I am trying to do a simple cascade with a young Shimpaku. No jins, sharis, or
wild contortions. I have been looking for inspiring pictures on the Web, but
the ones I found were awful. Can anyone point me to some good ones?
Also, the plant I just got has a trunk about 2 feet tall, no significant
taper, with two branches near the bottom 12 & 14 inches long. After my husband & I
wrestled some 6 mm. wire onto it & I made the Big Bend, I realized that it is
unlikely i will be able to get that trunk into any meaningful zigzags. What
if I cut the whole thing off & use the 14" branch as the tail? Then I will get
some taper, and the tail is flexible enough to manipulate easily. It leaves
the other branch at the top of the Big Bend for an apex or secondary tail (with
or without contortions). Do I need to make a jin on the trunk (which is now
pointing straight down), or can I just cut it off?
Iris

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Do I need to make a jin on the trunk (which is now
pointing straight down), or can I just cut it off?

You can cut it flush with the trunk. After the cut dries, you
can disguise it with a MinWax wood stain pen in whatever shade
the bark is.

I feel, however, that a cascade without jin is something of a
contradiction in terms. Cascades by their very nature represent
trees that have struggled for survival on the windy edge of a
cliff or an erosion-prone streambank where limbs would naturally
be damaged, dies and break off.

Other juniper forms can be done jinlessly (and I suppose a
cascade can be as well; it just doesn't seem as likely).

It is, however, YOUR tree. ;-)

Jim Lewis - jklewis @nettally.com -- "Jinlessly" -- a new (and
absolutely horrible) adverb. May it never again see the light of
day. ;-)

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In a message dated 5/24/03 10:50:40 AM, writes:
I* feel, however, that a cascade without jin is something of a
contradiction in terms. * Cascades by their very nature represent trees that have
struggled for survival on the windy edge of a cliff or an erosion-prone streambank
where limbs would naturally be damaged, die, and break off.

Making a jin out of that trunk would not fit in with the design. How about if
I put some contortions in the extra branch & make a jin on the outer part of
it?
Iris

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In a message dated 5/24/03 10:50:40 AM,
writes:
I feel, however, that a cascade without jin is something of a
contradiction in terms. Cascades by their very nature represent
trees that have
struggled for survival on the windy edge of a cliff or an
erosion-prone streambank
where limbs would naturally be damaged, die, and break off.

Making a jin out of that trunk would not fit in with the design.
How about if
I put some contortions in the extra branch & make a jin on the
outer part of
it?
Iris

===========

Fine with me, Iris. ;-)

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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Well, given the go-ahead, I did the dastardly deed (cut off the trunk). The
result is, well....different. Plenty of zigzags, but it will take a couple of
years for the side shoots to become branches. I used the extra branch to make
it a two-track cascade. There is nothing really at present to make a jin out
of, although otherwise it looks as though it was run over by a truck falling
down the mountain. I tried to leave the core of the rootball intact. My last
Shimpaku died for no good reason, after it was carefully supervised in a workshop.
If this one doesn't croak, it will be a miracle. If it will live & be well, &
I ever get my act together, I will post it in the Gallery.
Iris

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Well, given the go-ahead, I did the dastardly deed (cut off the
trunk). The
result is, well....different. Plenty of zigzags, but it will
take a couple of
years for the side shoots to become branches. I used the extra
branch to make
it a two-track cascade. There is nothing really at present to
make a jin out
of, although otherwise it looks as though it was run over by a
truck falling
down the mountain. I tried to leave the core of the rootball
intact. My last
Shimpaku died for no good reason, after it was carefully
supervised in a workshop.
If this one doesn't croak, it will be a miracle. If it will
live & be well, &
I ever get my act together, I will post it in the Gallery.
Iris

We can't wait -- literally! Good luck with it, Iris.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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