Hi guys.
I picked up a couple of practice junipers really cheap so I had my first ever attempt at styling after reading up a lot and watching a lot of videos. I think i've fallen into the common trap of stripping too much from the inner branches and creating a sort of poodle effect. im going to let the tree recover for a bit and do some wiring to get a bit more shape from the trunk. Im not going to report this season, it has just been lifted into a different pot (im not mad)

what do you guys think, what tips / advice do you have (be nice)?
@Auk I really value your opinion (read a lot of your old posts) so any tips or pointers

Hm.. I think you know already.. But you stripped a lot fo branches away from that tree. You now have nothing left to work with, really.

I would remove the long branch on the left, I do not see a viable design with that long branch on it. The same for the extension of the top (I see a thick branch in the top, almost horizontal, effectively the "second branch on the left".
But as said, you have removed a lot of side-branches. I think I would let it grow a bit, and hope you get some back-budding.

Note: It is repotting not reporting.

I was thinking something like this,

Or like this?



So you remove the long empty one on the left, and use the branch one up from there

Hmmm....
Please don't cut anything, just plant it in the garden, and wait... and wait... wait

leatherback wrote:

So you remove the long empty one on the left, and use the branch one up from there

I like Leatherback's plan.
But I also like Samantha's plan!

Samantha wrote:

...
Please don't cut anything, just plant it in the garden, and wait... and wait... wait

Which is all about bonsai.

this is exactly why i love bonsai, creativity and options! I do like leatherback's plan, it feels kind of extreme. im tempted to try my wiring idea, lean a bit about wiring then follow Samantha's plan of plant it and leave it and hopefully force the buds back a bit to be able to shorten the branches. if that doesnt work I can do leatherback's plan and chop it off a bit after it has recovered.

if it all goes wrong ive learnt and spend £10 on a tree which ends up looking terrible

Given it my best shot. I've never worked before. Amazed at how well the tree responds.
I got in a bit of a confuzz near the top where the wire changed and have ended up with some cross wire. I'm gonna leave it along but I think I get where I went wrong. 6mm wire is really hard to work with. Learnt loads doing this! Also manages to split a branch a bit!