Hi Everyone!

I want to make from this juniper a (semi) cascade.

Picture 1/2: the raw material
Picture 3: After cleaning and removing the dead and weak needles/branches: the trunk; right after the trunk rises above the soil there is a side-branch, a bit further there is a huge branche that grows on top of the trunk and then it grows in the opposite way above the trunk.
Picture 4: The blue circle is the beginning of the trunk, the red line is the branch that I'm going to use for the design, the green line is that huge branch with a lot of side-branches that I'm going to remove.
Picture 5: A close-up of the trunk with the side-branches.


If anyone have tips or comments/suggestions/questions about the design etc. please comment!

It looks like it's naturally well on its way, and with some judicial pruning will look awesome! Just don't do a bunch of rootwork on the same day.

Thank you for your reply!

Today I've cut off or shorten a lot of the unneeded branches, some of them I've left because I don't exactly know if I want to make a cascade with no branches on top, so just the branch thats growing down and make from that one the canopy and everything, or to make a cascade with a branch on top of the tree that would be the canopy. Don't know if you understand what I'm saying now
When I'm finished with styling, I'm not going to do rootwork on it, I'll let it leave for a while so it can recover and later I'll do rootwork. I don't have cascade-pots, so I need to buy it so it will stay for a period here just in that plastic pot

I've made pictures but I will upload them later today or maybe tomorrow

As promised some more pictures here. I've a question though:

Here you can see the movement of the tree. I've left some branches because I don't know if I should make a cascade and make the 'canopy' the top of the tree, with another branch or make it with the foliage from the branch I'm using that's growing down.

Too make it more clear:
1. www.google.nl/imgres?q=bonsai+cascade&hl...s:0&biw=1143&bih=698 so with another branch or..
2.www.google.nl/imgres?q=bonsai+cascade&hl...:17&biw=1143&bih=698 just with only branch and make from that foliage a 'triangle'


Any ideas, I haven't got any branches that grow up of the tree, just the one that's growing in the opposite way as you can see here in the picture, maybe chooce the second option?


Please post a comment beneath, thank you all for your kind help!

Hi Youri,

I (personally) like the first option using your downward trailing branch with an upper canopy. If you look near the base of the backward facing branch, there are two little branches growing upward out of that branch...I'm thinking they could be used as your upper canopy training them into interesting shapes with wire. Therefore you would cut the backward facing branch off just behind those two little branches. Does this make sense? What do you think?

Another thought I have is: using the backward facing branch for your main trunk instead of the frontward facing branch. The reason I suggest this is because it has a lovely, wide to narrow trailing shape to it which could be trained to trail downward with an interesting curve in it. There is also lots of foilage at the top of this branch to create the upper canopy. The only thing that might not be pleasing to the eye is the sharp angle at the base of the trunk...but then it might be interesting too.

Would it be possible to use the remaining branches to create some jin?...that is if they can be bent into shapes?

Thanks Leslie!

I was thinking about that too, that's why I've shortened the back facing branch. Maybe I'll use that as the canopy, good idea!

I personally don't like that big curve and if I cut off the frontward facing branch, it would be difficult too cover the wound, because it's a big branch and I need to cut it off and make it round at the end. Also that curve would be a problem, because I don't like it, but I prefer using the first idea

Yes, maybe I can make some jin out of the remaining branches, but I need to see if they fit in the design of the tree.

Thanks for your reply!