Inspired by a photo of Reiner's last fall, I went out and bought a Euonymus
'compacta' (not very compact - it came balled & bagged.)

As our snow starts to melt, I am contemplating my next steps. (it's heeled
into the (frozen) garden at present.

When should I put it in a training pot? (The trunk is big enough.) When
should I start to train branches? Can I treat this like a maple and cut
everthing off the trunk? When?

Thanks,

Bart

Bart,
Since no one else has jumped in here I'll share my limited experience on
this plant with you even though mine are not 'compacta'. Scroll down
please.


"Bart Thomas" wrote:

Inspired by a photo of Reiner's last fall, I went out and bought a
Euonymus
'compacta' (not very compact - it came balled & bagged.)

As our snow starts to melt, I am contemplating my next steps. (it's heeled
into the (frozen) garden at present.

When should I put it in a training pot? (The trunk is big enough.)

If your trunk is the size you want it to be then it's time to put it into
either a training pot or even a slightly over size bonsai pot (your option).
I would wait until you don't expect night time temps to fall below 40 F.


When should I start to train branches?

Mine have very flexible green branches for quite a while before they harden
off and get woody. I'd use caution wiring these. Once woody they still
flex well and should be a bit easier to wire. My personal choice with this
bush is grow and clip.


Can I treat this like a maple and cut everything off the trunk? When?

Not sure on this yet. Mine throw lots of suckers from the base of the plant
which after a year of observation seem to actually help thicken that part of
the trunk at soil level. Mine also seem to back bud with abandon, so I
'think' mucho trimming can be done without causing death, but I'm
definitely going to experiment on one before I recommend complete removal of
the plants branch structure to anyone. I'll get back to Y'All.

One other observation, even growing in the worst -soil- I've ever seen (I
had to bare root and wash out the old stuff completely) the root mass was a
sight to behold. Wonderful fleshy white roots as thick as a luffa gourd
;-). That alone told me that the plant was tough and I think it will put up
with most anything I want to do to it.

Regards,
Shelly Hurd Central CA - Sunset Zone 8-USDA Zone 9

Shelly Hurd wrote:

Bart,
Since no one else has jumped in here

Sorry, I guess I should have, but ever since I started reading the IBC
via the newsgroup a few months ago, which means that the group's
messages don't automatically appear in my Inbox, I have had to make a
real effort to get updated. It looks like I haven't made the effort for
about a month. ;-(

"Bart Thomas" wrote:

Inspired by a photo of Reiner's last fall, I went out and bought a
Euonymus
'compacta' (not very compact - it came balled & bagged.)

I think the term 'compacta' is intended to refer more to its growth
habit. ;-)

When should I put it in a training pot? (The trunk is big enough.)

If your trunk is the size you want it to be then it's time to put it into
either a training pot or even a slightly over size bonsai pot (your option).
I would wait until you don't expect night time temps to fall below 40 F.

I'll buy that.

When should I start to train branches?

My personal choice with this bush is grow and clip.

So is mine. I would start training the branches this spring. Since you
have adequate trunk diameter, you can concentrate on branching and
ramification. Be aware that once you prune a branch, you will not get
further extensions this growing season. At least I don't up here.

Can I treat this like a maple and cut everything off the trunk? When?

You could at the time the plant resumes growth, which should be right
about now, but I would only do that as a last resort, preferring instead
to make something of the plant with the branches it has.

Thanks, Shelly, for jumping in so ably. I am glad one of my pictures
encouraged Bart to experiment with Euonymus alatus compactus. I think
it's a plant that is exceptionally well suited for bonsai culture in a
temperate climate.

Reiner Goebel
Toronto, Canada
http://www.rgbonsai.com

"Reiner Goebel" wrote in message
...


"Bart Thomas" wrote:

Inspired by a photo of Reiner's last fall, I went out and bought a
Euonymus
'compacta' ( My personal choice with this bush is grow and clip.

So is mine. I would start training the branches this spring. Since you
have adequate trunk diameter, you can concentrate on branching and
ramification. Be aware that once you prune a branch, you will not get
further extensions this growing season. At least I don't up here.

Can I treat this like a maple and cut everything off the trunk? When?

You could at the time the plant resumes growth, which should be right
about now, but I would only do that as a last resort, preferring instead
to make something of the plant with the branches it has.

Thanks, Reiner.

I took the tree to a workshop at Chase Rosade's just to be safe about the
degree of root reduction, and because I didn't have a narrow enough saw to
cut off what amounted to a tree within the tree growing out of the middle of
the first fork on the trunk.

He was most enthusiastic about the tree, even saying that he really should
do a class on them.

Bart Thomas