Dear Lucy: Can't tell you how much I appreciate your interest with these questions. Yes, prune in late fall/early winter. In NYC that can be difficult to determine, because temp's. can be very warmish until the beginning of January, and then they can suddenly take a nose dive until March. Your instructions imply that pruning is OK after trees go into dormancy, .... correct? Size of tree will roughly be, give or take a few inches, almost the same size as the basic framework of the tree after the initial trunk-chop, and bending up one of the side branches to form a new, narrower "trunk" section, and some new "branches" to fill out the basic design. This will be trained in the "BUNJIN/LITERATI" style, so, the basic framework will be very stark, and will only consist of the main trunk: 28" high, then, one of the existing major side branches will be trained to form a continuation of the trunkline, and then, a new apex and some side branches. I plan on planting this tree into a large tub, or a training bed so that the tree could recover from the major surgery/wiring quickly, and to ultimately put out some new branch growth to fill out the existing branches. I don't want, or need, branches to sprout out from, or along the tall, branchless, trunk bottom. This section of the tree will remain branchless for this design, however, I do want to encourage new growth on the already existing branches, and needle bundles. The only major pruning this tree will get, is really, the trunk-chop. The rest of the "tree" is basically there, ... it just has to be wired, bent, and trained into the "Bunjin" style. The main reason I picked out this tree, is that, most of what I will be training has already grown. I'll have a tall, tapering trunk, secondary trunk, and, major branches, to complete the basic design of the final tree. Sort of an "instant" bonsai. I'm 58 years old, so, I need most things to be "instant"!!! The mechanics of how to form this tree were not my problem, but WHEN to do the major work was not clear to me. Wish I could show you some photos, and/or sketches of this tree, and the design that I had in mind, but, sorry to admit, I'm not at all, computer "savy". Perhaps, if, and when, I work on this tree, I might be able to post some before and after pictures ... with the help of my friends. Thanks again for all your interest, and for your helpful suggestions. Cordially yours, Frank DV

Thanks bboy. While riding around Portland for 23 years I have gaped at huge Blue Atlas Cedars and longed for the day I could plant some in my own yard. They are spectacular, majestic, awe-inspiring. I won't live long enough to see these become huge but I have the good karma of leaving them for some fortunate person, beautifying my neck of the woods and watching them grow for whatever time I have left on the planet. Did buy a Cyprus Cedar a couple months ago, like having a bonsai tree in the yard, LOL. It has actually grown since planted, but one can tell it's a slow grower. "> The Cyprus Cedar is the little darker green guy on the left. Will post a picture of him soon, with his new growth :-)

The cones open after prolonged exposure to winter snow and frost. This can best be imitated in the home as follows: 1. Soak the cones in an ice-water mix, or water refrigerated at below +2°C, for 3-4 days. 2. Snap the soaked cones in half. If you can't do so, continue soaking in iced water for a few more days until they soften enough for you to snap them (and try putting the cone in a vice, and hit the top off with a hammer). 3. After breaking the cone, pull the scales and seeds off the central stem. 4. The seeds are ready to sow right away. Use a well-drained sandy soil mix, and keep the seeds well-spaced apart (ideally one seed per pot) to prevent any fungal diseases from spreading from an infected seedling to others. Resin PS if you have any surplus wild origin cones, I would be interested in some for my study herbarium ;-)

"what about the tree makes you think it is in poor condition" For one, it has very few needles. The branches should be fully clothed with needles, whereas this one looks like only new growth is present. Also the pot it is in now may be adequate but the container it was in at the nursery could well have been too small, restricting root growth and causing stress. There is a limit to how much you can effectively train these into a serpentine form. If given room to grow and sufficient time, these get to be massive trees but the weight of the branching and the weeping habit keeps them low to the ground. They need to be trained along the top of a support system (like a fence) or the branches propped up if you don't want to allow the leader to just droop and grow naturally. And while I grow a great many conifers in containers, this is not a selection I would choose for that purpose on any sort of long term basis. It really needs to be in the ground. Check out these images to get a good sense of the potential for this tree.