Eric and Pedro visit the Bennett Juniper, the Grand Champion Sierra Juniper. While there, they discuss the features of the tree that are inspirational for bonsai while they enjoy the mountain scenery and wildlife.
The largest species in the world in the juniper genus is Juniperus grandis, formerly Juniperus occidentalis v. Australis. And the Bennett Juniper is the largest of them all! It’s registered with American Forests in the National Big Tree register: https://www.americanforests.org/tree/western-juniper-ca/
00:00:47 An up close look at the trunk (there are rules about how close you can get to the trunk; Eric and Pedro respected these rules during their visit).
00:01:25 Pedro’s thoughts about the tree!
00:01:51 Eric discusses how different the branching is from the trunk.
00:02:43 Meet “Fred and Ginger”, two trees that stand together nearby. You can tell that Eric doesn’t watch many classic movies, as he called them “Fred and Esther”! 😂
00:03:17 “The Front” of the Bennett Juniper, if it were a bonsai, because that’s where the Shari (deadwood on the trunk) is.
00:03:52 Great angles on the branches, including one “giant corkscrew”.
00:04:48 Looking up at those amazing branches!
00:05:32 Communicating the scale and detail is hard to do.
00:06:11 The most picturesque side, in Eric’s opinion.
00:07:10 This may be one of my favorite Eric Schrader quotes…
What impact does examining a tree like this have on your bonsai practice? Do you agree or disagree with Pedro’s perspective? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for watching; please like and share. Subscribe to our channel for informational and entertaining bonsai videos!
