I posted my recent attempt at styling my shohin Taxus on Facebook, and it was not well received. In fact, comments were along the lines of a "broom with a hanging elephant's trunk!" I was pleased at the honest response, and I always encourage people to say what they think and help me to improve my work through constructive criticism. As I looked at the tree, I immediately felt disappointed in myself for such sloppy work, and knew I could do better.
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| The tree after its first styling |
Other than the hanging right-hand branch, most of the branches were quite stiff, but there was a little movement in the first branch on the left. My first thought was to bring this branch down to give more balance and make the tree less broom-like.
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| The left hand branch brought down to create less of a "broom" like appearance |
There were a few ideas thrown around on Facebook, and Marcus Watts came up with the thought of tilting the tree to the right. He produced a quick, rough virtual which I decided to re-do in more detail with Photoshop.
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| A Photoshop virtual of the tree in a leaning position |
After some deliberation, I decided to go with Marcus's idea and began work with no delay. The original pot did not suit the new angle, so I opted for a crescent. Originally there was a fairly unanimous decision on Facebook to remove the hanging branch. With the new styling, I am currently undecided as to whether it is needed.
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| Finished for now! |
The tree has had quite a lot of work thrown at it and is only two years on from collection. It will now be given some TLC through the Winter.
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