Evergreen retains its color for all seasons

Today I bring you a new bonsai from my yard to share. This tree has been selected for being a unique native species and a seasonal star.

ID: 0010
Nickname: Christina
Type: Douglas Fir
Age: 4 years
Grown: yamadori (collected from my own yard)
Last repotting: late spring 2017
Wired: never

About this tree: The Douglas Fir is unique variety of tree. It is a conifer, meaning cone-bearing. It is an evergreen. It is neither a fir tree nor a pine tree, though it shares similar qualities with each. They grow to heights over a hundred feet tall in nature, are flexible and strong enough to withstand extreme weather. Like cedar, they have an appealing scent that smells a bit like sweet pine sap. This tree is one of the traditional varieties grown in tree farms to be sold in the holiday season as a Christmas tree. Normally these trees will grow extremely long lateral branches, with quite a bit of space between. As a Christmas tree, people prefer this tree to be heavily pruned, causing it to back bud frequently, which makes a dense cluster of branches. The end result of this aggressive pruning technique makes the tree into a symmetrical green cone shape.

This photo is provided by pixabay. You can see the difference in the way the trees grow in the wild compared to the way it grows with heavy pruning. The pruned tree is ideal for the holidays because it is easier to decorate.

So that is why this tree gets the nickname Christina. It reminds me of Christmas. The smell, the shape, and the color are all symbolic of the winter holiday season.

This tree needs some work. Okay, it needs a lot of work! The top is becoming so long and leggy, that it is actually tipping sideways. Sort of reminds me of the sleeping cap the old Christmas elves would wear in children's book illustrations.

My past history with growing this species makes me a little wary to apply any pruning. The first douglas fir I grew 5 years ago failed on me after the first year. I am not sure it was because I pruned it, or because it had bad soil. I have learned a lot about bonsai soil over the years and I suspect this to the be truth. If I do get the guts to prune this bonsai, I will probably start by trimming the top branch back down to 2 inches from last years hard wood, leaving some of this year's growth remaining.

When I last repotted, I think this is the side I intended as the front of the tree for optimal viewing. It has a clearly defined apex, with only this year's growth attempting to start a new leader which I intend to prune. Otherwise it has a nice upright shape, and even has the starting definitions of a conical shape that I am aiming for. I also like that the lowest branches are angling out to the sides and slightly downward, and the middle branches are reaching up diagonally, with the top branches headed almost straight up. This mimics the way they grow in nature, with the oldest low branches being the heaviest, and the newest branches at the top reaching up for the sun.

Very embarrassing. This tree has a bare spot on the left side under the top branches. Maybe next year the new buds will allow the growth under that branches to become weighted down to fill in this bare section.

This photo also provides a decent view of the ornamental stone positioned at the base of the tree. It is a fossilized shell. It looks a bit like a shell inside concrete, but I was informed by a local rock expert that this is indeed a real fossil/rock which is made by nature. I can't remember the name for this type of rock, made from a fossilized shell. Please post below if you know what the proper is.

Top view of tree. I see a 5 or 6 pointed star. Very even angles. Extremely ideal!

Close-up of a new bud. Buds tend to form on last season's growth where the wood is more hard, but bark has not yet formed. I think the buds tend to open up in the spring time. When it forms new buds, they will remain on the tree all year long until the new needles are ready to sprout. New needles are a light yellow-green, and old needles are deep green and become hard and brittle. I like Douglas Fir because the needles are slender and pointed, but they are soft to the touch. Not sharp at all.

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My honorable mention photo is this one below. I am a sucker for birds. These ducks were so friendly, I had to snap a shot. They definitely brightened up my day at the cafe after a dull day at work.