Last spring I bought the this wonderful book by Jake Hobson calledNiwaki – Pruning , Training and Shaping Trees the Nipponese Way print by Timber Press . I was hope that it might show who to dress my Pinus species and cultivars into the conformation one sees everywhere in Japan . The book delivers much more , and not only is an informative and well project script with good deal of color pic and idea , it also cover more than just pines , with chapters on deciduous shrub and tree diagram , azaleas and more . If you have never heard of the art of Niwaki , the Scripture is very informative and it explains the entire technique , history and artcraft of this amazing cultural art . Some fan picture of the artwork of Niwaki from the Amazon page for the book where reviewer can post their own photos . After read the book , I was so inspired to try some large - tree diagram grooming myself . On my first trip to Japan , I took XII of exposure of the plant life , not even see that the mounded bush , azaleas , and large , horizontal sweeps of branches on the pine with their categoric , upward facing needles were not unique coinage of some Japanese forms , but actually aim specimen , shaped over years to expect like ripe trees or rock , or other natural shapes like cloud . The Japanese are so affiliated to nature and they apprize this connexion in a path no other culture can come close to , that the effect one experience in the best Japanese garden , often fritter even the experienced judgment . After reviewing much of my photos now , I realized that most of what move me in the petite alley gardens and the sweeping vistas in the public park of Tokyo and Kyoto , were actually carefully train shape , where everything was consdiered and evaluate – each needle was either trimmed or train , every bud accost and either removed or allowed to grow , and each leg carefully trained with bamboo poles and forget me drug to accomplish a perfect human body . Someone once told me “ oh , those Japanese are so into control with everything ! ” but I see this as the opposite , the Nipponese look at this craft as more of an artistic production , not unlike Bonsai , the goal here is to shape a tree to look like a either an old one , or a specific shape .
The author explains this art in a very clever way :
Get a sheet of paper , foot up a pencil , and draw and quarter a tree diagram . That is a niwaki . It ’s not be , of trend , it ’s not a real tree . Instead , it is your interpretation – however hastily draw , however unplanned ” . Now take is further still , and really grow a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Here you run into worry ; the tree seem to have a mind of its own . it does not look at anything like the sketch you drew , or the model you built . Oh well , it ’s a living and breating tree diagram . This is where nurseryman in the Benjamin West stoppage . “ It ’s a tree ; rent it get on with it” . Left to grow on its own , it may be as long as a one C to look as magnificent as one of the baronial , ancient spruce do high in the mountains , or a gnarled , twine true pine on a cliff in Oregon . For the Japanese , the process of produce a garden Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is not wholly unlike sketching or building one . Observations , computer memory , emotion , and thousands of eld of ethnical and hardheaded tradition inform Japanese gardeners and nursery actor as they palaver out those features believe to signify a particular essence . Sounds like art to me .
Some of my tied true pine branches in June . I do n’t have the patience or skill but this still worked .
This all reminds me Japan since anyone who visits , will notice gardener . manpower set in spicy jumping suits , with pruning sheers , hand clippers , diminutive heather , lop and snip and carefully and thoughtfully addressing what appear to be each steel of sess and they straighten out around the public gardens or hotel . They are everywhere . A westerner ca n’t help but discover that they all look like they have it away their job , as if they are professors or medico , they are need , tidy , professional , civilized . A far cry from the American definition of a landscaper – generally a nibble - up drive , lawn mowing , Abercrombied teen . In Japan , gardeners are professionals , they are trained , focussed , informed and they must be experts in their wiliness . I have to add , that much of Japana is like this , so part of this may be cultural , for even the untried woman in the 7/11 near my hotel was polite , cheerful and thoughtful as she take my 25 yen for a multitude of gum tree , or the taxi drivers who where white cotton wool gloves , and have impeccably clean railway car that are obsessively goodly with starched white lacing seat covers , and spotlessly sparkling windows . Being proub of whatever one does at any tast , must be veyr Japanese .
But back to training my pines!Pinus Bungeana – Lace Bark Pine before final fall lop or Momiage .
I have this Pinus bungeana growing near the greenhouse , which I planted just after build the glasshouse as a seedling . Now , ten year later , it is grow larger . I thought I might try training it a bit , so that it would remain heart-to-heart and take care more cured , while at the same meter , not fill in too much of the greenhouse . Not a genuine niwaki , since it has a undivided trunk which is to thick now for me to train or push to an angle , I am still drop dead to train it to have the horizontal sweeping offset , and a vapid top crown . THe cognitive process of shaping a pine is achieve with specific tasks throughout the year . They are all fun , and actually realaxing , at least for me . After a November Momiage ( removal of past years needles ) . Now the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is starting to look older , with more wood being exposed . I have to admit that even with this fast five month training session , this pine is lead off to look astonishing .
You must get this leger to understand the steps , . but in brief , one must tie and educate in the spring , remove the first flush of spring growth -the candles , which tear off easily , in aprocess known as Midoritsumi ( literally ‘ green pick ’ ) , and then the second flush of candles which come in July , are smaller – these are snipped in half . Then , in November , the past years needles are pulled off in a process known as Momiage , or fall thinning . The Japanese have gens for many affair we never think of , even the embarrassing pine resin is called Matsuyani , and yes , this is a very glutinous hobby .
The Japanese aboriginal woodland bamboo , which is hardy in New England , the species Sasa Vietchii , is depart to get it ’s stylemark white foliage edges which starts to look after the first hard frost . This bamboo does creep , although I would not personally call it invasive since it is rather contrallable . , I pick out to live with it because it is one of the few plants that looks good year round , It ’s evergreen foliage looks best in winter , and weeds can not grow through its dense mat in summer . It is not impossibe to keep it somewhat within a certain blank space , and if you are a slothful nurseryman like me , it is perfect .
Share this:
Related
