My “bonsai landscape challenge”, water-land penjing is complete for now! This is just the beginning for this penjing, I’ll be working on the trees in the future making them more compact and miniature looking.
I have been challenged by Gail of the YouTube channel “GG Evergreen Bonsai” to create a bonsai landscape!
This is a fun challenge and I have finally decided on a plan after 4 weeks of thinking!!
Check out the original challenge video here….
Check out Gail’s channel “GG Evergreen Bonsai” here….
https://www.youtube.com/@ggevergreenbonsai1259/featured
To see previous videos of the Ming Aralia (Polyscias fruticosa), click on the playlist here…
Please feel free to join in on the challenge, be sure to tag your video with…
#CreativeBonsaiLandscapeChallenge
#TheBonsaiZone
32 Comments
Extremely beautiful landscape!!😍👍👍 I love how you use real landscapes in nature as inspiration and try to recreate them in bonsai!😍😍
A most absorbing set of videos – and a pretty good result indeed. Personally I think your principal tree is too big and the rocks are diminished by that. They have huge interest in their own right. The 'arid' version will be better, I agree with your critique of the green moss. And, of course, you need tyre tracks for the Land Rover – it's been driven there not just been plonked. Impressive though. I wonder how Norfolk Island pines might look…
It's almost there, but to me the salt lake side is still too rectangular. The rocky land part should have more curvature in the shoreline on the left.
I really like this. In my mind the only thing I would like is less water. One more tree added in the sand.
Hello friends 🙂 Hello Nigel 🙂 after losing most of my trees last year i had to take some time 🙁 so discouraging. but after watching these last 4 videos i feel renewed and ready for spring!!! I will yamadori like i have never yamadoried before!
Great series — the rock arrangement is my favorite part of the planting, very strong design. I loved seeing it bare on the stark marble tray, and then watching the whole scene transform as you went. Thanks, Nigel!
I like the little cutting in the front. I bet it grows on you.
Yes, I think now that the aralia is a good baobab substitute for this but I agree the main tree is too tall. We discussed yesterday about maybe ground layering about an inch up the trunk. You might be fighting inverse taper for that particular material for its entire life though… Personally I also think the air roots needs to go, didn't see any on the reference photos.
I've really enjoyed this series Nigel. I did question my sanity watching you moving the rocks around in the first episode though 🤣
Excellent final result though and it's going to be another project of yours that I'll keep an eye out for updates on.
Four parts of FANTASTIC! Thanks, keep growing
Just restart. It look to busy for the pot
Actually, Ming aralia was an excellent choice. It's true that it doesn't look much like a baobab, but neither does portulacaria Afra or crassula ovata. However, it does resemble typical desert trees. Such trees have very thick trunks to store water and very finely divided foliage to provide maximum photosynthesis with minimum water loss.
Bravo. It came out great.
This is a cool looking landscape in its own right. Simply superb!!!
Nice job planting rocks!
Was wondering Nigel if you have ever been to Africa? I bet you would really enjoy it.. and your viewers would love to tag along with you.😉
Nigel I really like the planting. At first I was skeptical if the two trees would look good together, but I think it looks really natural and the smaller one looks like a sucker from the bigger one and the movement of the smaller one looks as if it was growing in the shade of the bigger one so it looks convincing!
You took this to the next level. incredible result and a pleasure to watch.
👍👌👌
this is realy nice tree
I enjoy the entire left half of the landscape is just the salt flat. It gives the illusion that it goes on for a really long time, and is just as important to the recreation of Kubu Island as the tree/ land. Good job Nigel, as always your patience is something to admire.
So nice to see this project come together. Seems to me that you met your goal of making this look like that African location. I've enjoyed watching this series and look forward to seeing updates in the future.
‘I’ve been playing around with the placement for 2 hours now’
Something only content creators can understand 🤣 4 hours of work edited down to a 20-35min video
Thank you for taking the time to share your imagination and bonsai with everyone ❤
It definitely holds the viewers interest looking at the many different aspects.
The little red ferns you received might make a great color contrast and look more desert like.
Hey Nigel, where did you find your rake? Looks very very nice with that back that can be use too.
Another fantastic planting! You have such great vision. I love it! Always keeping us engaged too! Thank you Nigel!
I repeat my comment from previous part 4A:
I would keep only one, smaller tree. That bigger tree is too much. It overshadows the landscape (which should be quite minimal and deserted). Proportions between pot, rocks and tree(s) are off.
mi piace la tua costanza nel preparare le cose
very nice! i love ming aralias and what youve done here. truly underrated species because of a couple undesirable tendencies…but for me, theyre worth the attention.
Not sure if you captured the scene you were looking for or not, but you sure captured my imagination with this planting. I’m diggin it, good sir.
Final product looks great, you could add even more rocks in the left sand area if you wanted to, no need to cement them in so it gives the front view a bit more dimension. I just feel like the view from the front, the island looks like it has a straight edge, I don't know, just something I noticed, what do you think?
A marvel Awesome