G'day all, from Australia. this is my tree for the comp so i thought i'd show you how it came about.

This is how the tree looked when i first puchased it, quite tall.



i potted up into a large training pot and a few months later decided to give it the big chop(Aug 2011),



It started to grow well again putting out alot of new shoots to work with,the idea was to have the left trunk hollowed out by fire,



A little more growth (dec 2011),







With the tree going very well it was time for another round of work,i started to hollow out the trunk,

followed by some burning of the deadwood to create the fire burnt look,







next day the tree was wired and a basic branch structure set in place,and the tree repotted into this bonsai pot,

from chop to here in only 6 months,

i hope you enjoyed seeing a tree created inspired by trees growing in my local area- Australia.

thanks for viewing

Hi Craig,

Already in the comp when I saw tht pic, I thought: That is a great tree; Why did het say 'Bonsai' in quotes!

Looking at the history, doubly impressed. Amazing growth for such a short period, and how beautifully dod you do the carving, burning and shaping overall. Add a year or two more groth, and you are looking at a potential competation tree. Very nice work!

Where in Oz are you? I might be back in Melbourne for work later this year. Would love to see this tree close-up!

Thankyou Leatherback,i think with only 6mths training it is not yet Bonsai yet. I am in Perth, WA along way from Melbourne but i will keep you updatedhere at least

i forgot the measurements of the tree;
Tree;
Height-560mm
Width-580mm
Depth-450
Trunk-140mm

Pot;
280x220x90mm.

As a native Californian the burnt out look is something I really appreciate. I'm new to bonsai but I can see that the transformation you oversaw is something really incredible. Awesome tree!

Great to see such a progression in such a short time!

Love the burnt look, do you know what pot this is? The pot combines very well with the tree, better than the first pot the tree was in.

So I just have to say, I am in love with this tree. You took quite a chance chopping it down. As we all know, you never can accurately predict where it will back bud, if at all. Good job.

Thankyou All, i borrowed this pot as it was spur of moment decision to repot, i'll endevour to find out about it, the first pot was just a trainer.
i did take a small chance on backbudding with the chop however the trunk was unusable at the height it was ,, I could have used a few more new shoots on the lower left.