Larix Laricina Bonsai

Unlike the western u s we don t have that many natives here in the northeast that are suitable for bonsai.

Larix laricina bonsai. Mark schmuc mohawk hudson bonsai society 28. The owner of the tree babied this tree for a long time and then it suddenly died after being on display at the local bonsai show. American larch larix laricina aka tamarack by larch master nick lenz. Today the tamarack larch is often used for ornamental purposes and is also a favorite for bonsai.

Howdy y all well along with the bonsai show bill valivanis rochester s premeir bonsai master had an open house and i picked up some pots and an american larch in my overzealousness i forgot to take begining pics it was 8pm and was planing on doing this today but that didnt happen this was a tough one the roots were huge compared with the pot i picked out for it but bill said it would work. Larix laricina is a small to medium size boreal coniferous and deciduous tree reaching 10 20 m 33 66 ft tall with a trunk up to 60 cm 24 in diameter. Healthy tamaracks are generally left alone. Larix are a very popular species for bonsai raw material and thick trunks are both relatively easy to obtain it also has the advantage of its radical change in appearance of its foliage through the seasons its small cones that appear in spring are usually purple in colour before browning and persisting on the tree for a number of years before dropping.

Although eastern larch beetles are known to attack tamarack larch the beetles prefer already weakened or dying trees. Shown below is a photo of an american larch larix laricina bonsai tree that was collected around 40 years before the photo was taken on display at a show. The bark is tight and flaky pink but under flaking bark it can appear reddish. The tree is currently owned by a good friend of mine who has been a student of nick s for several years.

I cannot imagine how long it took to grow that branch out. If a weeping larch is trained to form a trunk the leader can be trained in any direction will reach 10 12 x 6 8 in 10 years. Bright green needles in spring turn gold before dropping in fall. Weeping larch this is the most popular cultivar here at the nursery.

Tamaracks and larches larix species are deciduous conifers. One of the best buds just started breaking here about ten days ago and i ve been digging planting a. Old original designed from international bonsai arboretum dale cochoy pot ban boehmke stand owner. But we do have our lovely larches.

Larix laricina larix americana.