--- Alan Zucker wrote:
Looking for suggestion for a mixed forest.

Which species?
How many species and how many of each?

I was thinking Hornbeam/Trident Maple?




There is the family version of doing a forest where
the patriarch is the biggest tree and his "family"
surrounds him being positioned as to their
relationship. So if the tridents "marry" into the
Hornbeam family, you would have your answer on how to
mix them...or not.

Forests are always an odd number of trees. Quantity
depends on whether you are looking at a forest close
up (pot jammed full) or viewing from a distance (see
the space between the trees).

Note that a mixed planting is not considered
"Traditional". The idea is to concentrate on the
similarity of the trees to show off composition rather
than tree differences.

Another way would be to show one type as the main tree
and another type as the under growth.

Kitsune Miko


As Marty notes in another message, it's often hard to get a mixed
forest to look "right." Part of this is probably bonsai
tradition (we're used to single-species forests) and part of this
is the biological fact that all species don't grow at the same
rate or in the same way. In a mixed forest, one species is
almost bound to outgrow the others. Assuming you want the look
of an even-age forest, disparate growing rates can be a problem.

They are rare (but not totally unheard of) in Japanese bonsai,
and more common in Chinese penjing, though the Chinese groupings
(that I have seen) are usually rather sparsely planted and
usually mix a conifer and a deciduous or flowering tree.

Usually, I think, you still will want a preponderance of one
species, perhaps with the major tree and one other small one
being of the different species.

Then you will want trees that will both take the same watering
and fertilization regime, and that can both stand the same amount
of sun (which would eliminate trident maples from almost any
planting where I am), etc. This can be a difficult feat also.

Both the Audubon and the Peterson nature field guides have guides
to various environments in North America. These will tell you
which trees tend to grow together in nature; around my area, the
typical climax vegetation for broadleafed trees is
beech-magnolia, or oak-hickory-beech-magnolia. Understory trees
would include hophornbeam (drier sites) hornbeam (in damp sites),
American red maple (damp), and American holly (dry). Dry sites
also would have a liberal sprinkling of loblolly pine. You might
look for one of these in your local library (I've never found a
reason to buy one ;-).

Have fun.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - The phrase
'sustainable growth' is an oxymoron. - Stephen Viederman

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