explained by the fact that they are somewhat exotic to me: I grew up in Ecuador, where they are rare (and none are native.)

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